The Vanguard! Issue #5 - Portal to the past!
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The Vanguard Play by Post Roleplaying Game :: GAME ARCHIVE for finished topics :: The Story So far...
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Re: The Vanguard! Issue #5 - Portal to the past!
Admin Sat Nov 13 2010, 10:52
The Vanguard
Dark Putty, Stormwarden, Nowhere Man, Adjutant
The 'Ultimate Solution' was a prototype. It used the rarest if elements, including Lunarium X and had been designed by the finest minds the world had to offer. If someone wouldn't willingly work on it, they were kidnapped, tortured, and their families threatened with death unless they helped with the project. It was designed against the threat of superhumans, specifically those 'Demi-Gods' of Class 5 status that protected the United States and other major 'super' powers. It's payload could be varied - chemical, nuclear, biological - and it's range was enough to ensure it could be deployed anywhere on Nazi home soil and get to its target in the world. The defences had been set up with Adjutant in mind. He was the Nazis' poster boy, the ultimate of the ultimate, the creme de la creme, and most powerful example of metahuman power across the wide expanse of the Nazi Empire. Jealousy of his power and influence had brought about the design brief, and many lives had been sacrificed to bring the first prototype to operational use. Research was still ongoing, but the rare ingredients to make such a weapon were costly to obtain and in some cases almost impossible. No country would give up their natural resources to make a weapon that could be used against them, and so what the Nazis could not buy, they had to steal, often by force.
It was never meant to be used on home soil.
The Order had come from Nazi high command. Their mystics and psionic aware advisors could only agree on one thing. The balance of power had shifted, and it centred on a point in the United Kingdom. Unless the Nazi high command acted NOW, these rogue elements would overthrow everything they had worked for, battled for. Nothing in their arsenal, not even Adjutant and the metahuman legions the Nazi empire boasted could stop these rogues. There had been no warning, no predictions from the seers who claimed to be able to see the future, nothing to head off the threat to the Empire. As soon as these rogues, rebels, insurgents had appeared, they had represented to gravest threat possible to the Nazi way of life, so the seers had said.
The ruling council had scoffed. They sent out their legions of metahumans, countless soldiers, robots, tanks, air power...
And all had failed. The Seers had become animated at first, then panicking, many screaming uncontrollably until sedated. The time was arriving. All would change. The Nazi empire would cease to exist. Suddenly the ruling council had taken notice. The decision, in the end, had been an easy one. Twelve million people who lived in and around the City of London in conquered Britain, or the entire Nazi Empire.
Easy. They pressed the button.
=========
Putty soared up on his new wings soaring up to the sky to meet this new threat. Adjutant caught up a moment later. "I believe I can fly faster that you!" he bellowed over the howl of the wind "But that doesn't take away my astonishment at how you seemingly decide you can do a thing, and then are able to do it!" He looked at Dark Putty, then down at the receding battlefield. "PUTTY!" he bellowed over the wind howl. "I have... a bad feeling about this! You may not be able to stop the missile, I don't know why, but I wish to thank you for trying! The Vanguard have opened my eyes, and now it is time to make others see. I salute you! Goodbye, my friend."
Putty looked over, his superhearing have caught the words just fine. Then he realised just what it was Adjutant was doing!
Before he could react, Adjutant was gone, the crack of several machs ringing out as he shattered the sound barrier and sped on faster than Putty could match!
Adjutant soared closer to the missile. He levelled his fists, intent on destroying the thing before it struck London. That's when it happened. It started as a buzzing in his mind which he put down to fatigue and an effect of the beating he'd taken. Then he heard the screaming voices inside his head, the mysterious transdimensional alien minds that were the source of his, and every other alternate Adjutants' power. Not all of them used their abilities at the same time, and so the power could be diverted across dimensions to those who needed it most, making Adjutant one of the most powerful metahumans in this, or any other timeline.
But the missile was ready. Secret information gathered about Adjutant and his common links with all other superheroes had enabled them to develop a weapon that could not be stopped. Against a laser it would develop a powerful force field. Against a superhuman it would...
...simply remove them.
Adjutant screamed. His head was on fire, and it felt like every atom in his body was separating! There came a flaring light in his field of vision as a singularity in time and space appeared, and he was drawn inexorably towards it, a warp gate that would remove him from this plane of existence! The screaming in his head intensified, and he found he had no control over his body!
Below, flying up towards the missile and now immune to lack of air and all kinds of conventional radiation, Putty heard the former Nazi scream. There was a bright flash then... he was gone.
=========
Nowhere Man moved to Stormwardens' side. The Vanguardian was still conscious, incredible given the beating he'd taken. The power and strength of the mans will was immense, and it was all Nowhere Man could to push him down again, bid him rest. Stormwarden was in no condition to fight back, and despite his superhuman strength, sagged back. They both looked up and saw a flash in the sky, and knew then that a power had been removed from the world. Seeing Putty approach the same missile that headed down, the Vanguardians knew that the Nazi Missile would do the same to him. "It's bad, isn't it?" mumbled Stormwarden through a bloodied mouth. Nowhere Man pulled back his cloak, peeled off his mask and looked up, breathing in fresh, clean air for what might be the last time. "Yes, it's bad. As bad as I've known it. Guy... Guy, it's been a pleasure." he said, placing a hand on Stormwardens' shoulder. "I'm sorry I led you to this, took your life away from you, brought all this down on everyone. It's my fault. If I hadn't... hadn't been so selfish all those years ago, the Shadow Demons would never had discovered this dimension."
There was a slow, cold laugh next to the pair where they knelt. The Vanguardians turned to see a Nazi officer, drenched, as everyone else was, but he was in the traditional military uniform. James Caldwell (Nowhere Man) narrowed his eyes. All around the pair the Nazi Metahumans gathered, primed and ready to strike down the remaining rebels. Many bore the scars of battle. The fighting had mostly stopped now, save for sporadic street to street fighting as the Military pacified the population through deadly force, defended by an outgunned police force.
The officer strode over, unaffected by the Lunarium X which kept the remainder of the Nazi Metahumans at bay. "You hef lost, Herr Caldwell. We hef trecked you across time and space. Everywhere you and your foolish band hef defied us, and held back the Shadows, but now your light is dimming!" he exclaimed. He crouched near - out of hand reach - of the Vanguardians and looked up. "Ven ve gave ze designs to ze Nazis we hed to convince zem to build ze missile. Zey thought zet Adjutant would never betray zem, but we knew, oh yes, we knew. The Shadows had almost darkened completely here until you and your bend of trouble makers interfered. Ze High Princes inside of you shall remain always in exile when your bodies die. Oh, and the Archduke sends his most sincere insults for his recent defeat at the Aliens hands." he looked up at Putty. "To save reality you must submit to that which you fear ze most, and be the enemy you seek to thwart. And you cannot do it. You are weak. To save trillions you must kill millions! The irony of it all! You will not even kill von! Ze hero in you screams against it!"
Caldwell, soaked to the skin, battered, beaten, looked at the sword Excalibur lying beside him.
"Yes... YES!" hissed the officer. "Reach for it! Slay me! Take the weapon and kill me! Become one with us! Send your soul teetering over the edge, the fine line you hef drawn for yourself between good and evil! We hef watched you balance all these years since we became aware of your dimension after your meddling."
"And we hef been patient, waited."
"Now, it is the end. Goodbye Nowhere Man." he stood, pulling gloves from his belt. "It is time to embrace.. .OBLIVION!"
OOC Dare I say it? To be continued - I hef...I mean have, to go to work... Putty feel free to post actions.
Dark Putty, Stormwarden, Nowhere Man, Adjutant
The 'Ultimate Solution' was a prototype. It used the rarest if elements, including Lunarium X and had been designed by the finest minds the world had to offer. If someone wouldn't willingly work on it, they were kidnapped, tortured, and their families threatened with death unless they helped with the project. It was designed against the threat of superhumans, specifically those 'Demi-Gods' of Class 5 status that protected the United States and other major 'super' powers. It's payload could be varied - chemical, nuclear, biological - and it's range was enough to ensure it could be deployed anywhere on Nazi home soil and get to its target in the world. The defences had been set up with Adjutant in mind. He was the Nazis' poster boy, the ultimate of the ultimate, the creme de la creme, and most powerful example of metahuman power across the wide expanse of the Nazi Empire. Jealousy of his power and influence had brought about the design brief, and many lives had been sacrificed to bring the first prototype to operational use. Research was still ongoing, but the rare ingredients to make such a weapon were costly to obtain and in some cases almost impossible. No country would give up their natural resources to make a weapon that could be used against them, and so what the Nazis could not buy, they had to steal, often by force.
It was never meant to be used on home soil.
The Order had come from Nazi high command. Their mystics and psionic aware advisors could only agree on one thing. The balance of power had shifted, and it centred on a point in the United Kingdom. Unless the Nazi high command acted NOW, these rogue elements would overthrow everything they had worked for, battled for. Nothing in their arsenal, not even Adjutant and the metahuman legions the Nazi empire boasted could stop these rogues. There had been no warning, no predictions from the seers who claimed to be able to see the future, nothing to head off the threat to the Empire. As soon as these rogues, rebels, insurgents had appeared, they had represented to gravest threat possible to the Nazi way of life, so the seers had said.
The ruling council had scoffed. They sent out their legions of metahumans, countless soldiers, robots, tanks, air power...
And all had failed. The Seers had become animated at first, then panicking, many screaming uncontrollably until sedated. The time was arriving. All would change. The Nazi empire would cease to exist. Suddenly the ruling council had taken notice. The decision, in the end, had been an easy one. Twelve million people who lived in and around the City of London in conquered Britain, or the entire Nazi Empire.
Easy. They pressed the button.
=========
Putty soared up on his new wings soaring up to the sky to meet this new threat. Adjutant caught up a moment later. "I believe I can fly faster that you!" he bellowed over the howl of the wind "But that doesn't take away my astonishment at how you seemingly decide you can do a thing, and then are able to do it!" He looked at Dark Putty, then down at the receding battlefield. "PUTTY!" he bellowed over the wind howl. "I have... a bad feeling about this! You may not be able to stop the missile, I don't know why, but I wish to thank you for trying! The Vanguard have opened my eyes, and now it is time to make others see. I salute you! Goodbye, my friend."
Putty looked over, his superhearing have caught the words just fine. Then he realised just what it was Adjutant was doing!
Before he could react, Adjutant was gone, the crack of several machs ringing out as he shattered the sound barrier and sped on faster than Putty could match!
Adjutant soared closer to the missile. He levelled his fists, intent on destroying the thing before it struck London. That's when it happened. It started as a buzzing in his mind which he put down to fatigue and an effect of the beating he'd taken. Then he heard the screaming voices inside his head, the mysterious transdimensional alien minds that were the source of his, and every other alternate Adjutants' power. Not all of them used their abilities at the same time, and so the power could be diverted across dimensions to those who needed it most, making Adjutant one of the most powerful metahumans in this, or any other timeline.
But the missile was ready. Secret information gathered about Adjutant and his common links with all other superheroes had enabled them to develop a weapon that could not be stopped. Against a laser it would develop a powerful force field. Against a superhuman it would...
...simply remove them.
Adjutant screamed. His head was on fire, and it felt like every atom in his body was separating! There came a flaring light in his field of vision as a singularity in time and space appeared, and he was drawn inexorably towards it, a warp gate that would remove him from this plane of existence! The screaming in his head intensified, and he found he had no control over his body!
Below, flying up towards the missile and now immune to lack of air and all kinds of conventional radiation, Putty heard the former Nazi scream. There was a bright flash then... he was gone.
=========
Nowhere Man moved to Stormwardens' side. The Vanguardian was still conscious, incredible given the beating he'd taken. The power and strength of the mans will was immense, and it was all Nowhere Man could to push him down again, bid him rest. Stormwarden was in no condition to fight back, and despite his superhuman strength, sagged back. They both looked up and saw a flash in the sky, and knew then that a power had been removed from the world. Seeing Putty approach the same missile that headed down, the Vanguardians knew that the Nazi Missile would do the same to him. "It's bad, isn't it?" mumbled Stormwarden through a bloodied mouth. Nowhere Man pulled back his cloak, peeled off his mask and looked up, breathing in fresh, clean air for what might be the last time. "Yes, it's bad. As bad as I've known it. Guy... Guy, it's been a pleasure." he said, placing a hand on Stormwardens' shoulder. "I'm sorry I led you to this, took your life away from you, brought all this down on everyone. It's my fault. If I hadn't... hadn't been so selfish all those years ago, the Shadow Demons would never had discovered this dimension."
There was a slow, cold laugh next to the pair where they knelt. The Vanguardians turned to see a Nazi officer, drenched, as everyone else was, but he was in the traditional military uniform. James Caldwell (Nowhere Man) narrowed his eyes. All around the pair the Nazi Metahumans gathered, primed and ready to strike down the remaining rebels. Many bore the scars of battle. The fighting had mostly stopped now, save for sporadic street to street fighting as the Military pacified the population through deadly force, defended by an outgunned police force.
The officer strode over, unaffected by the Lunarium X which kept the remainder of the Nazi Metahumans at bay. "You hef lost, Herr Caldwell. We hef trecked you across time and space. Everywhere you and your foolish band hef defied us, and held back the Shadows, but now your light is dimming!" he exclaimed. He crouched near - out of hand reach - of the Vanguardians and looked up. "Ven ve gave ze designs to ze Nazis we hed to convince zem to build ze missile. Zey thought zet Adjutant would never betray zem, but we knew, oh yes, we knew. The Shadows had almost darkened completely here until you and your bend of trouble makers interfered. Ze High Princes inside of you shall remain always in exile when your bodies die. Oh, and the Archduke sends his most sincere insults for his recent defeat at the Aliens hands." he looked up at Putty. "To save reality you must submit to that which you fear ze most, and be the enemy you seek to thwart. And you cannot do it. You are weak. To save trillions you must kill millions! The irony of it all! You will not even kill von! Ze hero in you screams against it!"
Caldwell, soaked to the skin, battered, beaten, looked at the sword Excalibur lying beside him.
"Yes... YES!" hissed the officer. "Reach for it! Slay me! Take the weapon and kill me! Become one with us! Send your soul teetering over the edge, the fine line you hef drawn for yourself between good and evil! We hef watched you balance all these years since we became aware of your dimension after your meddling."
"And we hef been patient, waited."
"Now, it is the end. Goodbye Nowhere Man." he stood, pulling gloves from his belt. "It is time to embrace.. .OBLIVION!"
OOC Dare I say it? To be continued - I hef...I mean have, to go to work... Putty feel free to post actions.
Admin- Admin
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Re: The Vanguard! Issue #5 - Portal to the past!
DavidMcMahon Sat Nov 13 2010, 12:10
DARK PUTTY
Believing he is going to his death, Dark Putty removes the Holy Grail from within his body. Encasing it with a small portion of his body shaped like a bird to protect it, flies it down to Stormwarden. {Fancy version of TK, I guess} He continues to climb as fast as he can towards the missle. He toughens up all his protective powers to their maximum and keeps climbing.
"And we hef been patient, waited."
"Now, it is the end. Goodbye Nowhere Man." he stood, pulling gloves from his belt. "It is time to embrace.. .OBLIVION!"
OOC Dare I say it? To be continued - I hef...I mean have, to go to work... Putty feel free to post actions.
Believing he is going to his death, Dark Putty removes the Holy Grail from within his body. Encasing it with a small portion of his body shaped like a bird to protect it, flies it down to Stormwarden. {Fancy version of TK, I guess} He continues to climb as fast as he can towards the missle. He toughens up all his protective powers to their maximum and keeps climbing.
DavidMcMahon- Cosmic Level
- Posts : 8754
Join date : 2010-05-10
Age : 64
Location : Raleigh, NC, USA
Re: The Vanguard! Issue #5 - Portal to the past!
Admin Sun Nov 14 2010, 00:58
The Vanguard
Dark Kitten, Frostbite, Lionheart, Putty replicants
Kylie surrendered to the inner voice... and had the strongest sensation of falling! If she could have screamed, she would've done, but instead the control of her body was not her own!
Frostbite shuddered "Oh no..." he muttered. His computer went wild <<ALARM! ALARM!>> was all it could blare as it attempted - and failed - to scan what now stood in Kylies place! Kitten was on her feet, looking at her hand as she flexed it slowly, then looked up, with a grin on her face! Ultimus showed no respect, and stepped in to backhand her across the face, applying the full measure of his superhuman strength!
Kylie didn't even move, not one bit, and looked on as Ultimus staggered back, clutching the stump of where his hand had been! Frostbite had watched in horror as the man lost his hand, completely disintegrated against Kylies' chin! The blood sizzled and evaporated from her as she walked about the Nazi who staggered, clutching his stump. She looked very much like a cat playing with a mouse...
Bludgeon staggered to his feet against the wall, then started stumbling over, pulling a hand free from his throat and moving to smash Kylie from behind! Suddenly, something happened. She and the big Nazi changed places, and he rammed his fist down hard on Ultimus! The pair of them stumbled and fell and Kylie moved to stand over them. Except it wasn't Kylie in charge...
“Well done. You have succeeded in displeasing my host, and in doing so, released me. I find this form... strange. So... vulnerable. And yet...” she purred, crouching to raise Bludgeons head by the chin. "If I am vulnerable, that makes you positively fragile..." She flicked her finger.
Blood sprayed across the prison yard, spattering across Frostbite and Lionheart. Kitten turned to Ultimus "You were saying?" The Nazi couldn't answer. His abject fear radiated from him, and Kitten smiled, a cruel snarl across her face. "Oh yes. Die." she laughed. Ultimus exploded, his body becoming a fine red mist.
Kitten arched an eyebrow glancing at Frostbite and Lionheart, and Lionheart spoke out, his teeth chattering. "What's ha-happened to you? And m-me? I c-can't stop myself...fearing..."
Frostbite knew, all too well. This was a being that could not be reasoned with, or one that knew anything along the lines of the emotions humans were capable of. He knew, he could feel, that Kittens power right now made him insignificant in her presence. He shuddered, knowing the power was in him too, and wondered if that would in any way save him and Lionheart.
Kitten smiled. "Don't worry brother. It has been so... long since I had physical form. You and the boys have been playing your little games, and I was cast out simply for not siding against you! I think I like it here. I will destroy all those who oppose me and then I shall claim this universe as my own." she strode up to the Vanguardians. Lionheart was held solid, some kind of field around him pinning him to the spot! Frostbite could move, but knew the first wrong word or action might lead not only to his own death, but everyone else in this city! How to reason with a creature that could instantly annihilate millions with a thought? The one saving grace seemed to be that she was curious, much like her namesake. Whatever being inhabited Kitten clearly had little or no experience with this plane of reality, and that, only that, Frostbite figured, might be the saving grace!
"Wait." she said. "There are the others! Why... almost all of us are here, but hidden? Strange..." she purred, and vanished!
=========
The Shadow Demon/Nazi Officer grinned, about to step back and give the order for the metahumans to blast with their weapons at the helpless Vanguardians! And he turned ... to face Dark Kitten! Instantly he cowered, and dropped to his knees, inching back in panic "Your highness!" he gasped, voice thin and pathetic. "I.. forgive me! I had no choice! The council.. the usurpers... bade me destroy your brothers! It was not me! It was..."
"FIRE!" screamed one of the Nazis in the crowd. The Army of Metahumans opened fire! A thick torrent of lasers, electricity, fire, cold, cosmic and other kinds of energy filled the area in front of the prison. Those onlooking would turn away, shielding their eyes! No one, nothing, could have survived that!
Kitten stood, moments later as the onslaught subsided, checking her nails, not a mark on her, whilst the Vanguardians looked on. Nowhere Man gasped "No... Kitten... Kylie... what have you done?" Stormwarden groaned, moving to a seated position. The Nazi officer tried to crawl away. All had been protected by an impenetrable forcefield! Kitten turned to face the Nazi army, who stood gaping, wondering what manner of being could ignored their combined might!
And 134 Nazi metahumans died at the same time, their heads exploding...
=========
Nazi PSI HQ at that moment...
39 Nazi agents, all Psi capable, and some magic cable to a certain degree, screamed as one in the room, the equipment attached to their bodies registering system shock of a kind that would suggest they died of fright. The Nazi officers in charge knew better though. Never would they forget the sight of the Psi agents sat at their cubicles, probing, scrying, then screaming. Just before their heads exploded...
=========
The battlefield had gone quiet, the guns silent. Kitten looked at the ordinary soldiers that were left, grown men curled up in a balls and weeping with terror. The effect spread out, causing the crowd of civilians to scream, across the city every animal whimpered and ran for the darkest cover they could find. Men, women and children felt a terror they had never experienced before, and the insidious, evil Shadow Demons that waited in the darkness cowered in mind numbing terror. They were the first to die, their forms burning with bright white flame, and suddenly, there were no shadows at all in London as the Shadow Demons died in their thousands where previously they had basked, feeding on the dark emotions that a city like London produced.
=========
On another dimension, the court of the Shadow Demons...
The Ruling Council, the Usurpers, paused in their reports. The room went quiet. A pin dropping would have deafened them! They glanced at each other. All knew that something had happened to their agents, who had died in their thousands, and triumph had turned into complete, utter defeat this time. Their saving grace was that the exiled Princess would, with a whim, slaughter millions of innocents and bring widespread despair in her wake, so that the Shadow Demons could slink back in when she had gone and feed!
More than one Archduke pulled on a collar and glanced about nervously.
=========
Dark Putty headed towards the missile.
'Sister!' shouted the voice in his head. 'How we have missed you!' Putty glanced about, then down. He saw the red stain across the streets even from here, and knew then that one of his team mates had succumbed to the call of the power! Suddenly the power of the missile, and all it's myriad defences designed to kill superhumans, seemed the least of the Vanguards worry!
One of their own was unleashed, and could utterly ruin everything!
=========
Kitten glanced up. 'Hello brother' she purred. 'You are only a fraction in this dimension, the rest elsewhere. Why?' Dark Putty continued to look down. He's used every defensive power going, forcefields, Intangibility, thickened his skin to a depth of several feet, and knew it couldn't withstand even a single blast from his 'sister'. He would fail to stop the missile, it would touch down, destroy London and leave only Kitten left! Dark Putty, hovering overhead, would only be able to watch in horror!
At his behest he had sent the grail to Stormwarden who blinked in surprise at the cup that appeared in his hand (OOC Teleportation is no problem for Dark Putty with his vast array of powers...) Kitten looked about, a bored expression on her face. She was about to do something. Something very very bad indeed.
=========
Lionheart gasped, freed from the binding power and fear effect, but only by Kittens' will! "What the hell...?" he cried out, looking at Frostbite, eyes wide. "What is that??? It's not Kylie... I have NEVER encountered anything like that before! And the Nazis...! They were... were so powerful! She destroyed them without a thought! And who is next? Frostbite! We must stop her..."
Even as he said the words he knew how foolish they sounded. No power on planet Earth could stop Dark Kitten right now, save perhaps the words of her fellow Vanguardians...
OOC And there you have it. The lives of every man, women and child in Britain hang on whether the Vanguard can persuade a bloodthirsty goddess that destroying things on a whim to provide entertainment isn't the best course of action! The Nazi army is utterly crushed, completely annihilated. The battle is over. Every Nazi Metahuman within a mile died with an exploded head, regardless of how powerful they were. The PSI division several miles away suffered the same fate. Now the Ultimate missile heads down towards the cosmic level power of Kitten, and the Vanguard are in the middle!
Dark Kitten, Frostbite, Lionheart, Putty replicants
Kylie surrendered to the inner voice... and had the strongest sensation of falling! If she could have screamed, she would've done, but instead the control of her body was not her own!
Frostbite shuddered "Oh no..." he muttered. His computer went wild <<ALARM! ALARM!>> was all it could blare as it attempted - and failed - to scan what now stood in Kylies place! Kitten was on her feet, looking at her hand as she flexed it slowly, then looked up, with a grin on her face! Ultimus showed no respect, and stepped in to backhand her across the face, applying the full measure of his superhuman strength!
Kylie didn't even move, not one bit, and looked on as Ultimus staggered back, clutching the stump of where his hand had been! Frostbite had watched in horror as the man lost his hand, completely disintegrated against Kylies' chin! The blood sizzled and evaporated from her as she walked about the Nazi who staggered, clutching his stump. She looked very much like a cat playing with a mouse...
Bludgeon staggered to his feet against the wall, then started stumbling over, pulling a hand free from his throat and moving to smash Kylie from behind! Suddenly, something happened. She and the big Nazi changed places, and he rammed his fist down hard on Ultimus! The pair of them stumbled and fell and Kylie moved to stand over them. Except it wasn't Kylie in charge...
“Well done. You have succeeded in displeasing my host, and in doing so, released me. I find this form... strange. So... vulnerable. And yet...” she purred, crouching to raise Bludgeons head by the chin. "If I am vulnerable, that makes you positively fragile..." She flicked her finger.
Blood sprayed across the prison yard, spattering across Frostbite and Lionheart. Kitten turned to Ultimus "You were saying?" The Nazi couldn't answer. His abject fear radiated from him, and Kitten smiled, a cruel snarl across her face. "Oh yes. Die." she laughed. Ultimus exploded, his body becoming a fine red mist.
Kitten arched an eyebrow glancing at Frostbite and Lionheart, and Lionheart spoke out, his teeth chattering. "What's ha-happened to you? And m-me? I c-can't stop myself...fearing..."
Frostbite knew, all too well. This was a being that could not be reasoned with, or one that knew anything along the lines of the emotions humans were capable of. He knew, he could feel, that Kittens power right now made him insignificant in her presence. He shuddered, knowing the power was in him too, and wondered if that would in any way save him and Lionheart.
Kitten smiled. "Don't worry brother. It has been so... long since I had physical form. You and the boys have been playing your little games, and I was cast out simply for not siding against you! I think I like it here. I will destroy all those who oppose me and then I shall claim this universe as my own." she strode up to the Vanguardians. Lionheart was held solid, some kind of field around him pinning him to the spot! Frostbite could move, but knew the first wrong word or action might lead not only to his own death, but everyone else in this city! How to reason with a creature that could instantly annihilate millions with a thought? The one saving grace seemed to be that she was curious, much like her namesake. Whatever being inhabited Kitten clearly had little or no experience with this plane of reality, and that, only that, Frostbite figured, might be the saving grace!
"Wait." she said. "There are the others! Why... almost all of us are here, but hidden? Strange..." she purred, and vanished!
=========
The Shadow Demon/Nazi Officer grinned, about to step back and give the order for the metahumans to blast with their weapons at the helpless Vanguardians! And he turned ... to face Dark Kitten! Instantly he cowered, and dropped to his knees, inching back in panic "Your highness!" he gasped, voice thin and pathetic. "I.. forgive me! I had no choice! The council.. the usurpers... bade me destroy your brothers! It was not me! It was..."
"FIRE!" screamed one of the Nazis in the crowd. The Army of Metahumans opened fire! A thick torrent of lasers, electricity, fire, cold, cosmic and other kinds of energy filled the area in front of the prison. Those onlooking would turn away, shielding their eyes! No one, nothing, could have survived that!
Kitten stood, moments later as the onslaught subsided, checking her nails, not a mark on her, whilst the Vanguardians looked on. Nowhere Man gasped "No... Kitten... Kylie... what have you done?" Stormwarden groaned, moving to a seated position. The Nazi officer tried to crawl away. All had been protected by an impenetrable forcefield! Kitten turned to face the Nazi army, who stood gaping, wondering what manner of being could ignored their combined might!
And 134 Nazi metahumans died at the same time, their heads exploding...
=========
Nazi PSI HQ at that moment...
39 Nazi agents, all Psi capable, and some magic cable to a certain degree, screamed as one in the room, the equipment attached to their bodies registering system shock of a kind that would suggest they died of fright. The Nazi officers in charge knew better though. Never would they forget the sight of the Psi agents sat at their cubicles, probing, scrying, then screaming. Just before their heads exploded...
=========
The battlefield had gone quiet, the guns silent. Kitten looked at the ordinary soldiers that were left, grown men curled up in a balls and weeping with terror. The effect spread out, causing the crowd of civilians to scream, across the city every animal whimpered and ran for the darkest cover they could find. Men, women and children felt a terror they had never experienced before, and the insidious, evil Shadow Demons that waited in the darkness cowered in mind numbing terror. They were the first to die, their forms burning with bright white flame, and suddenly, there were no shadows at all in London as the Shadow Demons died in their thousands where previously they had basked, feeding on the dark emotions that a city like London produced.
=========
On another dimension, the court of the Shadow Demons...
The Ruling Council, the Usurpers, paused in their reports. The room went quiet. A pin dropping would have deafened them! They glanced at each other. All knew that something had happened to their agents, who had died in their thousands, and triumph had turned into complete, utter defeat this time. Their saving grace was that the exiled Princess would, with a whim, slaughter millions of innocents and bring widespread despair in her wake, so that the Shadow Demons could slink back in when she had gone and feed!
More than one Archduke pulled on a collar and glanced about nervously.
=========
Dark Putty headed towards the missile.
'Sister!' shouted the voice in his head. 'How we have missed you!' Putty glanced about, then down. He saw the red stain across the streets even from here, and knew then that one of his team mates had succumbed to the call of the power! Suddenly the power of the missile, and all it's myriad defences designed to kill superhumans, seemed the least of the Vanguards worry!
One of their own was unleashed, and could utterly ruin everything!
=========
Kitten glanced up. 'Hello brother' she purred. 'You are only a fraction in this dimension, the rest elsewhere. Why?' Dark Putty continued to look down. He's used every defensive power going, forcefields, Intangibility, thickened his skin to a depth of several feet, and knew it couldn't withstand even a single blast from his 'sister'. He would fail to stop the missile, it would touch down, destroy London and leave only Kitten left! Dark Putty, hovering overhead, would only be able to watch in horror!
At his behest he had sent the grail to Stormwarden who blinked in surprise at the cup that appeared in his hand (OOC Teleportation is no problem for Dark Putty with his vast array of powers...) Kitten looked about, a bored expression on her face. She was about to do something. Something very very bad indeed.
=========
Lionheart gasped, freed from the binding power and fear effect, but only by Kittens' will! "What the hell...?" he cried out, looking at Frostbite, eyes wide. "What is that??? It's not Kylie... I have NEVER encountered anything like that before! And the Nazis...! They were... were so powerful! She destroyed them without a thought! And who is next? Frostbite! We must stop her..."
Even as he said the words he knew how foolish they sounded. No power on planet Earth could stop Dark Kitten right now, save perhaps the words of her fellow Vanguardians...
OOC And there you have it. The lives of every man, women and child in Britain hang on whether the Vanguard can persuade a bloodthirsty goddess that destroying things on a whim to provide entertainment isn't the best course of action! The Nazi army is utterly crushed, completely annihilated. The battle is over. Every Nazi Metahuman within a mile died with an exploded head, regardless of how powerful they were. The PSI division several miles away suffered the same fate. Now the Ultimate missile heads down towards the cosmic level power of Kitten, and the Vanguard are in the middle!
Admin- Admin
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Re: The Vanguard! Issue #5 - Portal to the past!
Admin Sun Nov 14 2010, 01:20
The Vanguard
Frostbite, Lionheart, Putty replicants
The Putty Replicants had broken away from the fighting, to slink into the nearest corner and hide. They understood the prospect of annihilation, and their instincts told them there were no other options when a creature like that which had been the girl was in their midst!
The Nuclear Shock Troops clattered to the floor, their powerful bodies seeming to melt and ooze like wax after a thought from Dark Kitten had destroyed them.
And that was the problem. The Guards at the gates cried like babies, all thoughts of turning away the intruders forgotten as they soiled themselves and in some cases, their hair turned shock white.
In the prison grounds, prisoners screamed, banging against their cell doors in absolute terror as they wailed in terror. Some tried to commit suicide, others curled up in the tightest space they could as every nightmare they ever suffered from sprung into their thoughts, amplified a billion times.
Every guard in the place was struck down in the same way. In some cases they literally lost their minds, becoming vegetables who stared vacantly at nothing, drooling.
Only the Vanguardians, the Shadow Demon/Nazi Officer and the insane were spared.
=========
In a cell not far from where Frostbite and Lionheart are...
Jonathan LeBlanc swayed on his haunches. They'd come for him, and he hadn't much cared. The man known as the White Warlock in other timelines continued to scribble with a piece of stone on the walls of his cell, magical inscriptions that even the wisest mystic would think gibberish! "Death is here. Death is amongst us. Death is her..." he mumbled, a wide eyed look on his face as his straggly hair framed it. He'd been saying the same thing since the vision three years ago and the knowledge of the world ending had driven him mad as he sought a way to save it. When the Nazis caught him, he hadn't cared. He'd screamed to them warnings about what was coming. Even now, on the day he was to be executed, nothing else mattered. He'd lost everything he'd ever known, and could only remember one thing.
The face of death. He never expected it would belong to one so beautiful. The White Warlock had used up the last of his magical energy trying to see into the future, to find a possible timeline where the Earth wasn't completely destroyed, but all he saw was blackness, a void, nothing.
He glanced at the clock, barely registering the time. In every vision the clock had stopped at 14.57
And then the universe had gone dark.
The time said 14.55 right now, and soon to tick into the final minute.
This world was about to end. And the knowledge of it had driven the White Warlock mad.
Frostbite, Lionheart, Putty replicants
The Putty Replicants had broken away from the fighting, to slink into the nearest corner and hide. They understood the prospect of annihilation, and their instincts told them there were no other options when a creature like that which had been the girl was in their midst!
The Nuclear Shock Troops clattered to the floor, their powerful bodies seeming to melt and ooze like wax after a thought from Dark Kitten had destroyed them.
And that was the problem. The Guards at the gates cried like babies, all thoughts of turning away the intruders forgotten as they soiled themselves and in some cases, their hair turned shock white.
In the prison grounds, prisoners screamed, banging against their cell doors in absolute terror as they wailed in terror. Some tried to commit suicide, others curled up in the tightest space they could as every nightmare they ever suffered from sprung into their thoughts, amplified a billion times.
Every guard in the place was struck down in the same way. In some cases they literally lost their minds, becoming vegetables who stared vacantly at nothing, drooling.
Only the Vanguardians, the Shadow Demon/Nazi Officer and the insane were spared.
=========
In a cell not far from where Frostbite and Lionheart are...
Jonathan LeBlanc swayed on his haunches. They'd come for him, and he hadn't much cared. The man known as the White Warlock in other timelines continued to scribble with a piece of stone on the walls of his cell, magical inscriptions that even the wisest mystic would think gibberish! "Death is here. Death is amongst us. Death is her..." he mumbled, a wide eyed look on his face as his straggly hair framed it. He'd been saying the same thing since the vision three years ago and the knowledge of the world ending had driven him mad as he sought a way to save it. When the Nazis caught him, he hadn't cared. He'd screamed to them warnings about what was coming. Even now, on the day he was to be executed, nothing else mattered. He'd lost everything he'd ever known, and could only remember one thing.
The face of death. He never expected it would belong to one so beautiful. The White Warlock had used up the last of his magical energy trying to see into the future, to find a possible timeline where the Earth wasn't completely destroyed, but all he saw was blackness, a void, nothing.
He glanced at the clock, barely registering the time. In every vision the clock had stopped at 14.57
And then the universe had gone dark.
The time said 14.55 right now, and soon to tick into the final minute.
This world was about to end. And the knowledge of it had driven the White Warlock mad.
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Re: The Vanguard! Issue #5 - Portal to the past!
TDM7 Sun Nov 14 2010, 01:57
Kitten
What have I done? What have I done? Kylie repeated to herself in her disorientation. I never should have listened to those voices! As much as she was worried about her own disembodiment?, she feared that she had doomed those other heroes who had protected her and had been counting on her to help them.
She had to find a way to regain control over her body, having no idea how that could be done.
OOC: Not sure what Kylie is aware of or what she can do, if anything. However, if that thing which now controls her body could talk to her, she reasons that she can talk to it and demand to be restored back to her body. If it doesn't do so willingly, Kylie will do what she can to distract it. Shout, sing annoying pop songs, describe the recent events in great details from her favorite soap opera, recite nursery rhymes and knock-knock jokes from childhood -- basically being the annoying brat that you wouldn't want to be seated next to for a long journey, performance, or fine restaurant.
What have I done? What have I done? Kylie repeated to herself in her disorientation. I never should have listened to those voices! As much as she was worried about her own disembodiment?, she feared that she had doomed those other heroes who had protected her and had been counting on her to help them.
She had to find a way to regain control over her body, having no idea how that could be done.
OOC: Not sure what Kylie is aware of or what she can do, if anything. However, if that thing which now controls her body could talk to her, she reasons that she can talk to it and demand to be restored back to her body. If it doesn't do so willingly, Kylie will do what she can to distract it. Shout, sing annoying pop songs, describe the recent events in great details from her favorite soap opera, recite nursery rhymes and knock-knock jokes from childhood -- basically being the annoying brat that you wouldn't want to be seated next to for a long journey, performance, or fine restaurant.
TDM7- Street Level: Hero
- Posts : 129
Join date : 2010-09-06
Re: The Vanguard! Issue #5 - Portal to the past!
DavidMcMahon Sun Nov 14 2010, 03:02
DARK PUTTY
"SISTER!! If you do not stop this missle, all your playthings are going to die," Dark Putty screamed at Kitten. "Nothing left to end your boredom!"
With that, he headed for the ground as quickly as he could. He flew down to the prison, heading for the building that the others were heading for when Kitten let loose her powers. He mentally scanned for who they were looking for so he could teleport that man to Stormwarden. He was terrified. He knew he had to get rid of his powers as quickly as possible before he too fell to the being inside him.
If he could free the man, give him over to Stormwarden, who had the objects of power, then gather the others up to be with Stormwarden ... maybe, just maybe those men could escape and reset everything.
Kitten glanced up. 'Hello brother' she purred. 'You are only a fraction in this dimension, the rest elsewhere. Why?' Dark Putty continued to look down. He's used every defensive power going, forcefields, Intangibility, thickened his skin to a depth of several feet, and knew it couldn't withstand even a single blast from his 'sister'. He would fail to stop the missile, it would touch down, destroy London and leave only Kitten left! Dark Putty, hovering overhead, would only be able to watch in horror!
At his behest he had sent the grail to Stormwarden who blinked in surprise at the cup that appeared in his hand (OOC Teleportation is no problem for Dark Putty with his vast array of powers...) Kitten looked about, a bored expression on her face. She was about to do something. Something very very bad indeed.
"SISTER!! If you do not stop this missle, all your playthings are going to die," Dark Putty screamed at Kitten. "Nothing left to end your boredom!"
With that, he headed for the ground as quickly as he could. He flew down to the prison, heading for the building that the others were heading for when Kitten let loose her powers. He mentally scanned for who they were looking for so he could teleport that man to Stormwarden. He was terrified. He knew he had to get rid of his powers as quickly as possible before he too fell to the being inside him.
If he could free the man, give him over to Stormwarden, who had the objects of power, then gather the others up to be with Stormwarden ... maybe, just maybe those men could escape and reset everything.
DavidMcMahon- Cosmic Level
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Re: The Vanguard! Issue #5 - Portal to the past!
Steeple_jackuk Sun Nov 14 2010, 08:48
Frostbite and Lionheart
Turning to Lionheart, Frostbite spoke quickly "You need to go ahead and get the Warlock out, hopefully it should be easier now help has arrived." He said seeing Putty suddenly drop in from above.
"I must go to stop her, talk to her try and make her see reason or all will be lost."
With that Frostbite leapt into the air, he spoke first to his own ally within. "You know this can't go well. Your sister seems more like a child in some ways. If she destroys this world, then all we are fighting for will cave in with it. The shadows will return to feed twice as strong on the terror she will have provoked across the world not just across this continent. All will fall faster as the Shadows gather the thicker and faster for the terror she will unleash. You have to help me stop her."
Speeding up as fast as he could muster, Frostbite pushed his already tired body to its limit, trying to get closer to Kylie.
On seeing her, Frostbite shouted out, "Sister..." before turning to the one inside saying, "I'll do the talking but I need your help. Remember we are all fragile, if all we've been fighting for is destroyed so will we be to. Our bodies might live on but our heart and spirit will be broken - not much of a vessal from which to bring about justice!"
"It is good to see you, for your presence has done much to turn the tide of our situation. But we must delay our gratification, for with but one swipe of your great power, we would damn ourselves to a far worse situation. If we have our way, justice will be served, but there will be no one to enjoy it. Those who banished us, would draw power from the weak whose lives our efforts would terrorise. But these are the things we must do, that we do not stoop to for a morsel and miss the whole feast of triumph that yet awaits."
OOC: Hopefully you can see where I'm going and get the gist of what I am trying to encourage Dark Kitten to do. Cats like comfort, it seems logical that even this one would put up with a few inconveniences for the sake of something better. But increasingly I know Frostbite will feel uneasy about how far the Vanguard can go down the line with our allies, especially when their means are so callous and indifferent. Then again being within us, they need us to root them in reality else they'd loose all. Their enemies would win. So lets hope Kitten is in a playful mood.
Also given the nature of PBEM, I wasn't sure with Putty's actions if Lionheart needed to stay or could go, but I am happy for you to write in what happens there as you see fit.
Might ultimate aim is to get Kylie to stop the missile, but as of yet I do not know about it - though Dark Putty has just told her of it.
Sj
Turning to Lionheart, Frostbite spoke quickly "You need to go ahead and get the Warlock out, hopefully it should be easier now help has arrived." He said seeing Putty suddenly drop in from above.
"I must go to stop her, talk to her try and make her see reason or all will be lost."
With that Frostbite leapt into the air, he spoke first to his own ally within. "You know this can't go well. Your sister seems more like a child in some ways. If she destroys this world, then all we are fighting for will cave in with it. The shadows will return to feed twice as strong on the terror she will have provoked across the world not just across this continent. All will fall faster as the Shadows gather the thicker and faster for the terror she will unleash. You have to help me stop her."
Speeding up as fast as he could muster, Frostbite pushed his already tired body to its limit, trying to get closer to Kylie.
On seeing her, Frostbite shouted out, "Sister..." before turning to the one inside saying, "I'll do the talking but I need your help. Remember we are all fragile, if all we've been fighting for is destroyed so will we be to. Our bodies might live on but our heart and spirit will be broken - not much of a vessal from which to bring about justice!"
"It is good to see you, for your presence has done much to turn the tide of our situation. But we must delay our gratification, for with but one swipe of your great power, we would damn ourselves to a far worse situation. If we have our way, justice will be served, but there will be no one to enjoy it. Those who banished us, would draw power from the weak whose lives our efforts would terrorise. But these are the things we must do, that we do not stoop to for a morsel and miss the whole feast of triumph that yet awaits."
OOC: Hopefully you can see where I'm going and get the gist of what I am trying to encourage Dark Kitten to do. Cats like comfort, it seems logical that even this one would put up with a few inconveniences for the sake of something better. But increasingly I know Frostbite will feel uneasy about how far the Vanguard can go down the line with our allies, especially when their means are so callous and indifferent. Then again being within us, they need us to root them in reality else they'd loose all. Their enemies would win. So lets hope Kitten is in a playful mood.
Also given the nature of PBEM, I wasn't sure with Putty's actions if Lionheart needed to stay or could go, but I am happy for you to write in what happens there as you see fit.
Might ultimate aim is to get Kylie to stop the missile, but as of yet I do not know about it - though Dark Putty has just told her of it.
Sj
Steeple_jackuk- Cosmic Level
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Join date : 2010-04-28
Re: The Vanguard! Issue #5 - Portal to the past!
Admin Sun Nov 14 2010, 12:54
The Vanguard
Frostbite, Stormwarden, Nowhere Man, Dark Putty, Dark Kitten, Putty Replicants, Lionheart
Frostbite left Lionheart to find their target. The Putty replicants glanced at one another, and one went with Lionheart, the others moving back to where the battle had ended so violently moments ago.
Inside the entity that was Dark Kitten, Kylie screamed, tried everything she could do break down the walls of the prison she found herself in. In her minds eyes she was ensconced in a tower, a single window looking out over an ash black landscape. There were skeletal bones of trees, lifeless, angular, dead, jutting here and there amongst the dunes of black ash. Overhead the sky rumbled, a shifting hue of reds and purples, and alien moons floated in the sky, some close, others distant, all resembling nothing Kylie had seen before. The room she was in had a table, a chair, and nothing else. A glance out of the window showed the stone exterior of the tower, a hundred or more metres down, and a dizzing fall should she attempt to climb down and fail!
Tears misting her eyes, Kylie sagged back. What had she done? What had she released? She glanced about. On the table, a ball of crystal, not there a heartbeat ago. She looked into it, and saw through HER eyes, the entity that had taken control of her body in the real world! She pounded on the glass bauble. It didn't budge. She heard the words the others spoke, screamed, railed against the ball, trying to be heard. Nothing. Then she tried a different tack. Her father, the scientist, had found her infuriating as a child, her curiosity and annoying habits had driven the man to distraction. For all that, he'd loved his daughter dearly and would have died for her.
As it turned out, he did.
"One green bottle, standing on a wall..." she began to sing...
==========
Dark Putty soared down, landing lightly near the prison. He could feel the entity inside shifting, probing at Puttys self control. It wanted to be free too! The threat of apocalypse was ever real with but one cosmic entity. With two? It was a certainty! He saw Lionheart, and moved over to the man as he stumbled, dazed, through the detention area building. Scanning, he immediately found the chaotic whirl that was the White Warlocks mind! A powerful thing, like a storm out of control, Putty figured that even if he wanted to attack the Warlock mentally, his attack would spin off when it struck the violent seething mass that was the mans shattered mind!
Lionheart turned, instantly assuming a defensive position until he saw the towering edifice that was Dark Putty. (OOC I assume you lose growth and taller so you can fit in the building - they are redundant now anyway, seeing as the Nazi army has been slaughtered) Lionheart mumbled "I assume you know what happened?" Putty nodded, and the pair moved into the prison, the whirling maelstrom of the Warlocks mind easy for Putty to guide them to.
=========
Stormwarden rose to his feet, aided by Nowhere Man. "Kylie... if you're in there... you MUST regain control! You...urk!"
Moving faster than any of the Vanguard could see, Dark Kitten stood next to Stormwarden and raised him a foot off the floor by grabbing him by the throat! Stormwarden had never felt such strength! The being inside of Stormwarden suddenly railed at its battered hosts treatment. 'Unhand me wench! you forget your place!' it screamed.
Dark Kitten flared her nose at this, eyes wide in outrage. The skies rumbled overhead, the earth began to shift under everyone feet. The terrified populace screamed in panic, a deafening sound that rang out for miles as they knew their lives were measured in heartbeats! 'You dare!' she screamed. Lightning flashed down.
Nowhere Man, exhausted, battered, pulled the sword Excalibur up. He considered the target of Kittens back and shook his head. He couldn't... wouldn't do it. He looked around. Would the sword even make a dent? He didn't get a chance to try - the legendary mystical blade melted like hot wax, drooping and spilling onto the ground in a pool of molten metal! Aghast, Nowhere Man saw a flare of magical energy as the blade dissolved! "What have you done?" gasped Nowhere Man, then he made a gurgling sound as an invisible hand grasped around his neck, raising him off the floor! 'UNHAND ME! DO YOU KNOW NOT WHAT YOU DO WOMAN?' screamed the being inside of Nowhere Man, the oldest and perhaps most powerful of the Dark Entities, though each had their own qualities that would tip the balance in a conflict. Still, his voice must have carried some weight, and rang out with an authoritative tone...
Stormwarden and Nowhere Man dropped to the floor like limp rag dolls. Dark Kitten stood up straight, sniffing "I am the one with power here brother, ME! And you will all show proper obeisance!" She turned to the city, then flicked a hand out "If I want to destroy the city, it is my choice, MINE!"
Frostbite soared down, and Dark Kitten turned to face him. "Another one come to tell me what to do! You are all weak! I am the one with power now, and I am in charge!" she huffed. She sounded for all the world like a spoilt brat who finally got her chance to have her own way!
On seeing her, Frostbite shouted out, "Sister..." before turning to the one inside saying, "I'll do the talking but I need your help. Remember we are all fragile, if all we've been fighting for is destroyed so will we be to. Our bodies might live on but our heart and spirit will be broken - not much of a vessal from which to bring about justice!"
"It is good to see you, for your presence has done much to turn the tide of our situation. But we must delay our gratification, for with but one swipe of your great power, we would damn ourselves to a far worse situation. If we have our way, justice will be served, but there will be no one to enjoy it. Those who banished us, would draw power from the weak whose lives our efforts would terrorise. But these are the things we must do, that we do not stoop to for a morsel and miss the whole feast of triumph that yet awaits."
Dark Kitten arched an eyebrow in triumph. She glanced around. "None will take my toys from me. And when I am finished playing, I will find more play... what is that?" she glanced up.
The missile was only seconds from impact!
Inside the missile the most complicated systems ever devised for dealing with superhumans struck out, sending a psionic wave out to all those it detected in range!
Nowhere Man, Stormwarden and Frostbite screamed, dropping to the floor, clutching their heads! A flaring light formed up around their bodies... The replicant Puttys simply collapsed into puddles!
"Eh?" remarked Dark Kitten. "You would take my brothers away from me, after so long?" she turned and looked at the missile. The self aware computers onboard detected the Class 3 metahumans in range, and a few others. A class 5 was just out of the things range, with several Class 3s and a Class 4 near it. And there was something else. Something... beyond its programming. It attacked it anyway.
And died.
The missile changed into a cascade of flowers, spilling across the sky! Dark Kitten batted a few away playfully as she watched the Vanguardians - her brothers - recover. "I will be queen. You boys... you will all be my servants. Even if you all look like ragamuffins..." she sniffed. She thought for a moment, and her clothes changed to resemble those of a Queen from the time of Elizabeth I, the costumes of the Vanguard changing to resemble those of palace servants! She clapped her hands gleefully, and looked about. "I think it's time we made a few changes ..." she pondered.
Nowhere Man glanced at Frostbite and Stormwarden. However bad things had seemed before, he had an idea they were about to get worse... "Hurry up Putty." he muttered.
=========
Lionheart and Putty had passed a number of cells. Each was self contained, a mini prison that nullified the occupants super powers. Designed by metahumans to hold metahumans, it was a small part of the prison that held the most powerful prisoners. Some cells contained only bodies, the head of the occupant having exploded if the prisoner held ANY loyalty whatsoever to the Nazi cause.
All the remaining occupants were broken, mere shells of the men and women, and in some cases, children, they had been.
Putty stopped outside the door. Lionheart looked to the lock. "It's electronic. I think I can..." CLANG! Putty suckered a hand to it and simply pulled it from the wall, setting it aside. "Why is it I feel like a Lilliputian around you guys?" he said, shaking his head.
The pair moved into the room. Every inch of the floor and walls, and some of the ceiling, held glyphs and scrawl of an unknown kind. The smell of an unwashed body washed over the pair, and they saw a man in rags sat in the centre of the room, humming and rocking to himself. His hair was wild, the beard more so. Every now and again he would carefully stand and tiptoe across the room so as not to disturb the scrawlings he'd made, and add a notch, a squiggle, a circle. "Time's nearly up!" he laughed, turning to Dark Putty and Lionheart. "Tee hee! Dark your soul, blacker our future! Sent to save us, instead you will destroy unless... unless..." he scratched his head, trying to think... "unless..." he looked about at the glyphs and signs he'd drawn on the walls. It didn't make any sense, wasn't in a language the Vanguardians recognised, but something told the heroes it was important...
=========
Dark Kitten looked out across London. She gestured, and a mile square section changed from a concrete jungle into the most beautiful, opulent, sculpted gardens, beautifully manicured and formed, with bubbling fountains and swaying trees, all neatly trimmed to the desired shape and form.
A quarter of a million souls instantly screamed out and vanished.
"A delight!" she squealed, clapping her hands with joy. "Don't you think boys?" she glanced back at the Vanguard in servants uniforms.
All the while, the clock in the prison ticked to the time that the White Warlock had foreseen...
OOC The missile is stopped, but you have a very real danger now of missing the window you need to get into the past. What you do and say here decides the direction the game will go in. I don't know - I'm reacting and steering the way you point me...
Frostbite, Stormwarden, Nowhere Man, Dark Putty, Dark Kitten, Putty Replicants, Lionheart
Frostbite left Lionheart to find their target. The Putty replicants glanced at one another, and one went with Lionheart, the others moving back to where the battle had ended so violently moments ago.
Inside the entity that was Dark Kitten, Kylie screamed, tried everything she could do break down the walls of the prison she found herself in. In her minds eyes she was ensconced in a tower, a single window looking out over an ash black landscape. There were skeletal bones of trees, lifeless, angular, dead, jutting here and there amongst the dunes of black ash. Overhead the sky rumbled, a shifting hue of reds and purples, and alien moons floated in the sky, some close, others distant, all resembling nothing Kylie had seen before. The room she was in had a table, a chair, and nothing else. A glance out of the window showed the stone exterior of the tower, a hundred or more metres down, and a dizzing fall should she attempt to climb down and fail!
Tears misting her eyes, Kylie sagged back. What had she done? What had she released? She glanced about. On the table, a ball of crystal, not there a heartbeat ago. She looked into it, and saw through HER eyes, the entity that had taken control of her body in the real world! She pounded on the glass bauble. It didn't budge. She heard the words the others spoke, screamed, railed against the ball, trying to be heard. Nothing. Then she tried a different tack. Her father, the scientist, had found her infuriating as a child, her curiosity and annoying habits had driven the man to distraction. For all that, he'd loved his daughter dearly and would have died for her.
As it turned out, he did.
"One green bottle, standing on a wall..." she began to sing...
==========
Dark Putty soared down, landing lightly near the prison. He could feel the entity inside shifting, probing at Puttys self control. It wanted to be free too! The threat of apocalypse was ever real with but one cosmic entity. With two? It was a certainty! He saw Lionheart, and moved over to the man as he stumbled, dazed, through the detention area building. Scanning, he immediately found the chaotic whirl that was the White Warlocks mind! A powerful thing, like a storm out of control, Putty figured that even if he wanted to attack the Warlock mentally, his attack would spin off when it struck the violent seething mass that was the mans shattered mind!
Lionheart turned, instantly assuming a defensive position until he saw the towering edifice that was Dark Putty. (OOC I assume you lose growth and taller so you can fit in the building - they are redundant now anyway, seeing as the Nazi army has been slaughtered) Lionheart mumbled "I assume you know what happened?" Putty nodded, and the pair moved into the prison, the whirling maelstrom of the Warlocks mind easy for Putty to guide them to.
=========
Stormwarden rose to his feet, aided by Nowhere Man. "Kylie... if you're in there... you MUST regain control! You...urk!"
Moving faster than any of the Vanguard could see, Dark Kitten stood next to Stormwarden and raised him a foot off the floor by grabbing him by the throat! Stormwarden had never felt such strength! The being inside of Stormwarden suddenly railed at its battered hosts treatment. 'Unhand me wench! you forget your place!' it screamed.
Dark Kitten flared her nose at this, eyes wide in outrage. The skies rumbled overhead, the earth began to shift under everyone feet. The terrified populace screamed in panic, a deafening sound that rang out for miles as they knew their lives were measured in heartbeats! 'You dare!' she screamed. Lightning flashed down.
Nowhere Man, exhausted, battered, pulled the sword Excalibur up. He considered the target of Kittens back and shook his head. He couldn't... wouldn't do it. He looked around. Would the sword even make a dent? He didn't get a chance to try - the legendary mystical blade melted like hot wax, drooping and spilling onto the ground in a pool of molten metal! Aghast, Nowhere Man saw a flare of magical energy as the blade dissolved! "What have you done?" gasped Nowhere Man, then he made a gurgling sound as an invisible hand grasped around his neck, raising him off the floor! 'UNHAND ME! DO YOU KNOW NOT WHAT YOU DO WOMAN?' screamed the being inside of Nowhere Man, the oldest and perhaps most powerful of the Dark Entities, though each had their own qualities that would tip the balance in a conflict. Still, his voice must have carried some weight, and rang out with an authoritative tone...
Stormwarden and Nowhere Man dropped to the floor like limp rag dolls. Dark Kitten stood up straight, sniffing "I am the one with power here brother, ME! And you will all show proper obeisance!" She turned to the city, then flicked a hand out "If I want to destroy the city, it is my choice, MINE!"
Frostbite soared down, and Dark Kitten turned to face him. "Another one come to tell me what to do! You are all weak! I am the one with power now, and I am in charge!" she huffed. She sounded for all the world like a spoilt brat who finally got her chance to have her own way!
On seeing her, Frostbite shouted out, "Sister..." before turning to the one inside saying, "I'll do the talking but I need your help. Remember we are all fragile, if all we've been fighting for is destroyed so will we be to. Our bodies might live on but our heart and spirit will be broken - not much of a vessal from which to bring about justice!"
"It is good to see you, for your presence has done much to turn the tide of our situation. But we must delay our gratification, for with but one swipe of your great power, we would damn ourselves to a far worse situation. If we have our way, justice will be served, but there will be no one to enjoy it. Those who banished us, would draw power from the weak whose lives our efforts would terrorise. But these are the things we must do, that we do not stoop to for a morsel and miss the whole feast of triumph that yet awaits."
Dark Kitten arched an eyebrow in triumph. She glanced around. "None will take my toys from me. And when I am finished playing, I will find more play... what is that?" she glanced up.
The missile was only seconds from impact!
Inside the missile the most complicated systems ever devised for dealing with superhumans struck out, sending a psionic wave out to all those it detected in range!
Nowhere Man, Stormwarden and Frostbite screamed, dropping to the floor, clutching their heads! A flaring light formed up around their bodies... The replicant Puttys simply collapsed into puddles!
"Eh?" remarked Dark Kitten. "You would take my brothers away from me, after so long?" she turned and looked at the missile. The self aware computers onboard detected the Class 3 metahumans in range, and a few others. A class 5 was just out of the things range, with several Class 3s and a Class 4 near it. And there was something else. Something... beyond its programming. It attacked it anyway.
And died.
The missile changed into a cascade of flowers, spilling across the sky! Dark Kitten batted a few away playfully as she watched the Vanguardians - her brothers - recover. "I will be queen. You boys... you will all be my servants. Even if you all look like ragamuffins..." she sniffed. She thought for a moment, and her clothes changed to resemble those of a Queen from the time of Elizabeth I, the costumes of the Vanguard changing to resemble those of palace servants! She clapped her hands gleefully, and looked about. "I think it's time we made a few changes ..." she pondered.
Nowhere Man glanced at Frostbite and Stormwarden. However bad things had seemed before, he had an idea they were about to get worse... "Hurry up Putty." he muttered.
=========
Lionheart and Putty had passed a number of cells. Each was self contained, a mini prison that nullified the occupants super powers. Designed by metahumans to hold metahumans, it was a small part of the prison that held the most powerful prisoners. Some cells contained only bodies, the head of the occupant having exploded if the prisoner held ANY loyalty whatsoever to the Nazi cause.
All the remaining occupants were broken, mere shells of the men and women, and in some cases, children, they had been.
Putty stopped outside the door. Lionheart looked to the lock. "It's electronic. I think I can..." CLANG! Putty suckered a hand to it and simply pulled it from the wall, setting it aside. "Why is it I feel like a Lilliputian around you guys?" he said, shaking his head.
The pair moved into the room. Every inch of the floor and walls, and some of the ceiling, held glyphs and scrawl of an unknown kind. The smell of an unwashed body washed over the pair, and they saw a man in rags sat in the centre of the room, humming and rocking to himself. His hair was wild, the beard more so. Every now and again he would carefully stand and tiptoe across the room so as not to disturb the scrawlings he'd made, and add a notch, a squiggle, a circle. "Time's nearly up!" he laughed, turning to Dark Putty and Lionheart. "Tee hee! Dark your soul, blacker our future! Sent to save us, instead you will destroy unless... unless..." he scratched his head, trying to think... "unless..." he looked about at the glyphs and signs he'd drawn on the walls. It didn't make any sense, wasn't in a language the Vanguardians recognised, but something told the heroes it was important...
=========
Dark Kitten looked out across London. She gestured, and a mile square section changed from a concrete jungle into the most beautiful, opulent, sculpted gardens, beautifully manicured and formed, with bubbling fountains and swaying trees, all neatly trimmed to the desired shape and form.
A quarter of a million souls instantly screamed out and vanished.
"A delight!" she squealed, clapping her hands with joy. "Don't you think boys?" she glanced back at the Vanguard in servants uniforms.
All the while, the clock in the prison ticked to the time that the White Warlock had foreseen...
OOC The missile is stopped, but you have a very real danger now of missing the window you need to get into the past. What you do and say here decides the direction the game will go in. I don't know - I'm reacting and steering the way you point me...
Admin- Admin
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Age : 53
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Re: The Vanguard! Issue #5 - Portal to the past!
Steeple_jackuk Sun Nov 14 2010, 13:58
Lionheart
Looked again from the old man, to Putty to the walls. "What do you think...?" He asked hesitantly, unsure of what to make of Putty since the change. "You see if you can use that alien brain of yours to work this out, I'll see if I can help this man."
Lionheart stopped, he dare not use his mind to prob for who knew if he'd be lost with the myriad of twists and turns - would he be able to find his way out. "Hello friend, we're here to save the world and wondered if you might know something about all this...," He said gesturing, "and if it might help us, change the future, save the present and heal the past?"
Meanwhile...
Frostbite
Turned to the others, the scene was simple ridiculous, if it weren't also so deadly. Something about the absurdity of it all struck Frostbite at that moment. He wanted to laugh, or cry or both. But what to do with a super alien being who was acting more like a child? How does one get through to a creature with the personality of a indulged child.
What else could he do but try and have the mother of all family talks.
"Ha hah ha...Now this is lovely dear. Wonderful. You've really out done yourself. And yet I wonder if there isn't something more fun, something better to be had. Trouble is if you change all these people, well there is no one here to enjoy what you've done. No one to appreciate your creativity and fun. And you know what these two are like..."
Frostbite gestured at Nowhere Man and Stormwarden, hoping he'd got some measure of the hierarchy between them,
"No I've got a better idea. You know this time is all a bit boring. Machines and goose-stepping soldiers. What they've got here is nothing compared to what we were going to do. We are here to go back in time. If we go back imagine the fun we could have waiting for us here when we get back? We've even got a means to hop on. Now sister, sorry Your Majesty, I think that there is a lot more fun to be had, help us otherwise I'm worried that the others," By which Frostbite gestured around him, meaning the ones who exiled them, "will steal all our fun and lock us away again. And you wouldn't want that would you?"
Deep inside Frostbite, who'd never had kids but always fancied the idea, hoped he was on the right track. Steering the 'queen' toward more fun, was as dangerous as telling her No. But given how little sway he had, he had to hope the promise of something better might make her think differently. Perhaps even give Kylie a chance to break her hold from within.
OOC:
Oh so no pressure then ;-). Come on Paul if you are going for a major change in direction shouldn't we get to vote?
Sj
Looked again from the old man, to Putty to the walls. "What do you think...?" He asked hesitantly, unsure of what to make of Putty since the change. "You see if you can use that alien brain of yours to work this out, I'll see if I can help this man."
Lionheart stopped, he dare not use his mind to prob for who knew if he'd be lost with the myriad of twists and turns - would he be able to find his way out. "Hello friend, we're here to save the world and wondered if you might know something about all this...," He said gesturing, "and if it might help us, change the future, save the present and heal the past?"
Meanwhile...
Frostbite
Turned to the others, the scene was simple ridiculous, if it weren't also so deadly. Something about the absurdity of it all struck Frostbite at that moment. He wanted to laugh, or cry or both. But what to do with a super alien being who was acting more like a child? How does one get through to a creature with the personality of a indulged child.
What else could he do but try and have the mother of all family talks.
"Ha hah ha...Now this is lovely dear. Wonderful. You've really out done yourself. And yet I wonder if there isn't something more fun, something better to be had. Trouble is if you change all these people, well there is no one here to enjoy what you've done. No one to appreciate your creativity and fun. And you know what these two are like..."
Frostbite gestured at Nowhere Man and Stormwarden, hoping he'd got some measure of the hierarchy between them,
"No I've got a better idea. You know this time is all a bit boring. Machines and goose-stepping soldiers. What they've got here is nothing compared to what we were going to do. We are here to go back in time. If we go back imagine the fun we could have waiting for us here when we get back? We've even got a means to hop on. Now sister, sorry Your Majesty, I think that there is a lot more fun to be had, help us otherwise I'm worried that the others," By which Frostbite gestured around him, meaning the ones who exiled them, "will steal all our fun and lock us away again. And you wouldn't want that would you?"
Deep inside Frostbite, who'd never had kids but always fancied the idea, hoped he was on the right track. Steering the 'queen' toward more fun, was as dangerous as telling her No. But given how little sway he had, he had to hope the promise of something better might make her think differently. Perhaps even give Kylie a chance to break her hold from within.
OOC:
What you do and say here decides the direction the game will go in. I don't know - I'm reacting and steering the way you point me...
Oh so no pressure then ;-). Come on Paul if you are going for a major change in direction shouldn't we get to vote?
Sj
Steeple_jackuk- Cosmic Level
- Posts : 4435
Join date : 2010-04-28
Re: The Vanguard! Issue #5 - Portal to the past!
DavidMcMahon Sun Nov 14 2010, 15:22
DARK PUTTY
"I'm not keeping this power much longer," he grits. "It's trying to break free now that his sister is here. We have to move fast!"
With that, he mentally summons the Grail and Excalibur. now melted, to him. He repairs Excalibur if he can.
He then tries to figure out what the symbols mean. If that doesn't work, then he will try to help make the White Warlock a bit more sane.
Putty stopped outside the door. Lionheart looked to the lock. "It's electronic. I think I can..." CLANG! Putty suckered a hand to it and simply pulled it from the wall, setting it aside. "Why is it I feel like a Lilliputian around you guys?" he said, shaking his head.
The pair moved into the room. Every inch of the floor and walls, and some of the ceiling, held glyphs and scrawl of an unknown kind. The smell of an unwashed body washed over the pair, and they saw a man in rags sat in the centre of the room, humming and rocking to himself. His hair was wild, the beard more so. Every now and again he would carefully stand and tiptoe across the room so as not to disturb the scrawlings he'd made, and add a notch, a squiggle, a circle. "Time's nearly up!" he laughed, turning to Dark Putty and Lionheart. "Tee hee! Dark your soul, blacker our future! Sent to save us, instead you will destroy unless... unless..." he scratched his head, trying to think... "unless..." he looked about at the glyphs and signs he'd drawn on the walls. It didn't make any sense, wasn't in a language the Vanguardians recognised, but something told the heroes it was important...
"I'm not keeping this power much longer," he grits. "It's trying to break free now that his sister is here. We have to move fast!"
With that, he mentally summons the Grail and Excalibur. now melted, to him. He repairs Excalibur if he can.
He then tries to figure out what the symbols mean. If that doesn't work, then he will try to help make the White Warlock a bit more sane.
DavidMcMahon- Cosmic Level
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Join date : 2010-05-10
Age : 64
Location : Raleigh, NC, USA
Re: The Vanguard! Issue #5 - Portal to the past!
Admin Mon Nov 15 2010, 10:42
OOC Should've known nothing gets past you lot. I had intended to put a poll out for you guys to decide on a preference with regards game direction - after all some might prefer, say, feudal Japan to WWII, and with time travel, anything is possible. We are due for a series of 'solo issues' at some point and it could involve everyone being lost in time. However, the calling of the inner 'Dark Power' kind of took a look at what I'd planned, tossed my bits of paper in the air and now we're seeing where they land - in a good way of course 
The only problem with the Dark Power is that it really IS cosmic, Galactus level power, and so you have to do it justice rather than roll a bunch of dice and say that all the bad guys go splat. And every time someone uses a cosmic power, it gets noticed, oh yes But that's a story for another time, and we need to find a way to get you guys into the past first...
The Vanguard
Frostbite, Stormwarden, Nowhere Man, Dark Putty, Dark Kitten, Putty Replicants, Lionheart
The White Warlock looked at Lionheart "Hehehe, tee hee!" he cackled, eyes wild. "Man from the future! Stuck in the past, time is running out for you my friend! Tee hee!" He staggered to his feet and groaned, clearly not having stood for a while. Lionheart steadied him, glancing at Putty. "Kitty? Is that what Nevis called you? Poor Ben. He misses you, despite that you fight like cat and dog!" Lionheart shrugged. He wasn't sure what to say, and certainly had no idea who this 'Ben' was, or this 'Nevis' person - or thing.
Putty concentrated, forming a mental image of the Grail and the Sword. When both appeared in his hands the Warlock gasped. "The... the cup..." he said, all of a sudden seeming quite sane. "Quickly! A drink... a drink before... before I lose my tee hee!" he cackled and grimaced, eyes showing vast intelligence whilst his body cavorted about like a jester. "Heeheheheh oh hahahahaha heh! The cup... " he gasped. "Water... that will do... just a ... heheheh" Tears rolled down the mans face. Tears of sadness, for a mind shattered by knowledge of events beyond his imagining.
Putty, with his incredible speed, shot off into the prison, filled the grail with ordinary tap water, and returned. It was like handing water to a dying man in the desert, so eager was the warlock to take it, though his hands shook violently with the effort of restraining them enough to not spill water on his precious glyphs!
Lionheart looked about. "This all.. looks somehow... useful for something?" He turned and looked on as the Warlock drunk, glowing. The man gasped, hands on knees, and the Vanguardians wondered what, if anything, the grail had done to him. "Looks like using the sword is out of the question." said the White Warlock, voice deeper and more assured now. He stood, looking at the grail in his hand, turning it. "Incredible. You people..." he said, looking at the heroes "Are simply amazing. Lionheart. If you're anything like... another Lionheart one of... ah, my other selves met in another dimension, you'll have a pair of binocular things, right?" Lionheart frowned, about to say "How do you..." The Warlock waved him quiet "We don't have time. And that's the problem! Time! We must have less than a minute to hit the window for you to go into the past to prevent the Nazis winning world war II. If I send you back any later, you will go further back, do you understand? And not just years... decades? Centuries? Time is... Anyway. Take your binocular thingies and copy everything in the room! Everything! Every glyph! Putty..." he said, looking at the P'utinarian. We need to get to Stonehenge. Not in an hour, not in a few minutes, I mean, everyone, NOW!" he pulled a face. "The dark goddess..." he groaned. "There must be some way of banishing her, but she's beyond mortal intervention..."
=========
The Goddess in question, Dark Kitten, glanced about, sniffing a flower here, running her hands through a sprinkling water fountain there. Nowhere Man, walking behind her as a servant, glanced at Stormwarden and Frostbite. All of them looked like they'd spent a week in a washing machine on spin, bruised, battered, hair all over the place, dirty, save their pristine uniforms. "Ahhhh" sighed Dark Kitten. "I shall remodel this world to my liking. All your chatter is nice dear..." she said, glancing to Frostbite "But I believe... what IS that noise? That music? No... wailing... over and over in my head? WHAT IS THAT?" she screeched, pulling at her hair, eyes wild. Somewhere in the world a volcano punched its way through the floor, growing and rising, swelling, then erupting in time with Dark Kittens outburst! "Is it... her? Well she won't win! Whoever this Henry the Eighth is! Second verse, same as the first? What? WHATTTTTTTT?" She now clutched at her head, looking round in fury, red eyes wild.
Nowhere Man took a step back, mouth suddenly dry. "Now, try to keep calm, I'm sure there's some..."
KEEEERRRRRRRRACCCCCKKKKKKKK!!!!!
Everyone turned to see, in the distance, some miles away, a section of the city disappear as it fell into a crack in the Earth over a mile wide! Screams and rumbling filled the air, and a cloud of dust spilled out in every direction! Dark kitten grasped at her hair, looking rather less regal than she had a second ago. "SECOND VERSE? SAME AS THE BLOODY FIRST? THAT LITTLE WITCH! I'M GOING TO WRING HER SCRAWNY NECK!"
Across the world, New Zealand sank into the sea, and fire started raining from the sky as a number of huge volcanoes rose, boiling the sea and spitting lava into the sky! Shogun, Japans' premier metahuman, lead the supergroup known as Ronin into the disaster scene, intent on doing what he could.
Until he saw the sheer scale, the awesome breath and scope of the disaster at hand. More than a dozen huge volcanoes jutting into the sea, a Tsunami like the world had never seen before spilling outwards as the Earth groaned in pain reflecting Dark Kittens fury! The metahuman went white, a shiver down his spine. As the others caught up, he quietly touched his throat mike. "We're all going to die." he said quietly, and glanced at the direction the Tsunami was heading in. By the time it reached Japan - and it would - everything he knew and lived for would be completely washed away.
Kylie, locked away in the tower of her own mind, was at her wits end. Was this working? The sky was boiling something awful, violent storms were flashing down, and had been for what... days? A week? In that time she'd seen no one, not needed any food, wondered what was going on in the 'real world' and stuck to her plan. All the while trusting, hoping, praying, her team mates would set her free...
=========
Elsewhere. Nazi High command.
The officer snapped to attention. The palace in Berlin was opulent, vast and a monument to Nazi superiority. In one room, the vast state room, it stank of old, festering death, and evil of a kind even the Shadow Demons could appreciate.
"Mein fuhrer" said the General, bowing his head. None could look upon the machine that housed the still living remains of the most evil man in history. As technicians came and went, monitoring the life support equipment and tending to the vile things needs, the palace was buzzing with news reaching them from London.
Full scale insurrection. The Metahuman army obliterated. The Ultimate solution, nullified completely. The country was utterly lost, and threatened to drag the rest of Europe into Anarchy with it!
"As you instructed..." said the General "The missiles are already in the air. There are projections coming in. We predict a total obliteration of life in the south of England and Wales. The fallout will render most of Northern Europe uninhabitable, but we have set in motion plans to form clean up teams to prevent further disruption beyond northern France and Belgium. Flight time says 10 minutes to strike. Your will be done, Mein Fuhrer."
=========
The White Warlock turned. "Can you feel that?" he gasped. "The power.. the girl is doing it!" Lionheart and Putty weren't sure what to make of it - the world seemed to be going to hell in a handbasket!
'Give me control. I will sort out my sister for you...' rasped the inner voice. It pulsed, and Dark Putty physically staggered with the effort of fending off the will of the dark creature inside! He opened his mouth to speak, but knew the effort would detract from his inner battle to fend off the will of the creature inside! Finally he was able to gasp and speak, and he knew his time was almost up!
=========
Nowhere Man turned to the others "Do it! Sing!" he rasped, though the 'spooky' effect he normally instilled was lost without his mask.
"I'm Henry the eighth I am
Henry the eighth I am, I am
I got married to the widow next door
She's been married seven times before
And every one was an Henry (Henry)
She wouldn't have a Willy or a Sam (no Sam)
I'm her eighth old man, I'm Henry
Henry the eighth I am
Second verse same as the first"
Stormwarden frowned, looking at the others, then joined in.
By now Dark Kitten was staggering, clutching at her head. She'd used her powers without restraint, and in doing so opened herself up to attack from within! Now it came on, the mental assault by Kitten in the tower of her mind, and her team mates, picking up on the song she was singing!
"STOOOPPPPPPPP ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!" screamed Dark Kitten.
Across Africa, a new ice age began to form....
OOC You're nearly there... Just need to apply a final 'nudge'...
The only problem with the Dark Power is that it really IS cosmic, Galactus level power, and so you have to do it justice rather than roll a bunch of dice and say that all the bad guys go splat. And every time someone uses a cosmic power, it gets noticed, oh yes But that's a story for another time, and we need to find a way to get you guys into the past first...The Vanguard
Frostbite, Stormwarden, Nowhere Man, Dark Putty, Dark Kitten, Putty Replicants, Lionheart
The White Warlock looked at Lionheart "Hehehe, tee hee!" he cackled, eyes wild. "Man from the future! Stuck in the past, time is running out for you my friend! Tee hee!" He staggered to his feet and groaned, clearly not having stood for a while. Lionheart steadied him, glancing at Putty. "Kitty? Is that what Nevis called you? Poor Ben. He misses you, despite that you fight like cat and dog!" Lionheart shrugged. He wasn't sure what to say, and certainly had no idea who this 'Ben' was, or this 'Nevis' person - or thing.
Putty concentrated, forming a mental image of the Grail and the Sword. When both appeared in his hands the Warlock gasped. "The... the cup..." he said, all of a sudden seeming quite sane. "Quickly! A drink... a drink before... before I lose my tee hee!" he cackled and grimaced, eyes showing vast intelligence whilst his body cavorted about like a jester. "Heeheheheh oh hahahahaha heh! The cup... " he gasped. "Water... that will do... just a ... heheheh" Tears rolled down the mans face. Tears of sadness, for a mind shattered by knowledge of events beyond his imagining.
Putty, with his incredible speed, shot off into the prison, filled the grail with ordinary tap water, and returned. It was like handing water to a dying man in the desert, so eager was the warlock to take it, though his hands shook violently with the effort of restraining them enough to not spill water on his precious glyphs!
Lionheart looked about. "This all.. looks somehow... useful for something?" He turned and looked on as the Warlock drunk, glowing. The man gasped, hands on knees, and the Vanguardians wondered what, if anything, the grail had done to him. "Looks like using the sword is out of the question." said the White Warlock, voice deeper and more assured now. He stood, looking at the grail in his hand, turning it. "Incredible. You people..." he said, looking at the heroes "Are simply amazing. Lionheart. If you're anything like... another Lionheart one of... ah, my other selves met in another dimension, you'll have a pair of binocular things, right?" Lionheart frowned, about to say "How do you..." The Warlock waved him quiet "We don't have time. And that's the problem! Time! We must have less than a minute to hit the window for you to go into the past to prevent the Nazis winning world war II. If I send you back any later, you will go further back, do you understand? And not just years... decades? Centuries? Time is... Anyway. Take your binocular thingies and copy everything in the room! Everything! Every glyph! Putty..." he said, looking at the P'utinarian. We need to get to Stonehenge. Not in an hour, not in a few minutes, I mean, everyone, NOW!" he pulled a face. "The dark goddess..." he groaned. "There must be some way of banishing her, but she's beyond mortal intervention..."
=========
The Goddess in question, Dark Kitten, glanced about, sniffing a flower here, running her hands through a sprinkling water fountain there. Nowhere Man, walking behind her as a servant, glanced at Stormwarden and Frostbite. All of them looked like they'd spent a week in a washing machine on spin, bruised, battered, hair all over the place, dirty, save their pristine uniforms. "Ahhhh" sighed Dark Kitten. "I shall remodel this world to my liking. All your chatter is nice dear..." she said, glancing to Frostbite "But I believe... what IS that noise? That music? No... wailing... over and over in my head? WHAT IS THAT?" she screeched, pulling at her hair, eyes wild. Somewhere in the world a volcano punched its way through the floor, growing and rising, swelling, then erupting in time with Dark Kittens outburst! "Is it... her? Well she won't win! Whoever this Henry the Eighth is! Second verse, same as the first? What? WHATTTTTTTT?" She now clutched at her head, looking round in fury, red eyes wild.
Nowhere Man took a step back, mouth suddenly dry. "Now, try to keep calm, I'm sure there's some..."
KEEEERRRRRRRRACCCCCKKKKKKKK!!!!!
Everyone turned to see, in the distance, some miles away, a section of the city disappear as it fell into a crack in the Earth over a mile wide! Screams and rumbling filled the air, and a cloud of dust spilled out in every direction! Dark kitten grasped at her hair, looking rather less regal than she had a second ago. "SECOND VERSE? SAME AS THE BLOODY FIRST? THAT LITTLE WITCH! I'M GOING TO WRING HER SCRAWNY NECK!"
Across the world, New Zealand sank into the sea, and fire started raining from the sky as a number of huge volcanoes rose, boiling the sea and spitting lava into the sky! Shogun, Japans' premier metahuman, lead the supergroup known as Ronin into the disaster scene, intent on doing what he could.
Until he saw the sheer scale, the awesome breath and scope of the disaster at hand. More than a dozen huge volcanoes jutting into the sea, a Tsunami like the world had never seen before spilling outwards as the Earth groaned in pain reflecting Dark Kittens fury! The metahuman went white, a shiver down his spine. As the others caught up, he quietly touched his throat mike. "We're all going to die." he said quietly, and glanced at the direction the Tsunami was heading in. By the time it reached Japan - and it would - everything he knew and lived for would be completely washed away.
Kylie, locked away in the tower of her own mind, was at her wits end. Was this working? The sky was boiling something awful, violent storms were flashing down, and had been for what... days? A week? In that time she'd seen no one, not needed any food, wondered what was going on in the 'real world' and stuck to her plan. All the while trusting, hoping, praying, her team mates would set her free...
=========
Elsewhere. Nazi High command.
The officer snapped to attention. The palace in Berlin was opulent, vast and a monument to Nazi superiority. In one room, the vast state room, it stank of old, festering death, and evil of a kind even the Shadow Demons could appreciate.
"Mein fuhrer" said the General, bowing his head. None could look upon the machine that housed the still living remains of the most evil man in history. As technicians came and went, monitoring the life support equipment and tending to the vile things needs, the palace was buzzing with news reaching them from London.
Full scale insurrection. The Metahuman army obliterated. The Ultimate solution, nullified completely. The country was utterly lost, and threatened to drag the rest of Europe into Anarchy with it!
"As you instructed..." said the General "The missiles are already in the air. There are projections coming in. We predict a total obliteration of life in the south of England and Wales. The fallout will render most of Northern Europe uninhabitable, but we have set in motion plans to form clean up teams to prevent further disruption beyond northern France and Belgium. Flight time says 10 minutes to strike. Your will be done, Mein Fuhrer."
=========
The White Warlock turned. "Can you feel that?" he gasped. "The power.. the girl is doing it!" Lionheart and Putty weren't sure what to make of it - the world seemed to be going to hell in a handbasket!
'Give me control. I will sort out my sister for you...' rasped the inner voice. It pulsed, and Dark Putty physically staggered with the effort of fending off the will of the dark creature inside! He opened his mouth to speak, but knew the effort would detract from his inner battle to fend off the will of the creature inside! Finally he was able to gasp and speak, and he knew his time was almost up!
=========
Nowhere Man turned to the others "Do it! Sing!" he rasped, though the 'spooky' effect he normally instilled was lost without his mask.
"I'm Henry the eighth I am
Henry the eighth I am, I am
I got married to the widow next door
She's been married seven times before
And every one was an Henry (Henry)
She wouldn't have a Willy or a Sam (no Sam)
I'm her eighth old man, I'm Henry
Henry the eighth I am
Second verse same as the first"
Stormwarden frowned, looking at the others, then joined in.
By now Dark Kitten was staggering, clutching at her head. She'd used her powers without restraint, and in doing so opened herself up to attack from within! Now it came on, the mental assault by Kitten in the tower of her mind, and her team mates, picking up on the song she was singing!
"STOOOPPPPPPPP ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!" screamed Dark Kitten.
Across Africa, a new ice age began to form....
OOC You're nearly there... Just need to apply a final 'nudge'...
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Re: The Vanguard! Issue #5 - Portal to the past!
Steeple_jackuk Mon Nov 15 2010, 13:10
Admin wrote:OOC Should've known nothing gets past you lot. I had intended to put a poll out for you guys to decide on a preference with regards game direction - after all some might prefer, say, feudal Japan to WWII, and with time travel, anything is possible...
What do you expect we hand off your every word ;-).
As regards myself I'd want to get things straightened out and get back to the present/future... I don't mind going back in time for a time. But I think that this genre works best when it jumps into fantasy, historic, space etc in bursts rather than it becoming Nick Fury's howling commandos or paranoia. But at the same time I think its important you state what kind of a campaign you want. You more than any of us, Paul, have put in a huge amount of work and I'd want to know that what we settled on did make you feel saddled with something you didn't share our enthusiasm for.
Frostbite and Lionheart
Taking his Ocular device Lionheart began to scan the room, but then as he did a thought occurred to him. "I'm dying, don't know if you knew. But do you think if I drink from the cup it might undo the genetic programming that is the time bomb killing me within. Just that I've kind of enjoyed this journey and I'm in no hurry to stop, besides my futures enemy is still here in the past."
Lionheart looked meaningfully at the cup, as he continued the last of the scans.
Meanwhile...Frostbite hearing the unfamiliar words quickly deduced that Kylie must be fighting back form within. With Nowhere Man and Stormwarden joining in with abandon he quickly picked up the words and used his broad voice to join theirs,
"I'm Henry the eighth I am
Henry the eighth I am, I am
I got married to the widow next door
She's been married seven times before
And every one was an Henry (Henry)
She wouldn't have a Willy or a Sam (no Sam)
I'm her eighth old man, I'm Henry
Henry the eighth I am..."
He didn't know if this was ludicrous but when dealing with such a dangerous enemy more childlike than adult in nature, why wouldn't some rhyme work as well as any other. INwardly he was praying, hoping and urging Kylie to fight with all her strength.
Sj
Steeple_jackuk- Cosmic Level
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Join date : 2010-04-28
Re: The Vanguard! Issue #5 - Portal to the past!
DavidMcMahon Mon Nov 15 2010, 13:42
Admin wrote:
OOC Should've known nothing gets past you lot. I had intended to put a poll out for you guys to decide on a preference with regards game direction - after all some might prefer, say, feudal Japan to WWII, and with time travel, anything is possible...
I like the alternate worlds thing or even lost worlds. We are sort of the superhero version of the old Sci-Fi show called Sliders. Not sure if that ever made it to England or not. Basic premise is that they slide from one alternate Earth to the next looking for the right one so they could get home.
But I think maybe putting them between regular adventures would be a good thing instead of back to back to back. If we survive what's happening now and get out of here, maybe the spell wasn't totally perfect that is cast to get us home and we sometimes get kicked out of our reality into a different one due to the wrongness is the spell?
And Dude! I love Herman's Hermits! "Mrs. Brown, you've got a lovely daughter...."
DARK PUTTY
Putty feels the song that the others are using to try to tame Dark Kitty. He telepaths the words into the minds of everyone still alive in a 50 mile radius and sings along with them.
"Hurry and scan that stuff," he grunts out, still fighting his inner demon. "Once you are done, I'm teleporting everyone but Kitten to Stonehenge. She can get there on her own if she still has all that power. If she tames it, then I will teleport her with us as well."
DavidMcMahon- Cosmic Level
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Join date : 2010-05-10
Age : 64
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Re: The Vanguard! Issue #5 - Portal to the past!
Admin Mon Nov 15 2010, 23:34
The Vanguard
Frostbite, Stormwarden, Nowhere Man, Dark Putty, Dark Kitten, Putty Replicants, Lionheart
Frostbite had a strange feeling it wasn't the constant wailing of the song that distracted and annoyed Dark Kitten. More, it was the beings inside the Vanguardians somehow using the words as a link, a carrier, to the one person who could stop Dark Kitten.
=========
Kylie continued to sing the song. How long had it been? She'd forgotten now, but she could hear others singing it, and the weather outside had gotten much, much worse. Suddenly the tower started to shake, and cracks appeared in the walls! Trying not to cry out, she clung onto whatever she could and waited. The tower being to sink, steadily, into the black ash desert!
Judging when the moment was right, she leapt from the window, rolled and breathed heavily, turning back to look at the tower in the midst of the back ash desert landscape... And a clawed hand offered itself to her as she turned...
=========
Dark Kitten suddenly jerked as if struck. She turned and hissed to those gathered "You think this is the last you have seen of me? I WILL claim my rightful place as Queen! None will..."
Then she keeled over...
=========
Kylie looked up in the face of some kind of... Demon? Gasping, she then noticed the servants uniform. "Why are you ... dressed like a servant, whoever you are?" The Shadow High Prince, symbiote of Nowhere Man, gave a sharp intake of breath, his eye flickering in annoyance. "Do you want a hand up or not?" he rasped. "We heard you calling, came to find you, and were able to combine our powers to free you." explained the Demonic man. Despite his appearance there was something enigmatic about the creature, charming almost, as he helped Kylie up. She turned, and saw two more identically dressed creatures, one wild and bulky, another with Frost glistening from its skin, and both were gesturing at the tower. The last portion of the prison was disappearing into the black ash as another turned up. This one was not dressed in a servants uniform, and stood out more because its skin oozed like.. well, putty, despite its demonic appearance. It strode over and sighed "We threaten everything we fought for brother. Do not be too harsh on our sister. She, more than any of us, can stand being in exile the least. She has stayed in the void whilst you and the others, you most of all, have ... enjoyed... time in a physical form and on the material plane with a host. I for one am still getting used to it, but the creature, this P'utinarian, displays many admirable qualities and I could not wish for a better host." it admitted, grudgingly. Kylie looked from one, to the other. The first Demon turned back to her "Go now, little one. Back to your body. Know the price you pay to summon us, and do not judge us too harshly. We are of a different time and universe. I have gotten to know the man Caldwell, and know you will punish yourself for the disaster wrought by our sister. It was wrought by her, not you. Go back and help reset the timeline. Be strong. Be vigilant. Behave."
Kylie swooned.. and woke up with Frostbite over her, gently patting her cheek. He looked to the others - the battered Stormwarden, the very battered Nowhere Man, and now Putty, as he appeared alongside a wild haired man in rags and Lionheart. Nowhere Man looked about "Let's get the hell out of here. I think we overstayed our welcome. Just a feeling..." he growled, and moved to pull on his mask and hood, cursing when he realised he was still dressed as a servant! His eye flickered in annoyance...
Helping Kylie to her feet, the others waited whilst Putty concentrated. Frostbite heard... what was that? Survivors in the city singing? "I'm Henry the Eighth I am..." He looked about. Had the others heard it? Had the world gone mad?
Putty applied his power, and the group disappeared!
=========
To reappear near the smashed up camp surrounding Stonehenge! "Hurry!" wailed the bearded man. "Come!" The Vanguard followed the wizened former prisoner to the reassembled standing stones. "Shame about Adjutant." muttered Stormwarden. Nowhere Man nodded, then turned to Lionheart "You ok? You look... not good."
Lionheart grinned. He'd mentioned to the White Warlock about his illness, and the man had only looked on sadly before answering. "It is no illness, but a part of you, a function. Your body was designed to be that way. There is nothing the grail can do to fix you because there is nothing it sees as an ailment!" He'd placed a hand on Lionhearts shoulder. "It was this way in another time, another space. You had friends, a career, an Executive around you, and you died. There is only one way to save you, and that is to apply the missing piece of the puzzle."
Lionheart sighed. "Saladin." he said. He had no idea where the man was. Probably miles from here. Lionheart would die. All he could was help his friends before he did so.
Now at the Stone Circle he felt a nudge on his shoulder, and nodded, handing the White Warlock the binocular device and switching it to the right setting. "Your glyphs will be displayed on screen. Use the controls to scroll through." The Warlock nodded, and held the grail in one hand, calling on it's magic, whilst he looked through the binoculars with the other. "In the circle" he screamed as rockets soared miles overhead.
Lots of rockets.
Of the nuclear kind.
Heading towards London. They would touch down in minutes!
The Vanguard looked overhead as the deadly machines of death soared towards their target, and the Warlock chanted over the top of it, his spell, devised years ago for a purpose unknown, requiring an unattainable power source to be cast at a time and a place that seemed dreamlike, hard to grasp. He grasped it now. The time was near, only seconds away. He bellowed his spell to the sky as the stones started to glow, white light shining from them, the Vanguard in the middle! Lionheart knew he was doomed, here or there. Why go with them when... He narrowed his eyes. What was that? Movement across the others side of the stone circle...?
=========
Minutes ago...
His keen mind considered many possibilities, puzzles that had yet not fallen into place, probabilities, conundrums, mysteries. Always the thought came back. Why had they rebuilt Stonehenge? For what reason?
He leaned over to the pilot. "Turn around."
"What? I have my orders! I will not... I will alert the others! You have no..." started the pilot. CRICK! His neck was twisted violently as Saladin reached over and wrenched it around, then settled into the co-pilots seat. He glanced over his shoulder, at the cargo area. In there, poison gas still lingered where he'd opened a container of the stuff destined to be dropped on London. The dead metahumans were proof of what a concentrated dose in an enclosed area could do. He pulled the rebreather from his nose and closed the cockpit door, concentrating, flashing the knowledge of how to be a pilot into his brain. He was glad he'd hacked the Nazi communication network. Not only had he overheard the panicked cries from the London High Command, but he'd also heard the transmission sent out by Berlin to London. 'You have served your Fuhrer well and will be honoured.' said the message. That had convinced him to take the Jet and turn it round to head back towards Stonehenge. If nothing else happened there, at least he'd avoid Londons' fate!
Now he crouched near a shattered hut, overlooking the stones and the people gathered in them. They started to glow as the man in rags chanted! He saw... Richard King - Lionheart! He was here too! He laughed out loud, then frowned. What were they doing? And now?
Overhead the missiles had rumbled. Saladin didn't wait any more. He made his move!
"No!" said the Warlock. "Wait! You will not survive the spell! It is meant for..." as he saw Lionheart launch towards the circle and his hated foe, coming from the opposite direction.
The White Warlocks mind raced. For years the spell had been an enigma. Why he'd written it, it's purpose, when all the signs pointed to the world ending! Now he knew, but the spell would kill Lionheart! Quickly he glanced in the binoculars and made a snap decision, picking out a line, repeating it thrice instead of twice, then adding a section from another part.
The Stones shone, bright white light blinding to behold.
Lionheart leapt towards the circle, coming within its boundary. The Vanguard wondered what he was doing, then out of the corner of their eye, saw another figure leapt from the other side!
"FARE THEE WELL HEROES!" yelled the Warlock. "WE WILL MEET AGAIN, BUT NOT IN THIS LIFE!!!!"
Everything flared, bright, blinding light, whilst in the distance another light, more terrible and evil than any ever imagined, blossomed and mushroomed, again, and again, and again...
Then all was darkness...
=========
OOC Before we continue, we'll need to have a chat - head over to the OOC section and we'll chat on there. Otherwise this, as they say, is a wrap on issue five...
Frostbite, Stormwarden, Nowhere Man, Dark Putty, Dark Kitten, Putty Replicants, Lionheart
Frostbite had a strange feeling it wasn't the constant wailing of the song that distracted and annoyed Dark Kitten. More, it was the beings inside the Vanguardians somehow using the words as a link, a carrier, to the one person who could stop Dark Kitten.
=========
Kylie continued to sing the song. How long had it been? She'd forgotten now, but she could hear others singing it, and the weather outside had gotten much, much worse. Suddenly the tower started to shake, and cracks appeared in the walls! Trying not to cry out, she clung onto whatever she could and waited. The tower being to sink, steadily, into the black ash desert!
Judging when the moment was right, she leapt from the window, rolled and breathed heavily, turning back to look at the tower in the midst of the back ash desert landscape... And a clawed hand offered itself to her as she turned...
=========
Dark Kitten suddenly jerked as if struck. She turned and hissed to those gathered "You think this is the last you have seen of me? I WILL claim my rightful place as Queen! None will..."
Then she keeled over...
=========
Kylie looked up in the face of some kind of... Demon? Gasping, she then noticed the servants uniform. "Why are you ... dressed like a servant, whoever you are?" The Shadow High Prince, symbiote of Nowhere Man, gave a sharp intake of breath, his eye flickering in annoyance. "Do you want a hand up or not?" he rasped. "We heard you calling, came to find you, and were able to combine our powers to free you." explained the Demonic man. Despite his appearance there was something enigmatic about the creature, charming almost, as he helped Kylie up. She turned, and saw two more identically dressed creatures, one wild and bulky, another with Frost glistening from its skin, and both were gesturing at the tower. The last portion of the prison was disappearing into the black ash as another turned up. This one was not dressed in a servants uniform, and stood out more because its skin oozed like.. well, putty, despite its demonic appearance. It strode over and sighed "We threaten everything we fought for brother. Do not be too harsh on our sister. She, more than any of us, can stand being in exile the least. She has stayed in the void whilst you and the others, you most of all, have ... enjoyed... time in a physical form and on the material plane with a host. I for one am still getting used to it, but the creature, this P'utinarian, displays many admirable qualities and I could not wish for a better host." it admitted, grudgingly. Kylie looked from one, to the other. The first Demon turned back to her "Go now, little one. Back to your body. Know the price you pay to summon us, and do not judge us too harshly. We are of a different time and universe. I have gotten to know the man Caldwell, and know you will punish yourself for the disaster wrought by our sister. It was wrought by her, not you. Go back and help reset the timeline. Be strong. Be vigilant. Behave."
Kylie swooned.. and woke up with Frostbite over her, gently patting her cheek. He looked to the others - the battered Stormwarden, the very battered Nowhere Man, and now Putty, as he appeared alongside a wild haired man in rags and Lionheart. Nowhere Man looked about "Let's get the hell out of here. I think we overstayed our welcome. Just a feeling..." he growled, and moved to pull on his mask and hood, cursing when he realised he was still dressed as a servant! His eye flickered in annoyance...
Helping Kylie to her feet, the others waited whilst Putty concentrated. Frostbite heard... what was that? Survivors in the city singing? "I'm Henry the Eighth I am..." He looked about. Had the others heard it? Had the world gone mad?
Putty applied his power, and the group disappeared!
=========
To reappear near the smashed up camp surrounding Stonehenge! "Hurry!" wailed the bearded man. "Come!" The Vanguard followed the wizened former prisoner to the reassembled standing stones. "Shame about Adjutant." muttered Stormwarden. Nowhere Man nodded, then turned to Lionheart "You ok? You look... not good."
Lionheart grinned. He'd mentioned to the White Warlock about his illness, and the man had only looked on sadly before answering. "It is no illness, but a part of you, a function. Your body was designed to be that way. There is nothing the grail can do to fix you because there is nothing it sees as an ailment!" He'd placed a hand on Lionhearts shoulder. "It was this way in another time, another space. You had friends, a career, an Executive around you, and you died. There is only one way to save you, and that is to apply the missing piece of the puzzle."
Lionheart sighed. "Saladin." he said. He had no idea where the man was. Probably miles from here. Lionheart would die. All he could was help his friends before he did so.
Now at the Stone Circle he felt a nudge on his shoulder, and nodded, handing the White Warlock the binocular device and switching it to the right setting. "Your glyphs will be displayed on screen. Use the controls to scroll through." The Warlock nodded, and held the grail in one hand, calling on it's magic, whilst he looked through the binoculars with the other. "In the circle" he screamed as rockets soared miles overhead.
Lots of rockets.
Of the nuclear kind.
Heading towards London. They would touch down in minutes!
The Vanguard looked overhead as the deadly machines of death soared towards their target, and the Warlock chanted over the top of it, his spell, devised years ago for a purpose unknown, requiring an unattainable power source to be cast at a time and a place that seemed dreamlike, hard to grasp. He grasped it now. The time was near, only seconds away. He bellowed his spell to the sky as the stones started to glow, white light shining from them, the Vanguard in the middle! Lionheart knew he was doomed, here or there. Why go with them when... He narrowed his eyes. What was that? Movement across the others side of the stone circle...?
=========
Minutes ago...
His keen mind considered many possibilities, puzzles that had yet not fallen into place, probabilities, conundrums, mysteries. Always the thought came back. Why had they rebuilt Stonehenge? For what reason?
He leaned over to the pilot. "Turn around."
"What? I have my orders! I will not... I will alert the others! You have no..." started the pilot. CRICK! His neck was twisted violently as Saladin reached over and wrenched it around, then settled into the co-pilots seat. He glanced over his shoulder, at the cargo area. In there, poison gas still lingered where he'd opened a container of the stuff destined to be dropped on London. The dead metahumans were proof of what a concentrated dose in an enclosed area could do. He pulled the rebreather from his nose and closed the cockpit door, concentrating, flashing the knowledge of how to be a pilot into his brain. He was glad he'd hacked the Nazi communication network. Not only had he overheard the panicked cries from the London High Command, but he'd also heard the transmission sent out by Berlin to London. 'You have served your Fuhrer well and will be honoured.' said the message. That had convinced him to take the Jet and turn it round to head back towards Stonehenge. If nothing else happened there, at least he'd avoid Londons' fate!
Now he crouched near a shattered hut, overlooking the stones and the people gathered in them. They started to glow as the man in rags chanted! He saw... Richard King - Lionheart! He was here too! He laughed out loud, then frowned. What were they doing? And now?
Overhead the missiles had rumbled. Saladin didn't wait any more. He made his move!
"No!" said the Warlock. "Wait! You will not survive the spell! It is meant for..." as he saw Lionheart launch towards the circle and his hated foe, coming from the opposite direction.
The White Warlocks mind raced. For years the spell had been an enigma. Why he'd written it, it's purpose, when all the signs pointed to the world ending! Now he knew, but the spell would kill Lionheart! Quickly he glanced in the binoculars and made a snap decision, picking out a line, repeating it thrice instead of twice, then adding a section from another part.
The Stones shone, bright white light blinding to behold.
Lionheart leapt towards the circle, coming within its boundary. The Vanguard wondered what he was doing, then out of the corner of their eye, saw another figure leapt from the other side!
"FARE THEE WELL HEROES!" yelled the Warlock. "WE WILL MEET AGAIN, BUT NOT IN THIS LIFE!!!!"
Everything flared, bright, blinding light, whilst in the distance another light, more terrible and evil than any ever imagined, blossomed and mushroomed, again, and again, and again...
Then all was darkness...
=========
OOC Before we continue, we'll need to have a chat - head over to the OOC section and we'll chat on there. Otherwise this, as they say, is a wrap on issue five...
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