NPC Heroes

Thought I would move this to the Background area instead of staying in Character Area.

St John Hall, north of London...

The footsteps echoed on the marble floors of the mansion. A man in his fifties, immaculately attired in a butlers uniform, turned and addressed the trio following him. "This way sirs." he requested.

To Lionhearts senses the man registered as being strange, to say the least. It wasn't the perfect pronunciation of words, straight backed walk or the lack of a hair out of place, it was something else. No, not the lack of any body odour, even one masked by cologne or scent.

To Frostbite it was clear. 'An android.' stated Frostbot, matter of fact. Frostbite looked the fellow up and down, shrugged, and continued to follow him. Silver Sentinel gaped about in the hallways, the opulence and expense of the place a world away from his upbringing in 1920s Britain. He couldn't help but use his powers, feeling the metal all around him. He'd guessed about the Android, and Android Andy had noticed the fellow straight away before he'd taken off, promising to return later in the day.


...


The woman smoothly lifted herself from the pool, powerful lithe body evident from the way the swimsuit clung to her as she paced across to a lounger and lifted a towel to dry herself off. She raised an eyebrow at Jethro who merely stated "They have Dr Wilgommens full trust, and he vouches for them completely."

"And Justin?" she asked, looking the three over. Jethro seemed unflustered by the questioning "Lord St Johns is indisposed at the moment. He will be made aware of situation presently."

"Well, if Wandafar trusts you, so can I. I'm 'Captain Ion', but don't tell anyone." she smiles, and offers her hand. "Tell me about yourselves. I thought I was the only one living here...Well, aside from Jethro."


...


"Anyway, he told me you'd be coming, and gave me a heads up on what you need. New identities, code names, equipment, costumes, base of operations, even civilian jobs and cover stories. I can do all that and more - Uncle Sam saw to that. If you plan to continue your superheroics I can help with everything you need and coordinate from a central base in London. Wandafar will pitch in, and we have an extensive list of superheroes we can call on to help, as a kind of floating roster. Some you may have heard of or met before... Yeoman, Majestic, Pixie, Chalice, Android Andy... heck I think even Timmy Jones still has his 'fantastical robot army' knocking about, but he's been more into making films and donating the proceeds to charitable causes these days. Others like Retribution, Ben Nevis, Steeplejack, British Bulldog, Nowhere Man and Mosquito are 'lone wolf' types, doing what they can when they can in their own way, but generally steering clear of the limelight. Some of those guys are still on wanted lists, but from what I can tell the charges are trumped up to say the least. That said they don't do themselves any favours when they flaunt or ignore the law in their pursuit of justice. I think some of them genuinely get a kick out of beating up bad guys, handing them to the cops and beating them up again when they get out hours later because of lack of evidence."

She smiled ruefully. "So, first things first. Who do you want to be?"

NPC Heroes
   
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NPC Heroes

  DavidMcMahon on Wed Aug 05, 2020 3:53 pm
Some heroes were once PCs but are now NPCs.

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

Wandafar, once a PC hero, now NPC hero.  (Pierre Wilgommen)  Found something of his origin using the old GH rules:

Re: The NEW Vanguard! Frostbite Issue 1 - "Frosty Reception"

  DavidMcMahon on Thu May 23, 2013 7:08 pm
Wandafar
Brilliant Scientist - Mechanical
Contacts - Government
Skills - Computer Knowledge
Energy Attacks - Vibration
Precision - Energy Attack
Sense Energy Fields
Larger - heavier version

His powers are natural or actually the result of mutation. What I can remember of his origin, he was a passenger or scientist on-board either a space passenger liner or an exploration ship that had some kind of catastrophic failure and piled into a life boat and wound up on Earth, having no idea where his civilization in space was since he wasn't a pilot or navigator or astronomer. The Larger-Heavier Version came from him coming from a heavier gravity planet and his shorter size due to that as well. The other powers came from the weird energies his body was exposed to when the ship was in the process of breaking up and the space engines going wild.

He was actually intended to have low level super-strength since he came from a heavier planet [just like Superman!]. In DC Hero Rules, he would eventually have a 7-8 Strength. Probably a 9-10 Body - denser. He would probably have the Genius advantage. Guess his skill would translate into Scholar - computers. He would have the High Connections- Government advantage or did until this recent history came about.

Down the line, intangibility was planned for him using his vibratory powers on himself to do so.

His suit was basically the low level padded or armored suit instead of the thinner more flexible costume that you got to choose when you started the game.


British Bulldog (Kevin Hammill-Hope) + Bulldog (Winston) [Winston died from a Zomborg attack]
Yeoman (Jack Robertson)
Silver Sentinel (Steve Jenson)

Morningstar, once a PC hero of the Lore Knights, now a retired NPC hero who works behind the scenes as Earl Justin StJohns.  Was once a professional boxer before inheriting the title.

Re: NPC Heroes

  DavidMcMahon on Wed Aug 05, 2020 4:57 pm
Nightingale - "Yeoman called Haunt over from the roof edge and said "Take Bulldog. We leave the car here and fly to where we need to go. A lady called Nightingale works a short fly from here at a clinic. Yeah, even at night. She's a proper saint. Patches us lot up when we're bashed to pieces."
...

Yeoman explained "She's a Doctor at the hospital during the day. Helps injured folk who stay off the grid during the night. She's.. talented. Like us. Wants to keep it a secret though. I can only imagine Adjutant and the UKChampions already know what she does but leave her be anyway, as her
talents would be extremely useful as you'll see."
...

The back office was lit and through the office window Haunt saw a fetching young woman in white dealing with a tramp who'd been bitten by a dog.



She looked up and Haunt noticed her faced dropped slightly. Yeoman saw it too and chuckled. "Every time one of us turns up in uniform she gets paranoid about bad guys showing up and smashing the place to smithereens. Says I'm a trouble magnet." he shrugged. "She's not wrong."

  DavidMcMahon on Fri Aug 07, 2020 5:04 pm

Re: The New Vanguard! The Haunt issue #2: "Even a lion fears the jackal pack"

  Admin on Tue Nov 12, 2013 8:10 pm
The other man shrugged "Never heard of you. That said, you saved my life back there. And I..." he said, reaching into an inside pocket and pulling out a small hand size metal case that might hold cigarettes or pills.

It turned out to be the latter, and he pulled out a glowing green pill, opened his mouth, and popped it in. "...just needed time to gulp this down..."

There was an instant and sudden transformation as the mans skin changed to a black and orange striped hue, scaled and patterned much like the animal that gave him his name...

"Call me GILA..." growled the seven and a half foot tall reptile/man hybrid. His thick muscled limbs were tipped in claws, and his extended reptile jaws were dripping with venom. "No police..." he snarled. "They'll only get mown down, and get in the way with their laws...grrrrrrowwwwwrrrrr"

Re: NPC Heroes

  DavidMcMahon on Fri Aug 07, 2020 5:27 pm
And now for their very first meeting!




"Yeoman said to wait for someone that stuck out like a sore thumb" said a voice from the shadows. Haunt looked about. Just then from the shadows of the chimney vaulted a blue garbed figure with amazing agility who landed on the edge of the chimney without even looking at it. "I'm Steeplejack. You must be Haunt I'm guessing. Question. Do you trust technology, specifically that which deconstructs your molecular structure and beams you up to a satellite that's due overhead in..." he glanced at a wristwatch "just under a minute?"




...

Re: The New Vanguard! The Haunt Issue#3 - Country Imperilled!

  Admin on Mon Feb 10, 2014 9:03 pm
Steeplejack smiled. He seemed like an older hero by what Haunt could tell from the half face mask. With an assuredness that spoke of superhuman agility and years of practise he dropped into the depths of the chimney stack and into the darkness...

Which vanished as lights activated by sensors illuminated every twenty feet. Steeplejack landed on a platform then looked up as Haunt joined him. "Place has been condemned for years, but protected by a preservation order and mountains of red tape. If one were to follow it, they'd find a certain Lord St Johns at the end of it, but you'd have to be able to unravel a pan full of spaghetti to do that, and his lordship 'tripwired' the trail. Basically it means no one can touch this place. Wandafars' machines keep anyone from getting too close."

He stepped up to a scanner type device set on a post. A light shone on Steeplejacks face, scanning.

"Steeplejack. Velcome." said Wandafars voice. "Scan shows you are viz someone else. Are zey friend or foe?"


  

Stepping on board the compact, somewhat 'cosy' interior of the jet, the trio found it clear that function rather than form was the order of the day.

Up front, a light flared, and in the pilots seat a female form appeared, pressing buttons with a smoothness that seemed to suggest gravity had little effect on her!



She turned, smiling at the group. "I am SOlid Light ARtificial Lifeform, or SOLARL. I was 'discovered' by Wandafar by accident. I am a collection of what seemingly are random bits of code and should not exist, as such. However, thanks to Wandafars light solidification devices, I am given form and... life" she grinned, and looked with childlike wonder on her hand, turning it as if seeing it for the first time. "I am here to assist you in any way possible."

Frostbot spoke in Frostbites' mind. "I have accessed what computer systems and archives are still active in this place, and downloaded the partial database before the core went off line. The appearance of this female matches that of the superhuman known as 'Bombshell'. Whilst her actions were considered heroic when she first made her first superhuman appearance, it was quickly revealed that her powers are nuclear derived, and therefore radioactive. Extremely dangerous, in other words, not just to those she is seeking to arrest, but also to those she is protecting!" Frostbite was aghast - whatever else this womans' intentions were, her powers could prove lethal to those around her simply by using them! Did she know? Did she think she could somehow control them? And if so, what would happen if they went out of control?


Ashley Moran. Her name. Aged 22. She lived in North Yorkshire, on a secluded moor in a farmhouse.

A farmhouse surrounded by parched land on which nothing would grow.

Lionheart saw all of that, and more in a heartbeat. He also knew that ultra dense materials that would stop radioactivity might help block her powers, but staying on her good side might be even more effective...

Amazon


"Who are you? Where am I?" she asked, moving with unsteady hands to climb from the coffin and standing on shaking feet. Flexing a fist, she jabbed it at the coffin - and the steel dented inwards as if slammed with the heaviest swung sledgehammer! "Too weak." she muttered. With her right hand she opened it and stared. A glittering form appeared in it - a short sword of some kind? It formed... then fizzled out and she gasped with the effort. When stood, the woman measured just over six feet tall, athletic build, an Amazon if ever Haunt saw one!

Re: The NEW Vanguard! The HAUNT Issue #4

  Admin on Mon Jun 01, 2015 5:03 pm
OOC Well done. I saw another scenario where the androids zapped Haunt again and it all went south. Instead you made an enemy, Exitium, saved a bunch of supers and lived to fight another day. Bravo!

A tall mud covered figure strode across the gritty sand on the lapping bank of the Thames. She stood as tall as Haunt, strong looking, with powerful limbs and on her muddied face, a determined purpose.

She thrust out a hand to shake Haunts. "I owe you my life. I underestimated the lunatic and his robots, I shall not do so again!" She looked about. "I need to go. I am AMAZON and you may call on me whenever you need to, as friend and ally."

Four others came up. A woman and three men. All were covered in sludge from head to foot. One stepped forward as spokesman. "Is it over? Is he dead?" The others looked at the water, fearful that the androids would rise from the water and start blasting with those debilitating rays. "You can call on me too. Ray. Ray Adams. I'm in the phone book, third one down. I know some of these others. I think we should meet up again, once we've all had time to recover and clean up. What happened here won't happen to others thanks to what you did, but if that nut job escaped, chances are he might try the same again. We need to be ready. We know our enemy, and that's half the battle. The rest is preparation. Resisting those rays is part of it. We need..."

"We need to get home." sighed another of the men, slightly older than the others. "No names, not yet. I spent a long time and a lot of effort making sure my loved ones are safe. I need to make sure they still are, and find out how this sonnuva bitch knew where I worked. Then figure out if I still HAVE a secret identity, and for that matter a job. Our fight made quite a mess. Tomorrow night, the old Battersea Power Station, 10pm. I'll see you... any of you, there. Ok?" he holds out a hand to shake with Haunts.

A bright light shone in the air behind him and he glanced up.



He didn't recognise the costume initially, or the look, but the heroine announced herself as STARLIGHT!

"I am STARLIGHT of the UKChampions. Desist IMMEDIATELY and power down! Your actions have marked you as a VILLAIN and I hereby arrest you by authority of the United Kingdom law regarding unregistered superhumans!" she shouted.

Starlight? Haunt remembered now. An alien, supposedly, and one obsessed with image probably with a new look every week! Still, at least she wasn't dull, sticking to the same look year after year. Mind you it meant she had to loudly announce who she was to all and sundry who would squint at her shining appearance and wonder who she was for a moment.

Haunt was a smart guy. He knew Starlight could fly, blast energy, illuminate an area, shape change and ... ahem... influence males via pheromone control. Quite a skill set. The flight especially. She was fast. That meant first on the scene and possibly minutes ahead of anyone else. She and he would be the only ones who...

Then another voice. "Whoever this is, I'm gonna get over there and kick your ass! This is an emergency chann... awww crap. What the heck is that?"

Haunt glanced up and saw a helicopter with SKY emblazoned on the side. A news copter. That meant live pictures would be going out and people would know about this. The police and army would mobilise, people would panic and the situation would get worse.

"I'm on my way... white guy. We need to have a chat about your dress sense!"

Haunt was pretty sure that was the experienced superhero known as YEOMAN. He was on his way, but would he be enough?

Crackle...

"...to the river! East of your position! Stick to the parks if you can! We are liaising with the authorities and will evacuate where we can!"

"Who's that?" squawked Yeoman over the comms.

"This is Captain Power of the UKChampions! We will assess and take control of the situation when we arrive, ETA 3 minutes."


...




He'd been chuffed to bits when the call came.

Mind, you, it wouldn't do to show that. No, just take it in his stride. Rory had said he needed to wait, but what did he know? He wasn't powered by the atomic might of a small sun, after all! Sometimes Captain Power wondered at what stage the UKChampions had first noticed the brightly coloured hero. His patrols, that time when he stopped the armed robbers, or the epic battle with the villainous Hit Squad? Of course, they'd escaped, but mostly empty handed, and Captain Power had been relieved anyway. His solar energy had run low and he felt sure the bad guys had noticed.

That had shaken his confidence somewhat when he battled the Black Rhino, but he could have beaten the brute. Would have beaten him, had that oaf Yeoman not turned up. Fellow was sticking his nose in! Upstart! All Captain Power needed was a breather. He'd done all the hard work, walloped that brute time and again. Despite Black Rhino laughing and ignoring his blasts, he felt sure he'd softened him up. Done the prep for a glory hound like Yeoman to finish him off. It was Captain Powers victory really. Yeoman had told Captain Power he was an amateur, playing at being hero and not suited to it. Had the media not been on the scene he'd have put the fellow on his arse right away!

Anyway, a victory against the frogman, Crazy Axeman and a stalemate against the dastardly trickster meant he was on the up. The death of the reporter had been unfortunate, but they knew the risks. He suspected the UKChampions had contacted him with an offer of membership to keep an eye on him and train him up. As if he needed it? Like these others... he didn't recognise any of them. What kind of name was Silver Fox anyway? When this 'emergency' had popped up on the monitor he knew it was a job for Captain Power! He'd show the UKChampions, and these newcomers, what a force for good he was! No matter he'd been told to wait. Justice didn't wait! No need! The bigger they are the harder they...

"Oh sh*t" he muttered when the creature came in sight.

It was HUGE! Bigger than a house, and chasing what appeared to be a white bird... no, was that a cape? Chasing a super of some kind, unless they were in cahoots. He glanced at the others behind him in the UKC Jet. They were near the riverside now and plenty of waste land to battle this thing...

Silver Fox - agile, fast, cheeky, an annoyance at best
Rockpile - a heroine whose skin was clustered with rocks. Ugly, but strong, he figured.
Stalemate - a hero who could stretch, and tied enemies up, using their own strength against them, supposedly. Looked nervous.
Brushfire - a young hot head who could immolate, fly, and blast flames from his mouth. Likely to cause bother unless put in his place!
Zebedee - a joke! A ping ponging teenager who annoyed Captain Power with his chirpy incessant chatter and banter
Morpho - a shapechanger Hard to tell if he was a he, a she or an it. Currently in the shape of a bulky 7 ft wrestler type.
Girder - a Scottish heroine who had recently been accepted into the UKChampions testing program, for heroes who needed training in teamwork and the use of their powers. Like Captain Power. The insult of it!

Captain Power looked at the size of the thing flying through the air. It was... no matter. He would simply blast it between the eyes, bound to have a weakness and all that, eh? Time to show these newbies who was the real deal, and show the UKChampions that they'd greatly underestimated his abilities and he needed to be elevated to a high position in the main team, alongside Adjutant probably.

"Wait here! I'll show that beast what for!" he bellowed and leapt out of the hatch into the sky!

"Wait!" shouted Morpho. "Bloody idiot..."


...



Haunt winced as Dr P scooped the flying hero from the air, shoved him into his mouth and bit down hard! He then spat the top half out and tossed the other aside! There was no reasoning with Dr P now - he'd killed a superhero!!!

When he got there police and the fire service were on the scene, as was a costumed person - a female - who appeared to made of glass... no... water.

She turned upon hearing shouts and seeing pointed hands and stretched up from the floor as the bottom half of her body jetted up like water from a hydrant. Curiously enough the water she put out didn't flood the place, but instead collected into a puddle that seemed never to grow around her. Living water? Haunt had seen stranger things.

"I am Torrent she declared. State your intentions and know that if you are here to cause trouble, I am not alone!"



Haunt glanced about. He couldn't see anyone else...

"Who are you? Where are you," The Haunt asks a bit exasperated. This guy. whoever he was, was stealing his shtick of spooky guy. "And what can you do besides being invisible or speaking from a distance? I've got to find the antidote to save my friend and all evidence possible to bring these super-criminals to justice. And worry about the building falling and killing folks. So some help would be appreciated!

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Re: The NEW Vanguard! Haunt Issue #6

  Admin on Fri Mar 24, 2017 7:28 am
"THE NAME'S TOM..."

"TOM THUMB!"



Despite 'growing' the man was only 6 inches or so high!

"I can fly, have amazing strength and I shrink!"

And he disappeared!

"PLUS I CAN SEE HEAT SOURCES AND OTHER STUFF. I FIGURED MOSQUITO WOULD MAKE PEOPLE COME OUT WITH COMMENTS ABOUT SWATTING ME SO CHOSE TOM THUMB. BIT LAME I KNOW." said the voice in Haunts' ear.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

Haunt whirled. Oh no.



The woman hovered in the air without visible means of support. Haunt looked about. His mist was still working, so how...?

"They call me Lady Luck, and you're has just run out, especially as my friends will be here in moments!"

newer member of the UKChampions.

_________________

Haunt turned... to see an open doorway and a figure standing in the frame!



Haunt could have sworn he wasn't there a moment before! Superspeed or...

The man vanished and reappeared instantly across the room only a few metres away from Haunt. A teleporter!

"Put that down. Hands up. Move and you'll find out why I was employed as an assassin before I worked for DICE. I'm Lockon, and you my friend, are history!" he levelled the gun at Haunt!

No. Not teleporting - the hops were small, in comparison to it's size. It was fast. Haunt looked in it's wake. Heroes scattered where they'd been swatted away. Some dazed, some unconscious. Was that ... Endeavour down there? The Paragon like super heroine who seemed capable of boosting her abilities to accomplish almost any task? A quick glance showed...

Scarlet Centurion, Hammerblow, Giggle Girl, SteelMax, Mindgrip, Charmer and Fiery Fox all down. New-ish heroes who had recently appeared 'on the scene' and scored reasonable successes against established bad guys. All were dazed, unconscious or perhaps worse. Another glance showed other brightly coloured costumed types in similar states of disarray. There was a veritable army here, and many were UKChampions. Some of the more powerful ones, like Excelsior, Majestic and Overboost appeared dishevelled and confused. They'd thrown everything at this thing and it had rebuffed them. Majestic was a strong Class 4 Superhuman, able to go toe to toe with just about anyone and extremely experienced, yet here he was trying to corale a creature that swatted him like a fly from the sky and left him dazed as he tried to figure out just what had happened!

Getting closer, the creature turned and with a blur of it's hand, attacked!

He stopped at a doorway. Haunt was about to call him to hurry up but when he saw Yeoman push a door open slightly his interest was piqued.

Inside was an athletic looking black woman, sat in a Lotus position and with eyes closed.

Quite simply, she was beautiful, breath taking even, and familiar.

Haunt wracked his brains, then figured out where he'd seen her before. She was a catwalk model, or had been. What was she doing in here?

Yeoman glanced at Haunt. "She's..."

The woman looked up at the pair. "You are clearly not guards, nor are you inmates, judging by your attire and expressions of surprise at seeing me here." Her eyes were bright blue, and even in prison clothes she was stunning to behold.

"You're Alexandra Belmont, the model. What are you doing in here?" asked Yeoman.

A slight smile formed at the corner of her mouth. "Your voice is familiar. The timbre of it, your height, build and bearing suggest to me you are a Vigilante I am familiar with."

"You know me?" asked Yeoman, surprised.

She frowned slightly, then looked up. "You are... Yeoman?"

Yeoman was taken aback!

Haunt wasn't sure what was going back, but saw the woman turn her attention to him. "In case you are wondering why I am in here, I am, or was, the Vigilante known as Stygian."

Haunt was unfamiliar with the case until Yeoman took his arm and led him outside. In a hushed voice he whispered "Stygian is one of us! A good guy! Her methods were pretty brutal, which some disagreed with, but she went after the worst case bad guys out there! If I remember right, she came across a crime scene so brutal she disregarded her own personal code and slaughtered the scumbags responsible, then handed herself into authorities. I ... wow. She's a model in real life? I never knew! The press were silenced. I'm telling ya man, she can help us!"

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Re: The NEW Vanguard! Haunt Issue #6

  Admin on Tue Apr 17, 2018 8:37 pm
Stygian listens, then nods. "Mass produce enough, instantly and with 100% accuracy? I suspect the criminal known as Catalyst aka Frederick Burton. His power could have made him rich but he preferred to duplicate things like precious metals and minerals. The authorities considered using him but decided to destabilise world markets by flooding them with  gold and the like would be too dangerous."

Yeoman piped up "That's the guy."

"I shall help you." declared Stygian. She passed a hand over her clothing, which was coated with a black substance that clung to her body like glue! "There seems little need of a mask right now, but I shall concoct a new identity when the opportunity arises."



Yeoman added "Hey, what about the other guy? Even creepier than you. Future Haunt? Remember what he said?"

The creature had paused to address the attention of several superhumans. They had tried their best to surround it and were pouring on fire, a green coloured energy and what seemed to be diamonds from their hands, eyes and in one case, his backside. Haunt grimaced. The bad guy who could 'emit diamonds' from his posterior was a joke in the superheroic community, especially as the diamonds didn't last, but they were razor sharp, ultra hard and came out in a torrent that allowed him, of all things, to take off like a jet. Unfortunately his powers seemed limited to how much he'd eaten the night before, and the torrent slowed.

Dr P/The Beast wiped showers of tiny glittering diamonds from its face even as it ignored the other energy beams. By now the most powerful heroes - and villains, that had decided to pitch in - were exhausted, unconscious or worse. What was left were the desperate, amateur attempts of relative unknowns, including 'Diamondcrack'. A joke in the villain AND hero community, he'd decided to try anyway - and fail - to slow down the beast.

His failure was compounded by a truck sized foot squishing him into the floor, leaving a red smeared puddle in the crater that was left.

Haunt winced.

"ArrrrrARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!" yelled Stygian over the howl of the wind and the 'rocket engine' noises Haunt insisted on making. A dark portal with jagged edges appeared in the air and seemed to expand to fit the oncoming asteroid...

Haunt could see its size had shrunk dramatically, as if the outer crust were being burnt away by re-entry...

FWOOOSHHHH!!!

It vanished through the portal and Haunt turned to fly towards where Stygian indicated. Even at his top 'rocket' speed it took several minutes to reach the scene. By then the asteroid had appeared IN the sea and fired upwards and out, both cooling and slowing it. Now a splash ripple hundreds of yards wide was dissipating to mark where it had gone up, then back down again.

Turning his hand into a flashlight after dropping Stygian at the bank, Haunt flapped ghostly wings over to the entry point, took a deep breath then plunged in. A quick jig around with his bag bought him an oxygen tank with 4 minutes of air, plus what he could hold with his own mighty lungs.

Minutes passed and Stygian considered going in herself, but breathed a sigh of relief as Haunt surfaced. In his arms was not an asteroid, as she'd thought, but a man coated in thick black gunk!

Moments later Haunt and Stygian were by the mans side, scraping off the incredibly thick, sticky and strong gunk that seemed to adhere to the mans form but dissolve when it was pulled away with the use of super strength.

The man was familiar, and Stygian murmured "That's Albert Watkins... ADJUTANT!"

Adjutant was the acknowledged most powerful superhuman in the United Kingdoms and probably Europe's superhuman hierarchy. Only several Americans, the odd Russian and Chinese hero, and a reclusive Norwegian who claimed to be an Asgardian (called Allfather) could match or slightly exceed his power. Possibly Lionheart might come close, Haunt figured, but that wasn't the point.

What WAS the point was that Adjutant was exhausted, naked aside from some comic code authority well placed black gunk and extremely battered and bruised!

"What could do this to him?" Stygian whispered. Just then Adjutant coughed, spluttered, turned to his side and spewed gallons of black gunk out from his lungs! He seemed to be at it for a while and the pair of heroes wondered what on earth could do this to him, and how he could survive the experience!

"They're coming..." he spluttered, still spitting black gunk. "The Shadows... Darkening... they're coming!" he groaned through hoarse lungs, then he sagged, into deep unconsciousness!

"What does that mean?" asked Stygian.

Somewhere, deep and buried inside of Rush King, a voice screamed out "NO! We beat them! They're gone... aren't they...????

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.

"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.

Haunt and Yeoman share secret IDs.

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.