Onboard the CHESS Omni-Carrier, Aperture slumps against a nearby wall, the Artifacts of Power clattering to the floor. “Mystic is coming. I escaped to the Salt Flats, but he was able to track me down. I barely escaped.” The scion of cyberspace reconfigures his modular nanite power to Regeneration.
Sentinel’s extranormal senses confirm that all is as it seems with Aperture and his precious cargo. The golden age guardian looks over the badly injured team and says, “Unless we can figure a way to tap into the power of the artifacts for 'good' here or take a step out of time with them to recoup there doesn't seem to be a viable solution presenting itself to give us hope of pulling this off.” In scanning the room for options, he sees that the reservists’ weapons were carried out with them to sickbay.
Vanguard update each other and then weigh and discuss options for their next steps.
Slingshot absorbs raw materials in order to fuel a regeneration as he alerts Grey that they need to expect another assault from teleportation. “Put the Omni-carrier into high alert.”
“Damn,” growls Grey as he returns to the bridge to lead the defense of the Omni-Carrier. The massive craft moves further out to sea.
The threat is almost unimaginable. The most powerful sorcerer-superhero in history, controlled by the twisted mind of the most evil, occultic, mad scientist in history.
Hoping against hope they have time before the Dr. Swastika-possessed Mystic arrives, Vanguard urgently returns to shoring up their defenses:
Countdown: 43.4 hours until the End of the World.
• Rebuilding the Janus Chair: 18.4 hours remaining.
• Aperture’s Dimensional Travel Portal from his modular nanotech power: Already complete!
• Aperture inventing a Digital Pulse Cannon from his nanotech power: 1.4 hours remaining.
• Menagerie and Avatar re-inventing a spell to block teleportation: 1.4 hours remaining.
Slingshot, Aperture, Sentinel and Clones urgently work on the Digital Pulse “anti-magic” Cannon.
Menagerie and Avatar continue on their arcane studies!
Nanite reunites with and heals Vanguard with her namesake power. (+ 8 hit points per PC )
Nemesis, Lightning Strike and Symbiote continue repairs on the Omni-Carrier mainframe.
24 minutes later, the air in the special projects room electrifies and hums. There is a bright light and suddenly Vanguard is not alone. Standing next to them is…
The Soviet Super Soldiers!
Mother Russia! Strong, invulnerable and courageous!
Siberian! Vanguard knew the original frozen fiend was in custody in CHESS Castle!
The Collective! This man looked like the Clone when Vanguard first met him in the Lost Lands!
Polar Bear! The ursine abomination and former member of the Freedom Force!
Shatter! One who could disassemble and reassemble matter itself!
Proletariat! Vanguard knew his appearance and names but little more!
Hammer and Sickle! Experienced, ruthless super-agents of the KGB!
Mother Russia says, “Vanguard. We meet again.” Then she looked to the Collective.
Actions?!?
Current Conditions:
Aperture: Hit Points: 35, Power Points: 73, Nanotech: Regeneration
Avatar: Hit Points: 16, Power Points: 85, Manifestation: none
Clone: Bodies: 4/1, Hit Points: 4/7, Power Points: 67/67, Hit Point Pool: 23 (16/7) (Stats: NYC/Russia)
Lightning Strike: Hit Points: 23, Power Points: 59: Electrical form
Menagerie: Hit Points: 24, Power Points: 66, Form: Man
Sentinel: Hit Points: 15, Power Points: 70, Creation Points: 140, Shields: 0%
Slingshot: Hit Points: 23, Power Points: 92, Invulnerability: 8, Damage that can’t be regenerated: 56!
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Menagerie:
Menagerie replied, "Yes, so we do meet again. How are you Mother Russia? It is time for us to join forces. We are defenders of the world and the world is threaten by the single enemy. It won't be the first time that the we have united against the sign of the Swastika and it is time to do it again."
Menagerie used his Charisma as much as possible and prayed his words of Wisdom affected the Soviet Super Soldiers. He used his Willpower to not show how tired and trouble he was but to show gladness and relief that reinforcements have arrived.
Menagerie glanced to Clone and then the Collective. Speaking to Clone, he said "You didn't tell us you had a brother. Obviously he was Mom's favorite."
Menagerie held his action to see what the Soviets did next.
Via Vanguard
Tom
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Sentinel:
Kirk looked up matter of factly as the Soviet Super Soldiers arrived and said, “Oh Excellent! You’ve arrived. Just a sec.” He put a completion of whatever he was doing and walked over with no surprise or alarm and in a non-threatening way to Mother Russia the leader of the SSS.
He added, ‘Oh yea, Vanguard, stand down.”
Addressing her he said, “I assume we are at the point where you are coming here to combine our forces and save the world. You know, the whole enemy of my enemy thing; the fact that we were both played and betrayed, desperate times desperate measures.
I sure hope so because we could use your help to pull this one off. And frankly if you’re here to just fight over possession of the artifacts again I’m not playing. I’m out. I’ve no time or energy for any more of that nonsense. I’m not going to fight you.”
OOC: We can play out this discussion longer if it appears she needs more convincing. Either with both teams listening or lower key stepping aside as the teams stare each other down. If the leader of SSS changed from Mother Russia then he walks over to the current leader (if I forgot that).
Action:
From the moment they appear Kirk begins to read their energy patterns to be sure there are no indications of control or influence in any way from Mystic/Swastika. He is not expecting the SSS to be totally under their control, however he wouldn’t be surprised if he found one of two members as secret agents. He won’t change his play if he does at this point, but depending on whom it may influence his further actions.
Bottom line for Kirk this isn’t a feint. At this point as long as the SSS isn’t under control if they are here to fight for possession they can have the damn artifacts and they can get attacked and we can just monitor the situation and come in at the end game with our plans ready to go. It would actually be more prudent and give us a better chance of pulling this off then fighting off attacks for the next two days. I just want to be sure we aren’t handing them off directly to Mystic/Swastika. And if we can combine forces, of course not trusting each other, that works too. Kirk doesn't want to give up possession of them but at this point it would be more prudent than fighting them and then fighting whatever Mystic/Swastika sends momentarily... unless this is his attack and they are totally controlled by him...
Kirk will be alert and ready to bring up his shields instantly if necessary but unless you let him do so before a battle begins, if it becomes necessary with his speed he will likely be hit and out before the battle starts anyway.
Again, hope the above doesn't mess with other postings already done, but this is Kirk's play here.
Best,
Seth
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Aperture:
Aperture looks up from his work briefly, but as none of the other team members seem surprised or concerned with the appearance, he returns to the Digital Pulse Cannon, using all of his abilities to finish it as quickly as possible.
OOC: Would Apertures power allow him to somehow speed up the work, like could he switch his ability to Heightened Intelligence, or something that would hasten the completion of the cannon… as it doesn’t appear we have much time.
Sorry for the abbreviated response…
Jon
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Slingshot:
Slingshot, feeling pretty beat up himself, nods to Kirk. "We need to join forces here." If it comes down to it, Slingshot is willing to split the loot equally. This would allow both team to potentially be better allies in the future.
He'll take part of the negotiations if necesary, but he's more interested into sharing information of their situation and ours and see if there's any way to get to a concensus.
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Avatar:
If the talking tactic seems to be gaining ground then Avatar will use Heightened Charisma and Oratory to help sway them more.
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Clone:
Mother Russia says, “Vanguard. We meet again.” Then she looked to the Collective.
The Collective then stepped forward and said in an urgent tone, “Comrades, it is being me – Clone. I am finally being back to you after being away for very long. I am having most urgent of news from my father Doctor X.”
The Clone standing next to Menagerie then steps forward and gets instantly re-absorbed by The Collective. Their thoughts and memories finally become one after a long time apart, and the Collective finally understands what has been happening since he’s been away and what must be done.
“Please to be listening most carefully my fiends, there is no time to be wasting,” he continued. “Before you are leaving for the middle of Atlantic Ocean where you are encountering the Ubermensch ( Issue 190 – September 2014 ), I am splitting into two of me and one is being teleported to Moscow by the most evil of villains there is being – Mystic. There I am trying to steal Artifacts of Power from Soviet Super Soldiers, but I am first running into Doctor X.”
Clone’s tone then changes a bit to the whimsical as he digresses, “. . . who it is turning out is to be my father. I am not knowing of this of course, but this is most unexpected of things that is happening I am thinking . . .” Mother Russia then turns to The Collective with a stern look in her eyes, clears her throat, and then says aloud, “Comrade Collective . . .”
Realizing that he was straying off topic, The Collective quickly switches gears with a look of apology on his face and returns to what he was originally telling Vanguard, “ . . . but this is tale for another time I am thinking. Any way, it is there that I am being deceived by Mystic as he is following me to Russia and trying to kill me and my father as he is stealing Artifacts of Power that are there. It is not long before it is that I am being captured and then released, but only if it is that I am making of promise to Doctor X - make alliance between Vanguard and Soviet Super Soldiers. My father is telling me that it is being most important that we are team and defeating this evil that is going to kill us all.”
The Collective gives Vanguard a moment to absorb everything he just said before continuing, “Comrades, I am not knowing exactly what it is that we are to be doing to win this fight, but I am knowing that we are needing to be doing it together.” Looking around the room slowly at everyone present; Vanguard and SSS members alike, The Collective makes a heartfelt plea, “Please Comrades, let us be putting aside all of past differences and save our world together. Together we can defeat this evil, I am knowing of this in my heart . . . but separately . . . separately we will lose and all that each of us is loving the most will be dying too. So what is it that you are all saying – are we going to be making of one group and winning as comrades?”
Clone then looks around the room for a response from everyone present . . .
OOC:
I gave it a lot of thought and I think the above response is the way that Clone/Collective would act/behave. I started writing out a somewhat longer and more detailed piece, but I think the above response is more consistent with the erratic and excitable nature he’s displayed since day one. I think there's a LOT more that can be developed ( e.g. Doctor X being his father, his new relationship with the SSS, etc. ) given the opportunity for some 'down time' with his friends (any one up for a heart-to-heart with Clone?), but at the moment even Clone knows that things of that nature need to take a backseat to whats currently going on.
Guys, again my apologies – the last couple of months have been a mess for me. Half the time I don’t know if I should be scratching my watch or winding my ass. Jeff, I hope this response works for you, if you need me to make changes or add any details that I may have left out – let me know.
Talk to you guys soon,
-Kev
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Slingshot:
Scott's eye brow raises dramatically at that revelation.
Scott hadn't realized that he had held his breath until that moment. He finally took a great breath and nodded at Clone/Collective. "I think we've always had a plan to see if we could unite with SSS. We just weren't sure of their, your, motives. I think we've resolved that now." He looked at each member of SSS team, making eye contact and giving them a small nod each. Making that contact as personal and personable as possible.
[OOC:give space for others to interject.. the following assumes that there's no objections]
Scott looks around the room for a free moment, "We need to work together. I think we need to make sure we pool our information about Mystic and about the whole end of the world scenario... Who wants to start?"
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Menagerie:
Menagerie dropped his head and placed his palm against his face (classic palm face pose). "Now his brother says that Doctor X is his father." Menagerie muttered to himself. He looked for Symbiote. Menagerie wanted to ask whether they really were clones. He was beginning to suspect that Clone was pulling versions of himself from alternate realities and just calling them clones. Menagerie decided the his suspicions should be kept quiet until later.
"Please to meet you Clone's clone. Do you go by Collective, Clone-1, or Clone Russia?"
The Clone standing next to Menagerie then steps forward and gets instantly re-absorbed by The Collective. Their thoughts and memories finally become one after a long time apart, and the Collective finally understands what has been happening since he’s been away and what must be done.
"So ... do I call you The Collective now?" Menagerie said staring at Clone/Collective, he looked to the other members of the Soviet Super Soldiers & Vanguard then sighed and shrugged his shoulders.
Scott hadn't realized that he had held his breath until that moment. He finally took a great breath and nodded at Clone/Collective. "I think we've always had a plan to see if we could unite with SSS. We just weren't sure of their, your, motives. I think we've resolved that now." He looked at each member of SSS team, making eye contact and giving them a small nod each. Making that contact as personal and personable as possible.
"I couldn't agree more," Menagerie said. "This is about saving the world. That has all of our allegiance."
Scott looks around the room for a free moment, "We need to work together. I think we need to make sure we pool our information about Mystic and about the whole end of the world scenario... Who wants to start?"
"First, we need to focus on Dr Swastika. He has captured Mystic and is inhibiting his body. Mother Russia what can your team share with us about the vile Doctor and his brain control/swapping abilities"?
Viva Vanguard
Tom
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Slingshot:
"We need to expect that we will have more people that are controlled." said Scott," We need to assume they figured out that we figured out. So they will be ready for us. We need to figure out another way to neutralize them."
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Slingshot:
Scott will take Aperture by the shoulder and lead him out of the room. "We'll see you in a bit, we need to have a family chat before we go further."
[OOC: I will go to Nan with Aperture and try to see if we can detect the specific signals that Dr Swastika's mind control devices emit. Can we detect them with the ship's detection arrays? I'm looking for something quick and dirty. Have the scientists on board been able to detect the emissions? The goal is to make sure we can check the SSS for the signals before we go further. I have a single Luck Point left, I'm not fond of using it, especially if it is only to detect the signals. If it is to block or short them, that would be a different thing.]
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