CHAPTER ONE
The Nazi Uber-mensch and the
Japanese Imperial Guard had been vanquished!
Before Vanguard and the Liberty League could exchange words, the Ring of Eon awoke.
Slate felt it, and produced the
ring from his pocket. Weird energy emanated from it.
Some distance away, similar energy
suddenly coruscated in the middle of the sky, as if in answer to the Ring. It
was the tear in the fabric of time that brought Vanguard here in the first
place. To judge from its identical energy readings, the Ring of Eon must have been
its cause!
“Incredible,” murmured the golden
age Doc Rocket.
The golden age Mystic said to
Vanguard, “It would appear you’ve little time.”
Slate
looked at Doc Rocket and the rest of the Liberty League, longing to ask them
about their adventures, to get to know them as he knew them now, but he also knew
they had little time, or did they? If
the Ring could control time, or give them a choice in when they returned, they
could go back to an earlier time. He
wasn't sure about the paradoxes of time travel; he'd read that the same being
could not inhabit the same space, and that if a time traveler met himself it
could cause problems, but they should be able to buy some time, maybe going
back a few days before they left to recover and then gather some of the
artifacts. Returning to the tower
immediately after they left.
He
turned to Mystic to see if this would be possible. They might only have a short time to make a
decision, but ‘when’ they would go could make all the difference. "Mystic,
would it be possible to change the target time of this vortex to a few days
before we left? That would buy us some
time to recover, when time is really the one thing we don't have. Cthulhu is coming, and we have to stop
him," Slate looked expectantly from face to face, his large eyes
reflecting the gathered heroes.
The golden age Mystic said, "I've no experience with this artifact, so I
can't predict its power or abilities."
The golden age Sentinel said, "Allied intelligence learned that Dr. Swastika
had launched an expedition to fabled Atlantis in search of another ancient
superweapon to help the Axis win the war."
The golden age Sgt. Stone said, "We cut in, stole their precious treasure, and
commandeered a SKULL sub to make our getaway, when you lot showed up."
The golden age Doc Rocket said, "I doubt the Ring has magical properties,"
casting a dubious glance at the Mystic. "We've just acquired it and have
not yet had time to study it."
The golden age Agent America said,
"Hey, I couldn't help but notice but the superheroes from the future are
all Americans. Looks like we win the war!" He clapped American Eagle on
the back with a smile.
Slingshot
said, "Understand that you are all legends. I'm proud to have known you in
your prime. Keep fighting the good fight. It's all worth it."
Menagerie
thought, ‘So many questions so little time. While the Ring of Eon might control
time, no one knew how to control time.’
He said, “I know for myself the idea of manipulating time to heal would be
wonderful but is it worth the risk of trying to control the Ring of Eon? Look
where it led Dr. Change.”
Then he
said to the Liberty League. "It was an honor to meet every one of you. The
Liberty League has grown from a group fighting the good fight to the standard
of what it means to fight for good. Thank you."
When
Menagerie had mentioned Dr. Change, Doc
Rocket's eyes widened. Vanguard knew that Dr. Change was rumored to have
been in action covertly since the Victorian Age (or perhaps had traveled back
in time with the Ring of Eon before it drove him mad?). But Vanguard never
heard that the Liberty League had encountered him, or even knew of him.
Doc quickly
recovered and joined the Liberty League in sincerely thanking Vanguard and
wishing them well.
The golden age Sentinel said, “Our mission was to make sure this ancient
superweapon doesn’t end up in Nazi hands. Giving it to you heroes of the future
completes our mission. God speed,
Vanguard.”
The two
superteams of different centuries shook hands and said their goodbyes.
Slingshot
said to Doc Rocket softly: "Doc, I couldn't help noticing that you reacted
when we mentioned Dr. Change. Is there anything that we need to know about him?
I fully expect him to show up at the most inopportune time. Anything to help
fight him would be of serious help."
Doc murmured,
“I’m afraid I have nothing of use to offer on this matter. I was surprised to
hear he was still active in the 21st century. I hope my future self would have learned his
weakness, but I expect that if he did, he would have told you. Or is it, "will have?”
The modern age Sentinel whispered to Mystic as they clasped hands, “Events in this
mission confirmed my suspicions that my powers were at least partially based on
mystic energies. It seems you sensed
that and disrupted them. I can’t afford
to let that happen again and imperil my team or the mission… can you tell me
what you did and how to prevent it?”
The golden age Mystic said, “It was an incantation to Dispel Magic. It only
worked because I knew Lancaster long enough to deduce the source of his
energy.”
Kirk
stated, “I have a bit of a dilemma here.
Everything speculated about time travel highlights the hazards of
affecting the time stream adversely.
However in our brief actual experience we have actually been able to
affect the future for a better outcome.
Had Vanguard not experienced the positive effects our efforts before I
wouldn’t question the conventional wisdom… but our personal experience makes me
think harder. But I was wondering,
noticing the effect seeing us has already had on some of your team, are you
planning to take action after we leave to prevent the League from remembering
what they have learned here today. Not
that I approve of it, but if so I have little reason for me to think further on
this moral dilemma.”
The golden age Mystic said sardonically, “Allow me to assume the burden of this
moral dilemma for you.”
When
the Sentinels shook hands, Kirk said,
“You are going to crash hard in a little less than an hour, be sure you are in
a situation that can accommodate that safely.
If you have any questions for me that you think I can safely answer I’d
be happy to do so.”
Lancaster
said, “No. Your mere existence answers
the most troubling questions I have.”
Kirk said,
“Thank you for everything. I am who am I
today because of you.”
Lancaster
said with a sincere smile, “I greatly look forward to our next meeting.”
Kirk
said to the Liberty League, “It has been an honor today to meet all of you. I just wish parts of it had gone a bit
differently. What you do during this
time will inspire the generations to come.
Keep fighting the good fight to preserve our future and we’ll do our
part to ensure its continuing.” He looked at them wanting to say more, “And
never underestimate the capabilities of your worst enemies or their ability to
hide and endure where you least expect.”
Agent America shook the modern age Sentinel’s hand last. “Well it’s
reassuring to know that even in the future, there will always be a Sentinel making
speeches!”
With a
warm laugh, the teams parted; each in a flying energy sphere of their
respective leader.
CHAPTER TWO
Away
from the Liberty League, Vanguard discussed their next move as they slowly
approached the time hole.
Menagerie said,
"I vote for leaving now and getting back to the Vault. We can have the
Mystic teleport us to China. I am also ready to get rid of this Ring. I have
been a hero for only a short time but it has appeared way too often and caused
too many hardships.”
Sentinel
was frustrated that he couldn’t warn Lancaster about Dr. Swastika's abilities and
what was going to happen to Miles (Agent America). He thought, I’d surely love
to undo that injustice... but the ramifications of meddling in history have to
outweigh it.
Then he
asked his team mates. "Do we know the 'rules' for time travel?"
Slingshot
(and his Multiverse Theory skill) said, “Even though this is Vanguard's first
experience travelling through time, we’ve witnessed its results at least twice:
“The
first was the Primate. Oracle's powers
allowed Vanguard to psionically "see" the future, so that our
foreknowledge could avert it by changing our actions.
“The
second was the Omega Universe. This dystopian
future was created due to events around Slate's birth and Silas Caine's
Presidency. And it was averted here due to what Vanguard learned when we were
in the Omegaverse, which enabled us to alter the future and prevent the Omega-verse
from happening here, so far anyway.
“So, it
seems that the future of a given timeline can be changed. But I caution us all
that we do not know our future and we are not aware of what we are trying to
avoid in the future. For example, when we averted the Omega-verse future, we
ushered in the Coming of Cthulhu.
Likewise, we may be avoiding the future where we win while healing.
Although healing is likely something that will actually help the team greatly.”
Slingshot
looked at the tear in space pensively. He looked at Ethan and gave him a brave
smile. If it was up to him, he'd jump through, but his son is here. He might
look and behave like a teen, but he's still less than a year old. He beckoned
to Slate and when he came close, Slingshot hugged his progeny for what seemed
like a long time.
Slate
said, "Uh, Daaad. Will you cut it out.”
Slingshot
used his hands to envelope the Ring in his son's hand and whispered with eyes
closed, "Ring, send us where we are needed, with our bodies from 3 days
ago."
Nothing
happened! No one save Slate noticed what
he had attempted.
Avatar
said, “I think that the use of the ring to gather artifacts is a fantastic
idea. I've been stumped since the start
as to how we're going to gather up everything in the allotted time, and that
might be the only way.”
Slate said,
“Since the Liberty League was actually from a time prior to the FF, this,
(when) we are now, is actually the first encounter with the Eon ring, and
removing it from this timeline could impact the timeline... or maybe not,
seeing as the team has been able to impact the actions of the ring in the past
corporately, I'm guessing we could send it back here after using it, but to
follow this line of reasoning…
“Perhaps
leaving the ring in the past is the best way to ensure events unfold the way
they should. Maybe Vanguard needed to
come back to this time to save the Liberty League from the combined might of
the Ubermensch and the Imperial Guard.
It appears the ring may be sentient, gently guiding the steps of
Vanguard.”
"Dad,
if we take the ring, we could screw up the timeline so that Vanguard never even
exists. The Liberty League could have
fallen today without our assistance.
Maybe as it has before the Ring brought us here to save them and keep
the timeline intact. If so, we need to
leave the Ring with the Liberty League as we go through the rift into the
future, accepting that the Ring will send us where we need to go. It will be out of Cthulhu's reach, here in
the past, I don't think we can make it any safer than that."
Slingshot
pulled back slightly and looked at his son. "Is that a fact? You highlight
a serious problem. Are you sure that they kept the ring longer than up to this
moment? If we can confirm that he League has the Ring past this time, then we
can leave it behind and I would be ok with it.”
Menagerie
looked at Slate. "That is linear thinking. You are assuming that history
has already happened. Vanguard could have always saved the Liberty League and
to preserve our attacking their stolen sub is the reason none of our friends
told us they knew us before. We could take the Ring with us because that is how
it happened before in our current timeline of history."
Slingshot nodded
to Menagerie. "So if we can collectively remember it, the Ring stayed with
them longer than this moment - We can leave it behind. But I'm betting that we
should bring it with us."
Slate
used his Heightened Sense of Comprehension to piece together the history of the
Ring of Eon, to figure out Vanguard’s next steps. The team’s other superhero
historians (Sentinel and Symbiote)
helped him:
The Ring of Eon was first acknowledged in the battle with
Eon the Eternal in 2004. Eon, the black
celestial, led an alien invasion of Earth by the evil, star-spanning S'Korian
Empire (the enemy of Paladin, the cosmic-powered, armored Freedom Forcer).
The Freedom Force, Earth's mightiest heroes from the
1980's, came out of retirement and joined forces with their arch enemy, the
supervillain Dr. Change, to save the Earth. They destroyed the S'Korian fleet
and defeated Eon but not before Dr. Change seized the Ring of Eon, and Eon
scattered them all across space and time.
The whereabouts of Freedom Forcers Dynamo, Pulsar, Paladin,
Onyx and Pathos remains a mystery to this day.
The android Freedom Forcer, Nemesis (the "son" of
IT, "half brother" of Nanite, and "uncle" of Slate) was
sent to the Dawn of Earth's history where he voluntarily shut down until he was
found by Vanguard in the Temple of Terror in the Lost Lands in Antarctica.
Dr. Change was sent to Limbo where he and the now-dormant
Ring of Eon were trapped for time immeasurable.
This isolation broke Dr. Change's mind, resulting in him believing he
was actually his archenemy, Dynamo, the leader of the Freedom Force. His
shapeshifting powers subconsciously altered his outward appearance to match his
mind's mistaken belief.
Vanguard encountered Dr. Change in this state when they
fell into Limbo after trying to escape the Omega-verse via a jury rigged Tesla
gate, when the "receiver" of the gate was destroyed by Vanguard Omega
on Earth "Alpha."
Vanguard's combined mental effort enabled them to use the
Ring to bring them and "Dynamo" back home. They defeated Vanguard
Omega and then Dr. Change remembered who he really was. Vanguard once again combined their mental
effort to commandeer the Ring, resulting in it and Dr. Change being sent back
to Limbo.
Vanguard now encounters the Ring in the 1940's, where Dr.
Swastika has sent an expedition to fabled Atlantis to discover an ancient
superweapon from a fallen, advanced civilization to use in the war (not unlike
Swastika's Nazi expeditions to the Lost Lands for the same purpose).
Vanguard has no recollection of the Liberty League ever
encountering the Ring of Eon (let alone Vanguard!).
Sentinel
heard everything being said, quietly taking it in (likely to Strike's surprise)
and then spoke out strongly, clearly frustrated, not at his teammates, but at
the entire situation. It was apparent
that the physical and emotional toll of the last few hours was beginning to
show, and Kirk was frustrated as the clock was running out and the odds of
completing their mission in the time frame continued to mount against them...
"Or
maybe we were supposed to come now and take the Ring back to the present! Or maybe we take it to the present and send
it back when we are done with it! I'm
sick of may-bees."
And as
he spoke he looked to each of his teammates ending with his eyes lastly locked
on Avatar, whom they looked to as their key strategist with Soldier on leave,
and Strike, who always played Devil's advocate.
"Here's
what we do know. We had a plan. We came
here to get the ring. We paid the
toll... We take the damn ring! And we worry about fixing time anomalies, if
any, later because at this point without the ring I don't think it’s going to
matter. I'm asking you now to think this
through for an opinion as to how to proceed here. Looking at what has happened since this
started and what lies before us and how each non-stop mission takes a piece out
of all of us, does it seem like we can gather the artifacts in time? Even if somehow we get them all, will any of
us be able to stand against the ultimate end game... and you know there is
always an ultimate endgame. Our true
enemy here since this started has been time.
We now have the means to take control back from that enemy," and he
raised Slate's hand up holding the ring.
"We are going to lose on the path set before us! It's time to take control. Instead of following, we lead. We dictate the terms. Who's with me?"
Avatar
said, “We should take the Ring with us and use it in our quest. If we are
successful, we can always return it to this time period. If not, then things are going to be bad
enough, anyway.”
Menagerie
agreed.
Slate
voted to leave it in this timeline, looking down at the waters of Atlantis. “Two
wrongs won't make this right. We can't endanger the world to save it. None of
the other artifacts have proven "useable", as you seem to think the Ring
will be.
“I'm
quite sure Dr. Change felt the same way about using it to rule time and space.
We have to respect this as a force of nature, not a tool to be used by men.”
Avatar
said, “It IS a "force of nature" to be respected but these are not
normal circumstances, not by any stretch of the imagination, and we must do
whatever we can to weigh the scales in our direction. Also, we are not mere MEN...we are all that
stands between mankind and the apocalypse and only a few of us can truly be
called "men", anyway. We are
in the position we are in because we have been fated to stand here and we have
all been given gifts beyond those of most of mankind so that we can defend and
protect them from things like these Elder Horrors.”
Lightning Strike said, “Damn, I agree with both stances. However, at this point I fail to see how
using the ring could possibly make the circumstances any worse for us, and it
seems virtually impossible to get the remaining artifacts in the little time
remaining.”
Slingshot
voted with his son. Leave it.
Vanguard was
decided. They would take it.
CHAPTER THREE
Sentinel’s energy sphere flew
through the time hole! VRASHHHH!
Light flared through the orb, longer than a lightning flash and
without the sound of thunder.
Suddenly, they were on the other
side, back in the “present.” The dark
waves of the mid Atlantic crashed beneath them as the World Storm raged in the
heavens. Lightning crackled and rain fell. One could scarcely discern day from
night.
The rift in time closed and the
Ring of Eon fell dormant again.
Vanguard tried their
communicators, but the satellites were still down due to the World Storm.
Menagerie contacted
Archimedes through their bond.
Suddenly, BOOM! Mystic’s gate opened before them, and the
mysterious mage stepped through it and hovered in mid air.
"You
brought the Ring,” said Mystic.
His
eyes held the unknowable secrets of the universe, and they regarded
Vanguard.
“The
less said to your friends about what transpired in 1943, the better. Come, there’s much work to be done.”
Mystic
led the way, guiding Vanguard through the spaces between space, and home.
Everything
was as they remembered. The timeline had
survived their visit to the past.
Shelley,
Agent Drake, Archimedes, Doc and Sarge welcomed them home.
Manetti
said, “We lost the Manta Craft. If we live, this is gonna mean a lot of
paperwork.”
As they greeted their friends, Vanguard couldn’t help but notice how the two Liberty Leaguers had aged.
Neither
of them betrayed any knowledge of what Vanguard had just experienced.
Mystic wanted to
gate the Ring of Eon to his pocket dimension for safe keeping with the other
Artifacts of Power. When Vanguard shared
their plan to use it, he said: “None of us fully understand the Ring’s powers,
or the ramifications of its use… But
these are desperate times.
“If I don’t need to pierce the dimensions
to contain the Ring, I’ll be ready to gate you to your next location in 30
minutes.”
Vanguard decided
their next target as they were treated by a small team of CHESS medics,
[In 30
minutes, Vanguard can gain back all of their Power Points and one Healing Rate
of Hit Points, if they don’t exert themselves.]
Lightning
Strike drew power from the generator [to heal Power Points].
Slingshot
absorbed plastic and rubber scrap to regenerate [and heal Hit Points].
Vanguard had the Splinter of the
True Cross, the Sacrificial Dagger of the Maya, the Stone Idol of Cthulhu, and now
the Ring of Eon. Five Artifacts remained, and Vanguard knew their locations
thanks to the Janus Chair:
- Northern
France
- The Nevada
desert
- Moscow (This
is assumed to be the Spear of Destiny, in possession of the SSS)
- Northern
California
- China
Avatar voted for the Nevada desert as Vanguard’s
next target.
Lightning Strike voted for France.
Menagerie voted for China.
Sentinel voted for the Nevada desert.
Slate voted for France.
Slingshot voted for China.
[OOC: It’s a three way tie. Clone and Symbiote abstained, so to break the tie I
rolled dice to randomly generate their answers:]
Clone voted for France.
Symbiote voted for Moscow. He wondered why Clone
didn’t.
Vanguard’s next target was in France.
The cities of the world were rioting. All the other
superheroes on Earth were working with CHESS and law enforcement to attempt to
save lives and restore order in the global crisis. Electromagnetic interference
from the World Storm had taken down the internet and all satellite
communications. There would be no high resolution satellite imagery of the next
target site. Nor thick CHESS dossier on the
location.
Vanguard went to the Vault’s library. Beneath the emergency generator lights, they
poured through oversized atlases and tomes.
Slate’s computer-like mind calculated the
coordinates received from Menagerie and Sentinel’s use of the Janus Chair.
“Paimpont Forest. In Brittany,” he said.
Avatar peered over his shoulder at the map of
northwestern France. “It’s Brocelïande,”
he gasped.
[pronounced “bro
SAY lee ahnd”]
The hero of ancient history explained. “According to Arthurian legend, Brocelïande
is a mystical forest deep in the heart of Brittany, France. The Lady of the Lake dwelt there. And it was the final resting place of
Merlin.”
Avatar pulled down several more volumes, paged
through them and found himself stopping at the reproduction of a painting of
questing knights entering the mysterious wood.
Time was up. Mystic stood ready to
gate them to Brocelïande.
It was noon. Two days and 12 hours until the End of the World.
To be continued!
OOC: Actions please. What’s the plan?
Some of you mentioned using the
Ring of Eon to travel back in time to heal more.
(fyi, see Current Conditions,
below. Sentinel and Menagerie are the
most injured. Clone, Strike and Slingshot are fully healed.)
If the majority agree with this, how
far back in time do you attempt to travel?
Do you attempt to travel geographically as well, or just travel to an
earlier time in the Vault? How do you attempt
to activate the Ring?
Fyi, The last time Vanguard glimpsed
the Ring of Eon was in 2011, in Issue 145: http://vanguardhq.blogspot.com/2011/10/vanguard-issue-145-infinite-change.html
Current
Conditions:
Avatar: Hit Points: 27, Power Points: 85, Manifestation: None
Clone: Bodies: 3*, Hit Points: 11, Hit Point Pool: 23, Power
Points: 67
Lightning Strike: Hit Points: 41, Power Points: 85
Menagerie: Hit Points: 9, Power Points: 66, Form: Human
Sentinel: Hit Points: 7, Power Points: 70, Creation Points: 140
Slate: Hit Points: 19, Power Points: 73
Slingshot: Hit Points: 79, Power Points: 92,
Invulnerability: 8
Symbiote: Hit Points: 28, Power Points: 83, Charges: 14,
Activated: None
*Clone’s hit points: Clone from WW2:
12, in Vault: 5, in Moscow: 5. Power Points are full for everyone.
CHAPTER FOUR
VANGUARD
BACK-UP FEATURE! STARRING… THE CLONE AND DOCTOR X!
"Mystic’s revolver?” Doctor X
said. “After all these decades?”
Clone knew that Doctor X had
allied with the Liberty League in World War II when their nations fought
together against Nazi Germany.
Clone released his grip on the
vault door and walked slowly towards his “master” as he said, “You are right
Comrade Doctor. This item belongs in your hands.”
Clone walked unchallenged through
the ranks of unsuspecting gunmen to Doctor X, with the revolver in his
outstretched hand. Suddenly, Clone
closed his hand, rushed past him, placing Doctor X between Clone and the six
masked soldiers.
Clone turned and, using Doctor X
as a shield, placed the gun to the back of his neck!
“What is this?!?” demanded Doctor
X.
Clone nudged the barrel of his
pistol up under the bottom edge of Doctor X's helmet and in a dark and sinister
tone whispers into his ear, "Any idea what a bullet bouncing all around
the inside of this helmet would do to that twisted little melon sitting on top of
your neck?" Not waiting for a response, Clone barked at the Russian
soldiers standing before him, "The four of you! Open that vault door nice
and wide and let’s take a look at what’s inside."
"No!" commanded Doctor X.
The soldiers froze.
Clone gave the barrel of Mystic's
pistol a sharp push into the base of Doctor X's skull and ordered, "Do it
or I swear I’ll kill him right now!”
“I said, no,” repeated Doctor X.
The soldiers would not defy Doctor
X, not even to save his life.
Doctor X said, “Alexi, what has
become of you in your time in the West?
I’m truly sorry we had to send you there. Sorry that you had to see the things that you
did. I had no idea it would transform
you, warp you, destroy your very soul.
Had I known, I never would have let you from my side. Where is that
sweet angel I once knew? That kind, innocent boy with the heart of a child.
What have they done to my beloved Alexi?”
Clone
quickly moved the gun down and aimed it at Doctor X’s kneecap. “This is what
happened!”
Then he pulled the trigger!
Nothing happened. The trigger wouldn’t budge. It was locked
somehow!
Doctor X turned to face Clone,
“When did they turn my boy into a cold blooded killer? When did your heart
become as ugly as your face?”
The pistol flew from Clone’s hand
and landed in Doctor X’s. Doctor X had
the power of telekinesis! [as per those wiggly lines around his hands in the
illustration. ;-) ]
“Alexi, did you really think I
would author a program to create superpowered men, and deny myself that power?”
The six masked soldiers aimed
their automatic rifles at Clone.
Movement could be heard in the hall outside.
Doctor X said, “You come at an
opportune time, my sweet Alexi. If we
are to survive this apocalypse, Russia must unite with America, as we did in
World War II.
“And to forge that alliance, I can
imagine no one better suited than you.”
To be continued!
OOC: Replies? Actions?
Thanks,
Jeff
--------------------------------------------------
Menagerie:
Menagerie wants to go to France
directly. He doesn't want to use the Ring yet. "We are not that desperate
yet. We may only get to use it once, so lets wait until we truly need it. Let's
leave now I believe I am about to meet Merlin."
Regards
Tom
--------------------------------------------------
Slate:
Slate
sought out his mother, he hugged her tightly.
His fathers words and touch had brought feelings he had not experienced
in some time... He wouldn't acknowledge it in front of the others, but with her
it was different.
Burying
his head in her shoulder he said, "I was so worried we would return and
you wouldn't be here. The thought of it
was unbearable. I don't know how we
could manage it, but maybe you should find a way to the digital realm until
things are safe here. I don't think Cuthulu
would have any desire to visit that universe, and I know Nemesis could protect
you, I know he could." He looked up
at her. "If you ask it of me, I
will stay with you. At least if
something happens to you it would happen to me too."
OOC: So
Slate's response is an if/else.
If
Nanite wishes him to stay, he will remain behind, and try to find a way to keep
his mother safe. Attempting to get her
safely away to the digital dimension (Don't ask me why he thinks this is a good
idea, but he felt safe the only time he's been there, and hasn't felt safe for
a long time now.
If not,
he will prepare for the trip to Britania, He will re-stock his supplies,
getting rid of the underwater gear he had obtained, he will gather weapons of
Iron, Silver, and Steel. He will obtain some salt, garlic, wolfsbane, and
belladonna. Picking back up his fedora
and leather jacket... along with his whip.
Either
way, this should be fun!
Jon
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC:
Thanks Tom and Jon.
Stephane,
Nanite would bring Scott into this
discussion. Should Nanite and Slate
evacuate to the Digital Zone to avoid the coming of Cthulhu, and/or the
potential temporal reorganization of this universe via Vanguard's use of the
Ring of Eon?
Thanks
Jeff
--------------------------------------------------
Slingshot:
Yes, she would.
Scott is very protective of them
(as he has abundantly shown to date). He would certainly let them go and even
be happy that they would be protected by IT. Knowing how time lapses in that
dimension. I would see if Slate could dig up some technological goody to thwart
the magical attack.
Damn! this is exactly what
happened last time, except it was a IT. Could we recruit IT to neutralize
Cthulhu somehow?
--------------------------------------------------
Slate:
Looks like this issue won't be
coming over the Holiday, so here we go.
I hate to break up the team more
than we have already, but maybe Slate can do more good than harm.
A couple of questions, from my
last post, first what is the time differential with the portal, I couldn't find
that. Second, if this is side tracking
the storyline, or making things difficult on you let me know and Slate can
absolutely continue with the team as originally scripted.
I know that the digital portal in
the Vanguard Vault was destroyed, but Nanite and Nemesis were able to create a
portal, so Slate will want to use his ability to determine what would be the
quickest way to go with creating a new portal... He'd also ask Doc Rocket to
make sure there was a kill switch, preferably hard wired, not digital, in case
something went wrong. From his
experiences with IT/Nemesis (conscious and unconscious), Slate has no fear of
them, but understands the threat they pose to this world, and he does not want
to make things worse. He will attempt to
make some type of digital communication with the digital dimension prior to
attempting anything.
Jon
--------------------------------------------------
Sentinel:
OOC:
Per the post, with most of Vanguard
healed not sure the best way to proceed.
IC:
The golden age Mystic said
sardonically, “Allow me to assume the burden of this moral dilemma for you.”
Kirk replied with a small laugh,
“It appears that whenever we meet we’re going to end up rubbing each other the
wrong way unintentionally. But ponder
the possibility that I asked not because of my moral dilemma but rather to be
sure you knew you had one before you.”
Agent America shook the modern age
Sentinel’s hand last. “Well it’s reassuring to know that even in the future,
there will always be a Sentinel making speeches!”
Kirk smiled and replied, “I hadn’t
realized it was hereditary. I may use
that line in my defense with my teammates in the future.” And he thought about recent decisions with Shel
and what the future might bring for the legacy of the Sentinel.
There was pain hidden behind that
smile knowing what would come for Agent America and the League. He supposed that there was a difference
between acting to change your own future and trying to alter that future of
someone else which had already occurred for you. And what if he somehow spared the fate to
come for Agent America and instead Swastika ended up destroying another life
for that same role?
Current decision questions –
handled out of character:
At this point with the healing
really most of Vanguard isn’t too bad off.
So:
(1) Could we use the ring of Eon to ‘will’ the
artifacts to us instead of us going to them?
(2) If
not, if we are using the ring to pierce time, since we already took it
out of time why not go back to the recent past and not only rest but perhaps
retrieve the artifacts before they became such well-guarded items (ie at a time
so not so close to their possible usage date)
(3) Since most Vanguard is in good shape here,
what about the pocket dimension Mystic is using to store the artifacts. Would it be possible for us to go into that
place to heal but then have Mystic retrieve us at this moment in time. (so time passes there, but not here for us)
(and as an aside Kirk would really like to check on things there – given how
they continue to rub each other wrong he doesn’t trust him and wonders if he is
a hero or opportunist)
From what I recall activating the
ring took all of us focusing and was a difficult task. It would seem that with most of the team well
healed it wouldn’t be worth the toll merely to heal Kirk and Menagerie. But if we could use it to bring the artifacts
to us… or go to a time in the recent past to gather them without as much
interference (while allowing healing time for those that need it) might be
worth it. Although there is no guarantee
of knowing how far back might get us an easier retrieval… but it seems these
ideas are worth discussion.
Best,
Seth
--------------------------------------------------
Sentinel:
OOC: Stupid me. Should have read through the other player
posts before sending.
I would like answers to the
possibilities listed but given the health status of most of the team and
Menagerie's reply that he doesn't want to use the ring yet Kirk would be fine
with that if the balance of the team wants to go that route... unless we could
somehow use it to bring the artifacts to us.
Seth
--------------------------------------------------
Clone:
The Atlantic:
As the group discusses the
possibility of time travel; the normally quiet Clone, unexpectedly makes a
suggestion regarding its use, “I think it best that I wear the ring.”
As the rest of Vanguard looks
towards Clone in surprise, the Replicating Russian explains, “Since none of us
have any clear idea about how the ring may affect the wearer, perhaps I could
have one of my doppelgangers use it. That way; if anything should go wrong,
none of you would get hurt and I could simply absorb the injured duplicate . .
. make sense?”
As the party of heroes ponders
Clone’s offer, the Multiplying Mutant stretches out his hand as if to ask for
the ring and says, “Next stop. Medieval France?”
( OOC: my gut tells me that the
relic in France might be the Holy Grail, but I could be TOTALLY wrong )
Russia:
Doctor X turned to face Clone,
“When did they turn my boy into a cold blooded killer? When did your heart
become as ugly as your face?”
The pistol flew from Clone’s hand
and landed in Doctor X’s. Doctor X had the power of telekinesis! [as per those
wiggly lines around his hands in the illustration. ;-) ] (OOC: For some reason
I thought that was Mind Control waves or something lol )
“Alexi, did you really think I
would author a program to create superpowered men, and deny myself that power?”
The six masked soldiers aimed
their automatic rifles at Clone. Movement could be heard in the hall outside.
Doctor X said, “You come at an
opportune time, my sweet Alexi. If we are to survive this apocalypse, Russia
must unite with America, as we did in World War II.
“And to forge that alliance, I can
imagine no one better suited than you.”
Realizing he didn’t have many
options available to him, Clone thought it might be best to except Doctor X’s
offer . . . for now.
Clone turned to the Russian
mastermind and said simply, “You're making me an offer to form an alliance at
gun point? I’m sorry Doctor X, but for me to even consider your offer you would
have to make a gesture of good faith . . . please have your men lower their
weapons and leave us alone to talk.”
( OOC: Assuming Doctor X complies
with at least a part of Clone’s request . . . ) Appearing some what satisfied
with Doctor X’s decision, Clone asked, “ . . . and assuming that I’m open to
the possibility of being the harbinger of this alliance, what will you be
bringing to the table? I mean you must know that Vanguard has already secured a
few of the ancient relics, how many have you managed to obtain?”
( OOC: after the Doctor replies .
. . ) Still curious, Clone than asked Doctor X, “. . . and what happens to this
‘alliance’ once we defeat our mutual enemy?”
( OOC: Should Doctor X ever seem
reluctant to share information . . . ) Clone looked at Doctor X in an assertive
yet puzzled manner and said, “You speak of alliance yet you hesitate to share
information openly? Surely you would agree that a budding friendship between
old rivals should be built on trust and openness . . . wouldn’t you Comrade
Doctor?”
( OOC: Assuming that Doctor X
appears to be sincere with his offer . . . ) Apprehensively satisfied with
Doctor X’s intentions; Clone signals to Mystic to open the gate, he would have
to discuss this ‘alliance’ with the rest of Vanguard before he could ‘seal the
deal’. As the gate began to take shape, Clone looked up from his communicator
and said to Doctor X, “I’ll discuss this with the others and get back to you
with our decision. Good day, comrade.”
OOC:
My apologies again for not letting
you guys know that I would be away last week, and apologies again for mixing up
the dates in my head – it sucks getting old.
Jeff, let me know if you need
anything else from me –
Talk to you guys soon,
-Kev
--------------------------------------------------
Lightning Strike:
Lightning Strike thinks that
nobody should hold the Ring at the moment and that the pocket dimension is the
best place for it. We should use it only
if it will save the world and nothing less than that.
That includes saving the life or
lives of any member of Vanguard. The
stakes are so high at this point that only saving the world justifies using the
ring. We don't know what would happen if
we were to use it but judging from history, nothing good can come of it.
All things considered we are not
in that bad shape and we are not all that far away from getting what we need.
Strike is also against the limbo
plan since hanging out in limbo is not likely to do him any good since he does
not heal normally.
OOC: Sorry for the delay and I will try to do
better next issue.
Thanks,
Tony
--------------------------------------------------
Avatar:
OOC: Are there any Yes/No
questions that would help us decide?
Avatar could use Cosmic Awareness to narrow down choices.
--------------------------------------------------
Sentinel:
OOC: Tony:
The 'limbo idea' wasn't for the
whole team. Only those needing it (which
seemed to be more than it is previously because of Strike/Slingshot's abilities
to heal differently). And it wasn't for
limbo, it was for the pocket. If Kirk
and Menagerie could hop into the pocket dimension for one hour Vanguard time
(the time for Mystic to be able to open another portal) but have them retrieved
from the pocket dimension after they had fully healed, why not? Plus Vanguard would know what was in the
pocket dimension and how the artifacts are guarded (since Kirk doesn't trust
Mystic).
Harold - on the cosmic
question. I'd been thinking about it
previously (I think more to see if Mystic is trustworthy and the artifacts are
safe in the pocket dimension) - but hesitated because the toll on Avatar is big
to use the power from what I recall. At
this point Seth doesn't have the time to come up with a question... unless
someone else does that you deem worthy of its usage.
Seth
--------------------------------------------------
Symbiote:
Symbiote will go in with
Accelerator's power set. He agrees with
the idea of Clone wearing the ring (or one of his duplicates).
Viva Vanguard,
Greg
--------------------------------------------------
Menagerie:
Menagerie agrees to a Clone
wearing the ring.
Tom
--------------------------------------------------
Avatar:
I have to reverse my initial
thought and say "no" to anyone using the Ring.
--------------------------------------------------
