The NEW Vanguard! Haunt Issue #7

Haunt stood in Dr Praetorious' living room watching the pictures unfold of death and destruction around the globe.

It seemed that the attack on London was the only one which had been stopped. Despite the fact that people were reeling from it, the government had declared martial law and people were being ordered off the streets. The stock markets had been suspended and traffic had ground to a halt on all major roads in and out of not just the capital, but many of the major cities in England.

He glanced out of the window. So far there'd been no sign of the police or authorities, but they'd be here - at his friends house - soon. London was saturated with cameras and one or more of them had been near certain of catching Dr P and the other scientists emerging from the black slime that had been all that was left of the giant creature which had scythed its way across London.

Reports were sketchy about how other major cities had gotten on. In Tokyo, the superhero known as Godzilla Junior had battled the murderous creature which had smashed its way through the Tokyo Twelve, the countries premier super group. The resulting destruction of downtown Tokyo had been devastating, seeming to end when the creature had beheaded the  150' high superhero.

Many cities were under news blackouts as power stations were closed down and supplies were cut. New York, home to dozens of superheroes, had battled their creature to a standstill according to the last reports, but the dead and injured numbers were rising all the time. In Los Angeles, a number of super groups - bot heroic and villainous, had come together to stop their creature but there was no word on their progress.

Haunt had a nasty idea about how well - or otherwise - they'd done.

Dr P had suggested that they take their injured friend Yeoman back to his place. Stygian had announced she would be in touch and simply vanished. Catalyst, panicking, had tried to run off but tripped and hit his head on a rock. He lay on Dr P's couch with a bandaged head but was out for the count.

In the bathroom Dr P grunted with the effort of trying to pull the bone shard from Yeomans' side. Haunt knew he'd have to go in to help. Lady Luck walked in from having walked down the stairs from the attic. Dr P had looked at her, then at Haunt, then gotten back to helping Yeoman.

"I'll not be able to keep the wolves from the door. They'll look for someone to blame, and your friend in there is public enemy number one it seems. That's not all. The authorities want you in for 'debriefing' and you've been given a Delta One priority - that's for any registered superheroes to drop everything and start looking for you." she sighed. "You can't stay here."

Haunt looked out the window. Columns of smoke still rose in the sky. The wail of sirens rang out, the scream of people, the rising clouds of dust and smoke... is this what war felt like? If so, had Haunt been on the winning, or the losing side?

OOC Haunt and co. skedaddled from the scene of the battle in order to help the stricken Yeoman out. Things are going to start to develop very, very fast from here, so if it seems like I'm shoving, steering and auto-piloting to get things in place, please bear with me!

"I wonder," The Haunt said slowly thinking things over, "would it make a difference if we published the Professor's formula that we used to turn him back to normal? Do a quick video and stick it on UTube. Maybe it will help defeat the other monsters still out there...?"

He shakes himself while waiting to see if anyone has an answer to that question and heads over to help out Yeoman.

"You got a big hiding place, Yeo? Where we can all hide at? If not, we may have to split up and set up a couple of meeting places for later on. Some sort of message drop box to stay in touch, that kind of thing."

actions: Use Detective and Thief skills to figure out good codes and message drop systems. Also good hiding places. Rush King might not be a person of interest yet, but if the government digs deep enough, they will find he has a connection to Dr. Praetorius and would be called in for questioning. So he could use his flat for a temporary hiding place for him and Doc but it wouldn't last.

Dr P nodded. "I agree, but I cannot fathom certain key points. For instance the formula that changed a dozen or so scientists into the creature you defeated relied on an existing formula that I gave my input to. It was based on the specific DNA of the people involved, as was the cure, which essentially 'ejected me' from the creature thus causing a cascade failure of the process which transformed both me and the group."

"So these creatures which sprang up. How were they formed? Are they connected to the work the scientists were working on or some other origin? It seems they have appeared at the same time. Coincidence? I think not." he added, shaking his head.

He continued treating the injured Yeoman who grunted "You think... this is some kind of conspiracy? A plan to... what...? Trash the capital cities of major developed countries?"

He winced but bit his tongue as Lady Luck reached inside one of his open wounds. "Hey! Do you know what you're doing???" he yelled.

"No," she admitted, wiping blood from her hands "but I trust my power to. You were bleeding internally."

"Were?"

"I fumbled about, pressed the arteries together and your healing factor knitted the flesh together even as I held it. Lucky really." she smiled.

Yeoman chuckled, shaking his head, then turned to Haunt. "We can crash at mine. I guess secret identities are a luxury we might not be able to afford if this mess escalates." He looked at Lady Luck. "Can we trust you?"

She held up her hands "Don't tell me! If I don't know, I won't have to lie and there are several lie detectors amongst the UKChampions ranks! Assuming they aren't dead of course..."

Dr P suddenly looked up. "That's it. This is an attack on the major countries costumed superheroes! They are too powerful for conventional non nuclear deterrents so it was fairly obvious the superhumans of the world would band together to attack the creatures... and in doing so these creatures got stronger, copying their powers and being able to last long enough to adapt and defeat all of those put in front of them... Some of them will be able to shrug off Megaton explosions!"

"To what end?" asked Yeoman. "Kill everyone on Earth? What do these creatures do when everyone is smashed or in hiding?"

Lady Luck put in "This isn't... can't be that serious can it??"

Yeoman huffed "Look out the window! See the smoke and flames, the damage, the dead and injured, the panic? It doesn't get much more serious."

Haunt looked out the window. Something was coming. Something bad. Something big. Something Dark.

An inner voice muttered 'Be ready'.

"So let's transmit what we know and what we think or suspect we know via UTube," The Haunt replies. "It may give the scientists across the world, especially the super-science types, something to work with and help bring down these monsters and help us be ready for ... what? An invasion from space? A different dimension? Demons? Looks like we are now in the opening stages of World War 3. We need to prepare."

"Get it done, get ourselves out of here and go hide for bit. Figure out what to do then."

actions: Do the podcast, use a white board for the formulas, use his Skills Acting, Charisma and Detective [one of the few times I get to use those skills at once and it is for background stuff ] to explain what the team knows and what we suspect. Try to warn the world and have them be ready. Also, use Chameleon to change my appearance a few times and hit various ATMs and pull out all of Rush King's money in his checking account. We are going to need that cash in the coming days. Also do a regular withdrawal as Rush King at a branch of his bank. Then get some survival food, freeze-dried stuff and camping gear. Then get out of Dodge, once it is up and go hide at one of Yeoman's places.

Lady Luck seemed shocked. "Invasion? I... this... what can we do?"

Yeoman grunted and sat up "Keep the authorities off our backs for starters! We did what needed to be done to beat that thing, to bring down the beast that smashed the best the country had to throw at it. What we.. HE... " he said, nodding towards Haunt "Did was to do what was needed. yes, we broke into a secure facility and broke out a bad guy, BUT it saved lives, and probably this city and maybe this country. The idiots in charge won't see that. They want to maintain the illusion of being in charge but look at the TV. No one is in charge. How long before the Russians, or Chinese, or even the Americans, see that the superhuman solution won't work and resort to nukes? Think about that. Nuking their own cities!"

Lady Luck paled. "I need to go. I... stay in touch. I'll do what I can."

Dr P started packing stuff and called out "My notes, my computers, my books. I need..."

"Clothes?" added Yeoman, groaning as he stood up, holding his ribs.

Dr P grinned. "And a shower." he added, wiping black slime from his head.

=========

"Well, it's out there." said Dr P, pulling the sim card out of a phone and cutting it up into little pieces.

Yeoman walked in, drying his hair and wearing only a towel and the bandages around his chest. "By the way, the name's Jack. Jack Robertson." he said, offering a hand to Dr P and to Rush King, who was counting the money he'd taken from his bank accounts and quietly cursing about the £300 a day limit from cash machines. The problem was that the monster attack had caused a 'run' on Banks and financial institutions as panicked people pulled money and spent on canned food and emptied shelves in Supermarkets.

Haunt looked up and at the laptop screen where the podcast was playing. The basis of Dr P's formula was now out there for others to see. Unfortunately the key to undoing the code was to apply a certain chemical to one specific individual within the creature to cause it to reject that individual and instigate a cascade that caused the creature to crumble into its constituent parts, as had happened in London. Still, it was a start.

Yeomans' apartment was small and functional, being more or less open planned and ok for their needs at the moment. Over the course of the day the news had reported ever increasingly dire circumstances as the superhumans of the world had fallen at the hands of the creatures attacking them. Only on the East Coast of America had the beast been stopped by the most powerful of Earths Heroes, albeit at a cost. It seemed there was a limit to how much it could adapt and grow, but the heroes (and villains) who'd banded together to stop it were in no shape to head to the West Coast and smash that creature, as yet.

China had turned out the Armed forces in all their might, and found them smashed into rubble. Their super forces had struggled to slow it, then been swept aside. Finally the nuclear option had been used, and a multi megaton device had been set off. No word yet as to the results.

The world was on the brink. It had only been a matter of days. The devastation, the death toll, was incomprehensible. Governments were falling, anarchy, looting, the fall of civilisation beckoned.

The house of cards was foundering, and shell shocked survivors flocked in their millions away from the path of the creatures which seemed unceasing in their efforts to smash the worlds biggest cities.

Haunt wondered where it would end. There had to be something he could do. The response to his podcast had been positive - millions of hits in hours thanks to his way of delivering it. An alternating face of some of histories most famous and beloved figures - Einstein, Gandhi, Mother Theresa and so on - had captivated and energised the people.

Then the internet went down.

Markets were suspended to stop them from crashing, riots abounded, law and order began to fail. So fast! How... how could this happen?

And then... above the worlds biggest cities, something else turned up.



London didn't have one, but many of the worlds great capitals - Washington, Beijing, Moskow, Paris, Delhi and others, cowered under the shadow of vast miles wide spacecraft.

Paris. Flying distance for Haunt. He looked at Yeoman. Resting on the sofa, he would drag himself up but was in no shape for a fight. If he went, he'd be possibly on his own. What could he do? Or was he better off here lying low and gathering supplies for the challenges to come?

The Haunt stares at the pictures trying to take it all in.

"It's World War Three as I feared," he muttered out loud. "OR perhaps it would be better to call it Interstellar War One. So we need to think like we are at war and not as superheroes fighting costumed and powered criminals. But we are not part of the military or the Home Guard. We are more like the Resistance of WW2."

"I'm not big on history and how they functioned beyond the fact that they were set up in cells, 3-5 people, and each one would know one contact of another cell and not know the members of that call beyond that one contact. No one person would know all the contacts of the various cells so that if captured, the Nazis could bring the whole Resistance down."

"We need to do the same. Yeoman, I'm giving that job to you since you have more contacts in the super community, both hero and villain than Doc and I do. Try to make contact with whomever you can in that community and help them set up their own cells. Work out codes, safe drops, passwords, ways to communicate. If you can find retired heroes or Intel types from the Cold War era, they would be great information resources on how to do this. I'm a pretty skilled as both a Detective and a Thief, just so you know, so I may be able to help with the codes and stuff when I get back."

"Doc, I want you to do the same with the super-science crowd. We need to find out who this enemy is and their capabilities. And then counter-measure and weapons of our own. You brain folks work on that."

"What are you going to do, Ru ... er ... Haunt," Doc asked worriedly.

"Don't worry Doc, you can call me Rush. Yeoman deserves to know that. It may come in handy someday. At least when it is only the 3 of us together that is. Let's try not to let others know who I am under this hood and hat."

"As to what I am going to do ... I am going swim, fly, crawl and dig my way to Paris. There I am going to try to sneak aboard that ship and try to gather the first of the intel we need to combat these alien invaders. Not going to try to take them down but gather what intel I can and get out of Dodge before getting caught."

"Also wouldn't be a bad idea to have Yeoman pass by my apartment ... er ... flat and see if anyone has it under surveillance. Mark One Eyeballs or cameras, spy eyes what have you. If it seems clear, I could try moving back in and see what happens. Having an extra place we can retreat to would be something I would place under "Good Idea".

"Lots of Fall Backs and Hideout would be a good idea. Maybe some old supervillain bases or hideout that are empty and forgotten could work there too. We have to investigate, slowly and carefully though. One mistake could end us all."

OOC Short post before I head out the door for work... More later, including Haunts adventures in Paris! Don't worry, this is going to be less of a 'punchfest' campaign and more of a 'find out what the heck is going on before everything goes to hell in a handbasket' type of thing. So, sneaky, brains, skills and the occasional forming your body into an eel shape so you can fit where 14 Str characters can't normally squeeze into...

"Jack." offered Yeoman, with a hand, though he pulled a face when his stiches tightened. Dr P frowned and immediately started fusing about the wound.

"Jack Robertson. I'm a cabbie... actually, I own a taxi company, so I have eyes and ears everywhere. Well. I did, when there were roads to drive on. I hope this place gets fixed up quick or I'll start to feel it in the pocket." he grumbled.

"Be careful out there. For what it's worth, I can't see any good coming from giant spaceships in the sky, but ... how come there isn't one over Britain?" he pondered. "In any case, stay in touch. Don't make it so I have to come looking for you!"

He shook hands with Haunt and grunted "Good grip."

Dr P turned "Telecommunication networks are most likely down and I will look at creating an alternative. I don't suppose there's any point in asking you to wait for that to happen as I know what you are like. Just... be careful. Look before you leap. Yeo... Jack is right. For you to rescue me, and then for me to go looking for you would be a bad thing. For both of us!"

Leaving Yeoman and Dr P to head round to Rush's place to pick some things up and set up surveillance, Haunt himself transformed into a white Jet plane when he'd swum (as a submarine) down the Thames and away from prying eyes.

Radar would pick him up unless he flew low, and a low flying aircraft would attract as much attention. He figured at the first sign of trouble he'd transform and dive into the sea to continue as a boat or submarine and leave confused looking pilots of military aircraft.

As it transpired, the armed forces were still reeling from the battering at the hands of the giant creature and in short order Haunt was able to cross the channel and head towards Paris, forming a compass from his hand to check the route.

As he got near Paris, he needed no more direction. The columns of smoke rising into the air paled into insignificance compared to the huge miles wide spacecraft hovering across the French metropolis. Haunt was somewhat taken aback. This was HUGE!

As was the huge towering creature ripping tanks and airplanes up with both its hands and rays from its eyes. It looked like a Giant Octopus head on a humanoid body. Different from the London creature but still towering and behemoth like.

Haunt couldn't beat this creature. In a one on one fight he'd maybe last seconds, and be ground into the floor. He noticed distant dots buzzing the creatures head and blasting away with various super powers. The French Legion? he knew little of them, but they were a state sponsored super team. And they were getting mauled.

As he got closer (in the form of a White Delivery Van) Haunt wondered what the Alien crafts' part was in all of this. Were they here to...

Just then an aperture opened in its belly, and near instantly a beam lanced out into the towering creature! The fools! Don't they know...

Haunt slowed. The creature roared and seemed to collapse in itself into a pile of black ichor and sludge! And just like that, the battle was over...

The aperture started to close. It was over a mile away from Haunt, and he'd be noticed if he headed for the ship, but it was a chance to get onboard... or he could help at ground level and rescue any trapped civilians in the city. A number of buildings were aflame and the iconic Eiffel tower had been used by the creature as a bludgeon to batter all in its path!

The Haunt decides to head for the ship. Intelligence was what was needed now over helping out the civilians. Forming himself into a white Albatross, hoping he would be less noticed as a big bird than a mechanical device like a jet or helicopter, he flew up to the humongous spaceship.l
All the while thinking that maybe, when he headed back across the Channel, assuming he lived to cross the channel, he would go in the form of a white Narwhal and swim across instead of flying.

Haunt got closer to the ship and was staggered by the sheer scale of the thing.

It dwarfed aircraft carriers, supertankers... anything humanity had built from metal at any rate.

As he got closer to the aperture he had to narrow his eyes to limit the blinding light. Then he saw something. Several pinprick dots, dark shapes, moving towards his general direction. Too far away now but moving fast. Probably faster than he could fly.

A welcoming committee?



Haunt had great eyes. beyond 20/20 vision for sure, but even so it was tricky to believe what they were showing him. This... thing... these things... coming towards him were like nothing he'd seen before on this Earth.. or anywhere else he'd been for that matter.

They were still some distance away, but their intentions though unclear didn't make him feel like he'd be welcomed with open arms. There must be something... sensors, some kind of scan, that marked him out as something other than a great white bird.

Veer away and try circling and climbing higher to the ship while looking as innocent as possible.

[Yeah, I know, it ain't going to work but try it anyways. Maybe they will think I am a normal Earth bird, a species with powers. ]

Probably going to allow myself to be captured and then escape if they seem like they are really after me and not just doing a fly-by check.

The creatures... Aliens... swerve towards Haunt.

Yup, he's definitely got their attention!

It occurred to him that such advanced technology might be able to not just detect life forms, but also differentiate between animals, ordinary humans and superhumans. if that was the case, it would be a problem for EVERY superhuman, hero, villain, or someone wanting to live out their life in relative normality!

Still, that was just conjecture. He needed answers, and he needed to get the word out there.

Of course, there was always the possibility they were here to talk, to make a friendly 'first contact'.

Hmmm.

He would find out shortly. They were catching him up!

Four of the alien fliers headed directly for him, two went back towards the great aperture in the ship.

OOC They'll be on you next round....

Sort of just circle and see what they do. Maybe they are just curious and checking out the Earth bird.

{NAH!}

Closer, Haunt identifies what could be female AND male creatures flying towards him.

Human? Humanoid certainly, or they were before whatever process replaced their lower limbs with jets took place.

There were questions to be asked here!

Just then Haunt heard a terrific rending sound of metal being torn!

Even the oncoming creatures looked past him, and indeed, two of them streaked past him at high speed, sonic booms marking their passing!

Haunt glanced the way of the noise, and saw... another creature. Similar to the one in London, but differing thanks to another pair of arms and mandible like jaws. Too far to see from where he was, still he thought he could make out coloured flying dots buzzing around it. They, like the superheroes in London, were met by violence, pain and possible death as the creature emitted rays from its eyes! Where they struck, coloured figures turned black and fell. Buildings were punched through and collapsed, and others exploded or burst into flames as gas pipes ruptured and ignited.

The two remaining aliens circled Haunt and levelled weapons, but did not open fire.

One, the female, opened her mouth to speak, but the words that came out were unintelligible and Haunt could not make out any earth born language.

The male seemed to take offence at the lack of Haunts immediate response and took aim with its staff.

Behind, in the distance over a mile away, the creature grabbed hold of the Eiffel tower, and tore it up from the ground!!!

"Caw! Caw!"

[hey, it's worth a shot]

The Male flyer looked to the female, who looked back.

Then both looked at the giant flying bird (OOC I assume Self manipulation allows you to alter your mass into a different shape, but shrinking or growing mass would require specific powers. So Haunt is a giant white crow or albatross, or whatever, relatively speaking.), levelled their weapons, and opened fire!

OOC Initiative!

Haunt 5
Male 8
Female 4

Haunt goes first. Both are going to attack Haunt with what look to be laser staves...

ooc: Danggit! Why couldn't it have been guns, then he could have used his Stretching powers to absorb the attack. If memory serves Stretching for defense doesn't cover energy attacks. If it does, then I will go defensive. If not, then ....

Attempt to grab the female and use her as a shield against the male. Which means I will have to shapeshift out of my current form and into my regular form. Which also means that while grabbing her, the Haunt will be falling as well since I believe shapeshifting and attacking at the same time is forbidden unless one has superspeed.

Even I fail the grab, the falling should help make it so that they have a harder time shooting me. Next round I will grow some angel wings or a jetpack or something so I can actually fly and fight at the same time.

Haunt transforms back into his natural self and immediately starts to fall!

Stretching his arms out he reaches for the female...

OOC Roll(2d10)+0: 6,3,+0 Total:9 + dex 10 (19) vs TN11 + Dex 11 (21) MISS

With superhuman reflexes the Alien simply hops to the side as Haunts arms swipe past!

Then both level their staves and open fire!

OOC

Roll(7d10)+0: 4,6,1,6,9,5,6,+0 Total:12 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d10)+0: 7,2,+0 Total:21 + Dex 11= 32 vs TN11 + Dex 10 + Falling Modifier +4 - Team Attack (-2) = 23

Hit +4 EV. 22EV - 14RV = 8 Damage

Second Attack:

Roll(7d10)+0:  6,9,9,10,2,1,1,+0 Total: 18 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d10)+0: 6,6,+0 Total: 30 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d10)+0: 9,6,+0 Total: 45 + Dex 11 (56) - 23. HIT +8EV

26EV - 14RV = 12 Damage

That would put Haunt at zero body but he can absorb 7 damage (leaving him on 1 Body) for 28 HP (leaving him 4HP remaining) but still conscious...

I will assume Haunt does that. he is however, STUNNED next round and cannot make any DICE action (meaning no attack, but he can move and use automatic powers like self manipulation)

HAUNT HP 4 BODY 1/14

Haunt is bashed one way then another as the beams of pure force smash into him! Their accuracy! The shock of the sheer power used against him scrambles his head somewhat, and he struggle to recall when he has been hit quite so hard, whilst wondering if he will get the chance to strike back!

OOC POW! Mega rolls give Haunt a pounding and his own mediocre roll kind of scuppers the plan. Had he made that roll, the attacks would have been different for sure. For now though he is falling to the city of Paris below. Haunt knows his superhuman Durability is easily enough to shrug off a fall from this height. Most heights in fact.

Initiative...

This time the Aliens do not elect to wait until they can act together...

Roll(3d10)+0:
9 HAUNT,3 MALE,5 FEMALE,

Haunt goes first. He is STUNNED however and cannot attack this round.

Not sure how long until he hits the ground but he will go limp and use stretching to absorb the falling damage while pretending to be unconscious. Acting added to that. Maybe they will take him captive and take him into the ship which is what he wants to do anyways. Once inside, he will then figure out how to get away.

Haunt bounces from a rooftop, into a wall and crashes into a dumpster.

Were he a normal human being, that impact would have at the least shattered bones! Instead his super dense body barely feels the impact. He lies prone, at an awkward and and peers through the crack of a barely open eye.

The pair of flying aliens move down. The male hovers a short distance away, covering Haunt with that powerful staff which caused all the damage!

The female moves closer and scoops up the prone hero by an ankle, dangling him unceremoniously with casual superhuman strength!

Haunt can feel the strength but his feeling is that were the alien to punch him or try to harm him, he'd barely feel it.Those staves though...

He is hauled up through the air by the flying female and dumped on a flat rooftop where the pair wait.

Dropping from the sky itself, a very thin, tall suited man... or at least a humanoid, lands on the rooftop as if they were hopping from a step!



It/He spoke to the hovering pair and Haunt once more heard the strange series of clicks, chirps, grunts and barking sounds to suggest these were 'not from round here'.

It then turned to Haunt and walked over to him, pulling a device that at first looks like a megaphone but which Haunt considers to be somewhat less innocent...

OOC Let the creature use the device on Haunt???

Big risk but yeah, let him use it on Haunt. Keeping Stretching set for defense to absorb any damage though.

[maybe it will be something nice like an universal translator? or a phaser set on disintegrate?]

Haunt lay, playing possum as the alien got closer. It adjusted something on the device, check a hand scanner, then readjusted...

Then fired.

Haunt felt like he was being pulled apart at the molecular level! He convulsed, twitching, and immediately felt like he was weaker, less durable, less stretchy...

He was being drained of his powers!

OOC Still playing possum as the Alien continues using the device...?

UGH!!!

Use stretching and omni-arm to grab the device from the alien. Always no plan survives contact with the enemy.

Haunt moves... but it is as if he moves through glue!

OOC Haunt has lost 5APs of Strength, Dex, regeneration and Aura of fear!

Currently:



Barely able to stretch, and against opponents that seemingly move like quicksilver, Haunt desperately tries to grab the weapon from the 'Thin Mans' hand!

OOC This is going to be very very hard indeed now.

Roll(2d10)+0: 10,6,+0 Total:16 (good roll) + Dex 5 (!) = 21 vs TN11 + Dex 12 (23). Miss!

Haunt desperately grabs... and the creature pulls its arm back! it seems slightly surprised and steps back to adjust its weapon... whilst the other two move in!

OOC initiative...


9 haunt (+21)
6 archon male (+26)
9 archon female (+26)
8 thin man (+24)

All act before the reduced speed Haunt...

They are attacking physically save for the Thin Man who will drain Haunt again with the device. Haunt can try to absorb the blows with stretching or see if he's still conscious to make another grab for that gun... I'll let you decide then this alien goon squad will pile in...

absorb blows with stretching.