Darkening Shadows - History past...

10 Years ago

The Executive and the Lore Knights disband. One of the last actions of the groups is to defeat the Shadow Demons as they infiltrate our reality for the first time. Though blamed for the incursion Wraith acquits himself well and from his knowledge gained the teams are able to barely defeat the foe, though at a price, with a number of members badly injured. The Lore Knights later dismiss Wraith and remove his powers. He vows to continue to find a way to save his dead lover and their unborn child, no matter the cost.

The groups drift away after that. Lionheart (Executive) dies, and Ben Nevis, his colleague/friend almost kills the only man who could have - and refused to - save Lionheart, Saladin. After that, Ben disappears from public life. Steeplejack (Executive) retires from group duty but undertakes a number of covert ops/wetwork missions using his skills and powers, all for the benefit of various British Intelligence Agencies. Finally he settles down, marries, and retires from superheroics. Ghost Knight (Lore Knights) retires from superheroics after its clear the land is not in immediate peril - others have risen to take on the mantle of the lands protectors. As Justin St Johns, he becomes special adviser to the government and monarchy on metahuman affairs, and is on a number of powerful committees in Whitehall. He and Caldwell are on speaking terms, albeit barely. Wandafar (Executive) becomes a freelance scientist, splitting his time between inventing and watching his beloved soap operas. Iron Lady (Executive) is wounded on an Exec mission and confined to a wheelchair. She retires from superheroics but becomes a successful (even more so) businesswoman. Others of the two groups continue in some capacity for a while as superheroes. British Bulldog (Executive), attuned to the land, feels the pain the most when things start getting progressively worse. He degenerates into an animal state, his size, power and bad temper increasing in response to the threat to the land. When not in lupine form, he lives rough on the moors, and loses touch with society.

Between 10 and 3 Years ago

DICE as a metahuman control agency, finds its budgets cut with success governments. Superhumans patrol the streets, the darling of the media and public, and political parties align themselves with high profile superhumans to boost their campaign ratings. Even so, certain astute observers know something is not right. In the background, the fabric of society is breaking down. Divorce rates are at an all time high, crime rates rise steadily, but its the unreported crimes that take a massive hike. There is a sour mood in the air, anarchy starts to bubble under with a number of high profile public protests about anything and everything. A 'winter of discontent' with, of all things, the police on strike, is only marginally successful because of the proliferation of superhuman vigilantes. With tails between legs, the resentful police go back to work. When Albert Watkins gains the powers that will turn him into Adjutant, a new age is ushered in. His power levels are off the chart, something only seen with a handful of supers around the world, mostly resident in the United States. A government classification of superhuman powers issued with a scale of 1 (expert/Olympic street level) to 5 (limits unknown). Adjutant is a firm 'Class 5'.



With Adjutant effectively acting as a 'police force' to keep superhumans in line, public morale rises steadily, and people feel safe knowing they have a guardian angel on their side, especially one with the power of an entire army in his fists. Adjutant himself feels the strain of public adulation and pressure to perform, but so far his powers are well up to any task.

Nowhere Man appears at this time. His methods are brutal, his commitment unwavering. Despite seeming to be on the lower scale of the power classifications, he is extremely effective at stopping low level 'street crime'. The Police publicly denounce him, but privately enjoy the best arrest rate they've ever seen thanks to Nowhere Man and others like him. Heroes who shun the limelight and stick to an iron code - that evil prospers when good men do nothing.

3 years-a couple of months ago

When you're on top of a mountain, it stands to reason you have the farthest to fall.

When the news broke that Adjutant was on a rampage, smashing up property, cars, even people who came within reach, it made people sit up and watch. The police mobilised, but their riot gear, dogs and guns were useless. They had nothing... NOTHING that could affect him in any way, even sheer weight of numbers. Haunting pictures of broken bodied policemen in the street played on every news channel. The superhuman community responded. Many had had dealings with Adjutant, found him friendly, cooperative, and not the type who'd intentionally overshadow your own abilities, even if that's exactly what he did.

The remnants of DICE mobilise to stop Adjutant from completely destroying the City of Manchester. It's to be their last throw. Despite their equipment, obsolete by their standards but far in advance of anything the Police have, they are brushed aside.

When Pocket Rocket and his sidekick Jetpack Jill, the Tower Of London, Bloodraven, The Scarlet Avenger and Timmy Jones (with his 'fantastical toy robot army') showed up, all they could do was slow the rampaging heroes' progress. Within yards of the Old Trafford stadium, they finally bring Adjutant down, and with him falls the adulation of a nation. In the glare of cameras he's unmasked, but no one can quite put the snarling scarred broken nosed face of a drunk to the charming, heroic and upstanding Adjutant. As the battered heroes leave the scene, all know that things have changed - forever - now.

Over the next 48 hours, public and political outcry is enormous. Love for the superhumans and what they did for the public is forgotten as TV shows, internet boards and radio waves are filled with bile and hate. Some attempt to defend the actions of the good majority, but Adjutant, seen as the best, brightest and most approachable, had crashed and burnt, and taken the trust with him.

So when Eurotrash, a multinational group of metahuman criminals, decides to 'visit' London for a very public crime spree, things go from disastrous to near anarchical. The hatred grows, public demonstrations fill the streets, outcry for action is vociferous and unending. To those flames, fuel is poured on the fire by Insidious Inc, another metahuman criminal group, who kidnap a bus load of nuns and orphans. It's the final straw. Britain is at breaking point. Superheroes fear to come out because they know they are as likely to be targeted as the bad guys, and will have to face the wrath of a vengeful public.

As the police cordon surrounds the bus and Insidious Inc, the press and public can only guess at the devastation that will be wrought upon the police and army that surround the villains. It's the darkest hour. The light of trust and freedom is about to be extinguished.

That's when Adjutant soars down from the sky to land amidst the police cordon.

The hatred poured towards him from the police, army and public is almost too much for him to take - he's bewildered, then stumbles through the police lines.

The Jester, one of Insidious Inc. masterminds, cracks a joke as Adjutant walks towards the bus. Adjutants' reply is swift and to the point. Despite their power and numbers, Adjutant, the real Adjutant, is so far out of Insidious Incs league the battering they receive is painful to watch. And just like that, it's over. Or so Adjutant thought. The nuns and children cower in fear from him, the press swamp the police lines with clicking cameras and shouted questions, and Adjutant looks about, feels the hatred, anger and fear, then flies off.

He thought it was over. It was only just beginning.

=========

When it's confirmed that Adjutant was actually in space on a mission for the European Space Initiative, it does little to persuade people that superhumans are good to have around. It needs more.

And so Adjutant, in the glare of TV cameras from around the world, unmasks, revealing himself as former scientist Albert Watkins.The impostor was Megaton, who cannot remember any details as to why he was dressed as Adjutant or how he got drunk - his superhuman physiology should make such a thing impossible. Adjutant ushers in a new age of superhuman relations in the United Kingdom. Anyone unregistered superhuman, without full disclosure of identity and activities to the government, will be deemed a criminal. Adjutant is the first of the UKChampions, a new superhero group sponsored by the UK Government. From the ashes of DICE springs S.M.I.T.E. (Strategic Metahuman International Terrorism Elimination) a law enforcement agency with few budget limits and a mandate to clean up the streets of Britain, protect her shores from foreign metahumans, and cooperate with other agencies to bring about their incarceration if not registered.

Following Adjutants' example, other unmask. Things do not go as smoothly as hoped. Some heroes are targeted at their homes after unmasking. Others at the press conference where they unmask. One, Major Tom, reveals his partners identity even though she opposed registration. He later helps her escape incarceration but the damage is done. Tom is seen as a traitor by both sides, and thrown in the slammer. Perhaps the worst is Cut-Lass. She's revealed to be Angela Carter-Jones, popular TV personality. A villainous group known as the Usurpers kidnapped every single member of her family. That act against the charismatic well loved superheroine galvanised the superhero community, both registered and otherwise, to hit the streets to find them. SMITE attempted to enforce the new laws, but was swiftly rebuffed by angry superhumans that even the UKChampions found difficult to contain. The Blue Bowman was arrested, his cries of "I'm only trying to help!" splashed on the front pages of every newspaper.

A punch drunk nation finds its streets turned into war zones. The Police, Army and SMITE itself finds itself confined to containment duties as superhumans battle with powers beyond comprehension. When unregistered heroes Pocket Rocket and Jetpack Jill, longtime darlings of the media, are injured and hospitalised by a rampaging Tank Man, SMITEs attempts to arrest them in hospital are stopped short by Adjutant himself, who tells SMITE in no uncertain terms to leave.

Things are, in short, as bad as ever.

An attack on the deputy Prime Minister by the villainous Executor prompts notorious hardline vigilante Nowhere Man to hunt down and bring the villain in. He's dumped, badly beaten and broken, on a police stations' steps to cheers and claps by the police in defiance of SMITE who try to apprehend Nowhere Man. The Police clash with SMITE and Nowhere Man himself is injured defending them, but makes good his escape.

As violence escalates, the British Government appeals to their American counterparts. They respond, sending probably the two most powerful beings ever to set foot on planet Earth, the Ultrahumans Silver Sentinel and Thunder Woman. Even those acknowledged as the UKs most powerful, Adjutant and unregistered hero Majestic
struggle against those two, and a massive street battle is quickly brought to an end, with registered and unregistered heroes, along with supervillains, lying in the rubble, dazed.

When, in the glare of TV cameras, the Ultrahumans refuse to unmask after a question posed by Bucaneer, they realise that they themselves are effectively acting as unregistered metahumans, and leave the scene, embarrassed. The villains escape, the heroes from both sides in no shape to catch them, and the registered/unregistered heroes grudgingly acknowledge things must change. Whilst they fight amongst themselves, things will only get worse. But the law is the law and it allows no 'grey areas'. Even as they leave the scene, both sides know the battle will soon recommence.

A couple of months ago-now

Across the country, unconnected individuals wake from week long comas. They are given clean bills of health and return to their homes and jobs, none the worse for wear but knowing nothing of what happened. Over the next few weeks they discover powers beyond those of normal men, and some done costumes to take up the roles of superheroes, albeit unregistered ones - it's clear that unmasking makes not only yourself, but those you love a target.

The vigilante Nowhere Man watches, waits and acts when the time is right. For he has had a hand in the choosing of the 'awoken', and there is far more to him than meets the eye. He is no normal superhuman. He alone knows that the events over the last few years stem from the machinations of an extra dimensional race of conquerers, the Shadow Demons. They infiltrate, influence and instil terror at every level of society, high and low, and Nowhere Man alone knows he has to stop them before its too late.

Across Britain, The Shadows Darken.

The 'Awoken' and the group they form, the Vanguard, are the light...