Agenda e12 : Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

01/27/2013
Agenda
Episode Twelve
"The Plan Comes To An End"

Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

As Aeon Trinity prepares for the upcoming onslaught of Aberrant forces with their Chromatic allies, the old pulp heroes of the Aeon Society for Gentlemen regroup at Erik Langley's condo building to fulfill one final act of heroism.  The Sleepwalker and the German wait in the condo unit of Erik Langley, as they wait for the arrival of the last long missing friend, Scarlet.

Outside, Scarlet stares at the building, uncertain if it would be safe to step into view and  no longer be forgotten by the world.  She sees a woman cross the street and make her way to the very same building.  A brief glimpse of her thoughts reveal that the woman is Autumn Lacierda Wu.  And she has come to bring a message.

Autumn calmly visits the two and tells them that she was sent by Divis Mal to deliver a message.  "The world will be saved from itself.  You have failed."  Autumn suddenly changes, and it is revealed her body has been covered with some form of tech that will allow her to explode.  The German simply walks to the nearest window, calmly knowing he will defy death once again.  The Sleepwalker launches himself out the window.  And Scarlet, in the elevator, realizes the explosion will reach her, and the aura of nanotech that allow her to have the appearance of a young woman interlocks into a protective cocoon.  Two city blocks are razed to the ground, and it is clear for the heroes concerned that this means war.

While trapped beneath the city, Scarlet speaks with the nanotech field, which is revealed to be the Machinatrix herself.  The two discuss the circumstances in their past that lead to their meeting, and how the death of Caestus Pax in his battle against Divis Mal was a defining moment for them both.  Scarlet held the dying boy in her hands as the nanotech fragments that composed Caestus Pax' fell asunder.  With Machinatrix dying of a heart attack from the stress of that moment, Scarlet telepathically shunts her consciousness into the tech, allowing her to live on as part of Scarlet, the way the nanotech was part of Shelby.  The rubble is finally pulled back, and the Sleepwalker reaches down to help them out.

As the two consider their next moves, the German walks into the scene to thank them for surviving.  And a helicopter begins to descend from above, with two old friends stepping down to say hello.  Richard Rayner smiles introduces everyone to a very old Maxwell Anderson Mercer.  "Whitley Styles was correct when he wrote the Babel Dossier.  He was right that you would all converge at this very place at the very moment in time."  As they all ride in Rayner's helicopter on a flight heading to the Rayner Industries building, Mercer shares how the time has come to use the Gravity Chamber to leap back to one specific moment in time:  They had identified three specific key points in the timeline when Michael Daemon Donighal may have psychologically made that twist leading to his becoming Divis Mal.  The three had to choose what moment in time they were to be sent back.

The first was the death of Crackshot.  An event which Scarlet has vague memories of when they were trapped at Manifest Destiny's Flying Fortress.

The second was with the death of Jennifer Slider Landers, which traumatized Divis Mal even further.

And the third was during her conversation with Autumn Lacierda Wu at Eden.

When asked why they think this is the best course of action, Mercer reminds them these are all information based on the Babel Dossier, which was written by Whitley Styles himself.  If there was anything Whitley was really good at, it was the fact he was one of the Assassins of the Thuggee.  So Mercer asked him to do something way back:  To write down plans on how to defeat each of them if ever such a time came to pass that they had to be stopped.  And clearly, these plans were the very plans written to assassinate Divis Mal.

The group very quickly decided to attempt the first option, and The Sleepwalker reminded them of Benjamin Dixon's theory that the Z-waves from the Hammersmith Experiment had, by this point in time, reached the far reaches of the galaxy.  "The waves could be the very thing that created all these alien threats out there."

As they make the final preparations for the leap into the past, Rayner receives a final visit from Mary Rose Mercer Song.    She admits to him she has come to kill him and he tells her he was expecting her, now that he understands.  All the Mary Roses were the multitudes of alternate time lines that were ending as one singular timeline slowly became the one and only possible thread.    The actions they were to undertake this very moment were to cause all the alternate timelines when Maxwell Mercer was a woman to cease to be.  Just as the many other manifestations of Maxwell through out history (such as the child Maxwell, the younger man, and the like) were the other manifestations bidding farewell.  She raises the gun to shoot Rayner, and tells him, "This is when you die.  For all the mes who have died thanks to you."  Rayner smiles and embraces the end with a smile.

The Gravity Chamber is activated, and the three walk towards the horizon point, ready to do what is necessary.  They emerge in the Flying Fortress, watching as the Scarlet and Maxwell Mercer of this timeline confront this timeline's Machinatrix and Manifest Destiny.  Scarlet recalls how Maxwell offers himself for Dr. Primoris and Crackshot to be freed, only to vanish suddenly at some point.  And how the Fortress eventually crashes and she finds refuge in the snowy alps of Switzerland.

Things, however, do not flow as smoothly in this version of the events.

As they step in to search for Dr. Primoris and Crackshot, hoping to get to her before Crackshot dies when Primoris' temper flares, the Machinatrix realizes she cannot handle going through the trauma she did before once again.  When Scarlet tries to ask what she means, the Machinatrix explains that the trauma she experiences this moment is actually what leads HER to kill Crackshot.  That incident is Manifest Destiny being revealed to actually be Benjamin Dixon, whose feelings for Crackshot have forced him to become a villain.

But as the heroes use their combined abilities to make their way to Dr. Primoris, they open the door to discover Dr. Primoris isn't the Primoris they wanted to save.  "Surely you realize I foresaw your trip here.  And it was only a matter of minutes for me to realize with my Aberrants who could traverse space, the same thin could be used to traverse time."

The battle raged on, with the German attempting to keep Divis Mal unsettled with taunts and insults.  Scarlet probing his mind for weaknesses, and the Sleepwalker transforming itself into knock out gas and staying within Mal's lungs in hopes of shutting him down.   However, Mal remains strong enough to resist all three, and it is only the chance moment of Crackshot bearing witness to Mal's violent tendencies and her cry for him to stop (Dramatic Editing care of the German's player), Mal might not have been stopped!

But that's the same moment the Doyen reveal their already there and act.  Being creatures of pure Psionic Energy, the Doyen infiltrate the heroes before they step through the Gravity Chamber.  They now bombarded the heroes with conflicting images of events, forcing them to question their own senses.  But thankfully, Candy aggravates Divis Mal enough for him to use his Quantum energies, and with enough antagonism, Mal's unleashes enough Quantum Energy to dissipate the Doyen.

Light flashes and time adjusts to the renewed timeline.

Candy awakens to find herself staring at a new world.    While most of it still resembles the Aeon Trinity era they've all grown accustomed to, there were certain elements that seem to be clearly changed.  Paris remains standing and the screens seem to be celebrating the friendships forged with the many alien races.  A world where Divis Mal AND Caestus Pax work alongside each other.

The Sleepwalker watches over the city, with many other contacts helping him maintain peace and order.  The night is no longer darker, with the Sleepwalker and his many Sandmen keeping watch.

And the German stares at a young man, who thanks him for showing him there's always something a person can do to make a difference.  The German smiles at his revived son, and walks away into the Sun set.

The Agenda is over.

*

And so ends the multi-chronicle event.
Here's to the next upcoming saga.

Agenda e11 : Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

01/13/2013
Agenda
Episode Eleven
"Invasion"

Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

The three start taking down members of the Huang-Marr Conspiracy, with various affiliates of the group being tracked outside the wastelands of Paris and in the shadows of the New York arcology.  Their trail leads them to find the final member of the conspiracy, a woman named Dita Disray who is currently hiding out at Eyrie Station.  Wu telepathically extracts more and more information of the Conspiracy for later legal raminifcations.

But then it happens.  A psionic backlash of such intensity that causes all the psions in the world to black out for a few minutes.  The last time a backlash of this intensity occurred was when the Esperanza crashed and destroyed Paris.  As they recover the terrible news reaches them:  the Earth is under attack and a space station has become the front line of the conflict.  Eyrie had lost over 75% of its population and the backlash  caused by the hundreds of deaths was just the beginning of worse things to come.  Strangely, almost as if in response to the massive deaths, the psions receive a sudden influx of psionic energy, boosting their innate Psi levels to new heights.

A group of Legionnaires were enroute to the space station to help and the three volunteer to assist.  Autumn Lacierda Wu makes arrangements with the Legionnaire and Orgotek extends some assistance as well, providing the three with bioVAS suits.  Arming themselves with weapons, the group quickly joins the Legionnaires in their shuttle and are blasted into space.  The shuttle, enroute, suffers massive damage and the Legionnaires opt to eject from the shuttle all make their way to the control center of the station.  Each player characters is escorted by one of the Legionnaires but due to none of the three having training in space combat, the three lose consciousness as they crash safely into the station.

Dr. Casperzak of the Aesculapian Order awakens alone.  His Legionnaire escort is dead and he had no idea where the others are.  Thankfully, Autumn's telepathic powers are strong enough to reach him, and she establishes a Network in order to keep in touch with him.  Casperzak learns the others are currently engaged in combat, having landed in an area where the alien invaders, frog-like photomanipulative things called Chromatics are present.  Eric Langley uses his Photokinesis abilities to detect the nearly invisible creatures and Autumn shares his perceptions with the Legionnaires, allowing them to target the aliens much more effectively.

As they fight their way to the Control Center, Casperzak early gets pinned down by a few Chromatics.  The others discover a null-zone where all their devices (save for biotech) seem to fail them.  As they approach the area, Langley creates a holographic duplicate of Wu and has it walk into the null zone.  The hologram disrupts as well, leading them to realize the area seems to be some kind of localized EMP.  Wu steps in, risking the danger, and suddenly a thin line of energy creeps out from the wall and dances into a fractal wave of crisscrossing energy that wraps around Wu without hurting her.  The lasers whip around and the others discover there were Chromatics stalking them, but thankfully the lasers made them visible.  As the bursts of gun fire bring the aliens down, Langely discovers the source of the lasers and EMP turns out to be the Prexy himself, Alex Cassell who is currently sitting half-delirious from a stomach wound that has left his intestines hanging out!   Emergency services becoming a priority, Wu decides to try something she wasn't sure would work.  Using her telepathy to its limits, Wu shares Dr. Casperzak's memories with Langley's, allowing Eric to access Casperzak's medical expertise to work with his own abilities to medically assist Cassell and cauterize the wounds.  The treatment would at least allow him to survive a bit longer, until a more appropriate treatment can be administered.

The group finally meets at the entrance to the Control Center, with Casperzak using his powers to ease the pain Cassell was suffering from.  Chromatics continued to close in on them, so the Legionnaires continued to delay them with gun fire while Langley and Cassell interfaced with the door to open it.  As the door opens, however, gun fire erupts from inside and clips Wu on the shoulder.  They file into see a woman cowering near the console units, with a dead body and a suit case nearby.  The woman, they quickly discover, is actually their target, Dita Disray herself.  She is easily disabled, and when the others grab hold of the suitcase, they open it to discover it contains weird technology that looks like nothing they have seen before.  At least nothing any of them have seen, save for one person:  Alex Cassell curses aloud upon seeing them and mutters, "Damn it!  Doyen tech!"  When asked what he means, the Prexy refuses to explain at first.  But their attentions are pulled away as they realize the Space Station's main computer was not following their instructions.   Langley, while interfaced, discovers what is going on.  A rogue program was rewriting codes and when Langley attempts to affect the program, it reveals itself to be some kind of sentient energy form.  As the group confronts the form, and the Chromatics swarm the area, the players begin to understand what they are exactly facing:  the rogue energy form turns out to be the now insane Switchboard, who once was a super hero but now was so twisted by Taint and traumatized by being lost in space when she tried to ride a signal back to Earth after being left on the moon by Divis Mal.

The group attempt to overwhelm her with distractions, but the computer mind of Switchboard remains too complicated a force to be reckoned with.  Langley could not do enough to disrupt her thought processes.  But Casperzak comes up with an impossible solution and uses his Mentatis to relieve her of her madness, even if just for a few minutes.  Wu attempts to convince Switchboard that she truly wishes to help her, and that she believes that things could be better if she could only communicate with them.  Switchboard takes that as an offer and Transmits Wu and herself away, leaving the rest of the team at the Eyrie Station.

*

Axel Cassell admits everything to Eric Langley, and now explains to him what the Doyen are and why things have been revolving around Langley.  The fragment of the code they had "copied" of Switchboard becomes the framework they use to create the Pax Program which they shunt through the Gravity Chamber to send into the past.    And the German's secret visits and messages to Langley are explained further.  The truth is, Langley isn't even a real person.  He is a genetic duplicate of a man from the 1920s.  A clone of the man named Samuel Warren.  The German brings out the Mask of the Sleepwalker and asks Langley to wear it.

And as he does, Langley feels the strangely familiar voice of the Sleepwalker.  And realizes he has never felt more complete until today.

"Time to save the world," the German admits, "Or at least, save our friend Michael Donighal."

*

Wu stares at the strange world she has been delivered to.  Biotech towers and floating cities stretch across the horizon.   Chromatics crawl around the aberrants like pets.  And a handsome man with red hair and a friendly smile approaches her and reaches a hand out for a handshake.

"Welcome to Eden, Autumn Lacierda Wu.  I am Michael Donighal, the man once known as Divis Mal.  It is now up to us to try to save the world."

Agenda e10 : Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

12/28/2012
Agenda
Episode Ten
"Flashpoint"

Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

The game session opens with Portman's victory as the first Nova President of the United States. This turns out to be just one of the many historical events that would usher the start of the cascading events leading up to the Aeon Trinity era.

The year is 2008.  Caetus Pax meets with Rayner, asking if Team 2Morrow can have Slider back for an espionage mission.  Given the tenacious alliance between the two groups, Rayner agrees so long as he too has access to whatever information she uncovers in the mission.  Slider eventually uncovers a paper-trail suggesting that Project Utopia may be involved with what seems to be a conspiracy at the Bahrain Rashoud facility with supposed evidence that novas were being sterilized without their knowledge or consent.  She stumbled upon the name Proteus and wonders how it relates to the Aeon Society.

During this meeting, Switchboard is at Africa with Antaeus and other members of Project Utopia.  Through her help, the OpNet is extended to the tiny village which Antaeus had created a whole new forest for, and her meeting with Alex Doan and Mungu Kwasha is, to the very least, a memorable one.

The Quarterback, on the other hand, starts to feel his relationship with Slider grow distant.  Given her secret mission, all he was aware of was that Rayner sent her to handle a mission overseas.  But the growing lack of communications had started to eat into his calm.  And the last call he received from her seemed to suggest that she was in some kind of danger.

Rayner holds auditions for new members and finds a few good novas worth training.  Iris Richards has the ability to cast out invisible force fields.  Kaori Uwisha has the ability to project an indestructible body armor about herself, even up to a thirty foot tall sized being.  Wayne Trucker has the power to control other's minds, and has demonstrated being able to for up to twenty people simultaneously.

More Nova related headlines spread out at the OpNet between 2008 and 2009.  Donald Zeleckis dies  as he prevents an Israeli nuclear missle from obliterating a Syrian City. In Burma, an altruistic if highly Tainted nova devours "the Generals", the nation's oppressive ruling cabal. Instead of the nova taking over the agricultural nation, he/she/it allows Burma the freedom to decide its own future.    Divis Mal makes a major public appearance after Gabriel "the Miracle" Melchoir threatens to unleash a massive biological plague upon the United States from Boulder City, Nevada.  The U.S. military and Team 2Morrow were at a standoff with the bio-terrorist, unwilling to act, and thus Divis Mal took matters into his own hands.  With a single motion, Mal crushes the man to death, then inhales the biotoxins and holds it in as a standing threat.   Divis Mal mutters to the press about how infantile the novas of the world seem and how Project Utopia clearly seems most useless of all.  "They were not even able to stop Slider's death."  Caestus Pax flies to the area to confront him.   The Quarterback, hearing the same remark, tries to fly to follow.

Anticipating trouble, Rayner sends Switchboard to intercept.  But deep down, he is starting to realize Slider's fate might have ended in a very bad way.  Switchboard transmits through the OpNet and appears in the scene in time to see Divis Mal and Caestus Pax trading words.  But when Mal mutters to Pax the name, "Shelby" Pax seems to fall limp and weak.  Mal leaves without a care, and Switchboard learns the source of Pax' fear:  Somehow Divis Mal knows his name.

Switchboard finds the German watching from the nearby shade of trees and realizes this is not the same man who attacked her when she went to visit Candy.  The German offers to help find Candy if Switchboard helps him locate a "mask" owned by an old friend.    Rayner, back at the building, sees an older and more battleworn Mary Rose enter the room.  She tells him the timelines are converging and the paths are narrowing.  "I may be the only Mary Rose left," she admits, "So I might as well warn you.  I am supposed to return here to this very room in 30 years to kill you."  Rayner watches as she fades away again, and ponders on whether time is really that flexible or set in stone.

The Quarterback arrives and Switchboard tries to calm him down.  But unappeased, he flies off to head to the Project Utopia headquarters to get the answers he needs.    Amusingly, Rayner gives Project Utopia a call and thanks to his powerful influence gets the very Director, Justin Laragione on the line.  The Director tells him that they wish to speak with him, to clarify truths from the lies that have been spread about the group.   Rayner tells them he anticipated this, and a car he sent is already waiting for them outside.

Rayner's guests turn out to be Justin Laragione, Margaret Mercer, Phillipa Lavielle and a man named Maxwell Mercer.  The four explain that Jennifer "Slider" Landers is dead, with her body having been found in the rubble of a condo where she was staying in Calcutta.  The building and two square blocks around it had been decimated.  Retrieved footage show Andre Corbin visiting her in the condo, the two having an argument, and in the end, him shooting her out of what seemed to be an act of misplaced passion. Switchboard, present in the meeting, finds her own calculations matching the said narrative, with the only addition of seeing Divis Mal arriving shortly after Corbin's exit, to hear from Slider one last dying statement.  It was Mal's anger and pain that lead to the blocks being decimated.  The sterilization, as it turned out, was a side effect of the medical studies that were being conducted by Project Utopia.  Corbin is currently imprisoned in Project Utopia, to stand trial for his actions.

Quarterback arrives at Utopia to see a bunch of new trainees coming out to stop him.  Two use their powers to cause rain and water to swirl around the man of Iron, while a third uses temperature control to freeze the water into ice.  The Quarterback nearly shatters his own leg off as he breaks the ice with his immense strength and sends a shockwave to force the kids to the ground.  Of the five kids, only four hit the ground.  A fifth seemingly vanishes.  One, still conscious, channels his anger to call a lightning bolt that slams down to strike the Quarterback.  The Quarterback shrugs off the attack and threatens the kids to surrender or things will get worse.  Rayner uses his Voice through the com to force Quarterback to relax.  The Quarterback relents.

While Utopia kindly does not go after Quarterback for his actions, they do get the wrath of the public eye as someone releases the sterilization documents to the press.  Compounding this are events that transpire and further spiral things out of Project Utopia's favor.  Rayner and Quarterback opt to find the Mask which the German asked Switchboard to find, and their trail leads them to an old woman named Samantha Khors, who claims to have been rescued by the Sleepwalker during her childhood years.  The two learn that this woman actually has the Mask, which she claims was handed to her for safe keeping.  Rayner visits the mask, which is in a room of its own shrouded in darkness save for a single spot light.  He hears voices whispering to him, as if telling him to take the mask and wear it.  He takes the past from the post.  The woman in charge of security shows up after Rayner trips the alarms, and both heroes wonder who this old woman with mechanical clothing happens to be.  Dr. Wexler, turns out to be the former Machinatrix, who has devoted herself to watching over the mask since, "It is the only tie I have left remaining of the wonderful time when I was... special."  The old woman seems broken and lost and Rayner decides to buy the whole museum from Samantha Khors, but allow them both to maintain the place.  He does, however, take the mask with him.

Switchboard decides to search for Divis Mal, and sends out a message to Raoul Oziaz, who seems to be the most public figure of the Teragen.  Oziaz replies to her message, offering to meet with her at The Amp Room.  Switchboard arrives, and Oziaz quizzes her on her Taints and on why she wanted to meet with them.  Switchboard throws out a hook, "I know what Divis Mal lost."  Mal, thankfully bites, and has her teleported to his location:  the Moon.  He tells her she can breathe only because he allows her to, and asks her to explain why she is here.  Switchboard tries to relate to Mal, and understand why he is doing what he is doing.  Mal tells her about his mistakes of the past.  Of staying on the sidelines.  Of not taking charge.  And of how that lead to the death of someone he cares about.  And how he is not doing that anymore again.  When Switchboard suggests going home, Mal shakes his head and tells her to look into her calculations on what will happen if he allows her to return home.  She sees a terrible future.  

She sees Corbin in Utopian custody, but then Divis Mal and the Teragen forcing their way to him.  She sees Caestus Pax attempting to stop them but being defeated by Mal in front of a global audience.  She sees Corbin committing suicide out of guilt.  She sees Project Utopia losing more face and control as people see more of the dirty work they've engaged in.  She sees even the Teragen cull their own numbers, when it becomes apparent most if not all Novas are the last generation the world will ever see.  She sees a man called the Impaler and his group of Novas taking over Ukraine.  She sees the Cult of Astaroth, a nova group, summoning a great monstrosity in Mexico.  She sees Earth expanding its population with the Olympus Lunar Base for the United States, and eventually other countries follow suit.   She sees Japan with hits yakuza clans murdered en masse, and eventually in hopes of protecting itself, shutting down its borders from all non-nationals and even executing any novas in their lands deemed to have mental problems.  She sees civil wars break out.  She sees hyper-fusion engines developed, making spacecraft viable.  She sees proposed acts of anti-nova legislation start becoming more frequent, if not successful in being passed and made into law. 

She sees Antaeus quitting Project Utopia.  She sees Taint being deemed fashionable.  She sees the term "aberrant" becoming more prominent as a perjorative.   She sees Baseline-nova relations seriously degrade, as many First World nations begin drawing up and passing increasingly draconian, half-baked and unjust acts of anti-nova legislation. Many independent novas residing in those nations either emigrate to more accepting countries or nova colony worlds or join the Teragen or Aberrants as their individual preferences dictate. Conflicts between novas and nova attacks against the baseline populace reach new levels of both frequency and collateral damage inflicted, due to increasing levels of power and Taint-induced madness among a significant portion of the nova population on Earth. The Aberrant movement and other such factions try to maintain the peace in the face of increasing numbers of novas coming to agree with the more radical facets of Terat philosophy. 

She sees the defeat and death of Caetus Pax in Divis Mal's hands.  She sees how in 2049 the United Nations declares war against the aberrant population - whether that resolution applies to only the Taint-deranged novas or the entire nova race depends on whom one is talking to. The first Aberrant War has begun.

"I cannot allow you, therefore to return home," Divis Mal mutters, "But I do not wish to kill you.  I instead will give you this gift."  Mal touches Switchboard's chest and Switchboard feels an immense surge of power. "You now no longer need to breathe or eat.  You will live here, in the moon.   You will be spared death.  But you must never return home."

Rayner and the Quarterback step out of the museum to see the German waiting for them.  He joins them in the car and gives them an envelope containing where they can find Candy.  She is in a moving island, it seems, a place which Manifest Destiny had commandeered after the loss of his sky fortress.   He warns them that the worst is yet to come and invites them to escape it with him.  Under the waves.  We can be safer.  Both turn the offer down, and the German admits he expected as much.  The German steps into his submarine and vanishes into the depths.  The Quarterback and Rayner expect the worst.  But they have no plans of running away from it.

Agenda e09 : Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

12/09/2012
Agenda
Episode Nine
"Chances Are"

Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

Romance is in the news.  Everyone is talking about the unexpected love story between Jennifer "Slider" Landers and Anthony "Quarterback" Towers.  Interviews left and right ask about their plans, their special moments, and their dreams.  But just as quickly as people celebrate their nova love team, they frown on the "Null Manifesto" that has been released by a group calling itself the Teragen.  Their leader, a man called Divis Mal, proclaims all Novas to be ABOVE human laws and concerns, and this of course sparks much fear.  Some believe it was in response to the Zurich Accord which was passed after Nova issues were brought to the lime light when both Portman and Towers considered running for office.

In Rayner Corporation, members of Project Utopia visit to demonstrate the use of Eufiber to replace the copper wire infrastructure that the internet is running upon.  Promising a 700% increase in efficiency, the group asks for Rayner to show support in the undertaking when they propose it to the government, with Utopia covering 95% of the expenses, and stating they simply plan to make "the information highway more effective.  How it is used is still up to the people."  Switchboard is concerned over this becoming simply a new avenue for crime.  It is bad enough Switchboard has been receiving junk emails though the day.  She calculates the sudden boom in the use of this "OpNet" can lead to law enforcement "trying to catch up" with crime.   She sees that if the OpNet were to be allowed, however, be it in China or any other company, that other company would have an unprecedent boost in its production adn economic strength.  Richard Rayner shoots down the idea of supporting the project, stating Utopia's lack of true foresight in the matter.  

On the drive home, Towers and Slider are harassed by another car.  As they try to amicably settle things, an accident instead happens and Towers carries one of those fatally injured to the nearest hospital.  In his absence, however, he fails to see the car that nearly strikes Slider.

Rayner gives Congressman Laurel a call, and learns that Utopia has not reached out to them regarding the OpNet idea.  He learns that the President is willing to speak with him, and he decides to pay them a visit.  Before he leaves, however, he gets into a discussion with Switchboard and Mary Rose about whether or not Rayner Corporation needs to do more.  And how important it is to follow the law and stay within its parameters.  Mary Rose vanishes again, but does blurt out something about this not being what was ideal.

Quarterback returns to see Team Tomorrow already assisting in the car crash area.  Slider and Quarterback decide to let them handle things, but as they make to leave, Persuader uses his domination powers to force Slider to stop.  Enraged, Quarterback throws a punch at the guy, and only through Caestus Pax' immense strength and speed does the punch get blocked.  In a five block radius, all glass shatters from the sound of the impact.  Pax calmly asks the Quarterback to just leave.

Rayner's meeting with the President introduces him to a Gabriel Melchior, who seems to be a religious leader of something called The Church of the Immanent Escheaton.  The President openly asks Rayner to consider supporting this next year's run for office, and admits that while he does not trust Novas, he does know Rayner is a very influential ally.  As Rayner considers things, he learns of what just happened in the freeway, and calls for a team meeting.

The meeting has Rayner talking to the others about the politics surrounding the corporation.  A call from Justin Laragione, the CEO of Project Utopia, had him thinking.  The call supposedly was to apologize for Utopians visiting him, when the OpNet project was not to be marketed to the U.S. at all.  Rayner still feels the call is all about smoke and mirrors and just thanks him for the time.  When the meeting covers Utopia and the fact that Portman plans to try to run AGAIN for President in 2008, Mary Rose (who has reappeared) admits that Project Utopia's roots are that of a Gentleman's club known as the Aeon Society for Gentlemen. Switchboard shares her grandmother was a member, and Rayner opts to have Switchboard, Quarterback and Mary Rose visit to find out more.

Back in the 1960s, Scarlet learns that Aeon Society for Gentlemen was being disbanded.  Even the Sleepwalker and the German have their bags backed.  The events of the World War had struck Max in some degree.   And the appearance of his "children" worry the others as well.  But Max insists the time of Aeon is over, and ushers them all to go.  Scarlet walks off, and sees Mary Rose leaving with Whitley Styles. The Sleepwalker hands his mask to the German, and vanishes into the shadows.  And the German bids Max a final goodbye, only to be told, "I know you are not him," by Max.  As Adolf removes his guise, Max admits he was aware of Adolf's desire to get the Gravity Chamber that his father, Nicklaus had Dixon build.  When Adolf admits Max is correct, Max reveals he is sitting on the chamber itself.  Power dies in New York, and suddenly the house is gone.  Gone in space.  Gone in time.

The three meet Candy, who appears to be far younger than her age should suggest.  Her beauty is still unmistakable, and her sassiness still fresh.  She flirts with Quarterback a bit, but there's no denying her sense of security as portions of her home have pressure sensors that activate laser-guided guns.  They discuss Aeon Society and Candy admits she is not sure what happened to the Mercers as time progressed.  Before they could discuss more, however, someone shoots her from outside the house.  With a head wound, Quarterback once again transforms into living steel, then carries her off to find the nearest hospital.  Switchboard uses her calculations to deduce where the assassin was, and then Transmits herself through the power cables to chase after him.  Mary Rose vanishes again, stress taking its toll on her.

The Quarterback brings Candy to the nearest hospital, who quickly rush to treat her at the Emergency Room.  He notices an eccentric old man with a walking stick approaching him, and the old man asks him for directions to "his wife."  Handling the Quarterback a jury-rigged phone, the old man thanks the Quarterback and heads into the hospital.  The Quarterback calls Rayner, and Switchboard, but neither answer.  He looks up at what everyone else outside the hospital are staring at, and sees a massive gray cloud just above the hospital.  He flies to try to approach it, but a special cannon discharges, and Quarterback is flung nearly five miles into the light woods in the distance.  As he tries to fly back in time, the cloud parts to reveal a massive sky fortress, and this breaks into five separate ships that float away.  He rushes to the Emergency Room and finds the empty bed where Candy had been left behind.  A sign on the wall "Thanks them for keeping his wife safe."  The message is signed M.D.

Switchboard brings the beat down on the assassin, whom he slams out of his motorcycle with a force field of electricity.  As she approaches him to check on his condition, the man discharges a pistol at the ground in front of him.  The bullet ricochet's off then slams into Switchboard's chest, which flings her backwards into her own force field.    Switch is knocked out herself, but before her eyes close, she sees the assassin remove the mask and reveal The German underneath.

Rayner receives a guest.  Floating outside his window is Caestus Pax, who asks him permission to step inside.  The two discuss things, with Pax at times asking Rayner if he realizes how important their decisions are in what is happening.  When Rayner admits he was wondering about incarceration of the Nova criminals they catch, he tries to Disrupt Pax' powers to demonstrate what he thinks the prisons will need.  This, instead, exposes a major secret of Team Tomorrow's strongest hero.  Where Pax stood is now an 11-year old boy by the name of Shelby Eisenfaust.  The boy admits he and Pax switch places, and when asked why they are trusting Rayner with this revelation, Pax admits to Rayner that he was sent from the future by "a Wizard" and that he is actually a Satisfactory Intelligence that was sent with some nanotech to change the past and save the future.  In the future, it seems, a horde of Aberrants are returning from a place called Eden.  And Pax was sent back in hopes of stopping Divis Mal from gaining followers.  The Wizard sent him back through "a Hole" and had hoped to make a difference.  Rayner, Pax admits, is a genetic link to The Wizard.

And in the far future,  Erik Langley and the German complete programming a data chip with the Satisfactory Intelligence.  They consider it the second to the last hope of stopping the fleet from destroying the Earth.  The German mentions he will shunt it through the Hole and if it doesn't work, then they have only the Inspired as the final chance.

Agenda e08 : Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

11/25/2012
Agenda
Episode Eight
"True Power"

Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

Politics is in the air at 2003 as Randel "The Fireman" Portman, the first Nova to ever Erupt, decides to try to run for office, believing that someone has to in order for the possibility of Nova Rights being acknowledged to become a reality.  Sadly, neither Richard Rayner nor his team (composed of Diane Misselthwaite-Brewster, Anthony Towers, Mary Rose Mercer Song, and Jennifer Landers) find the idea worth supporting.  The Fireman does not seem to have a clear political platform, and more importantly, none of them seem to like nor trust Portman's lawyer friend, Matthew Carter.   Anthony Towers feels for the guy's intentions however, and tries to talk the others to reconsidering.  When Rayner tries reaching out to his political ties, he learns the Democratic party does actually plan to try to find a good Nova candidate for the elections.  Congressman Laurel even suggests to Rayner that Anthony Towers, known also as The Quarterback, might be a better option.   Hands shake and the campaigning eventually begins, with Portman and his wife offering to instead help their candidacy.

This is a far contrast to the events unfolding in 1943.  As Scarlet learns that her very own long missing fiance, Eric Gardner is the man behind the finances of the Machinatrix and Baron Zorbo, she is disgusted to learn he has begun calling himself Manifest Destiny and seems crazy enough to believe the world with become a better place, "Once everything is returned to its proper place, starting with the United States being handed back to the American Indians."  The German, on the other hand, heads to Europe to seek out the Sleepwalker, and along the way, inadvertently crosses paths with Michael Donighal, who remains absolutely distraught by the loss of Annabelle Lee Newfield.  When the German finds the Sleepwalker, the Sleepwalker tracks the long missing comrade to his hidden Sanctum, a stolen submarine.  The German is invited to meet the League of Science and there receives an earful of advice from The Gray Web, who even informs him to eventually inform "A woman much like myself to trust in the information she reads," and to "Seek out Eric Langley when the time is right and he will help you do what you have to do."  After which, the man vanishes. The Sleepwalker continues to have stranger dreams, and has begun to notice that his very own physical form has begun to erode into mere shadows when he is not concentrating!

Scarlet escapes by slipping the power disruptor that Manifest Destiny slides on to her hand back onto his, not realizing his very own Inspired powers were what kept the Sky Fortress aloft.  As the place crashes around them, Scarlet leaps out into the free fall of freedom, and taps into a new power of the wedding bands that crafts an ice shelter for her to slide back onto the ground safely.  Into snow.

In 2003, the elections begin to unfold.  Switchboard learns from her massive computing that The Quarterback would have a larger chance at victory if he was shown to have a semblance of a family.  Given Slider's role in the team, the two begin posing as a dating couple, a fabricated story that drives The Persuader very jealous.  The Persuader makes the mistake of trying to get Slider jealous back by having a scandalous time with another woman.  Slider calls their relationship quits, and in a depressed and emotional moment, ends up having sex with The Quarterback.   The two very quickly spill into a relationship, and this boosts their campaigning even more.

Scarlet awakes in the snow to realize she is in Russia.  Close to where the group had their first mission, Scarlet instead finds the shack of her old Mentor, a man whom she has left behind in a bad manner.  Hoping to take shelter from the extreme cold, Scarlet finds herself facing a strange man who insists she is Anastasia and convinces her he is Rasputin himself!  As she struggles with what seemed to be new strange memories, Scarlet realizes the man is probably using some kind of Nova power to implant memories into her head.  After knocking him down, she discovers her true Mentor tied up and exhausted:  Nikola Tesla.

Back in the Philippines, some years past 2120, Rebecca Bue li telepathically chats with her chosen scion, Lacierda-Wu.  Wu understands the importance of the mission to uncover the truth of Huang-Maar and the Proxies.  Eric on the other hand, receives another visit from Alex Cassell, and instead learns the man sent to him the first ever Live Model.

In the end, the elections go to the most abhorrent and close minded jerk of all time, Mark Green.  The group, however, vows to try again next time.  For now, however, 2003 is in the hands of one of the most vocally anti-Nova person out there.

Scarlet reunites with Aeon Society, only to learn of how many are missing, if not presumed dead, and just as the story comes to a close, Maxwell Mercer finds a visitor: a Younger Maxwell Mercer, an the young man identifies himself to be Mercer's son.  Sharp-eyed people noticed that the old man Mercer himself, does not seem surprised.

Agenda e07 : Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

11/17/2012
Agenda
Episode Seven
"Lines"

Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

Having learned the stories of how the second World War has reached the United States (with Baron Zorbo's airships) this session explored how one of the members of The Aeon Society for Gentlemen had to return to his home country (The Sleepwalker) to help out in the war against the Nazis.  His arrival is welcomed by Madame Prometheus who then gives him a ride on her Invisible Tank to The League of Science's headquarters.

There, he met with the remaining members of The League of Science, whose membership has very quickly declined due to the war.  Many members died, with their incredible powers insufficient to avoid the perils brought about by the war.   The First English who carried with him the Original Banner that granted him and all who followed him invulnerability was felled as the Nazis opened fire with their rifles and grenades.  Somehow, the magic of the Original Banner had been nullified by their basic arms.    Jessi of the Future, whose brain was said to be able to calculate so fast the future was a glimpse of probabilities she foresaw, could not mentally and  emotionally fathom the atrocities that the war made her witness.  The chaos of the battlefield and the thousand plus images of violence she shifted through in an eye-blink was enough to shatter her sanity.  She dove headlong towards an incoming tank, and some believe it was to cease the torrent of cruelty in her thoughts.  Lesley Lazuli who summoned Spirit Guardians and protected the allied camps could not cope with the horrible conditions that war forced upon its soldiers.  She contracted an illness while in the battlefield and while distracted by a vomiting spell, was killed by a German sniper.  Veridean Quick, who at first turned the tide in favor of the allied forces with his super speed, was eventually defeated by a barrage of tank cannon fire from German Panzers.  The explosive barrage that encompassed the whole area around Veridean Quick was far larger than his speed could bring him.  Some say his battered remains were flung out of the blast radius with only his right hand intact and undamaged.

Of the League, only the Gray Web, Madame Prometheus, Captain Normandy Nemo and Terra Obscura remained.  And while the three others did what they can to help in the war effort, Terra Obscura refused to participate in any form with what he called a meaningless war, and the self-proclaimed True Elemental of the Earth submerged himself into the ground and was never seen since.  The Sleepwalker's arrival was not a welcomed one, as far as The Gray Web would show.  The Gray Web claimed to see information itself from what he called The Web, an interconnected energy source of information that tested one's sanity.  "Like a million books of light, with words and images shifting with the blink of an eye, I can see what should and could have and what has.  And this I know, it was you who should have died, Sleepwalker.  But in your absence, your martyrdom did not inspire the rest of the League to victory."  He warns the Sleepwalker that he now may find death in the hands of a man who "will take your heart away" and tells him of how he can help, albeit late as he is.  The Nazis were winning with what they suspected to be a form of super-soldier program under a Doctor Kharl Vernet, who was originally tasked to use his research in hormones to rid the world of the homosexual "plague."    The Web notes the Doctor of having succeeded with a certain Patient 314 in empowering him to super human levels.  The Doctor has to be stopped before more of these GottenSoldat are created.   Having narrowed down his possible location to three places, the Sleepwalker's incredible analytical mind deduces the Doctor would be at the Buchenwald camp which is deep inside the enemy's lines.  Madame Prometheus looks at Captain Normandy Nemo who does agree, "Yes, it is time then to try your new vehicle."

The four reach the empty hangar bay and the Sleepwalker realizes what he is looking at once Madame Prometheus switches on the sprinkler system:  An Invisible Jet.  The two decide to leave at first light and spend the night prepping for the flight.  The Gray Web visits him and the two talk about whether or not The Sleepwalker should reconsider The Aeon Society for Gentlemen and return to the League of Science.  The Sleepwalker chooses not to reply.

Enroute to Buchenwald on Madame Prometheus' Invisible Plane, the Sleepwalker opts to grab a quick nap. As he sleeps, his dreams haunt him.  He dreams he rides a plane of jet black darkness.  He soars through the sky and descends upon an ancient ruin, a lone tower that stands at the fringe of a light woods.  He soars closer to the tower and sees Nazi soldiers in a frantic panic, unloading their guns at something he cannot see. German soldiers are falling, dying, and blood explodes in flowery patterns.  Then, he rises once more, and circles the top of the tower where three soldiers are sleeping.  Two wake up after hearing the gun fire and one reaches to wake the third.  The moment he hits the third to wake up... the dream ends.

Samuel Warren slips back his mask on and makes his way to the front of the plane.  Madame Prometheus admits she didn't think he would wake on his own.  But as she shows him where they are headed, the Sleepwalker checks the map and finds a small castle ruin west of the buildings they were headed.  He tells her to fly towards the ruin instead and preps for a parachute jump.  The Madame shares where she can land and the two decide to rendezvous in a few hours.    While the jump is uneventful, it is far from ideal, and the Sleepwalker lands in the woods.  He avoids any serious injuries and quickly makes his way towards the ruin.  As he traverses a clearing however, a soldier with a rifle emerges and calls out from the darkness.  "Flash!"  Confused, the Sleepwalker just mutters, "Bang?" and thinking they were warning him, he covers his eyes.

Suddenly, he is flung backwards as two people grab his shoulders and bring him down.  Then the soldier with the rifle steps on his chest and slams the butt of the rifle onto the Sleepwalker's face.  The Sleepwalker wisely feigns unconsciousness and listens in as the soldiers debate on whether or not the the Sleepwalker can be trusted.  The Sleepwalker then admits he did not know the response to the code because he isn't military. He directs the soldiers to find his Aeon Society ID and sadly informs them that he's here alone.  With the trust restored, the group discusses the tower.  As it turns out, Sergeant Powers and his men are very new recruits.  Shipped out to the battle even before training was done, the soldiers were all pretty green.  Their orders were to secure the tower as a strategic point, which much to the Sleepwalker's suspicion suggested one of them was Inspired.  When the Sleepwalker offers to deal with the tower first, the Sergeant, whose nickname was Bacon, reminds him this is a military operation and that as a civilian, it was best he let's them deal with things first.

As they make their way to the tower, the Sleepwalker begins to see something unexpected:  As Sgt. Bacon gives his commands, the various members of the squad begin to pulse with Inspiration.  The group suddenly pulses and all of them are suddenly moving in perfect synch.  Sgt. Bacon it seems is one of the Inspired.  Babyface, Cheddar, Willis, Georgie and Gabe quickly move in coordinated focus.

As the group reaches the tower, they find it eerily empty.  Babyface and Cheddar head in as the first wave.  Willis and the Sleepwalker prep to follow as the second wave.  As they head up the tower, the Sleepwalker realizes the Inspiration that guides the team has distance limits! Babyface and Cheddar, no longer within range to receive the benefits, sadly encounter whatever it was attacking the Nazis in the Sleepwalker's dream.  As sounds of gunfire erupt from the tower, the Sleepwalker and the rest quickly try to follow.  But the shoot out leads to a grenade being thrown out of the window, and the Sleepwalker sacrifices his grapple gun to deflect the grenade midair.  Georgie and Gabe make their way up the tower, but sadly this leads to even more gun fire before the Sleepwalker can follow.  The tower is littered with ammunition shells and blood.  Babyface is found with his face torn off.  Cheddar found with his spine ripped out.  Gabe is on the ground, with one arm missing, and Georgie tells the Sleepwalker of some massive hulking figure with talons for fingers that leapt out of the window to escape.   As Bacon and Willis quickly try to staunch Gabe's bleeding, the Sleepwalker very quickly peruses the files he can find of what was going on here and sees the studies that Doctor Vernet has been doing.  Patient 314, it seems, has developed massive musculature development, intense regenerative capabilities, as well as uncontrollable masculine urges especially with aggression.  It takes him a beat to merely realize that Madame Prometheus is the next likely target!  Since Gabe is losing loads of blood, bringing him to her might also be the best way to save his life.

As Willis and Georgie carry Gabe with them to the rendezvous point, the Sleepwalker rushes ahead to see if Madame Prometheus is well.  He arrives to find her standing in front of her Invisible Jet.  Madame Prometheus admits she has been hearing the sounds of something stalking in the woods.  Before anything else could be said, Patient 314 tears into the scene and charges for Madame Prometheus!  Firing three shots into the hulk's open maw, the Sleepwalker realizes Patient 314 can't be stopped with just a few gas pellets.  Cupping five into his hand, the Sleepwalker tries to anticipate when to hurl them at the hulk.  Being in a clearing meant strong winds that would not allow the gas to concentrate in one location.  Madame Prometheus opened her trench coat and raised both arms to criss-cross her bracers together as she declared,  "Inside the jet,  pull the red level!  Now!"  The Sleepwalker rushed into the Jet and found the lever in time and pulled it.  With a crimson glow, fire erupted outwards from the front channels of the Jet.  Amazingly, the fire twisted mid air and curved in the direction of Madame Prometheus.  With a smooth circular motion akin to yoga, Madame Prometheus redirected the flames to engulf Patient 314.  As the Patient 314 burned, the hulking form not once even screamed in agony.  The Sleepwalker rushed close and slammed the pellets onto the Patient's face in hopes that the knock-out gas would impair the healing abilities as well.  Unfortunately, it did not.  But Madame Prometheus, seeings the green mist being inhaled, realizes the best way to stop Patient 314 was to burn him both inside and out!  With another fluid motion, the flames were controlled by Madame Prometheus, and using the stolen fire, made to dance both inside and around Patient 314.  As the charred skeleton of Patient 314 fell to the ground, the Sleepwalker decided to make things more certain by stomping down to shatter the blackened skull.

Unfortunately, neither of them were aware of what was transpiring back at the ruin.  Back there, a hidden panel swiveled open and Doctor Vernet stepped out to speak with Sgt. Bacon.  Though Sgt. Bacon at first kept his weapon trained at the Doctor, the Doctor's words about changing the world, ending governments and being free of the chains of others somehow makes the American soldier question himself.  Whether it was the effects of a Knack, or a true weakening of his resolve, will sadly be a question for another day.  For now, however, the tale ends with the Sleepwalker and Madame Prometheus gathering the injured solider to bring him back to safety.   And deep down, the Sleepwalker fears that someday in the future he will find himself facing Sgt. Bacon at opposite sides.

Agenda e06: Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

11/11/2012
Agenda
Episode Six
"Kinder"

Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

The year is 1939, the Second World War has begun and Baron Zorbo has begun his attack upon New York City.  The story focuses on Scarlet, who works with Safari Jack, to try to bring down the zeppelins of the opponent that fly close enough for them to deal with.  Scarlet ponders on the whereabouts of two missing companions; the German and his side-kick, Phantom Face, remains missing.  The two had vanished almost two years ago and with the coming of the war, Scarlet worries if they had anything to do with the sudden increase of Nazi power.  

Jack finds a massive clown float which he has raised to bring them both closer to their target.  Using her telekinetic abilities, Scarlet launches Safari Jack's zippo lighter onto the zeppelin, in hopes of causing it to burn down and crash.  Jack questions the logic of having a flying vehicle filled with Hydrogen erupt into flames in front of them.  But as the two map out their strategy, one of the zeppelins maneuvers to fire the death ray upon them.  Scarlet has the lighter tear into the zeppelin's material, and the burning thing begins to crash their way.  As the two leap from the clown and fall towards the Empire State Building.  Jack uses his whip to latch onto a flag pole to swing them both to safety as they crash into a nearby window.  Scarlet tells Jack they have to hurry downstairs.  The downed zeppelin's death ray device was their objective.  Unbeknownst to Scarlet, both the German and his side-kick, Phantom Face, were observing them from the shadows of a building.

The story flashes back to 1937, when the German and his side-kick Phantom Face are in a burning factory, rushing after the villainous Marquis FaSade.  Phantom Face seemingly has trouble climbing up the ladder to the skylight as some traumatic fear paralyzes him from moving.  The German fires at some crates and causes the top most one to buckle and crash into position as stepping stones.  As the two clamber up the ladder, the German realized his side-kick is phobic to the fire, and ushers Phantom Face to head for the nearest window and escape.  He looks up and sees Marquis FaSade almost through the skylight, using his distinct cane to launch gasoline all over the burning factory.  With a timed shot, the German shoots the cane and causes it to shatter in the Marquis' very hand.  As he hoists himself up the skylight to follow the Marquis, he catches the Marquis' attempt to kick him, and the two grapple into a fight that eventually leads to the villain hanging over the burning inferno.  But as the Marquis' mask falls off, the German realizes he recognizes the man as Hans Weissen.  

Scarlet and Safari Jack find the Death Ray on the ground.  Before either of them could approach it, however, another zeppelin closes in on them from above.  Expecting the worst, they instead see more of Zorbo's henchmen fall out of the compartments! The Sleepwalker peeks out from the compartment and gives them the signal that he is in control.  Before any of them can reply, however, a death ray rips through the zeppelin and forces the Sleepwalker to leap for safety.   Scarlet pulls the Sleepwalker close and she tells him to see if he can find a way to use the Death Ray against their foes.   Safari Jack blows onto a bone whistle and summons two ancient flying dinosaurs to the city.  He claims they are old friends, and leaps to ride upon one to get to the other zeppelins.  Scarlet, against her better judgment, leaps as well and discovers the dinosaurs are not that difficult to control.  Taking to the skies a second time, Scarlet decides to try a more direct tactic in stopping the zeppelins.

The German recalls how he first met Hans Weissen.  Back before he was Inspired, the German recalled how he saw a man being beaten up by a mob.  Rushing to help, Nicklaus found himself suddenly blessed with unexpected twists of luck as his Knacks slowly became manifested.  But not being particularly attuned to them, he was brought down and found himself being helped by Hans.  The man nursed the German back to health and noted his notable skills.  "You can work for me," Hans told the German, which he considered.  But later, Hans tried to recruit him to work for Germany, and this was an invitation Nicklaus had to turn down.

Scarlet directs the pterodactyl towards one of the zeppelins and realized her "control" of the beast was not quite as mastered as she had hoped.  Having proven not all Southern girls know how to handle animals, she closed in on the zeppelin with the intention of leaping inside to end the fight.  But as she swung by, she realized there was a familiar face in the compartment:  Ingrid Albrecht.

The German recalls 1935.  He and Scarlet were running down a long corridor, having been tasked to protect a certain Professor Vaisman.  Hands suddenly tore through the concrete wall and grabbed hold of the German's throat and gun arm.  Before Scarlet could help, the German was pulled through the wall and vanished in a cloud of debris.  Following inside, Scarlet found the German pinned to the wall by a massive six foot seven blonde muscular woman whose perfect blue eyes shone against her black leather jacket, dominatrix outfit, leather boots and military hat.  A Nazi swastika adorned her throat.  Ingrid Albrecht regarded the German with surprising interest, talking to him in a flirtatious manner even as he used him as a bludgeoning weapon against Scarlet.  Outclassed and seriously injured, Scarlet opted to stay on the ground and play dead for the nonce, while the German tried to manipulate Ingrid into spilling more information.  Instead, all she admitted was that the Scientist was dead, and the German was now her primary goal.  Scarlet pulled from Ingrid's thoughts the name of the mastermind of this act and found only Marquis FaSade as the answer.  The German was abducted then, and Scarlet called Aeon Society to report her failure.

Although the German eventually escaped, he did not seem to have any recollection of what had happened or how he had escaped.  Scarlet, however, had vowed to get back at Ingrid if he ever had the chance to do so.   The Marquis spoke of someone named Adolf, and seemed amused that the German had no knowledge of a certain truth.  And as the Masquis FaSade drew a knife to attack the German, even while the German was keeping him from falling to his death, the German realized self-preservation was more important and simply opted to let go.  The Marquis fell into the flames to die.   As the German steps out to consider the events, he finds himself bumping into Ingrid once again.  This time, she does tell him about Adolf and the Gravity Chamber that was intended to help him become as strong as his "mother", but instead propelled him through time.  Phantom Face admits he is the son, whom Ingrid had "created" while the German was unconscious and in her captivity, and flees after admitting, "This was not how I wished this introduction to happen!"

Cut back to 1939, the German is clambering up a fire exit to see the events unfolding.  The German had vanished after the incident with the Marquis FaSade in hopes of uncovering more truth regarding the existence of his son.  In the many years of searching for answers, he had even found some documents supposedly of a Gravity chamber.   He eventually finds the amusing Svetlana, who agrees to keep his existence a secret and inform Scarlet of his need to meet her when the opportunity arose.   

Scarlet takes the battle to Ingrid, hoping to settle old scores.  As the two duke it out, Scarlet uses her powers to get into the compartment, then times her kick to slam Ingrid outside and have her fall to her doom.      Intimidating the whole crew, she receives a message from a screen from a woman calling herself the Machinatrix, to bid hello to her husband.  The Machinatrix claims to not be in charge, and merely to be the financier of the technology Zorbo has used.  She eventually brings the zeppelin down, and with the Sleepwalker's help, knocks Ingrid unconscious.  She then learns from Mercer and the others that they had succeeded, save for two missing friends:  Both Primoris and Crackshot were missing.  And the suspicion was, whoever took them probably was among the remaining Zeppelins that headed back.  Scarlet mentioned the Sky Fortress that the Machinatrix had mentioned, and suggests it might be best not to let Benjamin Dixon known his ex-wife was involved.

Scarlet meets with the German and he asks her to arrange a meeting between him and Benjamin Dixon.  In that meeting, Benjamin Dixon admits the mathematics is sound, but he doubts he can create a working version.  If anyone could, he admits, it would be his ex-wife.

In the Sky Fortress, Scarlet and the others meet with Machinatrix.  Discussions are made and Maxwell Mercer offers himself for the safe passage of the group.  Primoris and Crackshot had already left, she claimed, and the group decides to cut their loses at that moment.

*

Many years ahead of the timeline, Erik Langley converses with the Benefactor on the importance of the Inspired in relation to the Psionics and the Aberrants.  With the Quantum that Aberrants harness making Psi unreliable, the Benefactor believes the Inspired - who seemingly disrupt probabilities to their favor - may be the best weapon against the Aberrants.   He admits he needs Langley to be someone who can take over for him.  He claims he has an Inspired survivor Langley can study, but he needs Langley to promise him the Inspired won't be abused.  When Langley admits not being certain if he can trust the Benefactor, the Benefactor offers to ease his concerns by introducing himself directly.

A knock alerts Langley to someone outside, and he opens the door to see the Prexy himself, Alex Cassel.    At first, this worries Langley, as it makes him think the Benefactor and the Prexy are one.  But the Prexy instead admits to visiting Langley since he needs someone he can vent out to.  He even goes as far as offering Langley promotions just to be a friend at his beck and call.  The constant barrage of signals, transmissions and energy pulses are defeaning for the Prexy.  When he comments on a constant buzzing that he senses from Langley's room, Erik realizes that many  be the jamming signal that keeps his communications with the Prexy secret!    The Prexy visits two more times, and even goes as far as shutting down a few city blocks to get some quiet.  He reminds Langley that he needs the Huang-Marr Conspiracy settled, and suggests he contacts Miss Laceirda-Wu who is enroute to the Philippines.  She had been regenerated by the Aesculapian Order, and the Prexy fears what conditions she had been made to agree with for her life back.

When the Prexy finally leaves, the Benefactor at last comes to visit.  Langley stares at the man, who looks no older than someone in his mid-forties.  The Benefactor admits that listening, eavesdropping and video devices won't work to capture his visage.  And that the Inspired he was talking about was himself.  When the  Benefactor allows Langley to see him better, Langley realizes he does recognize the man:  He is the German. And somehow, he has Defied Death though all these years.

Agenda e05: Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

10/14/2012

Agenda

Episode Five

"Time"


Adventure - Aberrant - Aeon Trinity

The game opens, 1997, during the Aberrant era.  (I moved the existence of Novas forward a few years.) Team Tomorrow is the pioneer heroic team of the time.   Third in popularity is the group founded by Richard Rayner which remains nameless.  With only three members so far in its roster, namely the former major football player who can transform into living steel called the Quarterback, the cantankerous blonde minor schoolgirl called Switchboard, and their no-nonsense business-minded leader Richard Rayner, the group has gained some popularity even if their tactics and skills have yet to be properly honed.

A villain calling himself the Phantomas targets the Chrysler Building.  Police calls for back up in dealing with the nova and his three accomplices.  Switchboard picks up on transmissions and quickly sends word to the others of it.  She makes her way to the building.   Along the way, she meets a woman with brown curly hair in a trenchcoat, who seems to be carrying a glowing stick in one hand.  The woman, clearly identified by others as a Nova, is allowed through and quickly rushes into the building.  Switchboard, unfortunately, opts not to nova up and finds herself told by the police to stay behind the police fences for her own safety.

When the Quarterback arrives to help out, Switchboard powers up and joins the other to discuss how to approach the building.  The explosion seems to have damaged the 23rd floor and a quick scan using the security cameras of the building reveal people frozen in place from the third all the way to the twentieth floor. Quarterback decides to head in from the outside, leaping six floors at a time and burying his hands and feet into the walls with each landing to gain more leverage.  Switchboard catches sight of the other novas.  A woman in all green who seems to have super speed.  A man in all red who seems to have some telekinetic power to fling things around.  Switchboard cannot find the two others, it seems.   

Enroute to the building, Richard Rayner finds a brown-haired woman in a trenchcoat sitting in the helicopter beside him.  Demanding for her identity, the woman admits, "I'm sorry, we haven't met yet.  I'm not supposed to be here. I don't quite control my jumps."  She fades away just as quickly as she appeared.

Switchboard realizes the three are making a bid to escape, and tries to shut down the fire doors of the building to slow their escape.  But as the woman in green drags her two companions out of the building with her, Switch realizes there was no stopping the speedster on her own.  She instead reaches out with her computer brain and theorizes where most likely the three were to end up at.  She catches the green woman's body language suggests a higher metabolism when powers are used.  The need for a concealed location near a venue where sustenance can easily be gathered was quickly calculated and Switchboard felt confident she had predicted where to find the novas once they escaped.

The Quarterback arrives at the twenty-third floor to find a woman with brown curly hair in a trenchcoat checking on some people.  Asking who she is, the woman admits time is too valuable right now and tells the Quarterback to rush the people to the nearest hospital.  She had frozen time around each one, allowing their degeneration to occur at a much slower pace.  

Richard Rayner arrives at the location to see Team Tomorrow already arriving and taking control of the area.  Not wanting to be forced away, Richard uses the Voice to convince Caestus Pax to stand aside.   The man leaves.  Richard and his assistant, a young woman whom he teasingly named "Mud" join Switchboard and the Quarterback and learn of what had transpired.  The group allow Team Tomorrow to head in now and handle the remaining damage control needed while they make their way to the location Switchboard predicted.  The diner is in slight shambles.  Debris outside the building suggest a large box was pried from a concrete area.  It soon becomes apparent to them the box was taken from the Chrysler building, and it was the time capsule that was set beside the keystone when the building was completed.

The game shifts to 1930, just as the city celebrates the finished construction of the Chrysler Building.  The heroes are with the press and congratulations are in order for a job well done.  “To the future!” they toast.  Sarah Getel talks to Max about his hair, musing she will miss the ivory comb she gave him to fix it.  Max reminds him they are now just friends.  Present are The German, The Sleepwalker, Scarlet, Phantom Face (Alexander Pope's secret identity), Maxwell Mercer, Michael Donighal and of course, Sarah Gettel.  Max has a moment of chest pain, which worries those present, but it passes.  Sarah Gettel asks about the new “member” and Phantom Face and the German throw some insults playfully at each other.   Ultimately the celebrations go well and Max reminds the others to be nice to Miss Gettel.  

The game shifts back to 1997, and the same guy now has broken into the Empire State Building.  But this time, before the heroes can get to the building, his three goons attempt to delay them.   Calling themselves Ready, Set and Go, the three goons turn out to be people who had auditioned to be part of Rayner's team in the past but were turned down.  Ready was a man named John McGraw who could launch objects at others with telekinetic force.  Set was Shelby Faust who could mentally immobilize another with a glance.  Go was Alexandra Lee who was gifted with Hypermovement.  Switchboard uses her Cyberkinesis to have a crane, then later, cars smash into Set to knock him down.  The Quarterback arrives and smashes a car down on Set to make sure he's brought down. But Go outmaneuvers her and closes in to bring her down.  Richard Rayner lands his helicopter at this moment and uses his power to shut her speed down.  As she trips and slams into the parked cards nearby, Switchboard has another car slam into Go's downed form.

But Ready finds the opening he needs and strikes at Quarterback and Rayner, enveloping them in a swirl of deadly debris.  While their armor and defenses hold, Switchboard sneaks into the building in hopes of intercepting the Phantomas.    Switchboard finds assistance in the presence of a trenchcoat-wearing woman named Mary Rose.  The woman seems to be a time-traveler, but admits to be having trouble controlling her jumps.  Mary Rose explains that the Phantomas had escaped but they might succeed in finding out what he is really trying to do.  Switchboard is unable to predict the situations events, lacking enough data to course through her computer brain.  However, she realizes if Mary Rose leaps back in time when the time capsule was first sealed, she could better computer an understanding of the events that have transpired.  Mary Rose attempts the jump.

Outside the Quarterback tears the very street out from in front of Richard Raynor, then uses it to form a wall to protect his boss from the debris.  Raynor then uses his nova power to shut down Ready's powers, giving the Quarterback the opening to slam the same wall of earth onto the man.

The game cuts back to 1931. Karl Jansky at Bell Telephone Laboratories discovers emissions from the center of the Milky Way, inaugurating the science of radio astronomy.  The news of this exists Benjamin Dixon and he cannot help but wonder if the Z-waves ever reached that far.  The  Empire State Building is completed and the Aeon Society is present for publicity again. Maxwell once more has chest pains.  Dixon admits, “Good thing you quit the pipe then.”  Max draws out a new one.   When asked about the pains, all he could utter is “Spice.”   Pope is seen returning from the bathroom, too late to join the group photograph.  Michael does comment how excited he is for the completion of another landmark, the Golden Gate Bridge.   The Phantom Face bumps into a reporter as he exits the bathroom.   Scarlet uses the event as the opportunity to announce her real name as she chooses to make herself known to the world.  As the reporters gather to take photos, the Phantom Face joins the rest to pose for pictures.

The year is 1932.  The Neutron is discovered.  Franklin Roosevelt becomes President.  Dixon gets even more excited about the atom.  Maxwell thinks it is a good step forward for man.  Michael Donighal however does not share that excitement.

The game then makes a leap forward to 2120.  It is the era of Aeon Trinity.  Classical music plays as Dr. Matthieu Zweilder uses is incredible mastery of Vitakinesis to slowly reweave the decimated body of Ministry Agent and Vogue Creative Director Autumn Lacierda-Wu.  Wu's body was immolated when the ship she was in exploded above the Beaulac Clinic in Luna.  But thanks to her intense Ministry training and will-to-survive, Wu retained a rudimentary consciousness even if her body was reduced to barely a tenth of its original mass.  That gave Zweilder enough to work with to bring her back.  When asked why, he explains he is determined to uncover the depths of the Huang-Marr Conspiracy and expects Wu, who owes him her life, to dedicate her focus on doing so. He insists the investigation remain a private matter and tells her she will have the assistance of one of his own Æsculapians, the survivor of the Beaulac Clinic's destruction himself, Dr. Sven Casperzak.  She agrees.

Erik Langley on the other hand busies himself reading up once more on the fragment of the Babel Dossier he has been given by the Benefactor.  The events of the Dossier fragment speak of the parallel events that occurred during 1997 as well as the events of 1930 to 1939.    Langley wonders how the team of heroes will realize the Golden Gate bridge is their next destination.

The year is once again 1997.   Switchboard gets a glimpse of how heavily fragmented and confusing Mary Rose's experiences are.  But she also learns that her jumps, while chaotic through time, are not without some level of control.  In one, she visits Rayner in his helicopter, before meeting any of them.  In another, she visits Towers in the base.  In one, she seems to leap to a glass chamber where two military-clad nazis confront a german guy in a suit about a son of his they had "created" while he was unconscious.   Eventually, she does arrive at 1931 and hides in the bathroom when she realizes she is surrounded by so many heroes.  While there, she witnesses Phantom Face enter the rest room, strip his mirrored helm, then talk to himself in the mirror about, "Staying focused on the plan.  Not allowing himself to be swayed by the fun of being in America.  And of keeping his loyalties clear.  Even if he is working so closely with 'him.'"  The white-haired man known as Alexander Pope seemingly shifts in appearance and becomes a fifteen-year old young man, before shifting back to the old man and stepping out, bumping into a reporter in the process.  Mary Rose peeks into the box and learns its contents:  A pipe.

Best of all, Switchboard learns of Michael Donighal's excitement to see the opening of the Golden Gate bridge.  For Quarterback and Switchboard, this is the best lead to follow.   Mary Rose once again fades away, jumping through time beyond her own control.   Mud, instead, who they realize is also named Mary Rose, meets them outside to tell them Rayner had taken off with the copter to chase after Caestus Pax, whom he was determined to exchange unpleasant words with.  Swallowing their pride, the team of three approach Team Tomorrow to ask for their help to get to San Francisco.  They get Slider's vote of confidence and the woman opts to take them using the Team Tomorrow ship to the other side of the United States.

Enroute, Mary Rose and Switchboard trades stories about their childhood.  Switchboard admits being a prodigy and talks of how her Eruption simply made her even better with things.  Mary Rose, on the other hand, admits she never knew her parents.  Her father, Ben Mercer, took her from the dead arms of her mother Su-Bin Song, who had shielded Mary Rose from the falling ceiling when their home collapsed from an earthquake.  Ben Mercer, however, claimed to have many things that needed his attention, and she had been left in the care of Rayner since then.  Slider asks Quarterback to consider the youth of the girls and that perhaps joining Team Tomorrow might be the better thing to do.

They arrive at the Golden Gate Bridge and make their way to the museum at the foot of the bridge.  Slider stays on the ship, ready to call for back up, while Mary Rose stays across the street to call for help if need be.   As Switchboard and Quarterback enter the museum, noticing the broken lock of the door, Switchboard uses her nova powers to locate Phantomas and finds him talking to some shady figure in the cornerstone room.  The stone was already broken, and all three black lacquer boxes were laid down beside them.  The Quarterback rushes forward, while Switchboard is delayed after she stupidly stubbed her knee on a bench.  As Phantomas steps out to go somewhere, Quarterback leaps to tackle him, but the masked villain leaps backwards fast enough in time to avoid him!  Switchboard has the lights go wild, hoping to distract the villains, not realizing Quarterback had no protection to the shifting light display either.  She mentally commands the door to shut closed, trapping Phantomas and the Quarterback inside.  Before Switchboard could get closer to help however, an older Mary Rose appears and warns Switchboard that this is a moment in time the Quarterback best go through alone.  When asked for a reason, Rose simply explains, "This is the time Quarterback needs to learn at times there is a need to take a life."  When Switchboard attempts to reason with Mary Rose, Mary Rose instead reminds Switchboard that she is doing what she has to given her knowledge of what is to come and what has happened.  And at one point remarks, "Ah yes. It hasn't happened yet.  You haven't hurt me."  Switchboard accuses Mary Rose that she is merely acting out of petty grudges.  Mary Rose corrects her, "No.  This is me keeping myself from taking vengeance.  I will never forgive you for what you have taken from me.  But that won't happen til a few years from now."

When a second attempt to tackle is done, the Quarterback learns Phantomas has the ability to literally warp movement and had Quarterback find himself falling the opposite direction.  Phantomas reveals that his body is wrapped in explosives and starts ranting about his plans to save 17 million lives.  It turns out, Phantomas has plans to try to stop the Holocaust.    But his actions may change the world as they know it.  The Quarterback rips debris from the ground and hurls it with his full strength at the villain, no longer caring if it kills him.  And true enough, the debris strikes like shots from cannon fire and Phantomas falls dead.

With the police soon arriving, and Slider vouching for the team's heroism, the villain is identified as Lawrence Cardinal, a theater actor who had erupted a few months ago while on stage.  The man called himself Face of Phantomas, seemingly after the Phantom of the Opera.  His real name was Levi Propes and his parents and family of seven siblings were killed during the Holocaust.  Propes, according to records, had limited teleportation powers.  "Who knows," Mary Rose mused, "Perhaps he could more through time as well.  This is a moving planet we are on, after all.  Point A is not necessarily in the same location as Point B at times as far as the planet's position in relation to the Sun."

The game jumps back to 1937 as we learn the closing events of what happened in that time.  With the Golden Gate Bridge completed.  Scarlet witnesses Max going emotional over a telegram he had received.   Amelia Earhart and co-pilot Fred Noonan have disappear over Pacific and Max vows to try and find her.  He wipes his tears with a handkerchief then places this in the lacquer box.  Max has another tremor.  Scarlet begs him to have it checked, but he explains the pain is self-induced.  When she tries to have him explain he merely states, "I do what I must to keep from leaving."  He prepares to begin the search, but unfortunately they are delayed when news arrives of the Hindenburg burning over Lakehurst, New Jersey.    Aeon Trinity moves to assist.

In 2120, Dr. Sven Casperzak discusses with his friend about how the past might have been a far simpler and kinder world.  Having been pelted by some people with rotten fruit, the two have experienced first hand the perils of when an Order is slowly seen as evil by the public eye.  "Consider what happened to Chitra Bahnu and Upeo Wa Macho.  What if we are next?"  He returns back to the Montressor Clinic and receives his passport to visit the Philippines.

Miss Wu packs her things for the trip to the Philippines.  She is anxious to get out.  She feels happy to be alive, but understands she owes the Order greatly for her new body.  The Opnet and news feeds are filled with speculative horror of what the Order can be doing.  She realizes this is going to be a massive affair to repair.

The two pack their bags and prepare to leave.

And finally, to close the game, it is 1939.   Maxwell Mercer speaks to the gathered Aeon Society for Gentlemen about how this is now truly the time to prove their loyalty to the country and their love for their fellow man.  The World is at war and the Nazi threat must be dealt with.  The Sleepwalker notices neither The German nor his sidekick, Phantom Face are present.  As the group readies themselves for war, the television sets are suddenly taken over by a rogue transmission:   a bald-headed man with a monocle comes onto the screen and announces himself. "I am Baron Zorbo.  Today, the people of New York City shall experience first-hand the immense and undeniable power of the Nazi Regime.  Menschheit!  Zum Himmel!"

*

Yes, this currently is probably the LONGEST post for a game update.  What can I say, this was one game I really enjoyed writing, and later, running for my players.  The complexities of time connected events, the fun of a mystery that spanned an era, the Dr. Who feel of it all, and even the immense difference in atmosphere of each era made for an awesome game.  

Yes, I will admit I fudged on many of the time lines (for example Amelia Earhart did not vanish on the very day the Hindenburg burned) but I liked changing things a bit to keep my players guessing and not make them feel like history is their cheat sheet on what is to come.  I even set the Aberrant sessions around 10 years earlier than usual (1997 instead of 2007) and made things like Team Tomorrow exist that early since I wanted to both make players familiar with metaplot uncertain what parts I am using or changing, as well as have fun with the supposed panic the coming of the year 2000 brought.

But yeah, this is one epic game.  I sure hope my players are loving every moment of it.