The Vanguard! Issue #3 - The Vanguard, The long dead Queen, and the Holy Grail...

The Vanguard - Putty and Lionheart

This..." and he waved a gelatinous hand at the rockslide "will be our chance to strike back, to eradicate that cursed globe and empower our ships to once more take to the stars, to rebuild our people and way of life! This... this abomination" it said, waving a hand at Putty "Is not one of us! He is mutated! Unclean! He, and all the humans, must be destroyed in the cleansing glow of atomic fire!"

Lionheart glanced at Putty "They intend to build a bomb!" He groaned, clutching his head "They know where to press, that's for sure!"

The P'utinarian laughed "We have studied our enemy a long time. You have grown weak, decadent. There are races in the cosmos that could conquer you in hours because you wage war on each other! You kill, destroy and take all that you desire with no thought for others! You, and all like you, must DIE!"

They tensed to pounce!



"Nothing but madmen wherever we turn," Putty mutters to Lionheart. "Bad enough that the Nazis think I'm an abomination, now these guys ...!"

"You sound just like Nazis, yourself," Putty yells out. "So I will treat you as I would treat them!"

With that, Putty lets loose a hammer blow on the furtherest one he can reach.

Actions: Stretch and punch the furtherest one in the group from him.

Limerickcot wrote:ooc: I have to ask the question: Do you still need air to breathe if you are intangible?

Does this sound feasible?

OOC:
I get your drift but I think we need a ruling from Paul. I suspect you hold your breath ordinarily for a period of time and that if you went to deep, for too long into an airless space (like straight into the ground) you'd suffocate.

Still not sure what is the best thing to do, if I'm honest none of my options seem that great. If only I could find a piece of pipping like Whorf did in that Star Trek Movie with the borg when his suit got ripped!

Sj

The Vanguard - Putty and Lionheart

Lionheart staggers to his feet (1 fr) still feeling woozy but getting ready to fight for his life! The P'utinarians tense to move forwards, and see Putty send a huge fist screaming over towards them. Unfortunately, it's not terribly accurate and mashes, hard, into the rock sending up a plume of dust!

OOC 1d20+4+6=12 Miss, 2d6+18=25

The P'utinarians swarm around the pair of heroes. The combatants are now gathered at the base of the lift shaft, cables and supports running up to the upper levels all about. (OOC 2 frames for the P'utinarians to move, now it's remaining 3 frames for the Vanguardians...)

Lionheart staggers, then grins. "Have at thee!" he laughs, leaning forwards to deliver 3 punches at the nearest alien who looks somewhat surprised! Even so, the Vanguardian is wide of the mark, muttering a curse as only one punch lands, and that soaked up by the pliable form!

OOC 1d20+2+6=19 Hit, 2d6+16=27 Htc, 1d20+2+6=13 Miss, 2d6+16=18, 1d20+2+6=13 Miss, 2d6+16=22. Only one hit from three! Not good! Dividers reduce it to 9 points, wallcrawling allows the alien to stand firm... Puttys' three frames then initiative.

Putty continues to attack the one furtherest away. In the hopes that that one is the leader and if he goes down, the others will surrender.

actions: 3 attacks on rear most foe.

Frostbite

OOC: Thanks for the response Paul...

IC:

Frostbite emerged from the Abomination signalling to Stormwardan to join him as he floated toward the entrance of the lift. Although insubstantial, Stormwardan could see that Frostbite's suit was worse the wear for the attack on the creature.

Once at the lift entrance, Frostbite signalled with his hands that they should go down, it was as they floated within the shaft that they heard or rather felt the whole thing shudder. Frostbite looked knowingly at Stormwardan, for both knew that they could detect the tale tale signs of a fight going on below.

OOC:

1. Ok remove myself from the creature, and signal Stormwardan so we can join Putty and Lionheart in trying to get this mineral we came for.
2. I'll continue to hold my breath and signal as necessary, taking gulps when I can to conserve air. I also remain intangible for the time being so as to save further damage to the suit.
3. My suggestion is that Stormwardan and I float down on the battle, so that we can get surprise if need be. I'll lead with an energy attack, assuming my Field Manipulation has yet to recharge fully.

Sj

The Vanguard

Frostbite gingerly floats down the lift shaft, dust motes all about, floating free in the air caught in the blue glow of his chest plate. Stormwarden, carrying the girl and still enveloped in the cyclone around him, follows.

At the bottom of the lift shaft Putty reaches out with a huge hammer like fist as the three P'utinarians close in!

OOC 1d20+4+6=20 Hit, 2d6+18=23 Htc, 1d20+4+6=19 Hit, 2d6+18=23 Htc, 1d20+4+6=25Hit, 2d6+18=26 Htc. Nothing wrong with those rolls! Solid hits, one and all! Damaged reduced by dividers to 24 points. The alien won't take another flurry like that though, that's for sure!

BANG! THWACK! THOOM! Superhuman blows cannoned against the slippery gelatinous form of the P'utinarian. Despite the aliens ability to resist damage, he really felt those and the floor tears up, stuck to his feet as he stumbles back!

The translator on Puttys suit adapts the words so he can hear. "You are... formidable.." he gasped. "But we have been training for this moment all our lives! We will not be... oh no..."

The three aliens hiss, as one, when they see Frostbite and Stormwarden emerge from the lift shaft! Lionheart grins "What took you guys? They jumped me! Seems they have their own agenda. I'm not sure the P'utinarian elders would approve of it either..."

"Those fools?" spat the P'utinarian. "They would leave the solar system, beaten like the curs they are! We would destroy the Nazis for all they did to our people! You should join us! Do you not fight the ... Is the human female wearing a Nazi uniform?"

One of the P'utinarians looks closer "Yes! They must be in league with them!"

A nod from the third has all three rippling their forms. They're just about to get up to something...

OOC Initiative... 1d10=7 Heroes, 1d10=5 P'utinarians. 1 frame to y'all...

PUTTY


"Oh, shut up," Putty snarls. "You just hate. You just blindly hate like the Nazis. Because one small group of people on a planet hurt you, you hate all the people on the planet, refusing to accept there are all kinds there. You are a shame on our race!"

Actions: Slam a fist down on the guy he was punching.

FROSTBITE

"Oh, shut up," Putty snarls. "You just hate. You just blindly hate like the Nazis. Because one small group of people on a planet hurt you, you hate all the people on the planet, refusing to accept there are all kinds there. You are a shame on our race!"

Frostbite nodded at his friend, unable to speak for fear of losing more precious oxygen. He studied the battle field ahead of him, profoundly disappointed that these hot heads could only match Nazi violence with even more violence.

OOC:

I'll save my frame and use it for combat response if necessary although I'm currently intangible as per my last post. I'll drop out only as I need oxygen.

Sj

Stormwarden

"Would you see the powers of this woman absorbed and used against you by your Zombie cousin up above?" he enquired of the P'utinarians. "She, and those that follow, have come to destroy you. Do you really think that you can suceed against them. And think! If you don't then you WILL have doomed your race, for then they won't get any of the Lunarium at all."

The Vanguard

OOC When I get home from work early tomorrow morning I plan to move the game on some - you've gotten where you need to be here and will soon - hopefully be... ah. That's telling

Putty slammed another huge fist into the wounded P'utinarian!

OOC 1d20+4+6=22 Hit, 2d6+18=26 Htc Another solid hit!

The trio's plan to somehow merge into one larger being suddenly collapses as the wounded alien goes down, staggered. The other two realise they are now outnumbered. Puttys words bite home, then Stormwardens.

"They are right." said one quietly. "Our plan relied on the slaying of innocent millions to punish the few. What do the current generation, or the one before, even know of our people? We should get the Lunarium and go, leave this..."

"Traitor!" said the injured P'utinarian rising on unsteady legs. The third alien backhanded his comrade down again, where he lay in a puddle of his own body, moaning. Then he turned to the Vanguard. "We mined the Lunarium when we arrived on Earth. The Nazis discovered it had certain properties and drove our people harder. Then... for some reason, they shut the mine off, and set those... those unliving abominations to guard this place, forever seal the mine. This rockfall was, however, caused from the inside of this cave. We don't know why as yet, but inside our instruments have detected a large amount of Lunariaum. There's also something else. Like Lunarium, but different. The scanners could not fully identify what it was, but no Nazi superhumans have ever been in the cave."

At this, the girl awoke. She still breathed the air of Stormwardens' cyclone, but turned intangible in her energy form in a split second, taking in all that was going on around them.

Lionheart quipped "You guys have a knack for picking up strays." He grinned, counting himself amongst the number.

The girl floated clear of Stormwarden, then frowned, wincing. She looked at the rockfall blocking the cave entrance with something akin to fear!

"We were told to stay away from this place..." she muttered. "I..." she looked at Stormwarden, then the others. "I was sent here to scout the place out. The others will be here soon. I... owe you my life." she said, straightening. "I will cooperate as your prisoner."

The words shook the Vanguard a little. Intangible, she could have flown away, even through solid rock as her speed and form meant surviving in space wasn't a problem! Seeing the confused looks on the faces she added "I am one of the Nazi superhumans, but I try not to be like them. What they do is wrong. I am Helga. My codename is Conduit." She glanced at the rockfall. "Something is in there. I can feel it... tugging at me. It is the strangest sensation! Look!" She reached a hand towards the rockfall, even though she was 10m away. Her fingertips changed back to flesh and blood! Gasping, she pulled her hand back, and instantly it changed back into energy! "I can't go any closer! What is in there?"

What indeed? Lionheart glanced at the rocks, then at the P'utinarians. "Well if we've stopped hitting each other, I suggest we move the rocks and find out. Or..." he turned to Frostbite "You take a look Frosty?"

Frostbite

What indeed? Lionheart glanced at the rocks, then at the P'utinarians. "Well if we've stopped hitting each other, I suggest we move the rocks and find out. Or..." he turned to Frostbite "You take a look Frosty?"

Grateful for the way Conduit seemed to act with a measure of honour, Frostbite gave the back of the cave a hard look. He wondered at the logic of proceeding in alone, to something even the Nazi's feared. And at the same time he couldn't help but wonder, if he could afford the delay in finding a solution to his punctured suit in its current state. But time was against them, the Nazi's were close, so for a moment he phased back, long enough to take a gulp of air and say, "I'll take a look!"

And then tentatively floating forward, he moved toward the pile or rocks wondering what lay behind them, as he returned to his intangible state.

OOC:

Good to hear that things are moving on Paul. It will be good to feel we've hit some sort of milestone and managed to move things forward. Though this adventure has kept me very engaged and surprised by turns as it has unfolded.

Sj

PUTTY

he phased back, long enough to take a gulp of air and say, "I'll take a look!"

And then tentatively floating forward, he moved toward the pile or rocks wondering what lay behind them, as he returned to his intangible state.

"Let me see if I can help," Putty said, stepping forward. "I will see if there are cracks large enough for me to ooze through, so you won't be alone on the other side."

Knowing he is somewhat restricting in his oozing ability by his spacesuit, he VERY carefully tries to ooze through the collapse.

Frostbite

"Let me see if I can help," Putty said, stepping forward. "I will see if there are cracks large enough for me to ooze through, so you won't be alone on the other side."

Frostbite nodded, grateful for the support and that he wasn't going in alone.

Sj

The Vanguard

Putty flowed like water through the gaps in the rocks... and found out the last P'utinarian (of the 4 that went down here) had tried to do the same... and not gotten very far! The rocks had shifted, and basically severed the alien into hundreds of pieces. Putty continued with more care...

Meanwhile, it was simplicity itself for Frostbite to move through rock and into a large cavern beyond. His chest plater and suit torch illuminated enough of an area to see by. Certainly enough to see a number of desiccated corpses dressed in old space suits. Humans, by the look of them. There were a number of outlines on the floor like dried puddles, and they could only be P'utinarians. Scanning around with the torch revealed more and more... they'd been buried alive in here and left to die when their air ran out...

The walls glowed lime green. Though faint, it had a phosphorescent sheen to it and would allow frostbite to tell where the walls were rather than walking into (or through!) them. In short, the cavern was massive, and stretched for hundreds of metres deep into the moons' surface.

Behind him a number of rocks shifted. Putty flowed out, exhausted. It had been like going through a maze, having to retrace steps and try others, and there was no guarantee he could make the same journey again without the rocks shifting and crushing him! Nonetheless he morphed back into his humanoid form and took in the view of the cavern.

Walking along, the pair saw basic tools - picks, hammers, shovels - the Lunarium looked easy to pluck from the walls even with such basic implements. A good job really - getting heavy machinery to run on the moon would have been nigh on impossible without the invention of special technology! The rock, Lunarium, speckled the floor. The place was full of it. <<Hypothesis. This substance is not normally found on Earth. Perhaps a meteorite composed of the element crashed into the Moon, burying itself deep, whilst some may have broken off and tumbled into Earth orbit?>> said the computer inside Frostbites' head.

Putty flowed about, seeing little but bodies. He frowned. There. In the corner. Moving across to a dead human in a space suit, skin grey and paper like, bones brittle and dried, he saw the corpses' arms wrapped around what appeared to be... a book?

Written in German it was no problem for Putty to see it was a journal of sorts. Unfortunately, picking it up made it crumble for the most part. When he gathered the remains together, only a few pages were left...



Another page, a few sheets on, revealed...



More sheets crumbled, until Putty finally read the last remaining one...



Whilst Putty was reading those pages Frostbite moved across the cave floor. Careful to maintain his breath holding - and therefore his air supply - he moved steadily, though his intangible state meant there was no effort needed to move through objects rather than around them. A gathered of bodies in the far corner of the cave had aroused his interest. here, a number of old tools, even what looked like a basic oven of some kind, had been set up! Frostbite frowned. There were casts lying about. He reached down to look. Faint traces of red glowing dust - not the usual green - could be seen in the casts. He stood, taking another look around. A group of bodies was slumped together in a large circle. They seemed concentrated, as if shielding or protecting something? A faint red glow could be seen in the gaps between the desiccated forms.

Meanwhile the pages finally crumbled into dust at Puttys' touch. Whatever else the scientist had discovered had died there on the cavern floor, in the form of thousands of scraps of crumbled paper.

Suddenly there was a rumble, and rocks began to clatter and shift!

=========

Outside in the tunnel, Lionheart turned to Stormwarden. "What's keeping them so..."



"Whoa!" he exclaimed.

The girl, Conduit, looked up and about in fear. "They know you are here! They plan to bomb the base from the surface of the moon!" She looked at Stormwarden and the others "You saved my life. I will try to return the favour, if you let me leave peacefully!"

One of the P'utinarians shouted out "No! You cannot trust her! She is a Nazi! She will betray you!"

Conduit turned to face Stormwarden. "You saved me. Let me try and save you!"

Frostbite

Whilst Putty was reading those pages Frostbite moved across the cave floor...Faint traces of red glowing dust - not the usual green - could be seen in the casts. He stood, taking another look around. A group of bodies was slumped together in a large circle. They seemed concentrated, as if shielding or protecting something? A faint red glow could be seen in the gaps between the desiccated forms.

Mindful of what the computer had to say about the Lunarium, Frostbite had to wonder why this source of potential energy had been shut off. Could they have discovered that the power source was a double edged sword! Moving over to the bodies, he floated down among them, aware that he might have to phase back to his solid form to get out what lay hidden beneath them.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden noise and vibration. It felt as if the place was in the grip of a sudden earthquake! Clearly they had to move fast.

OOC:
Move to the bodies and see if I can get a look at what is hidden. If I cannot I will phase back and move them, calling Putty over.

Sj

PUTTY AND FROSTBITE

Meanwhile the pages finally crumbled into dust at Puttys' touch. Whatever else the scientist had discovered had died there on the cavern floor, in the form of thousands of scraps of crumbled paper.

Suddenly there was a rumble, and rocks began to clatter and shift!

"I found a journal," Putty calls out as he spreads his legs and feet, widening his base so he isn't rocked by the rumble. "Parts of it anyway." He is watching for any rocks coming down in their direction.

"If you got time, see if you can find some kind of patches that could be used to seal any leaks in spacesuits. I have a feeling we are going to need a bunch of them."

He creates an umbrella-like structure with his arms and hands and slides over to cover himself and Frostbite with it.

The Vanguard

Inside the cave, Frostbite turned tangible, then gasped with the effort of moving even something as light as the desiccated forms of the miners! They crumpled at his touch, falling away to reveal the source of the red glow. Whilst the Lunarium in the cave was green, this was something else. Weapons, forged, crafted, shaped, from another form of the strange meteor rock/metal from the stars, only this time giving off a crimson glow. There was little fanciful about them, save for where someone had tried to be artistic and craft runes or some such in the hafts and hilts. Function rather than form had been the order of the day. There were also a number of small round pebbles, shaped and smoothed to be like the bullets one would fire from a sling. There were a sizeable number of these.



Clearly the Nazis had found out, somehow, about the Lunarium-X element and that the miners intended to use it against their enslavers, including the superhumans who'd bullied, beaten and murdered at whim in order that the Lunarium be mined for their purposes. At some point the Nazis had found the Lunarium could be used against the superhumans, and have collapsed the cave entrance, sealing the miners in. Then for added measure they'd dumped their failed experiments - the living dead - to serve as immortal custodians of this place, requiring nothing in the way of sustenance or motivation, only possessing a fierce hunger for the flesh of the living.

And then the Nazis had forgotten about them. Until now.

Near the weapons were also a number of sharpened heads, as might be used on arrows or on the head of spears. Clearly the miners had intended to craft as many weapons as possible then break out, overthrowing their Nazi overlords and lighting the touchpaper to a revolution that would start on the surface of the moon and ripple across the face of the Earth.

The dust and rubble continued to fall from the roof.

Putty shielded his team mate from fallen rocks, seeing several head sized lumps bounce away and clear from the umbrella he'd formed over them both. More worryingly he saw now the faint wisps of vapour escaping from numerous points on Frostbites' suit! He didn't have long!

=========

Outside the cave Lionheart turned to the girl. "If this is some kind of trick..."

She in turn faced Stormwarden. "I am indebted to you. My grandfather told me tales of heroes of times past, men of legend, with eyes of thunder and hearts of steel. The Nazis killed him, and his friends, for speaking out against them. After that, I was determined to strike back, but in my own way. I volunteered for the super soldier program, hoping to get the powers to somehow do something against their vast superhuman army, but never saw the chance, never saw the opening needed to make a difference. Until now. You and your friends are the first ray of hope to the conquered peoples of Europe in generations! I volunteered for this mission, not to destroy you, but help you, in any way I can, free the oppressed! I want... I want to be a hero... like my grandfather told me about." she said, tears in her eyes. "I can help. Let me prove myself!"

Stormwarden heard her words but he considered something else. IN her energy form, intangible as she was, there was probably little or nothing they could do to stop the girl from leaving anyway! She hadn't realised that - or was a very good liar. Would she help save the Vanguard, or doom them?

Lionheart looked uneasy. "I'm too woozy to read her emotions. Give me a few minutes and..." The mines shook again. "Scratch that. We don't have time! Your call Stormwarden..."

FROSTBITE

Turning toward Putty, Frostbite ventured a few words, knowing it sapped his oxygen further. "Look at these weapons, do you think they'd be of use?"

Frostbite wondered how they could get the precious mineral out of the cave, let alone themselves. He bent down and picked up the large red axe and felt its grip.

OOC:

ok I'll let Putty tell me about the journal and then see if this Lunarium x has properties that can assist us. I'll also start to cast an eye around the room to see if there is anything we can use to get ourselves out.

sj

PUTTY AND FROSTBITE

Turning toward Putty, Frostbite ventured a few words, knowing it sapped his oxygen further. "Look at these weapons, do you think they'd be of use?"

Frostbite wondered how they could get the precious mineral out of the cave, let alone themselves. He bent down and picked up the large red axe and felt its grip.

"Yes, All of them will be," Putty replies, wrapping his body around Frostbite, using his body as patches to the rips in Frostbite's spacesuit. "The bits and pieces of the journal I was able to read was from a scientist. One of the bodies here. The weapons are made from Lunarian and the Lunarian was what was used to give all the Nazis their superhuman powers. It is both their blessing and their curse. These weapons will harm them, probably can kill them."

PUTTY AND FROSTBITE

Slightly startled by Putty's actions, Frostbite stopped fighting when he realised what his team mate was trying to do. "Thanks" He said, before returning to hold his breath.

Ordinarily anything around Frostbite would turn intangible with him, it was part of the blessing of his powers that when he phased through a wall he didn't leave his clothes behind. But could he phase through the wall with Putty wrapped around him and the weapons as well!

Frostbite had to wonder if this as their only way out, of if there was anything else they could try to get out.

OOC:

Paul I will happily try and phase but don't want to both if I'll end up looking stupid and unable to do it. So first thing is there anything worth investigating in the room that might lead us out (unlikely I know since these bodies wouldn't be here if there was), but I am thinking if there might be something Putty and I could do, that they couldn't? If not then its phase through the wall or nothing I guess?

Sj

The Vanguard

OOC will interpret your actions as:

Putty formed his body into a skin tight layer, effectively becoming a costume for Frostbite! Feeling rather like someone had bandaged him up, Frostbite moved with a stiff action that saw him strain to pick up the weapons. Taking the three larger weapons in his arms, Frostbite then saw Putty form a pouch from his body and scooped up the sling bullets/arrow & spear heads with a stretchy limb.

Rocks started tumbling down freely now - cracks in the ceiling and creaking supports suggested they didn't have much time left!

Concentrating, Frostbite attempted to turn intangible...

And it didn't work!

Rocks continued to tumble, and a large crack appeared in one of the walls!

<<Structural damage suggests the site you are in is under some kind of massive bombardment. Ordinarily that would not be possible with the current level of Earth technology but the metahumans arrayed against you would have no such trouble.>> stated the computer. <<Using your visual inputs I have predicted the rocks to your left at approximately 2.746m distance will shift and break free, and in doing so a section of rock from the ceiling will fall. It is large enough to strike you unless you move 1.6324m to your right.>>

Frostbite glanced up, then stepped to the right. A large slab weighing hundreds of kilos slammed down into the floor, sending dust flying all about!

He looked at the rockfall blocking them in again. Concentrating hard, he grunted with the effort. He could turn intangible with anything close to his body that he could still lift. The weapons, and Puttys body weight were the problem! Though not actually lifting them he was trying to 'convince his power' that he was!

Rocks continued to tumble about them.

=========

Outside the cave...

Lionheart yelled "We need to get the others out of there!" as he pulled rocks aside, using his telekinetically enhanced super strength! Even as he did, stones fell from the ceiling and the place was clouded with dust and rock as shards dislodged from above!

Stormwarden (OOC running as NPC for this post) turned to the girl "If there's some chance you can help, try it! In any case, go! There's no need to be trapped down here with us! We won't leave our friends!"

The girl nodded, looked at the big man, was about to say something, then disappeared! Rather, she flew too fast for the eye to follow!

Lionheart grinned ruefully "It's been real, mate!" he shouted over the din of the rocks falling. "Shame we couldn't give those Nazi bastards a little payback!"

Rocks continued to tumble and the lift shaft was a torrent of stones falling from above!

Summoning up what wind he could Stormwarden conjured a dust storm to allow the team to see - they would continue to pull at the stones to get their friends out or die trying!

The P'utinarians glanced at each other. "We will not die here, but we will tell our people of your heroism and sacrifice!" With that the three, including the groggy one, slurped and slimed their way back up the lift shaft!

"...Nowhere Man. Come in! The P'utinarians have left! I'm pinned down in a building across the complex. Looks like our Nazi friends have brought the big guns!" crackled the reception. It had been faint, hard to make out, and would probably fade in the next few moments. "...see Adjutant. I'm going to use what powers I have to get up to near space and give the slimebag a nosebleed! Get out of there and ... skrrrrzzzzzz"

A large explosion rocked the base, and fire spat down the mineshaft, though it petered out at the bottom!

Stormwarden glanced about. The lights flicked out leaving only their suit torches to illuminate the dusty gloom... A massive crack appeared in the ceiling. He continued to shift rocks...

==========

Near space. Aboard the Nazi space vessel Graf Spee

The commandant watched as Adjutant floated near the ship. He wasn't sure why the ultrahuman hadn't gone down to apprehend the renegades as that had been their orders, but Adjutant wasn't one to argue with! The others with him, Firelight, Projectile, Sonic Storm, Asteroid, Furnace and Stygian added their own firepower to flattening the moon base, though it paled in comparison to the eye beams that lanced out from the the Mighty Adjutant that sliced through steel like butter and ignited fuel tanks with pinpoint precision! There had been no word from Conduit, which was unusual, but Adjutant himself had arrived late on the scene, looked at the moonbase and stated "If she went down there she's dead. As will be anyone else who does. Stay here and bomb the place from orbit!"

The Commander looked at the crew at the weapons station. At a nod from them he reached for the microphone.

Suddenly Conduit appeared in the midst of the bridge, startling a number of the crew! The Commander, flustered, shouted "Report!"

"They are dead! I found them, back there. They were... were eaten by something alive, and yet ... dead!" said Conduit, looking at the screen and the continuing bombardment from space at the base. She winced at several large explosions. The Commander frowned, glanced at the screen and back at her "I have no idea of what you speak but my orders are clear! We will use a low level tactical nuclear strike from orbit to erase the base and the resistance movement!"

Conduit gasped, about to speak, then nodded, looking at the screen. Still glowing, she added "I'll go lower to observe, but will stay out of the blast radius."

The commander waved her away. "This is Commander Krieger of the Graf Spee. All personnel be sure to clear the blast radius. We are using the tactical nuclear option, repeat, get clear!" The superhumans, save Adjutant, scattered, heading back to the ship.

Adjutant continued to slice at the base with his deadly atomic eye beams!

There was a Wooosh! as the missile launched!

The Commander tracked its progress on the scope before looking at the viewscreen. "Polarise viewer." he announced. The screen went completely black... then brightened considerably as the missile struck home, obliterating the base!

=========

Several Miles away...

Stormwarden coughed and rolled onto his back. Every bone ached. He saw the rush of dust and fire up into the vacuum of space and felt the rumble as the nuke hit. Then he turned to see his companions. Lionheart was dazed. He was bleeding from the nose and ears, but moving. Frostbite and Putty appeared to be intertwined, Putty hanging limp like wrappings from Frostbites prone form. He started to stir, as did Frostbite.

It had been close.

Frostbite had appeared from behind the rockfall staggering as though carrying a very heavy weight and wrapped, in all things, with Puttys body! More than that, he carried several crude looking weapons made of a glowing red metal! Stormwarden and Lionheart had flown up the lift shaft, carrying their near unconscious companions - whatever Frostbite had had to do to get them both intangible had cost both dearly. Neither could stand without support and Stormwardens powers flickered on and off every now and again, the ice covering melting and re-freezing every few seconds!

At the top of the lift shaft, all saw the roof had completely caved in! Zombies wandered around the place and the Creature oozed its way through the ruins of the mine building! Open space above them, the Vanguard saw the missile closing in!

"Now would be a good time to link hands. I won't have another chance at this." rasped Nowhere Man from behind Stormwarden. Stormwarden turned to see his old friend/mentor covered in dust, cut in a number of places, costume ragged and torn. "Bloody Zombies nearly had me." he muttered, gathering Frostbites' hand in his, then Lionhearts.

"Whatever you're going to do!" exclaimed Lionheart "I'd guess you have seconds to do it in!" he added, looking up at the incoming missile.

Out in the blackness of space, unseen by the team, Adjutant narrowed his eyes, and saw movement in the ruins! He prepared to focus his eye beams....

"*cough* more like, 4.31 seconds actually." said Frostbite, looking up weakly. "Thanks computer..." he added.

"More than enough time." rasped Nowhere Man. "Assuming this bloody well works!"

Hands joined, the Vanguard looked up to watch the missile home in on them...

That's when space and time flashed around them, and everything went cold, black, searing bright white then... Thud!

The team dropped from fifteen feet up onto hard dust and rock of the moon surface, courtesy of a Nowhere Man 'blind' teleport!

He coughed, groaning. "That's gonna hurt in the morning." he muttered, then glanced about. "At least we're all..."



His words were cut off when the blast went off, and a wave of dust followed shortly after, prompting everyone to grab onto whatever they could for seconds before it abated!

Lionheart raised his head, wiping blood from his nose "Don't you guys ever get tired of cheating death all the time?" he quipped, looking like he'd been up and down a chimney several times, coated, as you all were, in head to foot moon dust!

=========

OOC This is the end of part one of this issue - part two starts tomorrow but feel free to continue post with comments/actions. You're not out of trouble yet mind... everyone is 'staggered' from the emergency teleport but will soon recover. Nowhere Man is stunned from his efforts. Frostbite is stunned from his efforts getting him and Putty out of there, and Putty suffered some from his molecules being stretched when he was made intangible - someone else might have died but stretching is 'his thing' so he'll be fine

Frostbite

OOC will interpret your actions as:

Interpreted just as I had hoped ;-)

OOC everyone is 'staggered' from the emergency teleport but will soon recover. Nowhere Man is stunned from his efforts. Frostbite is stunned from his efforts getting him and Putty out of there, and Putty suffered some from his molecules being stretched when he was made intangible - someone else might have died but stretching is 'his thing' so he'll be fine

IC:

Lionheart raised his head, wiping blood from his nose "Don't you guys ever get tired of cheating death all the time?"

Frostbite gave a weak grin and winked at the man from the future. He felt to tired and weak to do much else. How they had cheated death again, was beyond him. But working together they'd certainly done better, than they had any right to expect.

Resting as best he could looking up at the crystal clear space above, Frostbite had to wonder if their mission had achieved anything. The 'weapons' might be useful in an unconventional sense against the Nazi's, if the journal Putty had found was to be believed. But would it be any good to the P'utinarians? And could they now be trusted.

It was at this point that Frostbite had to wonder if they were still out their, undetected and still waiting to pick them up. Too many questions, when all he wanted to do was sleep...NO!

He knew the oxygen levels he'd been working with was low, he needed to make sure he stayed awake, Sleep could mean death with no way to tell the others his oxygen was depleted.



OOC: I will take this opportunity for a rest and try and get back to recovery some HTC etc. I will avoid talking unless strictly necessary and allow Putty to reform his natural shape so as to recover HTC also.

As to contact the P'utinarians, I think we'll have to wait in case we get detected by the Nazi's and hope our suits have home devices they can lock onto us with or some such.

Just one final note, I assume you'll start a new thread for part 2, can you send a link otherwise we might miss when it goes up, and then we can subscribe from there on in.

Thanks Paul - this was an epic part to the whole adventure, I loved the ending there. What a rush.

Sj

Admin wrote:OOC just about to head to work, will continue in this thread until you get back to Earth...

Cool, didn't want any of us to be held up over missing a vital change over point, as we've learnt from past experience ;-).