RUBY CITY DEFENDERS! Issue #1 - Requiem for a hero...

ooc: Captain Conduit was going to take down the telephone lines or fry them around the crooks' hideout not go towards the city. He has a car to drive back to town with and can carry the rest of us in it. Unless he makes Lightning Bullet fly on his own.



Post a reply Empty by andyman on Wed Apr 28, 2021 10:58 pm
"This means we need to strike fast. And delay any messages from reaching where the hostages are kept." Captain Conduit inwardly apologizes to 'Ma Bell' but there are lives on the line here. "I'm going to make sure no one can call out of from that house for hours. When I come back we'll go get the hostages before the ones holding them get any news about what happened here."

Hoping he is not too late, Captain Conduit flies back toward the safehouse to fry the building's telephone poles. (And telegraph wires if that is still a thing.)

OOC Doh. Perils of posting in multiple threads and ignoring the obvious in an attempt to keep the plates spinning. I'll see if I can fix things here...IGNORE MY LAST POST

"Hello? HELLO? OPERATOR! OPERATOR!" yelled one of the goons to the dead phone as he repeatedly tried. "DAMMIT!" he roared. "Phoens are down! Get someone in a car and over to the West Grand! NOW!"

The goons inside the house were still searching for the scientist and had finally come to the conclusion that he'd gone.

The goon chewed on his lip. The boss would NOT be happy about this. Despite his size and musculature he was genuinely frightened and loosened his collar, running scenarios through his mind and wondering how much spare cash he could get his hands on in a short space of time...

=========

"isn't zis... a lilttle ... conventional?" asked the scientist as he sat in the back of the car as the three of them drove back towards the City.

He glanced back and up at the occasional phone line. "Are you sure ze phone lines are out?"

Captain Conduit glanced in his rear view mirror and gave a smile then concentrated on the road.

=========

Some time later the car pulled up across the street from the West Grand Hotel, a sprawling tower and surrounding adjoining buildings in an exclusive part of town.

It was late now, and the streets were pretty much empty save for parked cars. The Hotel itself would be accessible via the lobby but Lightning Bullet and Captain Conduit didn't really have to use that option.

"Ze top floor." said Schmidt. "Zet is ver my femliy is housed. Zey do not let me see zem much, but ze place is very nice. Guarded too. By men viz guns." he looked nervous.

"Are you sure you can rescue zem? I am sinking... sinking dat maybe zer is some other vay to get zem out or... call ze police or something. Ze bullets vill zing about und maybe hit some vun." He was sweating now and dabbing his forehead. For all his scientific prowess and fantastic mind the scientist was clearly not a brave man.

Captain Conduit watches the street whilst Schmidt is talking.

OOC Int 6 + Roll(2d12)+0: 1,11,+0 Total:12 (16) vs
OV3 + range 3 + Roll(2d12)+0: 6,11,+0 Total:17 (23) Failed

He doesn't see anything out of the ordinary. Parked cars, nobody about, the lights on in the hotel lobby area. A few lights on in the hotel itself.

Lightning Bullet, too, glances about...

OOC Int 5 + 2D from super senses + Roll(4d12)+0: 3,3,6,9,+0 Total:6 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 11,10,+0 Total:27 (32) vs
OV3 + Range 3 + Roll(2d12)+0: 7,9,+0 Total:16 (22) +4 (to 7 Will) vs RV3=4 RAPs. Success.

1) One of the cars has three goons in it, parked just aside from the front of the hotel
2-3) two of the goons are asleep. The third, in the passenger seat, is reading a comic book whilst occasionally glancing about on the street.
4-6) A box van parked on the end of the street rocks slightly on its axle. Someone is inside the box section it seems.

Scanning with his telescopic and ultra vision Lightning Bullet notices several things and it becomes clear that this setup is professional albeit relying on hired goons, people who came back from the war and found their appetite for violence unsated. Cheap hired guns for use as muscle and the lawyers and corrupt city officials to cover their tracks meant the head of this organisation clearly thought himself above the law!

OOC Hopefully that moves us to a place we can proceed from! Sorry about the gaff!

"Lookouts there and there or someone is there anyways," Lightning Bullet says, pointing out what he spotted to Captain Conduit. "Drive around to a nearby alley and fly up to the top floor? Or we split up, one take out the goons in the car and the other take out the ones in the van? How do you want to play it, CC?"

Lightning Bullet, too, glances about...

OOC Int 5 + 2D from super senses + Roll(4d12)+0: 3,3,6,9,+0 Total:6 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 11,10,+0 Total:27 (32) vs
OV3 + Range 3 + Roll(2d12)+0: 7,9,+0 Total:16 (22) +4 (to 7 Will) vs RV3=4 RAPs. Success.

1) One of the cars has three goons in it, parked just aside from the front of the hotel
2-3) two of the goons are asleep. The third, in the passenger seat, is reading a comic book whilst occasionally glancing about on the street.
4-6) A box van parked on the end of the street rocks slightly on its axle. Someone is inside the box section it seems.

Captain Conduit turns to Lightning Bullet. "I'm new in town, so I don't have any contacts here that I trust. How about you? Know anyone we can count on to watch my car and our friend here?"

"I think we can trust him to stay here," Lightning Bullet decides. "He tries anything, tries to run or warn someone, his family will wind up dead most likely. Isn't that right, Herr Doktor?"

Schmidt glanced up at the hotel. "My family... please... you must help zem. I em taking a terrible risk..." he said, sweating freely and looking decidely pale...

He turns to Captain Conduit. "I shell stay here. What if... what if it goes wrong? You must please...please save zem first!"

The heroes glanced at each and both got the idea that the scientist was too frightened to do anything, but his fear might also lead him to do something stupid! They had time though - restoring the phone lines would delay the goons in the mansion outside of the city. That said... they would send a car, or motorcycle... someone to send a message.

A glance at the guards suggests they suspect nothing.

Yet.

"Take out the guards and then enter or park a few blocks away and fly up to the roof and enter that way," Lightning Bullet asks Captain Conduit. "Which would you prefer we do?"

Captain Conduit does not trust this scientist. He doesn't trust him with his car. He doesn't trust him not to rat the heroes out to the bad guys if he could get to a phone. And he certainly doesn't trust him enough to come fight the bad guys with them. He's got to ditch the loser somewhere he can't cause any trouble. Unfortunately, this isn't his town and the short guy isn't fessing up to knowing any good place to dump him.

"Doc. You made these monsters. I don't trust you...at all. I also don't trust the police, but I do trust them more than you. Even that A-hole who hung up on me." Fred parks the car by a pay phone and takes some change and his car keys. "That jerk better not hang up on me twice."

Captain Conduit slams the door on his way out to make a call. "Operator, what's the number for Joe Conway?"

Pulling up to a pay phone and dialling, Captain Conduit called for Joe Conway, Detective at the RCPD. After a short while on hold a grumbling voice growled down the phone.

"It's your dime. Make it good. My ex wife has been on the horn askin fer more money an my ulcers are playin up so nice is off the menu. Talk." Conway said between drags on a cigarette.

Meanwhile Lightning Bullet watched the Scientist. He was checking his pocket watch, mopping his brow, looking around through the car windows and checking his watch again.

"Zey vill know some sing is wrong! Zey vill know I em gone! Zey vill do some sing horrible to my family!" he muttered under his breath, mopping his brow again...

OOC Rather than do the to/fro over several posts just let me know what Cap Conduit is trying to get from/find out from Conway and I'll fill in the blanks and make any necessary rolls. He's not a hostile contact, but Conway is suspicious. After all, CC and LB are new to the job and could be cranks as far as he knows...

Captain Conduit is up front with Conway this time and identifies himself clearly. He says he has a scientist who has been making evil supervillains and Captain Conduit wants to turn him in to the police. Where can the heroes bring him to turn him over to Joe? A meeting place and a time. The sooner, the better. Captain Conduit will answer any question truthfully, unless it involves his secret identity, which includes describing his car, which Fred will not do. He tries not to reveal the whole deal over the phone though, to give Joe a reason to meet them and soon.

Captain Conduit explains what has been going on.

In the process of investigating who had been responsible for the murder of DarkRaven aka Henry Burrows the trail had first led to the theft and shipment of coloured glass that turned out to be Uranium glass, and in such quantities it could be used with a prototype laser to irradiate subjects and grant them superhuman abilities!

Conway had spluttered and tried to butt in but Captain Conduit had been insistent, giving details of the trail that led to a house on a mountainside and from there experiments on people using animals - as described by Lightning Bullet. Furthermore they had a first hand witness - the man who was responsible for the experiments and that his family was a prisoner of the mob.

"Witness you say?" grumbled Conway. "Well why dincha say so? Witness? Well I'll have ta talk ta him, that's fer sure. The mob though..." he sucked in a drag from his cigarette. "Dat changes tings. We need ta tread carefully. Much as I don't like handin over my homework fer someone else ta do dis sounds like a job fer the feds. I gotta talk to da witness first otherwise I'll get it in da keister if it's all hot air n smoke n mirrors. Normally I'd say by now don't waste my time but I seen wid my own eyes what you super types can do."

He grumbles on the other end of the phone. "An you seem ta be on da level. Bring him in at 8am at the Precinct. Daylight means less likely ta get anything tried on da guy. Less people know bout dis the better. Da mob got its fingers in every pie round here. Don't know who I can trust."

Captain Conduit looked at his wristwatch. That meant around six, six and a half hours to babysit this guy.

"Can't take him in any sooner." grumbled Conway at the question. "I gotta sleep an no way he'll last in the cells without being watched."

Captain Conduit wasn't keen on babysitting the guy.

"Alright. Alright. Pier 11 the dockside there is an all night cafe. Drag this guy's ass over dere an I meet you in... goddamn paperwork. Ach! An hour. Got so much crap goin on I don't know whether ta shovel it or set fire to it. Like a goddamn mountain goddamn it. An hour... 2.15am... need ma head testin. Don't be late tight britches."

OOC Anything else you want to add to Conway? Does that cover what you were after?

"It's probably best if I don't draw attention by wearing my tight britches. So I'll be in a disguise. If you want to test me, you can ask me to shock your hand again. And thanks. See you soon."

Captain Conduit returns to the car and tells the others the deal. He then goes to the trunk to disguise himself with a hat, shades, facial hair and a little bronzer on the skin.

"Lightning Bullet, I don't want this cop to see this car, so I'd like you drive and drop me and the doc here off near the cafe. I'll give you a hand radio you can use to listen in on our conversation as you wait a block away until I'm ready to meet you again. Okay?"

Captain conduit puts the other walkie-talkie radio in his overcoat pocket.

Lightning Bullet had some concerns and decided to mention them before they moved out.

"I'm kind of leery about both of us being gone from here now that we know the hostages are there. Something could happen in the hour or so we will be gone, the gang out in the sticks might get word to them by then or something else. You could drive yourself and park a few blocks away and you two walk the rest of the way in while I stay here."

"On the other hand, I have no idea if they still have a telephone operator's control board at the precinct which would allow the operator to overhear any phone calls they want. If they do, and they did overhear you, you could be walking into an ambush. Did you mention where the hostages were being held or the professor's name? If not, the gang involved might not have gotten enough information to move the hostages."

"It's your call. Want me to stay and watch or go with you and back you up?"


ooc: Honestly, I could go either way. To me it seems like the ole Lady or the Tiger choice of doors.

ooc: Would Thief or Detective help us know if a switchboard is common for police stations of this time period?

"It's a free country shorty, but if those gangsters had a better place to be, then they'd be there. So if they left to their second best location, it will be to our advantage. And if they leave in a hurry with that many people, there will be a trail." Captain Conduit then goes to open the trunk and disguise his face, so the other two in his car don't get a look at the real Fred Aster.

If Lightning Bullet decides to watch the building, he'll just park far from the pier, walk with the scientist, then move his car after meeting with Conway. It'll take more time, but so will arguing.

As for his costume, Fed fixes himself up to look like a wizened old scientist himself. So it will seem two old professors decided to do some late night astronomy or something by the pier, away from the lights of the city, and then went to get a bite to eat and talk about nerdy stuff.

"Got a spare hat in your disguise kit," Lightning Bullet asks, "And a large pair of dark glasses? My costume disappears when I grow to normal size and I'm too small to drive, feet won't meet the pedals. Or you just drive the car yourself and I will hide in the backseat."

Captain Conduit opts to not trust his car to be driven at night by someone in dark glasses, so he just opts to park a ways from the diner on the dock and asks Lightning Bullet to just wait until he returns, hopefully without the scientist. He leaves LB with the keys to the car and a soldering mask just in case. while the mask is meant to protect the face from a soldering iron it will be decent as a disguise, even it is a bit suspicious looking for a driver to wear.

OOC I was raising an eyebrow at the unlimited disguises coming out of the trunk of the car but a) American Cars are massive. Like really bonkers big. We don't do them that big over here and b) the comics of the era had vigilantes doing that sort of thing all the time, fishing about and finding what they needed, so we'll go with that. As for the switchboard I'm not sure that Thief or Detective would help.

With Lightning Bullet in the car with a welding mask on (THAT won't look weird, honest! ) the 'pair of scientists' leave the vehicle and walk along the pier.

It's getting late now, more 'early' in the scheme of things and the former Nazi scientist yawns, then wobbles on unsteady legs.

Captain Conduit/disguised scientist guy in white coat steadies him and they see the flickering glow of the diner sign, a place that had seen better days but had a few patrons in it. The door was open and a steady stream of cigarette smoke flowed out, mixing with the smell of fatty food and unwashed bodies.

Classy this joint wasn't.

OOC is Lightning Bullet staying put in the car? Can't imagine that to be his style. Captain Conduit and Schmidt just strolling up to and inside the place? It's a shack/building on the pier with windows (that need a clean) and what looks to be a surly cook behind a counter. From this distance CC can't see whether Conway is in there waiting. There are a few cars parked about though, within a couple hundred yards. Elsewhere dock workers are going about their business, loading and unloading cargo from trucks to boats and vice versa. Dawn is starting to creep over the horizon and the sea seems pretty calm. It might be nice to watch the sun come up if they weren't escorting a scientist who can turn people into murderous super thugs!

ooc: 50s autos? You got room for a tire and a massive jack plus room to stuff 3-4 kids in there besides! Or empty it out and you got room for 3 kidnapped college coeds. Of course, you have to also worry about carbon monoxide if the car idles too long but as long as it is moving, no real problems breathing.






As long as Lightning Bullet can either see or hear the front of the diner, he will stay put. Gunfire or flashes of light is what he is going to be looking for. Since it is dark, he doesn't really need the wielder's mask but will leave it on until those two can't see his face anymore.

IF he can't see or hear gunfire where he is at, he will leave once the other two men get some distance away and fly up to a rooftop to observe.

"C'mon, let's get somethin' to eat. And no funny business or this might be your last meal. Got it?" Fred then leads the sleepy scientist inside where they wait to get a table, unless it's a seat yourself type place.

Leading Schmidt into the diner it became clear that it was a 'sit where you like' type place.

There were surly glances from some of the occupants - dock workers for the most part who might also conduct the odd shady deal on the side.

The Scientist loosened his collar.

"Now vat?" he whispered across the table.

A fat guy in stained vest and apron came over. Clearly he was a patron of his own establishment judging by the food half eaten and swimming in grease on the next table.

"Yeah? What can I get ya?" he growled, cigarette dropping ash on his front which he dusted off onto the grimy floor.

Captain Conduit looked about. Conway wasn't here yet.

=========

Lightning Bullet watched from the car, noting the comings and goings of various people.

Most looked like they were grabbing a bite to eat, standing about to catch up whilst having a smoke and otherwise going on their way. He stifled a yawn. They'd been up all night and even that was turning into dawn soon.

Lights from several vehicles shone about. He saw one - a beaten up Buick by the looks - cough and splutter to a halt in the car park. It seemed cluttered on the front dash with bits of paper and rubbish, some of which spilled out when the door opened.

Conway eased himself out of the car, stretched, rubbed his neck and sighed, glancing about and lighting up a cigarette.

He looked like he'd slept in his clothes which complimented his four day without a shave look.

He started to move towards the cafe.

=========

Schmidt wrinkled his nose up at the 'all day breakfast'.

The bacon was undercooked, the sausage was so overcooked it was brittle and the eggs looked like they were made of rubber.

Even Captain Conduit winced at how bad the coffee was.

The door opened and he glanced up, having situated himself at a table where he could see people coming and going. Captain Conduit recognised the grizzled detective, though of course the man wouldn't recognise him.

Conway glanced about, frowning.

=========

Lightning Bullet saw more cars turn up.

Even though it was a dingy diner the advantage of being the only all night place open round here meant people would have to take it or leave it.

A truck with a few beefy looking rough types spilled out of it, laughing and joking as they walked across the lot to the diner.

A car parked up outside the front entrance and a guy in a smart suit got out. He walked away from the car, walking back towards the road.

Another car stopped, this one cleaner than most and brightly coloured. A man got out, clean cut, hen pecked by the wife in the passenger seat who glanced at the two sleeping kids in the back. They seemed to be having a discussion about whether to stop or keep going. "Honey, I'll just ask directions, I won't be long."

The man started towards the diner.

Lightning Bullet wondered at the clean cut guy in the smart suit moving away from the diner, wondering where he was going. Maybe to meet someone? Maybe he worked nearby and parked here to avoid paying a parking meter? The rest seemed normal folks for this place and this time of day. He decided to keep an eye on that man while still watching the diner.

OOC: Thanks Paul, for the birthday wishes pop-up window!

Fred stands to get Conway's attention. "Over here, pal." And if he also gets the cook's attention, he orders some tea.

Once sure only the three of them can hear, Fred says to Conway. "Thank you for meeting us here. This is Schmidt. He needs our help to help his family. I'm sure you have questions. Ask away."

LIGHTNING BULLET

OOC The guy now stood by the side of the road near the Diner entrance is the one LB takes an interest in. Not doing anything special. Smoking, stamping his feet to keep warm, looking at distant lights on the road and wondering if that's his pick up. He seems to have dropped the car (1) off. He is marked by a red dot.

(2) shows the car with the hen pecked husband/family in. He's making his way to the diner entrance.

(3) is Fred Aster's car where Lightning Bullet is sat watching/waiting.

Guy seemed to be waiting for a lift. Maybe the car had been borrowed? Fixed now returned. Seemed too dressed up to be a mechanic so possibly worked at a dealership. Lightning Bullet continued to watch him.

=========

CAPTAIN CONDUIT

Conway scowled, glanced over, narrowed his frown and sucked in a drag of cigar smoke before sighing and heading over to the table. A few surly patrons glanced at him as he passed. One leaned into another to whisper something to an equally surly companion then both continued with picking at the unwholesome looking breakfast.

The Cook came over. "Tea? What the... yeah I got tea. Somewhere. I suppose you want tea too?"

Schmidt, nervous and sweating, stammered "n.. .no. Coffee. "

"Right." snarled the cook as he turned.

"Leave the jug." scowled Conway as he moved past the cook and squeezed into the table/bench space. "Damn places gettin smaller. They do it ta squeeze more in."

With a sigh he looked Schmidt up and down then to Fred Aster. "So, you're one of the..." he glanced about and whispered "Capes? An this guy? Dis da one you tellin me about? What's his story?" grumbled the hard nosed detective.