X-Champions Issues
Issue #41 - Everybody Wants Revenge!
As Christmas approaches, the Justice
Squad, fresh from freeing Jameson, sets about more mundane yuletide
activities. Sammy hires himself out as a Santa Claus - which prompts Nexus
to go about DNA-testing any of the Santas he sees (not really, or at least not
usually, but he so jokes)! And Sammy enjoys the season, joining in
caroling and sing-alongs, and where they do not exist he starts them, filling
Detroit with cheer. Slightly earlier he also turned into a gigantic
snowman to participate in grand style in the local Christmas parade. And
as for Christmas shopping, Sammy is sure to get all his friends, including
Magneto, fruitcakes (along with extras for himself), and even a self-created but
professionally produced CD of himself singing Christmas songs.
Spectrum readies her estate for guests,
fretting about properly mixing the Metal Men with her hoped-for parental visit,
the parents invited to stay with her as they travel about both Michigan and New
York on social calls. They gladly accept, even if only for a brief visit
over Christmas Eve and Christmas. She also makes a point to send Weed some
good booze for Christmas. And she arranges a holiday party at her new
house, inviting most everyone she knows and likes; among many, Nightcrawler even
makes it, breaking off from Magneto's crew for the occasion. She sends
Magneto a Christmas card, mentioning in it he hopes he'll understand why he
wasn't invited.
For Eliot and Aela, Christmas is a
special time as they eagerly observe traditions given the chaotic nature of
their youth. And there are fun temptations for Eliot (Nexus) as he
represses the desire to bring snowmen to life. Eliot writes a song for
Aela for Christmas.
Neumann remains in an
extended state of repair, while the ever-mysterious Laughton remains abroad -
which frees up Manny Wulfenstein to plan quite a shin-dig for the staff of
Laughton Agency (and this time Manny leaves nothing to chance, inviting Sammy,
Suzanne, and Eliot only at the last minute to assure Hamlet is uninvolved -
Manny does find himself frustrated though as Hamlet, in anticipation, has
tightened petty cash and given temporary orders to several area businesses not
to supply anything without his personal approval, but Manny is resourceful).
At the Sihn residence, Aela's father
Prince Namor appears. He's fixated on Eliot's family following the ways
and customs of the people of Mu. He mentions Sammy must grow up and learn
from the proper rituals, and goes on to discuss essentially the same about Aela
herself, indicating he's not fond of how Eliot "gives" her a free
hand. Namor also reveals that he has brought a special family stone which
he wishes to confer upon the baby, once it is ready. The stone resembles a
sapphire but is incredibly ancient, Eliot notes. Eliot's father-in-law
then goes to see Aela, with the baby, and Eliot overhears what becomes a heated
argument. Soon Namor storms out to Eliot and demands that he "...get
her in line with the customs of our people..." and refers to the Pak'tah, a
female coming of age ritual Aela must partake in. He barks at Eliot,
"This is your job, you took the responsibility," and gives him a
deadline of 30 days before marching out. Aela is upset and the baby is
crying as Eliot goes to console her.
But even for the Justice Squad not all
is fun and games at Christmas. News stories indicate that three allegedly
abusive husbands have been killed recently, two of which were specifically
known/proven to be wife-beaters in the recent past. One was shot, one was
stabbed, and the other was clearly pushed off a balcony. The wives,
however, were not implicated in two of the cases and in the third the man's only
significant other, a girlfriend, similarly was uninvolved. Spectrum visits
the site of the falling man, along with her friend Willow. The police are
at the scene as Spectrum and WIllow arrive, Spectrum introducing her companion
to a semi-leering Captain Berger. Berger is as usual acerbic but, perhaps
due to the season or perhaps due to Willow's presence, relents more quickly than
usual, compromising after a short discussion and allowing Spectrum to
investigate, insisting she share anything. Spectrum does notice a strong
perfume scent in the air, one that she's rather familiar with - it's the same
scent that one of the women who possessed her wore, the sexual predator
Jenna. She learns that the girlfriend is Sharon Adams, who lives in one of
the nicer condos downtown. Spectrum talks to one of the officers,
Lieutenant Carpenter, who indicates they found some threads from ribbon and some
hair. He hands her the items at her polite prodding and, using some of the
magic she's learned to release her mental powers, focuses on them until a
picture forms in her head, a reverberation of the mental energies that
surrounded these once, of the wearer and where they might be right now (GM note
- FYI, a Mind Scan/Clairsentience link). She gets a cloudy picture of
Jenna at the Renaissance Mall and rushes over there, contacting Sammy via Velda
at the office.
Sammy,
as it turns out, has been busy. Velda has contacted him about a color fax
- received on the black-and-white fax in Laughton Agency! Sammy looks at
the fax and, after memorizing it, tosses it in the garbage. He decides
this is his responsibility and rather than calling in the team just contacts
Weed directly. Word of course travels quickly as Terwilliger hears it from
Weed, and calls Eliot about Sammy's Martian fax. Eliot pops into the base.
As Eliot asks for the fax, Sammy asks "Which fax?" and, realizing that
won't work with him, adds, "Oh, THE fax! I didn't want to bother you during
Christmas!" Sammy digs up the paper - from the garbage. Eliot
tracks the whole situation back to Velda and gives her a piece of his mind,
reminding her that Sammy is hardly the team member to be sought out first in
such situations. Eliot then explains to Sammy that he should have notified
everyone, and stresses that it would be embarrassing for all concerned if
Laughton were to come back to find his building taken over by Martians. He
also calls Weed to follow up on Sammy's call.
So Sammy can't help out Suzanne at the
moment... As Weed quickly arrives, Sammy gives him the (crumpled)
fax. Weed, noting "Sihn, you called as well," goes on to talk to
Sihn to the side. Sammy of course simply ups his auditory senses, but
Nexus makes a display with magic of big ears to point out to Sammy to stop
listening. As Weed and Sihn talk, Weed asks, "Eliot, is this
something I should worry about?" Eliot is non-committal, and Weed
adds, "You saying 'I don't know,' doesn't fill me with confidence."
Back at the murder site, Suzanne
conjures a box, and she places one of the hairs on it as a directional needle to
follow. Then she gives Carpenter back the rest - and teleports to the mall
as his back turns, beating an efficient hasty path, transforming into regular
clothes upon her arrival so as to blend in.
At the mall, Suzanne puts the box into
action. The mystical compass works well and soon Spectrum sees a woman
with dyed black hair. As they approach, Suzanne puts up mental shields for
herself and others. When she gets close behind Jenna, she says
"Sharon? Or should I say Jenna?" Jenna turns,
startled, feigning ignorance - and suddenly lets loose a powder, obscuring
Spectrum's vision as she rushes into the Christmas shopping crowd.
Spectrum quickly follows, managing to
bump a woman in the way, causing her to drop her handbag. In the confusion
Jenna hollers, gesturing at Spectrum, "That woman is following me, she's
trying to get me!" This is hardly enough, though to stop Spectrum,
who is well-trained in combat situations and deftly avoids the crowd around
her. She grabs Jenna and they teleport to a more private spot.
Jenna turns defiant, trying to control
the situation, and flippantly asks, "So, what's up?" Suzanne
explains to her that "you can't be doing this with other people's
lives," impressing on her the reality of the situation. But Jenna is
unrepetant, saying, "We're like those people on TV," referring to
Charlie's Angels, and adding, "I like that whole visual radio
thing!" Spectrum adds grimly, "Unfortunately you have killed
some guys." But Jenna just retorts that they had it coming.
They also discuss Jenna's very existence, for which Jenna knows no more than the
fact they simply popped into being in Detroit after Willow helped her exorcise
them! Spectrum then explains to Jenna she's coming to the police station,
causing Jenna to finally lose it. The woman from the past, now turned
corporeal somehow, cries that Spectrum doesn't understand. As Spectrum
takes her in, she contacts Nexus - who of course is busy back with Sammy at the
moment. Eliot explains that he can't go at the moment and asks if she'd
like to bring Sammy with him. Spectrum sarcastically replies, "Yeah,
that would help!" knowing that Jenna could easily charm the impressionable
Sammy. Nexus adds, via the mind link as they engage it, that Sammy is
going through some sort of adolescent independence thing. Spectrum
explains the situation briefly to Nexus, and they decide to meet at the base.
Arriving at the base, Jenna takes quick
note of the very attractive Nexus and lewdly asks, "Is that a scepter in
your pocket or are you glad to see me?" Sensing he's a peer of
Spectrum's, she sweet-talks, Nexus. Nexus and Specter both interrogate her
as to her existence, unconvinced she's not possessing someone else; Nexus even
offers to clone her a new body to use so she can release the one she's in.
She is steadfast in saying she and the others simply materialized after
the exorcism, and further investigation/mystic spells indicate she's not
lying. Nexus turns to Suzanne and says, in mock derision, "You
know, this crowd you run with..."
Sammy introduces himself to Jenna, using
his seductive charisma to charm her, enjoying turning the tables on her.
And Jane further messes with Jenna by appearing as Sammy normally looks.
As Sammy, Jane, and Jenna banter, Jenna tries to take advantage of Sammy's
innocence and talks about going out to have some fun. She adds, "She
(referring to Spectrum) is not your boss, right?" Sammy says,
"Right!" and is prepared to just leave with Jenna, as Spectrum is in
the bathroom. Nexus notes Sammy's sudden direction and stops him.
Nexus and Spectrum mull over what to do
about these non-existent people. Spectrum stresses the murders they've
committed, and Nexus points out he's well aware, given he's to be tried himself
for a similar sort of murder (his murder of the man who killed his
mother). Nearby, Jenna hangs all over Sammy, insisting she won't attempt
another escape. As they discuss the other women, it turns out that Sharon
lives in Dearborn while Rosemary lives out in the hood in Northern
Detroit. Apparently Rosemary is going under the name of Jenna Sanders.
Spectrum, with Willow, goes out to find
Rosemary. It's 8 PM at night by this time, as they arrive at the first
address they understand Rosemary to be at. A good-looking man with a
cowboy hat and a bathrobe on answers, indicating she's not there but leering a
bit at Willow as he asks, "Did I see you at a rave a few months
ago?" The man offers up drinks, but halfway through Spectrum whisks
Willow away and they go somewhere else as Spectrum uses her feeling of
Rosemary's presence to reach out mentally and find another location she must be
at.
They arrive at a cold apartment in North
Detroit, a young and even better-looking man in t-shirt and jeans answers the
door as they politely knock. The man says she's not there, but Spectrum
insists and then the man relents. They hear a noise and as the man opens a
bedroom door they see the window open and the woman having made an apparent
mistake. The man angrily exclaims, "Damn that woman!" and makes
a violent motion. Spectrum says he might want to rethink his attitude and
then teleports, with Willow, down in front of Rosemary who's climbing down the
fire escape. Rosemary shouts, "Ah, shit!" and starts to pull out
a gun. Spectrum conjures a force field around Willow and uses her
telekinesis to grab the gun away from Rosemary, who surrenders quickly at that
point. Spectrum implores the woman to consider she's going down the same
path she did in her past life, to which Rosemary sarcastically replies,
"Yeah, you're right, lemme go, I'm sorry."
Spectrum brings Rosemary with them as
she goes to collect Sharon. Sharon is going by the name Rosemary Davis,
living in the suburbs of Dearborn. No one answers the door and there's no
car in the garage. They open the door, Willow turning to Spectrum and
saying "Can you feel that? Somebody's hurt." Willow starts
running to the closet, with Spectrum, and they find Sharon locked in the closet,
tied up. Released, she starts crying, and as she's asked claims
"nobody" did this. Then she looks at Spectrum and says
"You're Suzanne! Oh, God!" Then Sharon starts nervously
explaining that her husband will be home soon and he counts on her to be home
and with no disruptions. It becomes clear Sharon has again become an
abused woman. Suzanne talks to Sharon and insists she be taken to a safe
place. Reluctantly, under pressure, Sharon agrees. As she's asked,
she explains her husband is not usually home until late. Rosemary is
appalled at Sharon's circumstance and helps counsel her, though more angrily
than Suzanne. Suzanne arrives back at the base at this point, collecting
the murderesses into a conference room. Willow and Spectrum both
stay with them.
Sammy gets excited about the possibility
of a mission to Mars and discusses it with Weed. For his own amusement,
Nexus points out to Sammy he'll have to be insistent with Weed and not to take
no for an answer re conducting a mission. Then as they discuss the
situation, Nexus aloud muses, mainly but not entirely for humor, the various
sides of the equation..."Laughton Agency isn't owned by me, really not our
business...having aliens next door could be interesting...could be the wrong
thing to allow in Laughton's absence...could be good for the Detroit economy, a
new population with new capabilities and trade." Nexus also considers
renting some of his own space to the Martians, but Spectrum points out that
would be too much temptation for him, and he agrees.
Weed calls the Men in Black, as this is
their area, while Sammy keeps pestering him about putting together a
mission. Weed cleverly puts Sammy on the phone with the MiB, pointing out,
"You gotta talk with them," and excuses himself from the madness,
deciding there's no real risk to national security, at least yet. Nexus
hollers over to Sammy, "Sammy, I think the MiB leave out of Disney
World!" The MiB deploy Mr. Lodge immediately to the
scene.
Suddenly, the three newly-alive women
suddenly stage a sort of spell they've picked up, which sends a strong blast at
Willow and Spectrum. They're taken by surprise, and Willow is thrown hard
against a wall, stunned. Sammy rushes in and grabs Willow, removing her,
with Jane alongside to comfort her. Nexus teleports in and directs energy
at Jenna, knocking her out. Sammy swings at Sharon, knocking her
out. Spectrum quickly tries to finish the job, mentally attacking
Rosemary, but surprised to find she resist this! Nexus drains Rosemary's
ability to act (GM note - SPD drain) but is surprised to find her rather
resistant, his attack only partially working. But as Rosemary notes
Sharon is knocked out and the lights suddenly go out (Nexus knowing the JS can
navigate but the women probably can't), she yells, "Don't hurt her!"
and surrenders.
Weed of course runs to the scene,
showing up just as it's resolved. He asks what's going on. At first,
Spectrum is vague, and so Weed asks, "You're filing a report,
right?" So Suzanne explains the situation, as they were ghosts who
possessed her, now they're corporeal. Weed just says,
"Nice." And says, "never mind," as to the report, as
he decides just how he wants to write this up. Then he offers up,
"Sammy, why don't you help Spectrum out? Nexus, let's go
talk." Spectrum asks Sammy to get her an ice-pack. It turns out
Sammy broke Sharon's ribs, although he gets confused and puts her leg in a cast
while she moans in pain (GM note - badly blown Paramedics roll).
Just as Weed starts to confer with Nexus
(mainly though want to escape the situation in the conference room), Sihn
receives a call from his wife, Aela. She's upset he's still at work.
Just as suddenly as he received the call, he simply disappears to home, leaving
Weed standing alone.
As Spectrum talks to the women, Rosemary
points out they were just being "proactive" with their murders.
Spectrum says she doesn't want to see them - or her - having to deal with these
same problems repeatedly. She points out that Sharon's broken ribs are the
least of their worries right now. She goes on to say she'll be looking
into Sharon's husband. Jenna hadn't heard this and is dismayed at Sharon's
mistake. Sharon, speaking in great pain, still insists that there's
nothing wrong and implores Spectrum to leave her husband alone.
Rosemary asks, "So what do you
suggest now for us?" Sammy pipes in, "How about everyone hug and
make up?" Jenna smiles and says, "I like him!"
Sihn is home but remains in Spectrum's
mind link. He thinks back to her about the situation, only to have Aela
holler at him, "You're not paying attention!" Just then Weed,
confused, wanders into the conference room, looking for Sihn and just saying,
"Eliot took off..." Suzanne reassures Weed, then, as they chat,
teases, "Have you gotten your lump of caol yet?" Weed replies,
looking at Sammy, "Yeah, I opened the fruitcake with the other
presents." Then Weed asks in his usual acerbic manner, "So are
you all done with the 'Color Purple' meeting in here?" Sammy says
they're just on green right now. Weed asks how long they're going to be,
impatiently, as Mr. Lodge has arrived. Sammy goes to consult with the MiB
agent, while Suzanne explains the situation in the room in more detail to
Weed. Weed, referring to the women, says, "They're not
Martians, leave them to it." Then he leaves the room in relative
peace.
Sihn and Spectrum, via the mind-link,
debate her role with the personalities. Sihn thinks she's treating herself
too harshly as she takes on a role of guilt. He advises this probably
would have ended up happening in any case and there's little she can do directly
to control them, powers aside. Then Suzanne hears his corresponding
conscious thought as he says to Aela, "No, no, I'm paying attention."
Meanwhile Mr. Lodge decides he isn't too
confident in his interview with Sammy and Weed comes to ask Suzanne to
assist. She points out she doesn't know anything about Martians.
Sammy insists on Mr. Lodge that they must go on a mission to Mars, and explains
his "special" knowledge of Martians (based on his one encounter with
them but also his many viewings on Martians in TV and movies). Sihn
mentally says to Sammy he'll go with him to Mars and not to be concerned about
the MiB role. A long and confusing conversation ensues as Spectrum
volunteers to send Mr. Lodge back to ancient Egypt with the three women out of
frustration. The subject of Kietersling comes up and Weed and Lodge are
informed as to the background details more properly. As Sammy is excited
and insistent, Lodge finally fires the MiB memory-eraser at Sammy, selectively
erasing all his memories regarding Martians! Spectrum notices Sammy's
extreme confusion on the issue and advises perhaps he wiped too much, but leaves
it at that for the moment. Weed and Lodge finally decide to take the info
under advisement and leave, unsure of the immediate steps from a government
level, but willing to let the Justice Squad pursue the strange matter directly
with the Martians.
Spectrum rejoining the three
murderesses, Rosemary suggests they be allowed to become superhero vigilantes,
as she understands that's how the world works now. Spectrum points out
that if they get into trouble with the law, given they don't exist, they are
likely to go without rights and might be thrown into prison indefinitely with no
possibility of legal representation (which is a primary reason she hasn't simply
taken them in). Jenna asks if Spectrum would defend them (after all, they
all know Suzanne/Spectrum well, having inhabited her mind for a time).
Sammy volunteers to represent, but she demurs, saying she's willing to go out
with him instead. Spectrum tells Jenna to just drop the act as she grows
weary of it.
After further discussion, and convinced
the women simply can't be trusted on the loose, Spectrum insists they turn
themselves in, pointing out this will give the best chance to turn around their
lives. She adds that while, given her unique relationships, she should not
represent them, she can assure they get excellent representation to fight for
their rights as necessary. Spectrum then gets Sharon's husband's name and
plans to give to Laughton to look into; she also persuades Sharon of the
unhealthiness of her relationship, at least for the moment, explaining about the
cycle. In the meantime, Rosemary and Jenna both give Sharon a dirty look
at her initial attempts to defend her husband.
As they finally agree (realizing they're
not being given another practical option), Suzanne calls the police, actually
talking to Berger directly. He angrily replies it's "friggin' 11 PM,
I got the world on my ass on these murders," when he first receives her
call. She then gives him the good news. As she explains to pick them
up, as they're turning themselves in, at the Laughton Agency, she also explains
Laughton isn't there, making Berger relatively pleased. While waiting for
Berger, Suzanne quickly places calls to assure their rapid representation.
Upon arrival, he points out,
"Carpenter says you owe us some hair." Spectrum points to the
box, which points at Jenna, and Berger just says, sarcastically,
"Great." As he leaves, deigning to wish Spectrum a merry
Christmas, he adds, "Don't go thinkin' I owe ya one for this."
The episode finally over, Suzanne takes
a tired Willow, Sammy, and Jane out to dinner at the 24-hour all-you-can-eat
cafeteria Phoenix Mel's.
The next morning Nexus and Spectrum
discuss the Martian situation. Spectrum points out to Nexus that Sammy
doesn't seem to know about Martians anymore, and Nexus makes a quick and correct
intuitive leap. He invites Spectrum to join them in what he views as
a necessary visit to Mars just in case they're serious. She figures it'd
be a good trip, so long as she gets back for a real dinner instead of the
lesser-quality cafeteria meal she suffered the night before. She borrows a
book from Sihn and casts a spell to confer appropriate life support on
herself. She also invites Willow but Willow is busy, though interested in
going at some point. Sihn then restores Sammy's Martian memories from
working with Sammy's brain tape. They decide to use a location often
referenced by science fiction writers in the Valles Marineris
canyon.
They arrive and see nothing out of
place, though they get to take in the grandeur of the Martian landscape and a
canyon massively larger than any on Earth. Suddenly, out of the ground a
giant cannon-supporting structure shoots up into the sky, towering thousands of
yards above them. Sammy starts climbing it and all ascend quickly.
Atop the structure they find a Martian and ask him if he's the one who sent the
fax. He says, "No, I'm his cousin. I am the King of the
Military. My name is Bob." As Nexus asks how many of them are
around here he points out he won't be fooled by such a question and doesn't
answer. He adds that it's a "big number" and not to mess with
them. As they talk, he agrees to escort them to discuss the matter among
the Martians.
They
move down the cannon and deep under the Martian crust. They go into
cave-like structures and find the Martians spread out among small caves that are
offshoots from the main cavern. The smaller cave rooms are very sparse,
with just a Martian or a small number in them, and very little else aside from
small objects, some resembling human objects, others looking alien. One
Martian exclaims, "You're the Justice Squad!" causing Nexus to say he
didn't realize they were famous throughout the solar system. Nexus and
Spectrum both ask about the Martians' gift shop, which they are told they
haven't although they do have small shops they could find things in.
They talk with Bob about the whole issue
of the alleged contract transferring the Laughton Agency to them. Bob
confirms that Kietersling made the contract with them, as Kietersling told them
before. Spectrum starts to point out there's no legal authority, but the
whole concept seems lost on them. Their understanding of human
customs/laws seems terribly off-kilter. They also indicate they will be
destroying Earth if their demands are not met as soon as they get some Uranium
X-237. Nexus then offers up the Justice Squad could make a new contract
with the Martians. He mentally suggests to Suzanne they make a trade, and
shortly a trade is discussed. The Martians are interested in Tokyo or
Berlin, as they are "looking for a vacation spot" and "we like
cities". The Justice Squad would like to have rights to Mons
Olympus. Nexus and Spectrum mentally communicate, wanting to find a nice
Kietersling spot to offer up.
Meanwhile Sammy strikes up a
conversation and soon asks for a number to reach Jack at. Bob gives Sammy
a chip with some information on it and explains not to use the last number on
the list on it as it's his wife's, but to use the one above that to reach
him. It turns out the chip includes an entire Martian phone
directory. They manage to get the chip to work in Sammy's phone, and he
starts calling a random number. He asks the person on the other end if
they want to be his friend, to which they respond "I'm busy, call back
later." Sammy continues to call about...
They finally make a deal handing over
all of Herr Kietersling's property to the Martians. Bob adds, "We
would still like to meet Laughton." Spectrum replies, "So would
we," given the detective's frequent absences.
They also finally make it to a
"store" of sorts. A few Martians in a cave have some basic
goods, including Martian versions of Earth clothing; in fact, as they start to
look through the clothes, it seems they're all Earth children's clothing
reworked to fit their different proportions. Nexus asks for an "xxxxxlarge"
given the small size of the Martians. They hand Spectrum a slicer-dicer -
which she notes says "Ronco" on it. Sammy talks with them about
food but oddly they seem to not have anything to share. They do finally
bring out a large t-shirt for Nexus that apparently said "My mom went to
Mexico and all I got was this lousy t-shirt," but now the
"Mexico" has been whited out and "Mars" put in its
place. As they discuss Martian real estate, apparently the Martians have a
"Century 22" "store" that sells real estate, though as with
their contracts there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the assignment of such
property. They meet with Jean, a real estate agent. Nexus discusses
a possible factory location, getting her very excited. He asks about their
land laws and regulations and is pleased to find the very concept alien to
them. He tells her things sound very promising. Jean gives him a
brochure but he notes that it has "Detroit" crossed out and
"Mars" written in. Spectrum lets them know some ways they can
reach her and extends an invitation for a later visit. And they return to
Earth, the ball, as it were, back in Kietersling's court.
Laughton returns on the 28th to Velda
explaining the fax and that she couldn't reach him on his pager so she contacted
Sammy. He just looks at her saying "uh-huh." She then asks
if the rumors going around that he sold the agency to the Martians is true; he
replies he can neither confirm nor deny. In his office he finds a post-it
note from Suzanne requesting a color copier so next time so they can make copies
of any color faxes. Laughton just finishes going through a long series of
phone messages from Sammy and others as Sihn and Sammy roll in. Sammy goes
to see Gere-luce as he can't get the chip out and only Martian numbers work on
his phone now. Laughton hears this and complains about Sammy letting that
happen, considering the security implications. Nexus, bemused, explains
he half-heartedly tried to stop Sammy but realized Laughton could fix
it. Spectrum appears at the Laughton Agency as well shortly.
Velda calls Laughton and brings him a
newspaper article about the multi-form hero with the Justice Squad whose
"real" name is "Rodent" (see issue
40) and believed to be a rat in his natural form. The article
accredits to a "well-placed source" in the Justice Squad.
Laughton isn't exactly happy, but realizes it helps maintain his
anonymity. Then Laughton gets a call from Dr. Greeley, Medusa's
psychiatrist, about the idea of Medusa on a controlled leave with him.
Nexus walks by and overhears, loudly saying to Laughton, "That's a great
thing you're doing, way to go, man!" Laughton is not amused,
especially as this serves as the icing on the cake of all that's gone on in his
absence. He informs the doctor in no uncertain terms that he won't be
doing this. The doctor presses on him to at least come by and visit, and
Laughton agrees to come by "after the first of the year" (though he
doesn't clarify how much after). He then offers up to send her some weeds
at least.
Laughton then asks Velda to send Sammy
in. Sammy gives Laughton a "proper" greeting, a big, wet, juicy
kiss. Spectrum stops by at the same time and asks if Laughton got his
gift. Given the many surprises, Laughton isn't sure which she refers to
and just says "Maybe not. I'm not going to ask any questions so as
not to artificially tint what I'm going to hear with any preconceived
notions. Perhaps it's best to step back in time 96 hours or so, and you
can all explain what's been going on to me." The Rodent subject is
visited. Nexus says he can neither confirm nor deny anything. Sammy
feels guilty. Nexus goes on to say, "We're not supposed to talk about
you, right? This is just somebody's misconception," and goes on to
explain how this benefits Rodin anyway.
Just then Laughton gets a call from
Magneto, to hear Erik say "Squeak, squeak," when he picks up the
phone. As they discuss the holidays, Laughton indicates this was
"better than others," (as he manage to avoid everyone), and makes a
wisecrack including Pinky and the Brain. Sammy jumps on the call to ask if
Magneto got his CD; after a long pause, Magneto replies, "Yes."
Laughton then gets back to the Rodent story and explains he was incommunicado
for the last couple days and there are (he stresses) "many" things to
clear up, this being but one of them. Magneto offers to do anything he
can.
Then when Laughton hangs up he says to
all, "I'm not laughing," and explains it isn't always appropriate to
remain in "neither confirm nor deny" mode. Spectrum though
continues to make the case it was best for them not to imply anything about his
secret identity, particularly given his own comments on the subject, and finally
Laughton hesitantly agrees he understands their actions. Sammy proudly
declares, "See, I did the right thing!" Spectrum agrees with
Sammy and slyly suggests that Laughton should take him out to dinner; Laughton
hands Sammy a fruitcake.
Spectrum then offers up the same
approach got Laughton out of hock with the Martians and goes on to explain that
incident. Laughton figures a topic change now is just as well. While
Sammy waxes on how great Mars is, Nexus and Spectrum clarify that.
Laughton agrees it must not be that great if they want to live in Detroit.
He agrees with Nexus that while it would be interesting to see Martians next
door, it wouldn't really be right. Nexus explains to Laughton they used
Martian law, as they didn't seem to understand Earth law, and signed over
Kietersling's property. Spectrum added a rider saying they can't blow up
the Earth, and another one saying property not transferable.
Then they also explain about the Jameson
incident and how they are not implicated. They also mention they brought
in Hell since they had to bring in "the second most paranoid detective in
the world," the first not being available.
Laughton calls his MiB contact,
Archie. He immediately (to keep the act up) berates them for losing
Jameson, and leaves off by saying "if there are any leads, don't call
me." He adds, jokingly, "Maybe it's that 'Rodent'."
They ask him if this is another alias and he just says, "all right."
Laughton asks again about Sammy's chip
from the Martians. Sammy says it just seemed appropriate to implant it in
his phone at the time. Nexus whispers to Laughton that with a little
reverse engineering he imagines they could control Sammy, but not to tell Sammy
he said that, jokingly. Laughton explains to Sammy to be more careful and
explains why there are rules.
As general conversation ensues, Sihn
explains he's developed his own music and a new language that might be more
efficient for mental communication, but the group decides to stay with English.
Just after Christmas, Eliot Sihn
receives a call following up on the earlier interest his family expressed in
seeing him. A special visa is being issued - a very special one as he's
informed he's being given diplomatic immunity during his visit. Better
yet, China Left will meet him at the local embassy to escort him.
As New Year's Eve arrives, Sammy travels
to New York to see the ball drop, and even ends up on a guest appearance on ABC
with Dick Clark. He performs a patriotic song with Doc and the band, Jane
joining in as a dancer, while Laughton, for laughs, plays his tambourine dressed
as a Black Elvis. Suzanne and Nightshade are nearby as they celebrate the
New Year together in the city, and Willow's come along as well. Sammy's
performance goes over quite well.
During this time Sihn's travel to China
is planned. He leaves on January 8, along with the Justice Squad except
for Neumann (undergoing repairs/modifications still). As he and China Left
talk, she expresses that she hopes he had a good trip back from
Mongolia. And in a moment Sihn realizes he doesn't feel bad at all about
what happens to Laughton in Laughton's absence - as it was Laughton who
misrepresented himself as Sihn when meeting China Left. And he makes
mention of the Rodent story to China Left in reference to Laughton. Sammy
shows up looking slightly Chinese and plays around a bit about his identity
until Spectrum simply confirms it for China Left's sake.
And then suddenly they appear in a large
palace after a disorientating teleportation, one causing Spectrum to feel
nauseated and Laughton even more so as he sits down and tries to hold back his
lunch. They are in the Imperial Palace in Beijing. China Left
leads them down, into a hallway that links into an underground passage. It
takes several hours from here to walk along as they pass underground springs
while moving down great chiseled hallways leading deeper and deeper; they are
miles underground in unusually short order. Finally they reach a fork in
the cavern with guards looking very traditional and authentically
so. Sammy shifts to a similar look. China Left gives a vague
warning about being careful and hoping to see them soon and suddenly departs.
Sihn asks the guards which way to go,
and they indicate the visitors must choose their path from the fork, one path
going up a series of stairs, the other going down. Sihn uses his magical
sensory abilities and looks for some signs, seeing that the path upward
"feels" right. Laughton takes a moment to be sure Sihn is
telling the truth before proceeding! Sammy looks around using his tracking
abilities as well, noticing the smells of rodents and people much more traveled
on the stairs upward. They move along and decide to get off on a level
that again seems right, and, upon opening a large, ornate, wooden door find
themselves in a great straight hallway.
At
the far end is an elderly Chinese man in elegant robes. He beckons to Sihn
specifically, saying "Approach," in Chinese. Sihn goes forward
while the others wait. They talk; this is Sihn's father. The father
explains how Eliot's father "misunderstood" the family and she feared
them without valid reason. He further explains that above-ground their
name is Peng and he is Peng Zsi but they are indeed Sihn below ground, and that
is their ancestral true name. The man is Sihn Zsi among his family.
Zsi asks Eliot why he no longer is the Troll, and Eliot basically explains there
were many complications in business and personal life and leaves it at that.
Zsi then receives Sammy, who immediately
asks, "Are you grandpa?" Zsi is surprised but not upset at
Sammy's approach, and Nexus works to keep Sammy polite; still, Sammy hugs
"grandpa" and . Laughton calls ahead to both restrain Sammy, and
to clarify that Sammy is not exactly a "man", and Sammy explains to
Zsi, "I'm like the mold that grows on your bread."
Then as Zsi asks who is next, Laughton
shoves Spectrum ahead of him. Zsi says, "You must be
Spectrum." She volunteers her name is Suzanne Palmer, and he insists
she call him simply "Sihn." He notes "you have great mental
powers," and then pauses and adds, "and you are more than one,"
referring to her dual presence. She simply answers,
"Often." She notes that when he speaks English it actually looks
more like a dubbed film, that the English words project in their hearing though
he is probably actually speaking Chinese.
Then Zsi turns to Laughton and says,
"You are T'suara, that is your true name," getting the name T'suara slightly wrong. Laughton doesn't admit to anything but nods.
The elder Sihn brings up Sihn Loo,
Eliot's brother, just before they are allowed to their rooms to settle in and
freshen up as appropriate. Laughton notes no bed is provided for
him. As Zsi provides for their needs, Eliot asks the staff about what sort
of place this is. Zsi indicates that they are underground for
security. It also comes up that Zsi's age is a matter of some conjecture,
some saying 100 years and others saying perhaps he's 300.
Spectrum takes advantage of the strange
trip to seek out some rare Chinese magical items/ingredients for Willow as well
as herself. She is escorted down far to a little room, sealed by a locked
iron gated door. A very old caucasian man offers up a second copy
manuscript, written in 1640, of a Chinese magic book renowned and little known
to actually exist from 1282. The book has only been translated three
times. She gets a few other items as well, such as the eyes of a minotaur
and serpent tail.
As lunch is addressed, Sammy asks for
baloney, which they do not have; nor do they have Wonder bread as
requested. They offer up SPAM and out of desperation duck. Sammy's
content with duck. Eliot mentions he'd prefer not to see baloney brought
in and suggests they don't consider that further. Laughton discusses going
to get some, though. The staff is concerned that Laughton doesn't touch
his drink. They soon send someone to ask after what he might like.
Eliot Sihn just dismisses the situation by pointing out Laughton is insane and
just to treat him like a child. This seems to meet with all concerned's
approval. The rest of the family arrives and they meet Sihn Loo, Eliot's
brother. He looks a lot like Eliot though with harsher features, not as
attractive. He's a bold and arrogant young man, his veneer polite but not
strong enough to mask that. It comes up that Eliot had another brother,
Sihn Li, who died in 1992. An "unfortunate tragedy" with a gun
is blamed; Spectrum suggests, "the gun went off when he was cleaning
it?" and only gets a curt "no". Eliot asks for materials on
his family and after dinner is brought to a large library room with documents
going back centuries on the Sihns.
Also
after dinner, Sammy is followed by Sihn Loo. Sammy wonders why, and Sihn
Loo says he would like to meet Sammy in a "friendly" duel, using
sword. Sammy consents, eager to please. They go into a padded but
large hall with swords on the wall (as well as other weapons) and select a
pair. Sihn Loo surprises Sammy, jumping very high, up to the ceiling which
is some 40 feet above them! As Sammy avoids Sihn Loo's first strike, Loo
hisses, "Ah, you are good!" Sammy hits Loo and inflicts a
cut. Loo moves swiftly to Sammy, locking swords, and spits at Sammy but
misses. Sammy tries the same but also misses. Loo suddenly kicks
Sammy, hurting him and unbalancing him, surprising Sammy, who says "I
thought this was fencing, not kicking!" Loo launches another kick,
this one massive, against Sammy, hurting him more, as Sammy protests. A
final blow puts Sammy out, and he awakes in his room.
Meanwhile, Zsi joins Eliot in the family
library. Eliot finally inquires as to how he can be sure the man is his
father; the man asks "what would convince you?" Eliot decides to
apologize as he feels he's been rude; via mind-link, which Suzanne notes is
difficult to maintain and she does only sporadically, Laughton notes that the
man did not appear to be lying earlier. As they talk, Eliot points out it
was not him in Mongolia. but rather, "Laughton, the Rat." Zsi
indicates they had heard of Eliot in Detroit in any event, and when news reached
them he was nearby (even if it was not him) they felt compelled to reach
out. Zsi also reveals that along with Eliot's half-brother and
half-sister, there are also three nieces and two nephews in the palace.
Zsi says he is disappointed by his change from the Troll to Nexus; Eliot points
out a "man must grow." As they talk, Zsi turns into a Troll form
himself, one looking more decrepit, cracked, and gravelly. He tells Eliot
he is 207. He explains that the Troll can be what one wants him to
be. Eliot demurs that he no longer wants to be the Troll. As they
carefully, diplomatically box on the issue, they delicately get to the role of
the Sihns and where Eliot fits, as Eliot tries to find out more, unsuccessfully, as
to the specifics of the Sihn family business. It appears Zsi has many
secretive, probably criminal, interests in China and is involved in the
government in some surreptitious fashion. Zsi explains, "We do that
which benefits China as that which benefits the Sihn." He mentions as
to their government role that the Chinese bureaucracy never really goes away,
and this is the root of their power. Eliot says he will not stand in Zsi's
way but that it's also not his country. He agrees and understands that
"many things must be kept secret." Zsi cannot provide all the
answers Eliot is interested in but agrees the onion must be peeled one layer at
a time; he advises Eliot not to concern himself with "human laws, but with
moral laws". Then he asks Eliot, "Do you have more questions I
cannot answer?" And their evening ends.
In Laughton's room, Sihn Mi, Eliot's and
Loo's sister, leaves a note for Laughton and gives him an invitation to see her
in her room, directly above his. In her note she teases Laughton with
hints of great power, pointing out she knows Namor but he does not know
her. She suggests, "Come with me and great rewards will follow,
alien."
Spectrum peruses her 1640 book, and it
begins to talk to her. The face of the man from the basement appears as a
hologram out of the book and asks her to rescue him! Shortly after Hamlet
visits her room to tell him about his strange note from Mi. He knocks and
she cautiously answers; he says through the door, "Don't you recognize my
secret knock?" (which is amazingly complex and arrhythmic). She then
answers, "Just come in!" despite Laughton's concern. As they
discuss, Spectrum says she's anxious to leave, and Laughton says "get in
line." Spectrum puts up the mind link between them, noting how
difficult it is here, and Laughton returns to discuss more with Mi.
On his way, Eliot, lost in thought,
passes Hamlet. He asks him where he's going, and Laughton says, "Just
wandering, checking out the family digs, they're spacious." Eliot
shrugs, sure there's more, as Laughton points out he has no bed.
Eliot points out he doesn't need one, and then teases him for his
"complaining." As Laughton muses about what they know, Eliot
simply says perhaps they figured Laughton didn't deserve a bed. Then he
makes his way to hsi room.
Meanwhile Spectrum tries to reach out to
Willow but finds the barrier of the palace is too great to esablish that
contact.
Laughton gets to Mi's and is called
in. He is mildly surprised to find her naked and immodest and suggests he
isn't there for what she thinks. But she does not act at all in a
seductive way, seeming completely at ease, and ignores his comment. She
seems unconcerned with her immodesty She says the way to knowledge is
through power, turning the traditional saying around. She goes on to say
that Zsi Sihn is a foolish old man about the people around him and about the
world above. She brings up the Yeti and "other underground
people" as fools for staying below. Laughton pays careful attention
to the room, noting there's not much in there aside from basic furniture, a few
works of art, and several stacks of books. She makes no specific offer,
simply saying she wishes to start conversations with Laughton and then excuses
herself as she says another visitor is coming and she must prepare.
Laughton wonders if the other visitor is why she's naked.
Suzanne visits Eliot before he turns in,
explaining about the prisoner down below, bringing him up to date. She
does not mention the "megalomaniac sister" at Laughton's
request. As Suzanne and Hamlet mentally speak, she says she will mention
it when they get back to Detroit; he says, "What makes you think we'll get
back?"
After Sammy recovers from his beating,
which doesn't take more than few moments after awakening, he wanders the
halls...
[Game Mechanics - Points Awarded...
The three murderesses are dealt with
this time, and it was interesting but not too powerful - +1.875 RP, +.125 XP for Nexus, Sammy,
Spectrum
For Spectrum's specific handling
of/dealing with the women, dealt with this time, about even - +5.625 RP, +.375
XP for Spectrum
For dealing with the Martians, they are
dealt with this time, a background NPC or nuisance - +.375 RP, +.025 XP for
Nexus, Sammy, Spectrum
For Nexus, Sammy, Spectrum Martian
adventure - select 1 3-point contact (add 3 XP but solely for this purpose)
For initial China interactions, nothing
specific at this point, will award next session; FYI there is Laughton stuff
still to be done from his side adventures
6 hours in character - +4.5 RP, +1.5
XP for Nexus, Sammy, Spectrum
3 hours in character - +2.25 RP, +.75 XP
for Laughton
Totals:
Laughton, 2.25 RP, .75 XP
Nexus 6.75 RP, 4.65 XP
Sammy 6.75 RP, 4.65XP
Spectrum 12.375 RP, 5.025 XP
Totals to Date:
Dice 188.5 RPs, 14.95 XPs
Laughton 1650.625 RPs, 147.875 XPs (with Rep level, 50 for base, 25 for minion,
50 for reorg (note, did not use for agency or life-saving)
Neumann 468.5 RPs, 63.3 XPs (with Rep level, 50 for base)
Nexus 1788 RPs, 157.9 XPs (with Rep level, 50 for base, 25 for
minion, 50 for reorg (note, did not use for agency or life-saving)
Sammy the Slime 1621.125 RPs, 161.3875 XPs (with Rep level, 50 for base, 25
for minion, 50 for reorg (note, did not use for agency or life-saving)
Spectrum 1540.25 RPs, 147.2 XPs (with Rep level, 50 for base, 25 for
minion, 50 for reorg (note, did not use for agency or life-saving)
Steely Danelle 86 RPs, 10.75 XPs]]