One night, after a Vanguard team meeting, Hal visited the wall sized screen inside the Vanguard Vault that let him see the Entity’s dimension, to begin another observation period.
That universe was black with billions of glowing chrysalis gossamers that formed shapes, landscapes, cities of glowing, pulsing data. The gossamers connected to billions of diadem screens. (Imagine Tron, the Matrix, Neuromancer, etc.)
One electric blue screen showed unusual activity. Several man-shaped figures were walking through it… entering into the Digital Zone!
Symbiote alerted Vanguard, who were still in the Vault from the team meeting.
Vanguard burst into the Computer Lab. The gateway to the Digital Zone was a titanic, wall-sized portal (ala Jack Kirby). The gate projected a force field across its surface. Through the portal they saw that nearly a dozen explorers were crossing the Digital Zone. Monofilament energy tendrils connected them back to their screen of origin, like virtual lifelines.
By the time their black protective suits were visible, it was clear the Datanauts were headed straight toward Vanguard! They ranged in size from larger than human norm, to one that may have been a small woman. Some tapped controls on the forearms of their suits, perhaps scanning the portal and the area.
Vanguard hastily shared information and made preparations for battle! They isolated the lab computers from the rest of the building, and the world!
Sentinel and Menagerie could detect nothing. Perhaps the force field that sealed the Digital Zone Portal, or even the Digital Zone itself, interfered with their extranormal senses.
Vanguard called greetings and requests for identification to the Datanauts. There was no reply.
The Datanauts silently advanced.
Sentinel reinforced the forcefield with his energy shield.
Clone formed all his bodies, nearly two dozen, and sent three of him to defend Nanite!
Lightning Strike transmitted himself into the Digital Zone as sentient electricity! But when he arrived, he could not locate the Datanauts! He couldn’t detect them or make a visual! As before, he felt like the Digital Zone was ‘rejecting’ him, like he didn’t belong here. He made his report to Vanguard.
In the Computer Lab, the Datanauts stopped before the Portal. At close range they appeared... translucent, spectral, as if they were somehow superimposed over an image of the Digital Zone!
Zephyr said, “Strike’s right! They’re… they’re not in the Digital Zone at all! They’re somehow keying into the Portal. Overriding it. They’re coming in from someplace else!”
Symbiote and Zephyr raced to begin a safe, emergency shutdown of the Digital Zone Portal! It would take five seconds!
Five.
Lightning Strike beamed himself back into the Computer Lab to help defend the Vault! SHAKOW!
Four.
The forcefield suddenly deactivated!
Sentinel’s shields blocked the Datanauts’ advance, and Vanguard could sense them now.
Menagerie detected the echo of the Animal Revolution reality upon them! Also, one of the Datanauts seemed similar to Menagerie: an agent of the natural order?!!
Soldier’s thermal sensors had them reading as human beneath the Datanaut suits!
Sentinel’s senses were picking up an echo of some kind. The Datanauts were giving off Vanguard’s energy signatures!
Three.
The findings of Menagerie, Sentinel and Soldier, such as they were, were reported to Vanguard.
Two. (Combat turn begins now!)
Talon, Avatar and Soldier readied to act (hold actions), in case Sentinel’s shield fell! The shield barrier prevented either side from physically attacking the other!
Three of the silent Datanauts acted simultaneously to Talon, Avatar, and Soldier, as if perfectly synchronized. Each touched the forearm of their suits and from their hands burst rays that enveloped Sentinel’s shield and Vanguard in white energy and teleported them away! The thin lifelines of the three Datanauts receded behind them into the distance, pulsing white energy to the horizon as the Computer Lab disappeared from Vanguard’s view!
FFFFFFFFZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.
Meanwhile, three Clones raced up the northeast stairwell to Nanite’s quarters. Via their weird telepathy, they all suddenly knew what had just happened in the Computer Lab!
They reached the landing of the 83rd floor when SHAKOW! SHAKOW!
Two Datanauts suddenly appeared just below them on the stairs, in streaks of white hot electricity! Before the Clones could react, the Datanauts fired electricity from their hands and electrocuted all three of them into unconsciousness! As the third Clone passed out, he heard the Datanauts speak, through their helmet speakers, in American English:
“Look. Alex’s old costume. Forgot all about that.”
The other Datanaut said, “Yeah, I forgot a lot of things. Now what?”
The first replied, “Now we kill them, that’s what.”
Silence and darkness.
FFFFFFFFZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.
Vanguard and Sentinel’s shield barrier rematerialized somewhere! Explosions! Smoke! Sirens!
Vanguard was all together in a room and KABOOM!! a wall-sized screen, similar to the Digital Zone portal, had just exploded, sending thick black tentacles of smoke into the chamber!
The rest of the room’s features strangely evoked the Computer Lab of Vanguard Vault except the walls were glossy black instead of white and steel. The doors, sealed, were even in the same place! And the blaring sirens were the emergency alert of the Vanguard Vault!
But the windows were gone and the space seemed to be an electronics workshop area.
Clone suddenly knew that the three duplicates he had sent to Nanite were dead! (see rules on your character sheet for this) He had their last memories with him.
Then another explosion could be heard, far, far below them. The floor listed a few degrees. The sickening groan of straining girders could be heard under them.
Slingshot said that whatever building they were in had lost its structural integrity.
Symbiote looked down to steady his feet and something caught his eye. In the big junk-box of workshop detritus, were the electronic guts of a recent, variant design of the Harper Harness that he had just abandoned a week ago.
But now it had ten years of rust on it.
To be continued!
(OOC: Actions?)
Current Conditions:
Avatar: Hit Points: 58, Power Points: 84, Manifesting: none
Clone: Bodies: 19, Hit Points: 1, Power Points: 41, Hit Pool: 19
Lightning Strike: Hit Points: 48, Power Points: 76
Menagerie: Hit Points: 26, Power Points: 65, Form: Man
Sentinel : Hit Points: 30, Power Points: 61, Shields: 100, Creation Points: 122
Slingshot: Hit Points: 79, Power Points: 91, Invulnerability: 8
Soldier: Hit Points: 57, Power Points: 80, Invulnerability: 8
Symbiote: Hit Points: 152, Power Points: 124, Invulnerability: 8, Charges: 12, Copied: Russia
Talon: Hit Points: 58, Power Points: 87
Zephyr: Hit Points: 17, Power Points: 68, Charges: 15, Armor: 25
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Soldier:
Soldier will immediately scan the room with his sensors, as well as trying to determine a GPS fix.
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Menagerie:
[OOC] Is there enough information for Menagerie to think he is still in the Vanguard Vault? if yes
[IC] Menagerie reaches out his thoughts to see if he can sense his cat is still here.
[OOC] He will continue to hold his action unless he can tell the building is starting to fall then he will transform into his Eagle form
If no on sensing this is the Vanguard Vault?
[IC] "This is strange before we were brought here, I sense that one of those blue things was an Agent of Nature. I do not know of any other man that is such. Did anyone else discover anything strange about our attackers or our current surroundings"
[OOC] I so want to yell, "It is just a dream again!!!" but our good GM wouldn't do that to me twice would here? ;)
Wonderful start, I was caught completely off guard by this one. Not that I knew it was a dream either. :)
Viva Whoever we are now!
Tom
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GM:
OOC: Not a dream! Not a hoax! Not an imaginary story!
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Slingshot:
OOC: Aside from everything looking like it got blasted... Is there anything that might look like they are still functional? (computers, etc..)
Do the PDAs work? Can I access information from them (Maybe time synchronization?)
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Sentinel:
Were there exactly 10 Datanauts? (you said almost a dozen)
Was Kirk able to get any sort of read on the type of energy that brought them here before it dissipated? (He would specifically keep track of that info to convey to Symbiote/Strike once they get an opportunity)
Any tech laying around similar to what we saw on the Datanauts, if so, he grabs it to take with them?
Kirk asks Scott if he had any clue on the time frame before this building collapses around them.
In Kirk's radius of energy readings what is the situation regarding other life forms and energies being dispersed (ie Kirk is trying to see how much time they have here to gather intel from this room before they are overtaken by whatever comes next)
If they have time and per Slingshot's checking anything is functional Kirk will assist in trying to obtain any information about this.
Not that we could detect it before, but perhaps with experience, any chance Kirk feels/senses mentally anything similar to Oracle's power at work (at this point he's thinking whether it is at work or not they may have to redefine their understanding of just how her 'vision' power works)?
When Clone relates what happened to his three duplicates back in 'their world' Kirk looks at Hal and Strike specifically and swallows hard. He looks to see if they seem to 'get it' (Two Datanauts suddenly appeared just below them on the stairs, in streaks of white hot electricity!)
(Sentinel’s senses were picking up an echo of some kind. The Datanauts were giving off Vanguard’s energy signatures!) (now it had ten years of rust on it) and he says not expecting anyone to have an answer and more in frustration, "What the hell happened to us here?"
Seth
PS:
Funny, just reread Kirk's line and realized the double interpretation it could have depending on what one is thinking at this point (ie 'us here') - apropos...
Seth
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GM:
OOC:
Hi guys,
As usual, I’ll give clarifications of things your characters see, hear and know right now.
But questions that require movement, an action, the performance of a task, power use, device use, etc. will be answered next issue, during your action phase.
As always, talking is free.
OOC Clarifications:
Tom /Menagerie: This appears more like Vanguard Vault than not.
Stephane /Slingshot: There appear to be working computers in this room.
When Sentinel asks Slingshot how long they have, the floor slowly tilting beneath their feet, the elastic engineer would estimate that a building collapse was imminent, ie: in as few as 10 or 15 seconds!
Seth /Sentinel: Yes. There were ten Datanauts.
Kirk’s energy sense was “on” when he was hit by the “teleporter beam.” The beam energy was new to him. It did not evoke Oracle’s energy signature. On his action he may refocus his energy sense to his new surroundings
There are a few unfinished Datanaut suit parts visible in this workshop.
Everyone: A character’s 'action' ("attack" and movement) takes 7 or 8 seconds.
For this issue, please include what questions your character is looking to find an answer to, and how they expect to find the answer (ie: skill use, superpower use, perception, common sense, etc.)
Also, please be sure to tell me if and how they plan to exit this unsafe structure, and how long they dare wait before attempting to leave? Do you execute one action? Two? More?
If/then statements are welcome.
As always, please make your intentions clear so I can accurately depict your intended actions next ish.
Thanks guys.
Have fun.
Best,
Jeff
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Symbiote:
Hal meets Kirk's gaze and freezes for a moment. Dear God. In another world, under other circumstances, could we have?...
His thought is cut off as the building begins to collapse. Guess we'll worry about who's under those Datanaut helmets--probably with goatees--later, he thinks to himself. He grabs the old, rusted version of the Harper Harness (hoping it might contain some helpful clues) and prepares to move out! He'll punch through the interior walls until he reaches an exterior one, and then punch through it as well (assuming some teammate hasn't already blasted a way through for us). He'll be prepared to Hulk-jump to the street below, carrying any non-flying teammates if necessary.
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Menagerie:
Symbiote said: probably with goatees
AWESOME!!! Wish I had thought of it!!!
[OOC] Menagerie will turn in his Eagle form and follow the others out whichever way is easiest. He will use his Hgt Senses to detect if anything is amiss in the natural order.
[IC] Tabby! are you around here. What has happened to this place, to Vanguard, and me.
Thanks
Tom
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Sentinel:
Kirk’s energy laced around grabbing any Datanauts tech that appeared salvageable and he focused his energy senses through the room and beyond. He also checked the components of what was left of the Digital Zone gateway for anything usable.
“This building is coming down. We have no idea what this world is like or what resources will be at our disposal, but it appears that some reverse engineering and tech reconstruction will be needed for us to get back to our world – if you have any tech knowledge and see anything useable here, grab it. If you have any resources to help determine what happened to us, when this building will collapse around us, or what awaits us outside share it. I’ll let you know what I sense in a moment.
I say we make our exit from the building quickly and together and be prepared to move out of this area. My gut tells me that the building collapsing around us was meant as an inconvenience; I’m guessing that our attackers set things in motion so that outside a force will be waiting, prepared exactly for us. We’ll need an exit strategy for the area to avoid a battle that can do us no good.”
Kirk didn't want to think about what the 'Datanauts' were doing in their world.
OOC: Jeff: Assuming that Kirk is right here, hopefully his senses or that of his teammates alerts us prior to our exiting the building (early in the next round) – please advise the following:
Naturally at this point we’d be working under the assumption that things haven’t changed drastically in ten years and that the exterior of the building is like ours but:
(1) Does anyone know the underground systems surrounding the building (ie subways, sewers) – there is a chance Kirk might have checked into these things as he familiarized himself, but I’d guess Soldier with his tactic thoroughness or Strike with his paranoia would know it, even if Kirk does not. He’ll be asking them.
(2) How far to the nearest body of water connecting to the ocean so that if they submerged together, they could get lost quick?
(3) How far to entry into the tunnel systems by Big City where we fought the Crime lords underground? This area was heavy shielded as I recall (if still around, not a bad place for society’s insurgents, possible allies?)
(4) Another possibility would be asking Strike if he has a hidden safe house or his best suggestion for disappearing as he would likely be the most likely on the team to have a working knowledge of such.
My gut says lots of firepower of some sort is waiting for us outside the building. I’d like to be ready to avoid that conflict (although I’m sure you’ll be sure that doesn’t happen), but at least it won’t be a surprise.
Seth
PS:
I'll add that Kirk will do his best to encircle, protect, and carry out anyone and everyone not making their way out should the building come down on them quicker than they expect and with his energy already strewn throughout the area grabbing tech and their cooperation he should have a good shot at this... although I'm hoping the building isn't coming down just yet.
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Slingshot:
OOC: This is predicated on the fact that you mentioned we have 15 seconds before the whole thing collapses.. and a standard V&V Turn is 15 seconds and each issue is generally half a turn when in combat mode. :D
So.. assuming I have one move and an action before I must take another move to get out.. This is what Slingshot is going to do.
IC:
Scott turns to the others: "We need to get out. We have very little time. Maybe 15 seconds. This place will collapse any moment. We might have time to grab something and get out." He looks at Sentinel, "You'll likely have to carry most of us." He turns and looks around trying to figure out what is salvageable then he realizes where he is. He looks at Sentinel once more and says, "I need to go check on something, I'll meet you outside. Hover if you can, I'll try to grab a hold and get on."
He then dashes out of the Lab and into the staircase, stretches straight down two stories like it was a step and goes to 83rd floor where his living quarters are. He bursts straight into his and Nanite's room, to see what he can salvage from there.
I'm assuming that the next action is time to get out and I'll aim straight for a window and reunite with the others by sling-shooting to them.
Alternate action: If I don't have that much time, then I'll just gather whatever I find provide us with the most intelligence and can be uploaded to the PDAs.
Stephane/Slingshot.
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Lightning Strike:
Strike will attempt to turn into electrical form and exit the rapidly failing building via the wires of the building assuming that they are still intact.
Once out of the building Strike will hook up with the rest of the group to formulate a plan of action. It seems obvious that they have all been brought into the future but it is hard to know whether this is our timeline or an alternate reality. Hopefully this will all be made clear.
Take care all,
Tony
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Talon:
Talon will look at the rest of the members of the Vanguard to see what direction they're taking. He will hold his action to see if anyone struggles when trying to leave the building. If anyone has trouble he will do his best to aid them and fly them from the building.
Thanks,
Denny
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Clone:
Three Clones raced up the northeast stairwell to Nanite’s quarters. Via their weird telepathy, they all suddenly knew what had just happened in the Computer Lab!
They reached the landing of the 83rd floor when SHAKOW! SHAKOW!
Two Datanauts suddenly appeared just below them on the stairs, in streaks of white hot electricity! Before the Clones could react, the Datanauts fired electricity from their hands and electrocuted all three of them into unconsciousness!
Back in the Computer Room all of the Clone duplicates suddenly tensed up and lurched wildly where they stood. The look of fear and pain on their faces was recognizable to everyone standing in the room.
As the third Clone passed out, he heard the Datanauts speak, through their helmet speakers, in American English:
“Look. Alex’s old costume. Forgot all about that.”
The other Datanaut said, “Yeah, I forgot a lot of things. Now what?”
The first replied, “Now we kill them, that’s what.”
Silence and darkness.
FFFFFFFFZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.
The Clone duplicates in the Computer Room instantly grabbed their heads in perfect synchronicity and cried out a dreadful scream like a choir of harpies singing in unison, “AAGGHHHH!!!”
Vanguard and Sentinel’s shield barrier rematerialized somewhere! Explosions! Smoke! Sirens!
Vanguard was all together in a room and KABOOM!! a wall-sized screen, similar to the Digital Zone portal, had just exploded, sending thick black tentacles of smoke into the chamber!
The rest of the room’s features strangely evoked the Computer Lab of Vanguard Vault except the walls were glossy black instead of white and steel. The doors, sealed, were even in the same place! And the blaring sirens were the emergency alert of the Vanguard Vault! But the windows were gone and the space seemed to be an electronics workshop area.
Still screaming in agony, Clone’s duplicates stretched out their arms and franticly tried to grab on to any of the duplicates around them. Just as each Clone grabbed a hold of the other, they all instantly disappeared . . . save one.
As the final duplicate was absorbed, the last Clone standing fell to his knees with his head swept into his chest. His cries of pain were suddenly replaced with the feint sound of sobbing.
Clone suddenly knew that the three duplicates he had sent to Nanite were dead! He had their last memories with him.
Bracing himself on a nearby computer console, Clone lifted himself up off of the floor and said to Slingshot, “I am sorry comrade . . . I am being unable to . . .”
Clone takes a second to catch his breath and then continues, “. . . I am not reaching your Nanite in nick-of-time . . . they attacked me in staircase . . .”
Still bracing himself on the edge of the computer console, Clone remorsefully tilts his head down a bit and then covers his face with his free hand, “. . . they are dead . . . all of me . . .”
Then another explosion could be heard, far, far below them. The floor listed a few degrees. The sickening groan of straining girders could be heard under them.
Slingshot said that whatever building they were in had lost its structural integrity.
Clone stood there for a moment lost in his own thoughts with a look of bewilderment and loss on his face. As the other members of Vanguard began to scramble for the exits, Clone struggled to snap out of the daydream-like state that he was drowning in. He had to remind himself that he was still alive, he had to remind himself that life was about courage and hope, not about despair and sorrow – he had to remind himself that in order to keep on living he had to get out of this building – now!
With a slight shake of his head and a widening of his eyes, Clone quickly turned and followed the other members of Vanguard out of The Vault.
OOC:
Clone will follow the other members of Vanguard out of the building – hopefully someone will be kind enough to offer him a lift ;)
This was a totally awesome issue Jeff – I was wondering when we would have to deal with some of Clone’s duplicates getting killed. This was my exact reaction:
(me reading the issue and then all of a sudden . . .)
. . . The first replied, “Now we kill them, that’s what.”
Silence and darkness.
( ME ) . . . Holy . . . wait . . . what . . . Oh my God – three of my Clone’s just got killed! Holy Hannah!
FFFFFFFFZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.
( ME ) . . . that’s awesome! I can’t believe he just killed off three of my Clone’s – I was so wondering when I was going to have to face that reality . . . that's totally cool!
( finished reading the rest of the issue on the edge of my computer chair – with my face about six inches away from the monitor. I didn’t even realize I was sitting like that until my wife walked into the room and said to me in a totally baffled tone, "Honey . . . why the Hell are you sitting in your chair like that? lol )
Talk to you all soon,
-Kev
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Avatar:
John will stay with Sentinel and will not activate any powers as of yet. He'll be looking at riding with Sentinel if it comes to the building coming down. If there is a fightable (huh...not a real word, apparently) threat to Kirk of any sort, John will interpose himself.
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GM:
OOC:
Hi
Clone: "in nick-of-time" that was great. :)
Slingy: I said 10-15 seconds, but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. :)
Menagerie: Re: tabby: I just realized your psychometry involves wild animals and nature. Instead of a domesticated cat, maybe your pet is a wild animal? What do you think?
Sentinel: Soldier and Strike know the underground systems surrounding the Empire State Building (ie subways, sewers, etc).
The East River is five avenues east of the Empire State Building. That’s the closest body of water that leads to the Atlantic.
The tunnel systems under Lonely Town where you fought Morgue and the Five Bosses underground are 15-20 minutes of flying time away, but were collapsed as a result of that battle for Big City’s soul!
Sentinel doesn’t know about Strike’s secret lairs in his war against crime.
Thanks,
Jeff
