RUBY CITY DEFENDERS! Issue #2 - Caught between a Hammer, a Sickle... and a hard case!

DarkRaven steps aside to speak out of the earshot of the cop. "I did. Henry found the device I use to grant me my powers."

"Unfortunately he didn't know about it's limitations. When he donned it the thing was short of energy and it ran out at the wrong time. The mobsters he'd angered and who were hunting him chased him to a warehouse then one of them killed him. I intend to avenge his death but also to learn from my predecessor's mistakes."

"Whilst I am new to this the abilities that the device grants to me give me abilities beyond those of normal people. Like the ones you and your little friend - wherever he went - have. And those Russians. It seems there are more and more of us with special powers and abilities, almost like the tide of evil is rising and we are empowered to fight it back."

"That sounds crazy, but there is no better explanation for what is happening not just in Ruby City but across America. There were always masked vigilantes but they tended to be normal people with guns and a determined attitude. To be able to transport myself and others with a thought across vast distances without crossing the two points, or make darkness most people can't see through, or fly or toss cars around... this is something else."

"We know we're not alone. The Russians have these powers too. If the Nazis had them a few years before we might be in a different situation right now."

"What's your interest in the previous DarkRaven? Professional courtesy - wanting to see Justice done - or did you know Mr Burrows?"

"I knew Burrows, but didn't learn he was Dark Raven until after his death. So I came here to see justice done. You should know Conway here has that case too. And that tall lanky guy we saved at the end... his name's Max and he knows Burrows too. I'll take care of him, but maybe you can help us. Could you real quick teleport the two of us safely to the edge of the diner parking lot. My car's there."

Conway shouted "Wait. WAIT! Hey! Where are you...?"

The pair of heroes vanished!

"Dammit. I hate when they take off." he looked around. "Well, you people need ta help me fill out paperwork an' hopefully head off the ulcers!" he growled at the rescued people from the Diner. "Anyone injured? Anyone can't walk? Hey you. Long tall sally. Get on ya feet buster. We're walkin' back ta the diner. Flatfoots are showin' up soon an' those dumb pallookas shootin' up th' place just get their rewards."

Eyes turned to the burned, smashed up ruin of a diner.

"Who's goin' ta pay fer that!" shouted the Chef. "That's all I had, I built it up from scratch after comin' back from Iwo Jima!"

Conway was about to fire off a retort but softened when he heard the chef's last words and patted him on the shoulder. "I'm sure we can sort somethin' out." he said quietly. "Now get on ya feet, saddle up an' move out! Follow me! Any stragglers, you won't lag behind fer long with my boot up yer ass! Any of you feel like goin' it alone? be my guest, but runnin' into mobsters with machine guns or those flyin' Reds won't go too well fer you."

Everyone followed.

"What about you longstrides?" asked Conway offering a hand to Max Dane. "Didn't see you in the diner but it got crazy real fast in there. I want statements from everybody, so on your feet pal."

=========

DarkRaven and Captain Conduit appeared in trees next to the car park and stepped forward, scanning about. There were dazed mobsters, burning cars, the ruins of the diner and smoke/debris everywhere.

"Which one is yours?" asked DarkRaven, looking about. There were quite a few cars on fire still. "And I don't mean to pry, but do your powers include putting fires out? Any of these burning wrecks could go off if the tanks ignite."

Thankfully CC's car wasn't burning.

"I've been following the trail of mobsters who may lead to Burrow's killer. That led me here. What was it that drew you here? And the Russians?" asked DarkRaven.

Max Dane rubbed the back of his head as he tried to come up with a convincing story as to why he was there when overhearing the diner's owner complaint. He made a mental note to create a Crime Victim's Helping Hand non-profit organization to help out with things like that. Help with paying lawyers who could help with dealing with insurance companies. Coming up with zero interest loans. Things like that.

After recovering from the teleport Captain Conduit sighs. "By the two of us, I meant me and that Max guy, but I guess this'll do." Captain Conduit makes an effort to absorb any fire he comes across on the way to his car. "Conway suggested we meet here to discuss the Dark Raven case and complications surrounding it. We weren't expecting there to be trouble. Now, can you please cover my getaway with some darkness that only we can see through? I want to drive outta here before the authorities show."

Actions: Energy Absorption to absorb fires he comes across, reducing the flames where he passes and making sure the flames don't spread.

DarkRaven tips his head to one side then the penny drops "Ah, the lanky guy. I can get him for you if need be. Who is he... to you?"

With a gesture DarkRaven creates a bubble of Darkness around the car and Captain Conduit plunges his hands into the flames as he walks past them, seeing his fingers glow bright white hot for a moment before the energy is harmlessly dissipated!

He makes his way to the car in the globe of darkness.

OOC he can wait for DarkRaven to teleport back to the group of rescued people/Conway and The Scientist or take off.

Max, meanwhile, rubs his head and looks about. Conway is shouting at people and scribbling down names, addresses and details. He can't see DarkRaven or Captain Conduit but he can see the ruins of the diner burning at the bottom of a hill nearly half a mile distant from the wooded area they are in.

He also sees the Scientist sneaking off into the woods taking advantage of the fact that Conway has his hands full and is distracted...

"The tall lanky guy, Max, is an old friend of the guy behind this mask. And unless he's very lucky, his ride is probably one of these wrecks. If you don't mind, can you port him say a mile up the road and I'll pick him up in about 20 minutes. You can tell him precognition is one of your powers or somethin' and a familiar face is fated to meet him on the road ahead."

Fred then drives away. He pulls into a secluded side lot. Redresses as Fred Aster (himself) and then drives down the road keeping an eye out for a tall lanky pedestrian.

Seeing their lead disappearing, Max starts shuffling after him, trying not to be noticed by the harried detective.

Admin wrote:DarkRaven tips his head to one side then the penny drops "Ah, the lanky guy. I can get him for you if need be. Who is he... to you?"

With a gesture DarkRaven creates a bubble of Darkness around the car and Captain Conduit plunges his hands into the flames as he walks past them, seeing his fingers glow bright white hot for a moment before the energy is harmlessly dissipated!

He makes his way to the car in the globe of darkness.

OOC he can wait for DarkRaven to teleport back to the group of rescued people/Conway and The Scientist or take off.

Max, meanwhile, rubs his head and looks about. Conway is shouting at people and scribbling down names, addresses and details. He can't see DarkRaven or Captain Conduit but he can see the ruins of the diner burning at the bottom of a hill nearly half a mile distant from the wooded area they are in.

He also sees the Scientist sneaking off into the woods taking advantage of the fact that Conway has his hands full and is distracted...  

DarkRaven reappeared at the site in the trees.

"Hey! HEY YOU!" shouted Conway. "Ya don't get ta disappear an' leave me wid all this stuff ta sort out!" roared the former Marine sergeant.

The dark clad vigilante looked uncertain as he glanced about. "Have you seen a tall guy...? Like..." he made a motion with his hand about a foot, foot and a half over his head.

=========

Max moved through the trees. Thankfully Conway had been busy and the only other glances in his direction had been surprised but more bothered about what had just happened at the diner. Shock, probably, setting in.

The tall man slunk through the trees after the former Nazi Scientist. He suspected he already knew where the man was heading. After barely being able to protect him from the gangsters then the Russian Super Agents, maybe he thought he was better off handing himself in to the mobsters holding his family. At least they'd be together even if he had to work for them to produce super soldiers.

Those Russians. They were powerful. At least as powerful as Captain Conduit and Lightning Bullet had been. DarkRaven hadn't been much use in the fight but his darkness was useful.

Up ahead he saw the frightened little Scientist glance about and he ducked behind a tree, his tall, lanky form mirroring the trees' straight up/down shape.

With a worried expression on his face, expecting mobsters or Russian supers at any moment, the little man hurried on through the trees down the slope to where the road would eventually run back to Ruby City.

=========

Herman Schmidt was not a good, or a strong man. He knew he should have refused to do some of the things that he'd done but the lure of science, of being first, or the best, was too strong. That had ensured his family were in deadly danger and he would fix that, hopefully.

Maybe they'd let him off lightly for returning to the fold, working harder and getting better results than turning mobsters into unthinking beast men. Or perhaps they'd chain him up like an animal as a message not to go astray again, despite his protestations that he'd been unwilling.

With a sigh he hurried on, wiping sweat from his brow and squinting into the morning sun whilst glancing back along the road. It would take him hours to get back to Ruby City.

Then he heard something. The roar of car tyres on asphalt. He glanced back and saw a vehicle driving around a distant bend, heading this way! At last! He moved to the roadside and started waving at the car.

=========

Schmidt was trying to flag a car down. Max watched from the trees and wondered what his next move should be.

=========

Fred Aster looked up and down the roadside, then saw a distant figure step into the road, waving to attract attention, possibly to flag him down.

=========

Meanwhile, in Ruby City...

Taking his mask off one of the Russians sagged into a chair.

(OOC translated from Russian)

"Where are all these Amerikaners with capes and powers coming from?"

"It doesn't matter." said a beautiful woman perched on the arm of a chair across the other side of the room. She was smoking, and no man there was in any doubt that a liaison with her would be of the very dangerous variety indeed.

A tall, powerfully built man stepped from the kitchen, drying a plate. "Olga is right. These Amerikans are weak. They play to a set of rules, some foolish notion of honour and justice, that do not apply to us. I am disappointed that you did not return with the Scientist though."

Another big fellow, who had been supremely dense and powerful only minutes before as the Super Agent HAMMER, stepped from the bathroom, his hair wet and a towel in hand. His bare chest was chiselled and ripped, and even without using his powers he looked like he could lift a car. Or tear it in half.

"We should have all gone. To underestimate these people is foolish."

"You dare question my leadership? My judgement?" asked the man with the plate in hand.

The big fellow stared at his leader then bowed his head slightly. "Of course not Comrade. We... Sickle and I, failed. We two should have been enough."

The man known as Sickle glanced at the mask on the table. "Such theatrics. Why do we..."

The leader cut him off. "Do you ever wish to leave this apartment? Then the mask is required. Work on your accent too. None must suspect we work for a greater power when out of costume. Soon the Amerikan people will grow to fear us, but we must send a message. A statement. Draw these capes out then crush them in public sight."

"What of the Scientist?"

The leader pondered. "This place... everything has a price. Someone will talk. There is a saying. The 'Carrot and the Stick'."

"Hmmm?" said the woman, Olga. She looked to the door. "Mikhail is returning."

The man known as Sickle shivered as he looked at Olga and turned to the door. Three knocks, then two.

The fifth member of their squad opened the door. Slight, drawn, wiry but Sickle didn't let Mikhail's appearance fool him. He had brought groceries and set them down before looking about. "Where is the Scientist?" he asked.

The leader waved him silent. "The carrot. We will offer money to people to act as informants. They will tell us what we need to know."

"And the stick?" asked Hammer.

The leader smiled, cruel and steel eyed. "If they will not tell us, we will crush it from their broken bodies."

"And where will we get the money to use as a Carrot?" asked Sickle, slightly uncomfortable because the leader was the cruellest of them all.

"These Amerikans have many banks. We will take what we need and send a message."

"Message? It will draw Police and more costumed fools. What message will that send?" asked Olga.

"The message that we will take what we want. We will be the predominant power in this place, and that none can stop us. Police? Masked mystery men? Let them come. We will crush them in plain sight and all will know we are the true power in Ruby City." he spat. "Find a map. Make ready." he hissed.

"I think we are far enough away from everyone," Max mused. "I'm pretty sure I know where he is going and what he is going to try to do. Time for Lightning Bullet to once again appear."

He concentrates and through willpower begins to shrink and his costume appears on him as he does so.

"Now the question is, do grab him or try to go rescue his family as I promised? Wonder who is in the car? Let's see if they stop for him or not while I try to figure out what to do next."

Fred slows down when he sees the hijacker, but it is not who he expected to see. It's the little German guy! Quickly Aster pits his left hand up to block a clear line to his face and speeds off instead of stopping. He'll be back but as Captain Conduit... maybe. After he no longer see Herman Schmidt in his rearview mirror, Fred pulls off the road to hide his car. He then stuffs his cape and cowl in a duffle bag and hikes through the woods back to where he saw Schmidt. Based on what he sees will determine if he's going to reveal himself as Fred Aster or Captain Conduit!

Schmidt sees the car approach but the driver is shielding his eyes. The former Nazi scientist squints into the sun. Odd that... oh. He's not stopping!

With a sigh he looks to the distance and Ruby City, some ten or so miles away from where he is now. Then he starts walking.

=========

Schmidt hadn't had any luck hitch hiking and Lightning Bullet saw him trudge towards the distant city. It would take hours to get there but he was nigh on sure the man was heading to the hotel where his family was being held.

Where else could he go? The heroes HAD protected him, but barely, and he might figure they would try again. Perhaps safer with his family under armed guard, but ... those Russians had ignored the bullets...

Keeping to the tree line the diminutive hero followed the Scientist.

=========

Captain Conduit stashed his car off the road in a layby and changed into his costume having made sure the coast was clear.

Then he started walking through the treeline on the side of the road where Schmidt had been,

Soon he saw the distant white dot of the man's coat.

OOC CC sees Schmidt, the Scientist is too short sighted to see the hero as yet and CC won't see Lightning Bullet (especially shrunk) without a staggeringly high perception check. Is CC approaching Schmidt and what is LB doing? He hasn't seen CC either, being in the treeline.

Captain Conduit flies over to Schmidt. "Where are you going? The whole idea of meeting up with that cop was to make sure you are safe while the little hero and I save your family. Now you want to continue to put them at risk because we gotta keep an eye on you still?"

Schmidt gapes then sighs "It hes become clear to me zet my family is not safe in ze hends of ze gengsters unless I em in zer gresp. Now ze Russians are efter me as vell. Ze safest sing vud be for me to go viz those who hold my family und take vot punishment zey think I need."

"Ze police cannot protect me and I do not sink you can either - ze forces ranged against you are too powerful! Ven ve conceived of ze program after hearing of Dr Erskine's vork in ze early years of ze vor ze race was on fer ze Fatherland to develop a *true* ubermensch, not one simply enhanced. Of course Captain America proved zet viz an indomitable vill und the absolute peak of human abilities you can change ze course of ze vorld. Many of ze projects ver abandoned. Herr Kammler did not like our use of animal attributes because he was determined zet the results conform to ze aryan ideal. Likewise another project required vast amounts of energy to 'charge' ze subject."

"Alas. Zet project vas a disaster from ze start. Imagine vot heppened ven zey put ten thousand volts into a group of people who had been 'specially prepared'. Zey turned into 'specially cooked' - to a crisp. Dozens of brave, 'perfect' men and women were burned alive in ze mad schemes."

"I sink whoever is after me is heppy for the animal attributes to be applied to subjects. However there were several of us vorking on our each separate project. Zer vos a theory, a plen. Take vun 'enhanced' individual, zen apply ze next step - say zet voltage thing I mentioned - und zey could not only survive ze process but be enhanced by it. Zen ze next step and ze next until finally you hef... "

He spread his hands "Ubermensch. Somebody knows all of zis I suspect. Someone who knows where ze scientists of zer work is. Maybe ze Russians. Sink vot zey vud do viz an army of 'супер человек'... 'Super Men'."

"Ze gangsters do not know vot ze puzzle is, or vot part of it. Zey simply vont beast men to do zer bidding. It doesn't vork. Oh, it grants fabulous physical abilities but because of ze incomplete research und limited funding ze process vill either transform ze recipient into an animal with no part of ze human remaining, or kill zem. It needs ze next stage, und ze next, to create a 'true' evolution of humanity. One might say a 'mutation' into 'Homo Superior'..."

"The best place for your family is out of that mob family's reach. For now, as long as those crooks don't know how to reach you, they'll keep your loved ones as insurance to get you back. That's why need you well and hidden. Now c'mon that car we drove you here in is just down the road. We both need sleep or we'll get careless. But first, let's go hide in the trees and see if anyone interesting comes along."

Captain Conduit looks around for his tall friend, then leads Smidt into the foliage to watch for his old buddy to be teleported onto the roadside.

Lightning Bullet takes to the air and flies slowly towards the scientist to find out what's going on.

Approaching the two, he gets their attention.

"Hey, Herr Doctor! Have you decided to quit running so we can get back to rescuing your family?"

Schmidt squints then sighs "At least you are still alive. You know simply standing around me is likely to get you killed?" he mutters.

"Vot are you going to do viz me exactly? Ze gengsters I assume you can handle evn mit all zose bullets flying around. Ze Russians though..."

OOC I assume the three of you jump in CC's car and head towards Ruby City...

The trio chatted as the car neared the city limits and the buildings grew up around it. Schmidt had gone quiet and a glance from CC in the driver's seat revealed the Scientist had succumbed to exhaustion and was snoring quietly with his head slumped on his chest. In the back seat Lightning Bullet kept a careful out in all directions. The Russians had let the prize slip through their fingers and tipped their hand. It wouldn't be the last time the heroes saw them.

Schmidt had a point though. What WERE they going to do with him? Conway was a good cop but there was no telling what the others in the precinct were like and no jail would hold - or protect - Schmidt for long when the Russians could pull the walls down with little effort!

Lightning Bullet sighs. "I have a base," he says quietly to his new partner, "a hidden base that I need to stay hidden or my life as a superhero is over. It doesn't have much in it right now since I've just started out but I can put Herr Doktor Professor there while we go save his family. And put them there as well, for a short time."

"We will probably have to bring the Feds into this after we save them. After all, the Doktor is a Nazi Scientist, they are going to want him. Either for trial or for his knowledge. I'll have to blindfold the two of you and drive you there. Willing?"

OOC Auto running Captain Conduit to keep things moving...

Captain Conduit shrugs. The plan to leave the nazi scientist out of harms way in a place the gangsters nor the Russians know of is as good a plan as any.

"Where to?" he asks whilst driving, a hat pulled onto his head so as not to draw the attention of anyone up at this early (ish) hour who might glance into the car to see a costumed driver. Lightning Bullet was small enough that only the top half of his head might appear in the window. The Scientist was slumped in the passenger front seat, asleep.

OOC Over to Lightning Bullet's base? I don't think we defined it did we? What is it? Basement of an apartment block in the city? Cave out of town? Penthouse floor accessible only if a) you know that the lift can go up another flight and b) you press the correct combination of floors beforehand? That sort of thing?

ooc: He will have to blindfold CC and Herr Professor and drive them there. Actually we did define it ... mostly. My entry in Lightning Bullet Issue Zero!

The Think Tank is a sub [or sub-sub] basement attached to his home and built into a hill side. Swiped the BatCave design which was actually swiped from a Street and Smith pulp hero character [same folks who came up with the Shadow and Doc Savage] I think he was called the Chief or Skipper or something. There's a copy of a reprint Shadow stories where they go into the history of Batman's creators directly stealing their stories from the Shadow and his cave directly from another pulp hero. I'll have to dig it out of a box someday and go back over it.

OOC: Sorry, I missed the earlier posts.

Captain Conduit says, "I don't think the blindfold will be necessary for me. I suspect I already know who you are." Captain Conduit smirks. "Because there's no way I missed the guy I was looking for. He's a tall drink of water, that one. I also would have noticed him if he was in the diner earlier. Your size changing is great for masking your voice though. Had me fooled. I've gotta use electricity to alter mine."

Lightning Bullet froze at the words of Captain Conduit. How had he found at who he was? Or was he bluffing? Had he seen him in the past and remembered him? He was somewhat well-known being a rich inventor in the city so occasionally hit the society page though he was no playboy. Or maybe from a rare piece in the paper's science section with his photo? Had Herr Professor Doktor also figured out who he was with the words Captain Conduit blurted in front of him or was he too wrapped up in his worries over his family to pay attention to what was being said around him at the moment?

"Sorry," he said after a moment, "but no one gets into the Think Tank without a blindfold! Neither you nor Herr Doktor Professor get to it without them. Though if you object to a blindfold we could stop at a pharmacy and buy some chloroform to knock you out with instead."

"Alright, I'll wear a blindfold, but then whos going to drive? You can't reach the pedals like that. And our snoring German pal will be blind too. If only you were tall and lanky."

Fred also knows full well that he can sense his surrounding through a blindfold, but there's no reason to tell his old friend that now.

"I can change to a size tall enough to reach them," Lightning Bullet said.  "If you and Her Doktor Professor will sit on the floorboards on the backseat while I drive, with the blindfolds on, I would appreciate it.  Be less chance that way than having you sitting up on the seats with blindfolds on and passing motorists calling the Highway Patrol about apparent kidnappings."


ooc:  There are two ways into the Think Tank.  One through the house somewhat detailed in Lightning Bullet Issue Zero, the other through the converted barn that has a hidden lift or elevator [for us Americans] disguised into the floor that goes down to the base.  Once the lift goes down a certain distance a cement "cover" slides out to cover the entrance to the elevator and becomes the floor of the converted barn.  That part of the barn has a cement floor and his other cars are parked there.

The barn is basically split up into a garage for his cars, a home lab for his experiments and an "odds and ends" section where he puts stuff that he might use someday or take to the dump to get rid of.  The barn is securely locked but the big doors to the garage is opened by a new fangled device called an "automatic garage door opener".  

at the time he came up with the base idea, he had no intention for making a hanger since he can fly but he did make plans for cars and such in case any of his future teammates had very noticeable cars like the Batmobile, Catcycle or the Arrow Car, and it would allow them to hide those vehicles in the base rather than be parked where anyone wandering on the property could see them.



This is vaguely what it looks like [combining the two maps] but instead of a ramp under the barn, it is a straight lift/elevator.  No Hanger, just garage.  Elevator and stairs to the house.  And the house is built into the side of a hill instead of in the open.  There is a basement under his house which is his known bomb shelter [it is the 50s, bomb shelters were big business then], wine cellar and "playroom/Man Cave" and a couple of storerooms for the house and for his science stuff.  The elevator and stairs to the Think Tank are hidden in the wine cellar.  That elevator is more of a cargo elevator as he prefers to use the stairs instead.  Big cargo obviously gets lowered down there through the big elevator hidden in the barn.




Batcave 1943





Batcave 1948

and obviously no trophy room. As I didn't have really any HP to spend to buy much of anything, the Think Tank is pretty bare at the moment. Some chairs, some tables, basic lab stuff and other odds and ends one can easily buy at stores or science supply stores. Kitchen. Bathroom. Washer and Dryer. Some small rooms with army surplus cots. No big computer. No top flight labs. Got a TV and radio with their antenna wires running hidden up the stairwell into the house and to the roof antenna. Really good security locks on all exits but only the kinds you can buy in a store since I didn't have the HP to get the really good stuff. This is basically what I could supply using money, not HP, so pretty barebones ... for now.