X-Champions Issues
Issue #14 - Oh Canada
While Sihn is angrily interrogating Sammy at Laughton Agency, Hamlet Laughton is out with Jonas Hell and his new detective Manfred ("Manny") Wulfenstein. It's 2 AM and just about closing time as Jonas mentions in reply to Hamlet's jibes that he's managed to rack up some billables in the course of investigating the DEA. He dangles the knowledge in front of Laughton, wondering if he'd like to know how. Though it's best not to know and maintain credible deniability, the world's most curious detective can't resist and asks. It turns out that Hell tracked his crusade into Canada to a company that makes textbooks and its owner, a powerful man, Gerald Emerald. And in the course of investigating it turned out he has a gambling problem, leading to the kidnapping of his daughter by criminals wanting their money. Hell used the info to essentially blackmail the man, telling him he'd "handle" his case and ensure his daughter was returned or, if he wasn't hired, he'd report Emerald to the authorities. The check was then made out to Laughton-Davis Agencies (Hell not realizing the recent change in name) and the man's daughter returned. Hell also indicates that Emerald is close friends with the Prime Minister and thinks the PM's involved. Manny's a bit perturbed and wonders how the agency operates. Laughton explains the necessary shades of gray, talks about the dark spots in human nature which have to be combated, and attempts to relate it to Wulfenstein's own background as an investigative reporter covering weird but true stories. Manny reflects on one of his own experiences where they had to play fast and loose with the truth to get information.
But to prove his point that the world is a more rosy place than Hamlet paints, Manny works his magic on the bartender who ends up agreeing to give the crew one more for the road on the house! Hell isn't impressed - no man who calls him "Helly" and is so confident and filled with wonder and hope for the world will ever impress Jonas.
Several blocks away Suzanne Palmer is wide awake. She was awoken a bit earlier in the evening when a voice in her head said to her simply, "Don't worry, it's all fixed now. All fixed" A voice in her head wasn't the issue - she's used to that. But this wasn't her familiar voice, this was another one, a darker one and powerful one she's heard only on occasion. And it's never been a good thing. To keep her mind off of it, she determines to do some paperwork, finishing up some benefits information and handling her considerable finances. The phone rings, a welcome distraction despite being after 2 in the morning. It's Eliot Sihn and while he's usually curt, this time there's more urgency to his voice as he says, "Hello, Suzanne? Yes, this is Eliot - Lefty's gone, can you come down to the agency?" She rushes off, not bothering with her appearance as usual, throwing on a simple comfortable wardrobe and no makeup.
Meanwhile the three detectives return to find Sammy and Eliot Sihn considering their next steps and having just called Suzanne. Manny introduces himself jauntily and is brushed off by a worried Sihn. He's a bit persistent, though, and refers to Eliot as "Elly", though the upset Sihn is too distracted to notice. Sammy is friendlier, of course, and unconcerned when, after getting his full name ("Sammy Slime"), Manny refers to him as "Slimy". Manny asks Sammy what he's doing for lunch the following/coming day (Saturday) and Sammy responds "eating". Laughing, Manny invites him to lunch on him as well as "Elly", "Helly", and "Hammy". He catches a cold clearing of Laughton's throat and changes it to "Hamlet". As the subject of Laughton-Davis Agency becoming just Laughton Agency happens to come up, Sammy, still not quite a master of the obvious sometimes, says "Yeah, what's happened to Davis, where is he?" Laughton simply pats Sammy on the head and says, "Ah, he's moved away, Sammy."
Sihn, upon learning Manny's the new detective, immediately asks, "So you have no reputation, no past, trying to hide form something, something like that?" Manny curiously replies no. Sihn presses on, "So you work cheap?" Manny uncomfortably replies, "Well, no, in fact I'm a little higher priced than the norm." Sihn then asks, "So you're not from around here?" He's struck it as Manny indicates he's been in the Amazon the last few months. Now Eliot knows why Hamlet hired him and why he'd be crazy enough to work in the chaotic, overly-publicized detective firm.
Hell is offering to find Lefty, indicating to Hamlet that Sihn has been a client since he's sought out information on Lakura through the firm, as Laughton's already aware, and wondering if he's got a credit line. Hamlet tells him not to worry about it as Sihn goes downstairs to find Gere-luce who's sleeping on site due to the considerable work in building out a headquarters down deep in the salt mines.
Suzanne shows up as well and Manny immediately introduces himself and proceeds to call her "Suzie", much to her apparent displeasure. He switches that to "Palmie" and then relents as the beautiful woman becomes agitated. The womanizing romanticist has her marked...
Suzanne is briefed on Lefty as well as hearing about the new potential legal problems due to Hell's incursion into Canada. She checks on Emerald and it turns out he's one of Canada's richest men and in fact one of the top 50 in North America Meanwhile Laughton begins infiltrating commercial satellites that handle radio frequency traffic in the Detroit area in order to find a trail on the RF car that Lefty was last known to use. He hits pay dirt as he locates one and pulls its log files down. This reveals that the car suddenly took an abrupt turn and moved in a straight line across Detroit and into Canada, the trace disappearing just north of Toronto. Laughton reflects that it was apparently going at 550 miles an hour, a speed attainable by Comet, whom he's just spoken with.
Sihn, as is his habit, points his mutant detector at Manny, who wonders what he's doing. He's surprised to find that he reads as a mutant and gets a sample from Manny, which he runs downstairs and briefly analyzes to find it's a type associated with lycanthropy, but keeps it to himself.
During side conversation, it comes up that Manny is getting an office as Caruthers is moving into what a small space used for storage. Sammy asks if he can get an office, and Hamlet notes he has to be bringing in cash for the agency - and he's not going to pay him for not eating. He also notes that he can't collect money for not eating from Velda, either, realizing that's a possible outcome. Sammy nods and seems to fully understand the situation.
As the group resolves to go straight to Canada where the signal died, Suzanne begins putting on a little makeup and fixing herself up as best she can with such short notice. She wishes she'd known ahead of time where this was leading.
Jonas is insistent on joining them, convinced he can charge his time to Eliot for the retrieval of Lefty. The group attempts to dissuade him. Manny, whom they start to dissuade, is quick to point out he's fine with staying behind. Laughton asks Manny to spend a little more time going through the log files for anything that looks suspicious or coincidental and says he can come in late tomorrow - 8:15 (of course it's Saturday anyway but Hamlet isn't even aware of that since to him every day's a workday). Manny replies he was already planning to come in at 5, so he'll make it 5:15.
Off they go as Bob Rogers, wide awake (as he loves to prowl the night) when called a few minutes prior, and having enough time to put together a nice collection of some Motown mood music for the early AM trip, pulls up in the Black Buick. Limited for space, Hamlet indicates to Jonas he has to ride in the trunk, stoned (a la Rodin), if he wants to go. He readily agrees so Laughton shrugs and grants his wish as he climbs into the trunk. To further make the ride comfortable, Sammy turns into a cat and lays in the back seat next to Hamlet and Suzanne. In his cat guise he matches Suzanne's hair color and complements her features, making for a striking look for both. On the way, Hamlet mischievously calls back to the completely unconscious Jonas saying, "You okay back there?" and then grinning and saying to the other Justice Squad heroes, "I love doing that."
Sihn leans back over his chair and says to Hamlet, "You know, your new detective is a werewolf." Laughton is dismissive - he knows Manny and it seems ludicrous, besides, Sihn must be wrong here to think there's any reality to werewolves.
The Buick takes to the air as its jets fire and it attempts to quickly move along. However, just as it moves into Canadian air space, the group is unexpectedly intercepted by a couple United States fighter pilots along the reputedly unpatrolled border. There's no flight pattern associated with it, plus it's a highly unusual thing to see flying. They radio for it to return to Detroit and touch down at a specified location. Rogers and the group comply.
They're greeted within 10 minutes by an air force helicopter, and two soldiers step out. The soldiers interrogate them, demanding to know more. One, a more mature man, keeps looking like he must know them as the other, a younger one, seems oblivious and rashly barks his questions and orders at them. The Justice Squad is evasive about purpose and finally just say they can't say, Laughton indicating who he is. As the senior man realizes that at least there's some level of both fame and notoriety associated with the Laughton via his association with the Justice Squad, he goes back to the helicopter to radio for instructions, relaying their request to move along, pledging to drive normally across the border. Meanwhile the younger man orders them to not move and remain silent. The ever-irascible Laughton leans forward and continues to talk - and the soldier actually fires at him! Hamlet ducks and Sihn starts turning into the Troll. The senior man rushes back and attempts to calm the situation. As the Justice Squad threatens legal action, the older soldier, clearly upset with the younger one but willing to back him up as he also keeps his rifle drawn just in case things get worse, simply replies they must go to Coolidge Air Force Base in Ohio. The group groans at the thought of Ohio just on principle, as well as the delay in getting to Lefty whom they fear is being spirited further away. The soldier also tells them they must all go join the soldiers in their helicopter except for Rogers, whom he requests flies the vehicle/plane (the authorities continue to stumble over what to call it) behind them. After some hesitation, they comply. The younger, brash soldier demands they keep the cat in their car but they insist they need to watch it, and the older soldier over-rules his sidekick.
As they get out of the car, Laughton whispers to Palmer this must be a trap. Responding, she reads their minds, having recently exercised her power to the point where gestures are no longer necessary to use her mental might. The senior soldier is thinking that he's nervous given the younger one's actions and is also simply considering his orders to take them in. The younger soldier is stewing, apparently hating cats in particular, and fantasizing about the Justice Squad (not that the knows them as such) spending years in a military prison. Palmer uses her mind link to tell Laughton there's no trap, at least on the way, and at least not to their knowledge. Also, responding the younger man's hatred of cats, puts out tissues for the cat (remember, he's Sammy) to tear at and swallow. Then using her mind link she lets him know to spew up tissue/hairballs on the young soldier. The victimized young many is barely contained by the more experienced one. Laughton urges Palmer to enter the helicopter pilot's mind and fly them all to Canada, but Palmer resists his suggestion, both on practical grounds as well as, unlike Laughton, she has more than a healthy fear of what the feds can do.
They arrive at the Ohio base to touch down and see an all-black helicopter nearby, and several men-in-black confronting a cadre of military officers and soldiers, clearly arguing. They point excitedly at the other copter and attempt to move to it but are blocked. The vigilantes are hastily escorted to the office of General Hammond. Hammond is an easy-going but clearly well-schooled military man. He lays it on the line - the heroes shouldn't have been fired on and that could be embarrassing for the government if somehow corroborated. Equally, the heroes shouldn't have been crossing into Canada as they did - it was breaking at least a few laws, however minor they might be. He also senses their urgency at leaving. They agree to go back to the border and drive through it like anyone and, like the air force, just forget about the whole thing. Quickly they're escorted back to the Buick. Sihn looks over the men in black, wondering if he can recognize any of them from earlier encounters. He starts to notice an alarming uniformity, as does Laughton and in turn the others. The men in black's faces are all non-descript, and moreover non-descript in the same way, their features showing signs of having been changed to be that way. Each is exactly 6'2". The Justice Squad is spooked and moves along.
On the way back to Detroit they're escorted by a couple jets. They play with them by slowing down to the point where the jets can't, then note that not only do regular Air Force copters catch up, but that the eerie black helicopters are in hot pursuit behind those. The Justice Squad decides to move quickly...
They fly up to the bridge linking Detroit to Windsor and then drive to the border. Customs agents ask a few questions, noting the cat and indicating that they really should have papers indicating its vaccinations, but generally fine with moving them along like most American tourists. As they're given the green light, Laughton says, "Have a nice day, eh," mimicking the Canadian "eh" habit. The agent immediately says, "Hold on, we have to check a couple more things." After a quick trip to the office and back, he returns saying, "Mr. Laughton, you're the employer of one Jonas Hell I see..." and an inquisition begins. They search the trunk and find the sculpture bearing an amazing likeness to Hell. Knowing that Laughton is associated with the Justice Squad which includes Rodin, they insist the sculpture be held for examination. Laughton explains its for his aunt and they'd rather leave the cat (knowing Sammy can easily slip away). The customs agents however do not relent and insist on collecting it. Hamlet lets them, but they realize shortly that it's too heavy and wedged in the trunk. They ask for his and others' help, but they feign back inabilities and other issues. Angrily the Canadians enlist the nearby American customs agents help as well as security and janitorial help, and finally manage to lift out the 700 pound statue. They've spent 45 minutes at the crossing.
The Justice Squad then quickly moves along, more nervous as it's now almost 4:00 and some three and a half hours since Lefty disappeared. The Buick takes to the air again and they quickly land where the signal left off. Now what to do? Spectrum reaches out across the suburb and beyond with her mind, hoping to find Lefty's mind. She manages to, realizing in fact he's only a couple miles away, but just afterwards the mental waves suddenly blank out as an impenetrable blanket descends over the area Lefty's at. She also experiences a brief pain - some mentalist has reached out and blocked her. They swiftly move to the area.
As they approach, Laughton is using his powerful binoculars and sees a stark clearing, white with snow, with tracks on it as if some odd vehicle landed there, in the middle of a forest. They approach it cautiously and suddenly Spectrum feels an attempt to find her mind, whoever it is just missing her.
As they reconnoiter the area, they find some dozen cameras surrounding the white field, which they disable one by one. The Troll points his detector out the window of the Buick and picks up a figure nearby. As the Buick approaches where he detected it, the entire area goes into a strange gray that seems to almost crackle - electronics are obscured, even hearing is impaired as no sound escapes or enters a large gray radius. After a time the grayness drops and no trace of the mutant can be found.
Knowing that whoever's in whatever lays underneath the snow knows they're out there somewhere and moreover that any plan involving Sammy and the Troll being exposed to the cold for long limits their power, they decide to take the direct approach, hoping knocking out the cameras was sufficient to blind those presumably holding Lefty. Spectrum clears the snow randomly with a large tree she's mentally manipulating, using it as a sort of huge broom. Laughton spots where the cables from the cameras come together and likely lead to a single conduit into the base. They pursue it and find it leads to a large hatch Spectrum exposes. The hatch isn't quite large enough for the Black Buick. Spectrum strains herself as she mentally pulls the hatch up enough to leave a good-sized opening for them to drop through. The Troll uses one of his drugs to boost Sammy's and his own mental defenses against any attempts by the mentalist they know must be inside. Laughton seems to have a trick up his own sleeve, donning a strange helmet with a top layer resembling tin foil.
Nervously, knowing they're stepping directly into somebody's line of fire, they drop through, the rugged damage-taking Troll first, followed by Sammy, Spectrum, and taking up the rear Laughton, hoping to find a way to keep Jonas Hell from turning back to his regular self in front of customs agents probably ready to arrest him on some charge for something he's no doubt triggered in Canada.
But any hope of that is dashed as they see a rough-looking black woman shooting a canister of something near the Troll's feet. Just as they catch the first glimpse of a virulent gas explode from the capsule, Sammy switches to a smooth glass-like form with no points of entry. A strange blur of a person moves speedily up a long hallway and "tags" the Troll, barely hurting him at all, and rushes off back down the hall and out of site around a corner. Then a big, clearly enraged person runs down a side hallway towards the hero, getting into position just near the woman who fired the gas canister. They don't know it but he's the horrendously damaging mutant known as Rage. The Troll then springs at the woman, grabbing her and as he does so, holding, her, Laughton turns immediately her to a stunned solid stone [GM note - 3 6s rolled as damage!]. Spectrum moves as far as she can as the gas is escaping, avoiding some of its effects. The amazingly fast being, whom Sihn knows as Roadrunner, again runs out, this time tagging Spectrum, who can't sustain the same level of damage as the Troll.
The Roadrunner continues to move amazingly fast all over the battlefield, causing Spectrum considerable pain. Another villain steps out down the corridor, clearly some sort of martial artist, who goes after Sammy. Sammy moves into position, ready for the Roadrunner, and clotheslines him as he attempts to get to Spectrum again. He's stunned and pauses a second attempting to regain his composure. Spectrum attempts to use a mental power to grab the enraged man but finds the area's completely blanketed by another mentalist's ability to mute such powers.
Rage shoots off a fiery heat directly from one of his hands, paying no mind to the fact it strikes the female colleague, now stone, which Troll uses to shield himself. He's amazed as the heat ray bounces off her and sears through a metal wall and deep into the ground - this thing is incredibly dangerous [note - 6d6 Killing Attack!]. The Troll strikes back using the stone figurine and stuns the thing.
Another woman steps out of a nearby room bearing knives. She stabs Sammy. The Troll gets in one more big statue-smack on the stunned, once-enraged Rage, and puts him out down for the count. The martial artist moves on to the Troll and manages to strike him once. He notes that time seems to stand still as she moves on him and gets into position, her hands seem to move in slow motion yet he's motionless, then things speed up as a karate chop smacks him squarely. She looks way to small and not nearly muscular enough to pack the wallop she does, one that nearly sends him spinning. Meanwhile Spectrum attempts to grab an object to batter one of the villains but her sometimes-fidgety mental powers don't quite make it - no doubt exacerbated by the other combating mentalist.
The Roadrunner meanwhile regains his composure and runs full-steam near Laughton, reaching out to strike him. Laughton spots him and uses his own martial skills to grab and toss Roadrunner, who is moving too fast and slams into the floor and passes out. But Laughton's less protected than the others and the force of Roadrunner smashing into him even as he grabs him and wrenches his arm also takes him out, both of them down on the floor!
The villainous mentalist, who turns out to be one called Dampener, pokes his head out from a corner and attempts to attack Sammy, thinking he might be a regular target. He's surprised to find that Sammy's mental resistance is way too strong, thanks to Dr. Sihn. Then Sammy wallops Dampener and easily drops him.
The knife fighter approaches Troll and inflicts heavy damage on him. The Troll, quicker than either woman attacking him, takes an opportunity to heal himself with one of his drugs against the martial artist and Roadrunner's attacks. Then he picks up a large water-tub bolted to the floor and attempts to smack both the knife and martial artists at once. The martial artist suddenly leaps clear into the air, avoiding it, but the knife woman is quickly dispatched. Then the knife fighter entices him to fight one-on-one to the death. The Troll attempts to intimidate her, bulging muscles and stressing his violent nature, then he blurts out his threat, "Bu-bu-up - Ab - " as he suddenly realizes he can't fixate on a threatening phrase. The martial fighter seems duly unimpressed.
The martial artist grabs the Troll, amazingly holding him despite his immense strength. He attempts to throw himself against a wall, imaging she'll absorb the blow, yet somehow she spins in mid-air and instead he hits the wall face-first, pulling back a bit and not hurting himself too badly.
But just as that happens two more women step out, holding a glass container rigged with threatening electronics. Inside is a pitiful-looking Lefty, with fresh cuts and several needle marks on him. One woman, strikingly beautiful as they start to realize they all are, demands an exchange. They'll give back Lefty if the five women are allowed to leave, the three mutants left behind. She indicates the electronics are explosives, and she and the other woman hold triggers. If they're jarred or threatened, it will go off, killing Lefty. The Justice Squad is suspicious and resistant. The martial fighter hollers to the other woman she's about to engage in a duel, but the woman, apparently their leader, cuts her off and says they're leaving. The woman also refers to them as "Fox Force Five" and says they're always true to their word. Laughton, whose just come to, recognizes the name, a mercenary unit of which little is known, just primarily that they are extremely effective, and only ask their privacy and secrecy be kept. He knows they're dangerous. He hatches a plan, with a mental link among them reestablished by Spectrum, to turn Lefty to stone as he releases the woman, and then Spectrum will grab Lefty and pull, allowing the container to explode with no harm to Lefty.
The women collect the fallen knife fighter. As the leader demands that someone release the statue, noting there's no way they can lift her, Hamlet shrugs and obliges as he attempts to use his power on Lefty, thus releasing the other subject of his power. Unfortunately the glass is deflective and puts an image a few inches from where it really is. The leader isn't phased by the attempted double-cross. The Justice Squad and Fox Force Five negotiate the terms as the two sides announce their distrust. The women are eventually allowed, though, to make their way to what turns out to be a camouflaged flight vehicle under the snow, which raises and can be seen to morph from white to black. It's a radar-evasive vehicle, no angles in its design. Meanwhile Spectrum, as part of the arrangement, holds the unconscious woman telekinetically. At the moment of the trade they release Lefty to a freezing and unpleasant Troll (whose barely the Troll in this cold) while Spectrum levitates their colleague to them. The leader has noted that they do have a small-range radio frequency ability to detonate the canister still, just to ensure they can get a little distance and not be double-crossed. The Justice Squad is forced to let them go.
Lefty is exhausted but quietly elated to be saved. The Justice Squad returns to the warm base and begins to examine it, making sure the villains are thoroughly tied down and unconscious. They find diagrams of The Captain, tattooing equipment, and lab notes on a computer. The base has been lived in for a bit but not full-time, no doubt just used as work required. As they look around, Sammy smells something odd, a moldy strangely eerie scent, coming from roughly where the hatch is. He alerts the others and they follow, Sihn's mutant detector noting some mutant there. As they see footprints in the snow they start to follow but once again the strange foreboding gray darkness falls and whatever it is gets away. Sihn starts to put the pieces together and reasons this must be Wrath. But why? Laughton knows Wrath is equally in bed with Kingpin, probably a separated pair of eyes to ensure that his eggs aren't all in one basket.
The Justice Squad prepares to interrogate the villainous mutants in more detail - Roadrunner and Rage Sihn knows are wanted in Canada, while he recalls vaguely, then checks his Palm to verify, that Dampener isn't wanted in Canada or the US but is in Mexico. They intend to turn these guys into the authorities at the border and hope that in return they'll get Jonas back, by now a regular guy probably already under lock and key.
[Game Mechanics - Points Awarded...
#13 Supplementary Activity - Troll Investigations/Work - +.5 XP for Troll
- Laughton Investigative work, soliloquy to Medusa - +1.5 XP for Laughton
Winning against a marginally superior opponent for the investigative and other work in finding Lefty and the base - +13.125 RPs for Rodin, Sammy, Spectrum, Troll, +.875 XPs for Rodin, Sammy, Spectrum, Troll
Drawing against an inferior opponent for getting in so much trouble on the way, but also getting out of it mostly (perhaps at Jonas' expense) - +0 RPs for Rodin, Sammy, Spectrum, Troll, +0 XPs for Rodin, Sammy, Spectrum, Troll
Drawing against a vastly superior opponent for all-in-all, getting Lefty back before the operations were completed, exposing the base, and grabbing some of what you must know by now are some of Kingpin's operatives, although Fox Force Five got most of the information and got away; there wasn't much of a way you could have done much better than draw in this scenario (and anything less short of death would have been still pretty good) since this was really more directly against Kingpin than ever before - +26.25 RPs for Rodin, Sammy, Spectrum, Troll, +1.75 XPs for Rodin, Sammy, Spectrum, Troll
Becoming the enemy of any world-renowned super (now you've done it) - +26.25 RPs for Rodin, Sammy, Spectrum, Troll (no XPs)
4 hrs Session Play - +3.5 RPs for Rodin, Sammy, Spectrum, Troll, +1 XP for Rodin, Sammy, Spectrum, Troll
Totals:
Rodin +69.125 RPs, +5.125 XPs
Sammy the Slime +69.125 RPs, +3.625 XPs
Spectrum +69.125 RPs, +3.625 XPs
Troll +69.125 RPs, +4.125 XPs
Totals to Date:
Rodin 612.625 RPs, 48 XPs
Sammy the Slime 582.625 RPs, 44.2875 XPs
Spectrum 338.875 RPs, 22.675 XPs
Troll 596.125 RPs, 50.975 XPs]