The NEW Vanguard! Lionheart Issue 1: "Even a Lion fears the Wild Dog pack"

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wandafar is so cool now! TIVO heheheheheheheeh!

Admin wrote:Lionheart

Body	10
Mind	9
Spirit	7
Hero Points	0

Powers: Power Reserve (split 5/5 into Strength and Superspeed - Forcefield can't be boosted (he already has the maximum protection for the game house rules))

Scanning with his superhuman senses, Lionheart narrows his eyes...

"You still there? *sigh* Vot are strange readings from you? If you are enemy I vill destabilise your molecules und... do you know your molecular density is approximately three hundred and seventy four point six eight three recurring more dense than normal human? Of course, humans come in all shapes und sizes. I vud not know, not being... uhm. Who are you again?"

OOC: Wandafar how I've missed this character

Somewhat taken aback by the abrupt manner, but the clear knowledge that Lionheart presented something of a curiosity, even if it was a unwelcome one, pursued his line.

"Ok you got me, I'm a friend of Justin, I know about the whole..." And at this point Lionheart stopped himself, he didn't know this man even if he was working for St John's. But everything in this dimension could be different, dare he say too much too soon. Narrowing his eyes, Lionheart tried to go for curiosity, the man had been hooked by a good story. So lets see if we can't reel him in.

"Look the truth is I don't know what I am doing here, but where I came from the St John's family, defenders of Albion and custodians of certain swords that bestow powers, meant they had no truck with the seedier elements of society. I'm also looking for my friends, I'm what you might call a stranger in a strange land and I'm hoping they might have made for a familiar location, like this one. So either we can have this conversation inside where I can tell you more, and I've got a good tale to tell, or I depart and well you might just kick yourself six ways to Sunday for passing up on the chance to get to meet one of the Vanguard!"

It was a risk, but Lionheart figured that from the defences he saw on the mansion, St John's was no stranger to defending himself. That meant he had vested interests and reasons to be protective, which would include those he surrounded himself with like this kooky character. Lionheart had to offer some bait, see if he could find out more, besides his danger sense had not yet warned him, so he knew better than to ask questions when an opportunity was staring him in the face. Now he had to hope that man was curious and Lionheart might start to work out friend from foe here.

Sj

Lionheart

Body	10
Mind	9
Spirit	7
Hero Points	0

Powers: Power Reserve (split 5/5 into Strength and Superspeed - Forcefield can't be boosted (he already has the maximum protection for the game house rules))

"Ha! You are makin ze chance to get in and... what?"

There was a silence that followed, then the man on the other end of the intercom muttered "Vanguard?"

Another pause. "No one knows of them. They vanished. Nobody... and you know of ze Knights. If zis is trick...?"

Lionheart saw the screen go blank. Then a well damped 'clunk' as the gates swept to either side inside the walls, leaving the path to the mansion clear to walk up.

"Please remain on the path for security purposes and your own safety" intoned a robotic female voice.

Lionhearts combined senses told him the advice was good, though the weapons appeared to be of the nonlethal variety - his early warning Danger Sense did not react with the usual ferocity when he stepped towards the grassed area. So, knockout gas, stun grenades, debilitating rays. He looked up at the old imposing house.

=========

"Can I help you sir?" asked a butler who opened the main doors to the imposing mansion



"I would also, if I may, like to point out that if you try 'any funny business' I've been full authorised to kick your backside and set the dogs on you." he added, politely and without a hint of menace.

"I vill sort this out" said a voice behind the Butler.



"You better hef a bloody good reason for me to hef to get dressed up like zis" muttered the short, stocky armoured man. He stood five and a half feet tall, incredibly stocky and tough looking, in the way that an ancient rock would look after enduring the storms of ages. Slightly worn round the edges, but unmovable.

"Zis armour hes shrunk." he grunted. "Especially round ze middle."

The Butler raised an eyebrow "Nothing to do with the family size chocolate bars you tuck into then sir?"

The short man scowled, then pressed a stud on his wristlet. The butler flickered, like an interrupted transmission, then vanished! He looked up at the newcomer. "So talk. Details. Where are ze Vanguard? Vot happened to zem? Vy is my memory changed? Vot is ze story? You are being scanned, so do not think about thinking about anything you should not be thinking about. Or else."

"Und talk quickly. Zere is not much time. It it not a metter of life und death, it is more important zan zat."

He checked a grandfather clock stood against a wall in the wood panelled hallway. "Much more important." he muttered. "Eastenders is on in 10 minutes."

Admin wrote:Lionheart

Body	10
Mind	9
Spirit	7
Hero Points	0

Powers: Power Reserve (split 5/5 into Strength and Superspeed - Forcefield can't be boosted (he already has the maximum protection for the game house rules))

"Ha! You are makin ze chance to get in and... what?"

"Und talk quickly. Zere is not much time. It it not a metter of life und death, it is more important zan zat."

He checked a grandfather clock stood against a wall in the wood panelled hallway. "Much more important." he muttered. "Eastenders is on in 10 minutes."

"Well we can't have that, can we!" Lionheart said, trying to cover for the look of startled amazement and also stifle the almost involuntary laugh that was starting to take over.

"How do I know I can trust you?" Was what Lionheart wanted to ask the pint sized man! Not entirely sure if that designation fitted properly. But it occurred to Lionheart the man seemed more concerned about following the latest 'goings on' on his TV programme than himself. If this was a villain, it was the most unlikely and unorthodox approach he'd seen. Besides which his danger sense had not alerted him to danger, so with a half shrug he offered a few opening lines, hoping that it would get him somewhere.

"Ok on the scale of unbelievable we come about 11. The Vanguard are from this time, I believe. Frostbite their leader, together with Nowhere Man, Anyman, and originally Stormwarden as well. We've lost a few on the way and or things...changed. Anyway, we all went back to the 1940's to stop Neo Nazi Criminals, giving Hitler the upper hand to win the war and take over the world. We succeeded, and tried to find a way back to our... Lionheart paused for a heartbeat, it still sounded strange to realise that he was now of this time, whether he liked it or not. There was no going back, or forward come to think of it.

"One of the people who had a hand in helping us, protect Britian, Albion, was Justin St John's and the swords that he protected. I was charged with recovering some of the ones that had been lost, so that we could use them to open the gate at Stonehenge that brought us through to this time! See I told you on the scale of 1-10 we're 11 and thats not even the half of it. If you like stories my friend, I've got quiet a tale to tell you."

Lionheart leaned back, a sardonic smile played over his lips as he let the information, such as it was sink in to the funny dwarf like man's brain.

OOC:

Paul I see I have Charisma as a skill can I use this to persuade Wandafar of my sincerity but particularly try to appeal to his loyalty and what not. I was also thinking of using Mind Probe, but not sure how effective that will be in terms of discretion. Nothing like ruining things by an uninvited mind rummage especially if its obvious to all that is what is going on. So might not, depending on how it works in practice and if its discreet or not. Besides I might have said enough to persuade Wandafar already - then again?

Sj

Lionheart

Body	10
Mind	9
Spirit	7
Hero Points	0

Powers: Power Reserve (split 5/5 into Strength and Superspeed - Forcefield can't be boosted (he already has the maximum protection for the game house rules))

Wandafar watched Lionheart, scrutinising him and assessing his capabilities it seemed...

"Do not sink me the fool sir. I watch inane television programs to distract my mind, vitch vill not rest. Always there is the clicky clack of ideas und designs in zere and I cannot relax, or sleep, or do anything save design und build and record notes! As for trust?"

He shrugged. "You came to me. You vant something. Your vords... are not unexpected. Already i have theorised four possible outcomes to our meeting, here, now und none of zem has us coming to blows. Viz zat in mind come in. Vud you like a cup of tea? I hef over three hundred varieties, but some of zem taste like... 'witch piss' vitch I vud not recommend.*"

The little fellow turned and started walking to the right, entering what looked like a side door. He turned and appraised Lionheart again, then with a shrug called out "Executive". The wall pushed forward in the small closet and slid to the side, revealing a metal lined lift and soft blue glow lights illuminating it. Wandafar stepped in and turned around, then glanced at Lionhearts feet. "No mud? Zat is good. Zet Butler does my head in viz his fussing. I vud change ze program but it gives me someone to argue wiz, plus he is a mean backgammon player."

The lift hissed closed and went down.

=========

Opening up into an expansive cave after a few moments.

With his fine intellect and superhuman senses Lionheart gathered they were some 100 feet or so underneath the mansion. The caves looked to have been extensively carved out and reinforced, and the room they stepped into was some fifty foot square, the walls lined with computer servers. There was an area in the centre of the room with a comfortable swivel chair and a desk with six eye level screens and a dozen more suspended from the ceiling in a semi-circle. Each screen showed a news feed not just from the UK channels but around the world. The eye level panels showed various soap operas. Beside the wireless keyboard on the desk were dozens of notepads covered in sketches and formulae. Many of the designs were futuristic or simply alien, requiring resources and manufacturing capabilities not readily available in this timeframe or region of space.

Wandafar walked to the chair, pulled off the helmet to reveal a shiny bald head and set it on the desk. The chair swivelled and he looked at Lionheart. "So. You are from ze future. You vere sent into ze past, which hed already been changed und zen you elped my old friends Frostbite und Stormwarden who are - maybe - here in zis reality somevere. Perhaps zere is a vey to find zem, but you vill need to trust me. I need to scan your specific temporal signature zen run a scan by bouncing ze signal off every satellite above ze Earth. Zese lousy computers only run at 12Ghz so it vill take time. I do have a 40ghz machine but ze dry ice is expensive und I keep using it for my pina coladas, so I em waiting for some more to arrive. Plus Lord St Johns rolls his eyes in a 'What, again?' sort of way when I tell him I blew up another batch of processors at 10 grand a pop. Vat he vant? You cannot break an egg viz out making an omelette." he shrugged.

He frowned, turned to a screen and pressed a key on the keyboard. Lionheart saw the words come up but there weren't in English. They weren't in any Earthly language he could recall either. Wandafar seemed to sense him watching and turned. "My computer translates all my incoming communications und my journals und notes into my native language. Depending on ze time of ze day und month ze letters scramble. You vud hef to have an 8th level mind to be able to read it. Humans are rated at 0.7. Ze really stupid ones are rated at 0.23." He shrugged again. "Besides, zis is just my shopping list. Ve are out of eggs."

"Perhaps u vud like me to rate your mind? I vud hef to perform a little invasive surgery. Your left arm vud not be vorking so vell for months after but zet is ze best way for accurate readings." he watched Lionheart then laughed. "Hahah I am making funny. Besides, it is ze right arm und only three of ze fingers, though ze little one might fall off" he shrugged.

"Besides ze scan I am expecting visitors. I hef a friend on his vay here und a lady is coming a bit later. I vill introduce you. One of zem knew Frostbite und he may be able to confirm details of your story. If he cannot, I shell have to incinerate you. Is we having a deal?"

A light shone down on Lionheart from the ceiling! "Do not touch ze light." warned Wandafar. "It is not... advisable."

OOC An elaborate deathtrap? Imprisonment? Or the scan Wandafar mentioned? Perhaps this version is an evil genius, perhaps even a criminal? Has our hero blundered into a situation from which there is no escape?

Wandafar pressed a button on the keyboard and a display with various graphs showed up. "Vell, you are definitely not from zis time line, und that means ve should be able to extract ze information needed to find your... our... friends. Can I proceed?"



OOC Sorry about that 'witch piss' reference (I generally keep profanity down but we're all adults so it slips in occasionally), but ...*My Grandma had a day out at 'Bettys Tea Room' in Harrogate with my mum, and whilst enjoying a cuppa and a scone, she leaned across to my Mum and 'whispered' in that loud enough for everyone to hear (because she was more than a bit deaf) 'This Tea tastes like Witch Piss' which made me cry with laughter when I heard it - Harrogate is full of jumped up people with an over inflated sense of self worth and I can imagine it ruffled a few feathers I lived there for twenty years and wouldn't lose sleep if I never returned to the place RIP granny, you are missed

Admin wrote:Lionheart

Body	10
Mind	9
Spirit	7
Hero Points	0

Wandafar pressed a button on the keyboard and a display with various graphs showed up. "Vell, you are definitely not from zis time line, und that means ve should be able to extract ze information needed to find your... our... friends. Can I proceed?"

So far his Psi sense had not alerted him to any possible danger, so it seemed like Wandafar was on the up and up. Although Lionheart had never actually met Stormwardan, he did recall Joe talking about his 'past' life as he sometimes called it. A life in which he'd been someone else. Lionheart knew what that felt like form his time sharing space with Saladin. So the names, names few people would know off checked out.

With a shrug, Lionheart nodded in a nonchalant way, belying the fact that his senses, were all switched on. If something did happen, or Wandafar was trying something funny, he wanted to make sure he was ready for it.

OOC:
So I let Wandafar scan me, but I am ready for any tricks, got myself ready to Psi blast Wandadar if he tries anything silly, like trying to capture me!

At the same time this is quiet hard because Wandafar was so well known to Frostbite and me, before playing Lionheart's ignorance and need to find allies is a difficult balancing act. I love the way you are writing him, BTW, very funny. As for the profanity, I appreciate you brevity. I can accept that it has a place, even if I'd not choose to use it myself. No offence taken, but thanks for bearing in mind my preferences.

Sj

Lionheart

Body	10
Mind	9
Spirit	7
Hero Points	0

Powers: Power Reserve (split 5/5 into Strength and Superspeed - Forcefield can't be boosted (he already has the maximum protection for the game house rules))

Aside from a mild tickling sensation there was nothing to trigger that early warning 'Danger Sense' that told him he was in danger.

The short fellow watched half a dozen screens at once and the light flicked off. "You are... ok to go. Zese readings... I seen many superhumans but you are human... evolved. Your evolution has been accelerated, but zere is strange readings here. Your DNA is constantly changing. Slowly, but ze readings are minutely different from moments ago. You are constantly evolving. Zere was something... an event of some kind, zat caused a spike, almost as if you were combined with another creature or person und sent on a different evolutionary path. No. Accelerated upon your own path by thousands of years is perhaps more likely."

"How you get such powers? In theory is possible to give all humans powers like yours by manipulating your DNA, but Earth technology not so advanced yet. Cloning you though... zis is possible. Vis many superhumans, ze cloning process loses much of vat makes zem 'super', and it is near impossible to clone 100%. Zere vill be changes. I hef seen ze clones turn evil, have strange, different or no powers at all, die after a short time, burst into flames, change into monsters... Perhaps not, I sink, vis you."

He shrugged. "Meh. Zere are maybe half a dozen people on zis planet who could do such a sing. Zey vud hef to know about you first. Only reason I bring up is you vere genetically engineered und grown in a vat, yes?"

All of a sudden he looked at Lionheart, then shuddered. "Strange feeling, like standing on my grave is someone else somewhere. In different time, in different place, maybe you und I, I sink, maybe friends. Maybe team mates. Ze Executive is gone und ve all miss ze lads. Ze UKChampions are ze big boys on ze block now, but I sink... I sink maybe..."

He sat down, rubbed his chin and looked at Lionheart again. "You need place to stay? I ask Lord St Johns favour. It is time, maybe, to get back in game, if you up for it?"

"Zere is sings to be done. Problems. I help out where I can but... maybe is time... a new team perhaps, to fight ze problems even UKChampions cannot handle. A new line of defense. Time..." he looked thoughtful, then up at Lionheart. "Time for New Vanguard?"

Admin wrote:Lionheart

Body	10
Mind	9
Spirit	7
Hero Points	0

Powers: Power Reserve (split 5/5 into Strength and Superspeed - Forcefield can't be boosted (he already has the maximum protection for the game house rules))

He shrugged. "Meh. Zere are maybe half a dozen people on zis planet who could do such a sing. Zey vud hef to know about you first. Only reason I bring up is you vere genetically engineered und grown in a vat, yes?"

Lionheart looked momentarily stunned, his expression gave away the truth of the short man's postulation. "Your good...yes and more than you know."

Admin wrote:All of a sudden he looked at Lionheart, then shuddered. "Strange feeling, like standing on my grave is someone else somewhere. In different time, in different place, maybe you und I, I sink, maybe friends.

Then despite his highly evolved body and the precise temperature controls of the room, Lionheart also gave an involuntary shudder, before adding. "Times a funny mistress, especially when one has travelled from the future, so much that can change..."

A note of sadness crept into his voice as he thought of people he' left in the past, friends, team mates even love. He shook his head, brushing aside an image of Beth! Huh, love him! He was a clone, a genetic man, could any such as he ever have anything like a normal life?

Admin wrote:"Zere is sings to be done. Problems. I help out where I can but... maybe is time... a new team perhaps, to fight ze problems even UKChampions cannot handle. A new line of defense. Time..." he looked thoughtful, then up at Lionheart. "Time for New Vanguard?"

"Now Wandy you're talking my language, since I've arrived all I've had is soldier types try and take me captive in their super dooper base.

Time to get busy doing what I was engineered to do best and start tidying up around here. From what I know of Frostbite's timeline, he said that the Vanguard and heroes in general we're not looked on favourably. For a time they flew under the radar, we'll now we're back and if we're going to make a difference, we are going to need help. Beginning with locating the others. We got separated. Previously we had a base at Bletchley Park working with a government organisation called D.I.C.E, but I also knew of the Earl and the whole Swords thing and, well I can tell you do I? So where do we begin?"

OOC: Wow mate three responses in one day, you're on fire... Thanks.

Sj

Lionheart

Body	10
Mind	9
Spirit	7
Hero Points	0

Powers: Power Reserve (split 5/5 into Strength and Superspeed - Forcefield can't be boosted (he already has the maximum protection for the game house rules))

Wandafar shrugged. "I hef friends. Yeoman, though he is an idiot most of ze time. Old team mate, Steeplejeck. He is retired ... again... but I em sinking he can help as he is always keeping pulse on finger. He vill know who is good to join und maybe hef a few old contacts who keep eye out for super people who not been seen before."

"Oh vait. Days of our lives is on." he flicked on a remote and swivelled the chair. Lionheart noted that there were dozens of programs going on at the same time, all with the sound turned off, which seemed odd.

"Fency zet. Bill is talking to Jennifer again. I vas sure zey vud break up. Maybe I em wrong." he shrugged. Lionheart raised an eyebrow and Wandafar turned. "Vat? Oh, ze sound. I em lip reading. All eighteen screens at vunce. I taught myself to do it one afternoon ven I realised zere was not enough time in ze day to vatch all ze crap daytime telly und monitor news reports at ze same time. Zen I figured it vus best to learn other language so I learned French, Spanish, Mandarin und Russian to monitor zere news too. My brain, is kept busy but still running only at 23%. I get bored easy und distracted like you vud not..." He glanced at a flashing light on the console. "Visitors? At zis hour? Hmmm."

He switched on the intercom system which popped up several views of two men at the main gate. Shadows cast meant that the camera didn't focus properly and Wandafar switched to another that showed the bearded face of one of the two men.

"Who is zis? Don't you know vot time is it? Get lost." grumbled Wandafar.

"Pierre. It's me." said the bearded man.

"Kevin? Go avay. I em turning off ze intercom, und ze defences of ze mansion are going up to 11. Do not climb over ze vall again, or you vill get more than 10,000 volts zis time! You are crazy, und refuse our help time und again! Justin says to turn you over to UkChampions, und I am sinking he is right but we were old team mates und you vere good leader if a little crazy. Now you very crazy und ... who is zat beside you and vat... vait! Oh no Jennifer und Bill are breaking up again in Days of our lives! Zis is... zis is disastrous! Vat vill zey... oh. You still zere Kevin? GO!"

Wandafar reached for the intercom control...

And the camera angle flipped to another view, this time clearly showing the features of the men stood at the gate.

Lionheart gasped. The man next to the bearded fellow with the dog... It was Frostbite!

Admin wrote:Lionheart

Body	10
Mind	9
Spirit	7
Hero Points	0

Powers: Power Reserve (split 5/5 into Strength and Superspeed - Forcefield can't be boosted (he already has the maximum protection for the game house rules))


Lionheart gasped. The man next to the bearded fellow with the dog... It was Frostbite!

"Joe!" Lionheart shouted, despite himself. Pleased finally to have laid eyes on another member of the team. Confirmation that they had come together and not just been scattered in different times.

Turning back to Wandafar, Lionheart continued quickly. "That is Frostbite, not sure who the fella is with him. Joe does have a habit of picking up waifs and strays. And I should know." Lionheart said as an aside. "Anyway I don't know what you're beef is with the other guy, but if we are setting up a new team, Frostbite is the man we want front and centre!"

OOC: Ok I think its best we continue this in Frostbite's thread for the time being. I've got both threads open at the same time and am writing in one then the other. But it would be easier at this point to continue with just Frostbites, until the heroes seperate again!

Sj