Re: The NEW Vanguard! The Haunt Issue 1: "Bring the house down"

Admin Mon Mar 25 2013, 15:13

The Haunt!

Body	9/11
Mind	9
Spirit	9
Hero Points	2

Haunt casually 'cased' the joint whilst he looked about the place for some clue as to the passwords required to access the computer terminals.

OOC Dectective Check Roll 2d10 → [8,9] = (17) Success.

He figured - probably correctly - that the password would need to be changed regularly to prevent access. After some minutes of going through (now opened thanks to his thieving skills) drawers and finding little in the way of a clue, his eyes alighted on a picture in a frame which had been in one of the drawers of the desk. It was of the man Toynbee and a young boy who held a balloon. The picture looked to have been taken in happier times, with the youngster smiling whilst wrestling with a huge candy floss mound on a stick, the balloon and holding the Professors' hand. The professor looked relaxed, though still professional and well kept. Clearly a man for whom work was the key part of his life.

It didn't take a detective of Haunts calibre to figure out the mans dedication to his work had cost him his marriage and ready access to his family. Idly Haunt sat back in the chair, glassing at a dome camera set in the roof whilst his hands were busy under the desk. Opening the frame he glanced under the desk to look at the back of the photo to see a date that suggested it was a few years old. Also secreted behind the picture had been a note. A reminder of the password.

Log on name... Toynbee
Password... Candyfloss.

The screen brightened into life 'Welcome Professor Toynbee. You have 31 unread emails. Your agenda for tomorrow can be accessed by selecting the icon to your right.' said the message box on the screen. There were dozens of icons for various programs and files. Though he was intelligent and resourceful, Haunt was no scientist. He suspected much of the details in here would be beyond him, though he did see something of interest - a personal journal link.

He was about to click on that when the phone on the desk started to ring...

DavidMcMahon Mon Mar 25 2013, 21:57

He clicked on the journal link and then answered the phone. " Toynbee," he said in a distracted voice. He looked to see if the phone had some sort of caller ID so he might be able to figure if the call came inside the complex or outside.
He continued to read and click when needed while pretending to be distracted on the phone but really trying to listen for any clues as to the caller and his or her whereabouts.

Admin Fri Mar 29 2013, 23:51

The Haunt!

Body	9/11
Mind	9
Spirit	9
Hero Points	2

"Professor Toynbee? Got a call for you sir. God knows who it is this time o night though" said the Security Guard as he put the call through.

"Toynbee?" said a mans voice on the other end.

Haunt clicked on the journal and was met with another request for a password. Before he could answer, the man on the other end of the phone spoke again. "Have you reconsidered my generous offer? Other parties are interested. They may not be as... civilised as I. The people I represent will not be denied."

Silence, then "Perhaps you are not taking this seriously. Your ex-wife rather hopes you will. Or perhaps your son... Charlie. Fine boy. He is looking rather frightened at the moment though, and perhaps needs the reassurance that his Father is doing all he can. The flask, Toynbee. Forget the offer of money. Clearly you are a man of principles. Tell me, are those principles worth the lives of your ex-wife and son?"

DavidMcMahon Sat Mar 30 2013, 00:22

Silence, then "Perhaps you are not taking this seriously. Your ex-wife rather hopes you will. Or perhaps your son... Charlie. Fine boy. He is looking rather frightened at the moment though, and perhaps needs the reassurance that his Father is doing all he can. The flask, Toynbee. Forget the offer of money. Clearly you are a man of principles. Tell me, are those principles worth the lives of your ex-wife and son?"

ooc: Trying Charlie as a password.

"Which one am I speaking to," the Haunt asks in a confused voice. "I'm sorry but I was attacked tonight and hit over the head. Bit befuddled. I think I have a concussion. Not tracking well. Which group do you represent that has my ex-wife and child, who cry out for JUSTICE at their captivity? Are you the group that attacked me tonight or another? And if it wasn't you, do you know how it was?"

ooc: Stalling for time, using Detective skills to find any clues to get into the computer and find out who this guy is and where he might be - boat whistle, train going by, carnival sounds, whatever. Any clues to finding the flask would help too. Any blues to the other groups so I can take them down too would help as well.

Admin Tue Apr 02 2013, 01:35

The Haunt!

Body	9/11
Mind	9
Spirit	9
Hero Points	2

There followed a brief silence as the voice on the other end of the phone considered Haunts words

In the meantime, the password 'Charlie' opened Toynbee's personal journal...

"Other parties are interested are they? And you've been attacked tonight? That was not of our doing Mr Toynbee, and I assure you none of the other parties can offer what we offer to you - the lives of your son and ex-wife. Consider, sir, your actions carefully. The tradeoff will take place... an hour from now at the entrance to the London eye. It will be closed for the evening but the place is quiet and a smooth handover can take place if you keep up your end of the bargain." Haunt was about to stall the man some more but the phone went dead!

He turned to the journal...

“Personal Journal April 5th 2017”
“My mind is awhirl. It transpires my research has been misued. What had intended to be a cure for many of the worlds most virulent viruses will in fact be sold off to the highest bidder for reasons unknown. I have made my protests insistently and loudly but Kennedy has told me to be quiet ‘if I know what’s good for me’. What’s more is that I haven’t heard from Elizabeth yet. I was supposed to have had Charlie over thie weekend but I’m starting to get worried now. I think I was followed last night. I don’t know who to speak to. Kennedy is involved, somehow I think. Perhaps Valerie might … no. I don’t want to drag her into this mess. She’s too young to squander a brilliant career by following up on the paranoid ramblings of a discredited Professor, and I fear that is what I shall soon become.”
A later entry reads:
“My fears have been realised. I have been contacted and told to bring a flask of the serum to Regents Park Zoo where I will be met by a man in a green overcoat and hat. The voice on the other end of the phone was not one I recognise but I have decided on another course of action.”
And another entry:
“I’m horrified. One of the samples has already been taken. As scientific lead for the project I can only assume it was Kennedy who took it, who is nominally my superior but not in the field of research. I have decided that my career is not worth the risk of this serum falling into the wrong hands so have taken one sample of the serum and destroyed all others. My notes have been hard wiped from the drives and I have written my letter of resignation, though I don’t doubt Genetech will take stronger action than to merely fire me.”
Finally:
“I don’t know what to do.”
“They have my son. I have been told to take a sample of the serum to a warehouse at the docks this evening. If I tell the police Charlie and Elizabeth are as good as dead. This is all… I can’t take this any more! I need to get my son back. I have withdrawn what cash I can and transferred all my accounts to a holding account in Charlies’ name to be held in trust for him. I believe Genetech have discovered the missing samples. This shall be my last journal entry, but I want to make it clear, in case the files are ever read by the Police or Press that I did nothing to facilitate the transfer of the serum to another party for financial gain. Instead it seems someone on the inside of Genetech gave all of my details to parties unknown and they used them to blackmail me. I don’t have any choice – they are going to kill my son if I don’t comply! Everywhere I look I feel eyes on me. I hope the serum is worth it. My dream was to create a better world. Kennedy was angry when I forbid him from using the research to weaponise it, but his fury will fall on deaf ears now. The notes are gone, the samples destroyed save the one I have and the one that was taken earlier. I enjoyed working here but feel there is nothing left but disaster if I do not comply with the wishes of these people. I am not a bad man. I just don’t have anyone to turn to. I suppose the UKChampions could…”
Journal Ends.

Haunt settled back in the chair and looked at the time. He could be at the London eye exhibit in about 20 minutes or so, so he had time. This 'Kennedy' fellow might be another lead. The sample that Toynbee had planned to use as ransom for his son was gone. This other sample, taken by persons unknown, was another mystery to be solved. Without notes or research there was no way of telling what this serum might do. Toynbee had meant it as a catch all cure for the worlds ills. Haunt was no scientist, but he knew that the way science came up with cures was to incorporate the original virus into the cure in some way. If some devious, enterprising, twisted mind were to somehow reverse the process... might they then create a virus that attacks the human body in dozens of different ways at once, spread like wildfire and cause the end of the Human Race? That was worst case scenario of course.

Perhaps a serum that boosted the bodies immune system might be further altered to graft superhuman abilities onto someone - the ability to recover from any wound, super strength, the list was endless. The memory of the superhuman civil war was still fresh in everyones minds, and the chaos that occurred was painful to remember. Haunt recalled crowds in the streets, explosions, screaming, running... fires, cars on their side, shops looted, the end of days as neighbour turned on neighbour. The heroes had been driven underground, made outlaw by a state that failed to realise the only way to stop superhuman criminals was with superheroes! By outlawing anyone who had super powers and declined to register with the state the Government had wiped out, overnight, the support of 90% of the countries superhumans leaving only the UKChampions to defend the length and breadth of the United Kingdom.

Haunt shuddered. A return to that would not come soon, thankfully. Still, he had other things to worry about...

DavidMcMahon Tue Apr 02 2013, 13:00

Haunt shuddered. A return to that would not come soon, thankfully. Still, he had other things to worry about...

Not sure what a flask should look like to hold a serum, the Haunt goes into the lab to see if he can find anything that might resemble what someone would consider "a flask". He will grab a couple using sleight of hand to hide them under his coat. He then will print out the journal and tuck a copy away. Time to check out Kennedy's office, and see if he can find anything from there. Then head for the appointment and see what he can do to save the two innocents.

Admin Sun Apr 07 2013, 23:17

The Haunt!

Body	9/11
Mind	9
Spirit	9
Hero Points	2

The flasks were steel cannisters that looked to hold an ordinary vial, though they were empty

It was a simple matter to 'palm' a couple of the flasks and he printed the journal, though most pages consisted of short hand notes and formulae that didn't mean much to Haunt. He found out where to locate Kennedys office via an internal memo which listed the office number. It took time, however, and Haunt was aware that the appointment loomed. Still, perhaps there was just enough time ... he came to the office door. It was locked, and the keypad beckoned... save that that he heard footsteps behind him.

"Professor Toynbee?" asked the security guard. "I'm not sure you should be going into Mr Kennedys office. In fact, perhaps I should call him - he suggested you might be acting odd and to let him know..." He watched Haunt carefully. Though he didn't have a gun he did have a baton and can of mace, or equivalent.

"I'm going to have to ask you to come with me sir." said the guard. Haunt glanced over the fellows head. He still had time to make the appointment... if he left right now!

DavidMcMahon Mon Apr 08 2013, 01:14

ooc: How fast is he healing with his Regen of 5?

"Professor Toynbee?" asked the security guard. "I'm not sure you should be going into Mr Kennedys office. In fact, perhaps I should call him - he suggested you might be acting odd and to let him know..." He watched Haunt carefully. Though he didn't have a gun he did have a baton and can of mace, or equivalent.

"I'm going to have to ask you to come with me sir." said the guard. Haunt glanced over the fellows head. He still had time to make the appointment... if he left right now!

"I've not yet learned if Kennedy is involved in my death or not," the Haunt tells the guard. "Justice cries out for me to find my killers and those who ordered my death. You stop me from finding my killers at your own peril. Are you willing to risk your mortal soul to do so?"

actions: Going all spooky here. Shapeshifting, while talking, so ugly "wounds" appear on my body, showing that I had been beaten, shot a few times and stabbed a few more. Gaping wounds that should be bleeding but don't because they are hours old wounds and appear as such - like what a corpse drained of blood at a morgue autopsy would look like. Naked body with wounds

Sending out some fog now as I talk and the wounds appear on my naked body - fog also keeping my appearance at the PG level. Nothing for the kids to see. Embarassed

Then the Aura of Fear attack. I'm trying to get this guy to run or pass out, not attack and not still coherent in thought enough to pull or push an alarm button.

Problem is, I don't know the number crunching bit. What's is enough points into Aura of Fear to scare most normal humans but doesn't send them off into the loony bin or have nightmares the rest of their lives? Or does that not really matter in this game? If it doesn't really matter, then hit him with what I got full force.

Then move down the hallway, out to the front, open the door at the guard's seat [imagine there is a button there that does it, can stretch a hand through the fog to hit it and hide the manuever], then out the door and "lost from sight in the night's fog", then shifting and flying to meeting place.

Want to keep the stretching power hidden for now from just about everyone. Make it always look like I'm vanishing into the fog or teleporting or that I can somehow control devices by mystical thought, not by stretching a hand or arm to move things or am pulling myself up on roofs or what not..

ooc: Just something I've been toying with, idea-wise, the Haunt is pretending to be some sort of avenging spirit who occupies the bodies or souls of the murdered as he seeks their killers. So he is now pretending to be Toynbee seeking his killers both actual and those who gave the orders. He's going to drop hints from time to time of originally being some outlaw in the Old American West who was hanged for his murderous crimes but not allowed to continue onto his "reward" but forced to stay on Earth to bring murderers to Justice. His memory is a bit vague on this or who he really is because he has had so many memories of the murdered in his mind. That's what kind of background he is trying to set up so whoever in government or the press who might try to find out about him, that's what they should learn over time. He is going to do his utmost to continue to be seen as some sort of supernatural/otehrworldly avenger spirit and not some guy with shapeshifting powers.

Admin Wed Apr 10 2013, 23:11

The Haunt!

Body	11
Mind	9
Spirit	9
Hero Points	2

OOC In terms of Mechanics most people have scores of 2 across the board unless they are trained in some way (Lawyers, Doctors, Soldiers, Athletes, Cops etc). You have Aura of Fear 9 and even a low roll will freeze the guy in place. Reducing the APs of power to use (anything from 1-9 is fine) will reduce the effect of the power but it's not precise because of the dice roll. As it is the worst you can do is make the guy wet himself and freeze in place, quivering like a jelly. Sure, that's bad enough, but he'll get over it. Kind of like watching the Exorcist the first time, or Nightmare on Elm Street. Or Amityville Horror. It'll stick in his mind but no lasting (funny farm style) effects. Roll 3+8 (11). 9RAPs. Yeah, he's petrified. Probably to the extent that he can't quite recall what he was doing before he got to this moment, and will have a hard time accurately describing what went on to the Police. As for Haunt pretending to be an Avenging Spirit? Who knows, maybe he is, and thinks he's playing a role, but is actually the embodiment of a long dead Sheriff from the Wild West out to right wrongs where he finds them...

Haunt gets a healing check every 2 minutes (instead of an hour) - he'll be on full body by now.

The Security Guard paled visibly, and urine pooled around his feet...

The baton clattered to the floor from nerveless fingers as he took in the - clearly dead - form in front of him! It was like a scene from 'The Walking Dead' which was re-running on the TV, and the guard knew that he would never forget the sight in front of him, though he had trouble remembering anything else at that moment!

Mercifully, fog boiled up and around the figure, filled the corridor and took the ghastly apparition from sight!

When it cleared, the thing he'd seen was gone... Professor Toynbee... was dead?!?!?

He collapsed to his knees, sobbing!

=========

The 'London Eye' was closed, and the darkness, cold and fog combined to make the scene somewhat ethereal...

Haunt watched from a rooftop. There was a black unmarked van parked across the street near the entrance. Further down the road were several parked cars but there wasn't enough light/angle to see if they were occupied. Other than the vehicles, there was no movement, nothing to suggest anything out of the ordinary. The 'eye' stood on the bank of the Thames.

The NEW Vanguard! The Haunt Issue 1: "Bring the house down" - Page 2 Eye

The NEW Vanguard! The Haunt Issue 1: "Bring the house down" - Page 2 Eye

OOC Though it's in the dead of night and foggy at the moment...

Clearly they were waiting for Toynbee, and whoever 'they' were it seemed they had nothing to do with the man's death - after all they were expecting the Professor to turn up and produce a flask of serum in exchange for his ex-wife and daughter...

OOC The van is 150 feet away, the cars further, around 200 feet. Haunt is the red dot on the roof, the (A) is the van. There's no one around at this time of night, and the sound of steady traffic is all that contrasts against the lapping of brown Thames water...

DavidMcMahon Wed Apr 10 2013, 23:40

OOC Though it's in the dead of night and foggy at the moment...

Clearly they were waiting for Toynbee, and whoever 'they' were it seemed they had nothing to do with the man's death - after all they were expecting the Professor to turn up and produce a flask of serum in exchange for his ex-wife and daughter...

OOC The van is 150 feet away, the cars further, around 200 feet. Haunt is the red dot on the roof, the (A) is the van. There's no one around at this time of night, and the sound of steady traffic is all that contrasts against the lapping of brown Thames water...

actions: Create more fog and walk over to the van in it. Then get it, probably by the back door. Either open it or ooze through the cracks along the door, bringing the fog inside so that they could see him ooze in but seeming to appear in the fog fully manifested.

ooc: So that's what they call that Big Ferris Wheel. Didn't know that. First time I ever saw it was the first episode of the new Doctor Who ... gosh! ... has it been that many years ago! I'm feeling very old!!!!!! pale

Rush King needed clues. He didn't know where to go next to find the killers and find the flask. His hope was that whoever had kidnapped his ... Toynbee's ... child and ex-wife would be able to provide him with new clues as where to find those things. Plus, kidnappers needed to be brought to Justice! Since it was already foggy, he just created more and walked through it to the van to question those inside without the ones in the cars knowing he was there ... if he moved fast enough once inside to make sure no radio messages went out.

Admin Sat Apr 13 2013, 01:37

The Haunt!

Body	11
Mind	9
Spirit	9
Hero Points	2

Fog boiled outwards and mingled with Thames fog...

Haunt dropped quietly down at the back of the fan and reshaped his hand like a plunger, easily popping the door open despite the fact it was locked! The blacked out rear windows had offered no clue as to the interior ... when he did look inside he cursed himself for a fool - he was clearly dealing with no amateurs!

A video camera was set up, staring straight out the back of the van. It stood on a tripod and a flashing light on top indicated it was wirelessly transmitting. It would be a simple task to set the camera up to transmit across the internet - the kidnappers could be anywhere!

There was a pause (OOC Does Haunt still look like Toynbee? It will affect what is said through the cameras speaker is all...)

OOC It's a simple matter to remote control a PC over the internet (I do it all the time - in some cases because my home machine is much faster than my laptop, getting stuff done is usually quicker even over my sometimes rubbish mobile connection. Plus I get to use Xp on the laptop AND Windows 7 if I fancy it, instantly, but the connection isn't fast enough usually to run games over, more's the pity.) Oops, I digress. It'd be an easy matter to set up the camera to transmit to a wifi dongle somewhere and from there the signal is out there in the wild and would take a fair bit of tracking down. Anyway, much will depend on what Haunt looks like (he might terrify whomever is on the other end of the camera) and what he says....

DavidMcMahon Sat Apr 13 2013, 01:41

Figured to look like the Haunt here instead of Toynbee.

"You do not appear to be the drug dealers I'm looking for," he says outloud, improvising like crazy.

Admin Mon Apr 15 2013, 04:12

The Haunt!

Body	11
Mind	9
Spirit	9
Hero Points	2

"Interesting." said a male voice from the camera speakers. "You are NOT professor Toynbee..."

"Aside from the question of who you are, and what you are doing here, your outlandish appearance would suggest you are a 'superhuman', although the fascination with dressing up in tight fitting spandex escapes me. Too each their own."

"Regardless of your particular fetish tastes, know that your buffoonery has cost the lives of an innocent woman and her daughter."

The voice went silent, and in its place a robotic voice intoned "10...9...8..."

DavidMcMahon Mon Apr 15 2013, 04:18

"Regardless of your particular fetish tastes, know that your buffoonery has cost the lives of an innocent woman and her daughter."

The voice went silent, and in its place a robotic voice intoned "10...9...8..."

"I don't wear spandex, these are jeans," the Haunt mutters out loud as he tries to think what to do. "Spandex is silly. Snags and runs too easily."

Keeping the fog around him but making it go lower to hide his lower body but not his upper body, he picks up the van in his hands and goes tearing with it towards where the cars were he spotted earlier.

actions: shapeshift the lower half of his body into multiple legs and run towards the cars, fog hiding his legs so it appears he is either flying or floating very fast towards them.

Admin Mon Apr 15 2013, 04:24

The Haunt!

Body	11
Mind	9
Spirit	9
Hero Points	2

Haunt hefts the van easily, grows an extra pair of legs and hightails it towards the cars he saw earlier...

With fog spewing out of his body his extra limbs were hidden and it appeared as if the Spectral Avenger were floating along, to any unfortunate that happened to walk past. As he approached the parked cars, he saw that they were just that - parked cars, with no one in them! Whomever had been on the other end of the line had been some distance away, though in truth they could have been half way around the world with technology that was commonly available!

"7...6...5..." droned the computer voice inside.

If Haunt wanted a chance to track down whoever sent the transmission to and from this van, he'd have to salvage the equipment from it before the van blew or stop it from blowing up!

"4..."

DavidMcMahon Mon Apr 15 2013, 04:44

same trick he did with the last bomb in a car. Find it, wrap himself around it and absorb the explosion.

DavidMcMahon Mon Apr 15 2013, 04:45

same trick he did with the last bomb in a car. Find it, wrap himself around it and absorb the explosion.

Admin Wed Apr 17 2013, 07:05

The Haunt!

Body	9/11
Mind	9
Spirit	9
Hero Points	2

OOC Perception check to find the bomb... 4,4 ( double! 10,7 (17) total 25! Success!

Haunt glanced in the back of the van then ducked down, looking under the vehicle... There! Next to the fuel tank!

"3..."

He stretched a hand out, encapsulating the house brick sized device and flowing his fist around it like liquid...

"2..."

Gritting his teeth he waited for the explosion...

"1... BUMPFFFF!!!!!"

OOC Explosion roll 6,8 (14) Haunt takes 2 damage dropping him from 11 to 9 Body (adjusted above)

Pulling up his hand, Haunt opened it to reveal blackened soot and debris. He shook off the sting of the impact, an explosive powerful enough to destroy the van, especially if combined with the fuel tank, and looked at the camera inside. Though turned off remotely, someone technically minded could find out a way to trace it if they were get to it whilst the trail was still warm!

=========

Business had been steady this evening. Arnold 'The Pounder' Palmer and his rent-a-goons had seen easy money when they broke into a jewellers after deactivating the alarm system. They hadn't reckoned on Retribution coming down from on high...

He crouched in the shadows of a rooftop and watched as the police scooped up the fallen criminals and dragged them to a van. One of them looked around, and up. She couldn't see him in the darkness, but he felt sure that she knew he was there, somewhere.

"Thank you!" she called, before adding "But we still want you for questioning! There are rules that have to be followed, even by you guys!"

"Retribution comes to those most deserving" rasped the black clad man.

He stepped deeper back into the shadows and turned, taking to the air.

Retribution took in a different route tonight, primarily because of the unusual amount of fog by the London eye. In fact, it seemed wrong... artificial even. Flying closer, he saw something strange. A white clad man in a cowboy hat with billowing fog spewing cloak fumbling around in the back of a van?

A muffled explosion set the former Executive mans instincts on fire, and he soared downwards, keeping to the shadows...

=========

OOC Perception check 8,9 (17) Success! You needed a high roll and got it! Using the 'Dungeons and Dragons Dice roller' as Invisible Castle has been offline for a few days now, so no links to the rolls. I'm not fudging them though, so whatever comes up is what gets used. So far, you've been lucky

Something, some instinct, made Haunt turn.

There was nothing to see. Streetlights, trying cut through his fog, parked cars, deep shadows cast across... wait. There.

The shadow was slightly darker in that spot. Suddenly twin flares of light shone in the darkness, and a rasping voice spoke out "Retribution comes to the wicked. You have 5 seconds to explain your actions..."

The NEW Vanguard! The Haunt Issue 1: "Bring the house down" - Page 2 Retribution

The NEW Vanguard! The Haunt Issue 1: "Bring the house down" - Page 2 Retribution

DavidMcMahon Thu Apr 18 2013, 00:48

There was nothing to see. Streetlights, trying cut through his fog, parked cars, deep shadows cast across... wait. There.

The shadow was slightly darker in that spot. Suddenly twin flares of light shone in the darkness, and a rasping voice spoke out "Retribution comes to the wicked. You have 5 seconds to explain your actions..."

"I am the Haunt, chained to the mortal world to seek Justice for those who have been wronged instead of being allowed to go to my Eternal Rest," he rasps back in his otherworldly voice. "My main prey is murderers, kidnappers and blackmailers. Tonight, I seek all three. A man has been murdered for trying to do the right thing. His wife and child have been kidnapped by another to try to blackmail this now dead man, named Toynbee, into giving him something the dead man invented. They do not know yet that he is dead."

"This kidnapper tried to destroy what evidence remains in this vehicle and will now go about murdering the woman and child. I seek clues as to their location but do not know enough of your advanced science to figure out the clues. Will you aid me in the Cause of Justice?"

Admin Sat Apr 20 2013, 22:47

The slim man stood impassive as he listened to the Haunt...

OOC 'Detect Lie' check for Retribution 2d10 → [9,9] = (18) Success (no need to roll the follow up)

"You speak something which is neither fully truth nor lie. The rest of it, I sense nothing in the way of duplicity. That places us on the same side, for I seek similar goals. I do not believe you are ... a spirit... more that you are flesh and blood but I cannot fully discern the truth of what you say. Perhaps you believe it true, perhaps a spirit co-inhabits your body. It matters not."

He lands, and extends a hand to shake. "I am Retribution."

He looks past Haunt into the van. "I am not an expert on such matters as you require in this instance. I know someone who is, a former team mate. He is flippant, rude, annoying and ignorant, for the most part. He is also perhaps the most intelligent being I have ever met."

Haunt gets the idea the man normally doesn't speak this much. "I have... a small base of operations nearby. One of many. If we take this device..." he said, pointing to the camera "there he may be able to unlock the information it holds that may lead to the apprehending of the villainous scum."

"Retribution offers his aid to you"

DavidMcMahon Sat Apr 20 2013, 22:52

Haunt gets the idea the man normally doesn't speak this much. "I have... a small base of operations nearby. One of many. If we take this device..." he said, pointing to the camera "there he may be able to unlock the information it holds that may lead to the apprehending of the villainous scum."

"Retribution offers his aid to you"

"The Haunt accepts your offer of aid! Would it be better to bring the whole van with us? They might have been clumsy enough to have left fingerprints that we might be able to use to track them down. I can easily carry it and keep anyone from seeing me doing it."

actions: if the whole van gets taken, Fog to hide as we move, wings to fly to wherever he wants to go.

Admin Sun Apr 21 2013, 00:13

"Superhuman Strength." mutters Retribution, as if keeping score, or track.

"Follow me." he says, and turns, taking off.

Haunt easily picks the van up and soars through the sky after Retribution who keeps low over the rooftops and sticks to the shadows where possible. Haunt is taken to a warehouse district and lands outside an industrial lockup. Retribution keys in a code at the door which rolls the shutter upwards.

Inside, it's empty.

"Put the van in here." he rasps. He turns and presses a button on the wall to close the door, then moves to a side wall. He appears to press something, and the end wall opposite the doorway slides in and to the side, revealing a further section to the lockup - possibly one back to back with this one. The room is small but amply furnished with computer equipment, screens and crime fighting apparatus such as a small but functional lab. "Delivering Retribution to those that deserve it does not happen by itself. Or come cheap." he rasped, as if to explain that even an experienced and dedicated hero such as himself needed the aid of computers and equipment to solve crimes.

He tapped several codes on the keyboard which showed up as stars on the screen, then turned to Haunt. "I have sent a message to Wandafar, my old team mate. Knowing that at this time he watches several pointless soap operas, I have marked them 'non urgent' as he tends to ignore the urgent ones. Due to the way his strange mind works, he is more likely to open those, grumble a lot, then action them. If you need to get his attention in an emergency, you need to phrase the message so his email filter regards it as 'spam'. As I say, his mind works in mysterious ways."

"So, while we wait a few..." he glanced at an analogue clock on the wall "Perhaps 2 minutes 17 seconds... Perhaps you can tell me something about yourself. How did you get your powers, what are they, and what drives you?"

DavidMcMahon Sun Apr 21 2013, 00:56

"So, while we wait a few..." he glanced at an analogue clock on the wall "Perhaps 2 minutes 17 seconds... Perhaps you can tell me something about yourself. How did you get your powers, what are they, and what drives you?"

"You first," the Haunt rasps. "And would he respond faster if the email heading said something like "You may have won a million dollars...."

Admin Mon Apr 22 2013, 00:34

Retribution shrugged.

"I have, for years, fought crime and injustice on the streets of London. At one point I was a member of a government sanctioned team, the Executive, but it is no more. Many of the methods and goals of that group clashed with my ideas of how justice should be meted out. Evil should be crushed under the heel, not negotiated with, nor should one show weakness in the face of evil." he rasped. "The man behind the mask is unimportant, simply a facade for my true self and a means to an end. I thought once the Executive disbanded I would find peace and retire, but Evil crawls out from under its rock once the light of justice is extinguished. Thus, I can never rest, for Retribution is all that stands as reminder to the scum of this and other cities that they cannot, will not, win."

He turned and glanced at the screen. Tapping away he turned back and leaned against the console. "That should get his attention. An advert for guaranteed hair restoration. Now. Your turn."

DavidMcMahon Mon Apr 22 2013, 00:57

He turned and glanced at the screen. Tapping away he turned back and leaned against the console. "That should get his attention. An advert for guaranteed hair restoration. Now. Your turn."

ooc: That's just EVIL!!!!!!!!!! Twisted Evil

The Haunt shrugs.

"I remember being an evil man in the Old West, killed lots of folks, robbed banks, rustled cattle, whatever took my fancy. Then the Law caught up to me and I was hanged .. or at least, I think that is what happened but my memories have become clouded over time. But I didn't go to my final reward. Something or Someone made me come back to Earth. I have a mission to bring Justice to those who escape the Law, not Retribution, so one day we may become enemies," he rasps in his best otherworldly voice, being able to shapeshift his voice box helped with that. "As I said earlier, I hunt murderers, kidnappers and blackmailers mostly. Something drives me to do this. I do not know what it is. I even assume for a time the shape of the murdered and sometimes even share their memories. How long I've done this and how much longer I will continue to do this before I face my Final Reward, I have no idea."

"I've heard of the Executive but I am not sure who was actually in it. I seem to recall this Wandafar was a short muscular man with long gray hair. Why would he need a hair restorative with that long hair of his?"

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