The Rules
Hello everyone, the rules of the RP are simple. No god moding, auto-hitting, et cetera, et cetera. This RP is EXCLUSIVELY LOCATED IN BOOMTOWN. You cannot exit under any circumstances. Given to their special nature, the Boomtown Sewer Network and Pocket D may be used in the RP. Please keep in mind, this does not restrict your movement and development space as much as you think it would. In terms of actual land-mass, (as in, zones that are not really [censored] large because of the amount of WATER in them) Boomtown is the largest hero-side zone.
Heroes and Villains are both allowed to join, how you can join is best described above.
Keep in mind though-If you dont want to, there is no reason whatsoever you NEED to join in using that specific method. You could be a hero who parachutes in over the War-wall, or a devious villain who breaks in via an advanced teleporting device. Really, there is no need to restrict yourself as far as getting into the RP goes.
Along with that, you dont necessarily NEED to have all your characters join the task force. They can join the RP for any reason, be it to form their own story-lines, or for other reasons entirely.
It is asked, however, that to get the main arc of the RP rolling, that any characters you do enter at FIRST enter via the Task Force entrance. This is to ensure the main story is carried out. So please make sure any characters you enter early on are entered because they want to be part of the task force. If there are any other characters you wish to enter after that, you may have them enter in any way, shape, or form.
"I want in on this."
Agent Wild looked up from his folder and glared at the hero in front of him.
"Did you hear me?"
"Yes," Wild replied, his ocular piece buzzing as it brought his attention back to the folder, "I heard you. I don't think you're the right guy for it."
"How do you mean?"
"You're unstable, Martin."
Martin Sanders, former homeless bum now regarded as a Dark/Dark scrapper, glowered at his main contact to Freedom Corps.
"Listen," Wild went on, "I would love to be able to recommend you for this nasty little business. Lord knows it would help my career. However, that all hinges on whether or not you succeed."
"So, because you're worried about the politics of the situation, you're not going to recommend me?"
"No, I'm not," Wild set the folder on the desk, "Now, I have to go to the bathroom. I would thank you kindly to let this matter go."
Martin watched his liaison go, then turned back to the file on the desk. Grinning wickedly, he snatched it up and headed out the door. Nobody in the Freedom Corps building of Galaxy City really paid much heed to the fully licensed scrapper with a folder marked "Vanguard" tucked under his arm.
When Agent Wild got back to his desk and saw the folder was missing, he let out a curse. Then he dimmed the lights, and allowed himself to smile.
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
"Oh THAT DOES IT."
Bladewing stood in front of the workbench in his base, glancing between the hovering crystal tv screen on the wall and his hands, which had up until a few seconds ago been holding a page of the Malleus Mundi.
"Great, just when i finally track down a page, for one insignificant magical sentence that someone wrote on it,......SOMEONE STEALS IT!!"
Bladewing sat for a moment, watching the news feed, taking note that the Vanguard was calling for a joint hero and villan task force to take out this supposed Archvillan.
Bladewing ran for the portal chamber, shedding his human guide as he went. His skin shifted to black and scaly, a tail jutted from he base of his spine, his legs changed from human to digitrade, and his head wavered for a moment, and then was revealed in all its draconic glory.
He reached back, to make sure that his katana was still there, then he stepped into the portal, bound for steel canyon, and the temporary Vanguard DPO he had heard about.
"You, dear sir, are a legend. "- nelly. "PIE DOESN'T HAVE TENTACLES!"
Bladewing Draconian lvl 30 KAT/SR scrapper
DarkNinjutsu lvl 50 DM/REG scrapper
Dajoji Hino lvl 50 elm/ela scrapper
Bloody Byakko lvl 20 claws/sr scrapper
Dax Chromas yawned loudly. He was bored. . . and he wasn't good with boredom. He leaned back in his chair looking around at the other occupants of Pocket D. Nothings happening! I wish there was like an explosion or a fight or just a straight up gang-brawl
Everything about him seemed to be neon green or black, from his leather jacket and leather pants to his spiky black hair which he had unsuccesfully tried to dye green. That also included his cell phone which had just began to vibrate in his jacket pocket.
He flipped the phone open and pressed it to his ear, "Shaakti, babby. So what is a little girl as sexy as you doing calling a bad boy like me?"
"Stowe it Dax. The heroes have problems." Shaakti
"Yeah, so what does that have to do with me?" Dax
"One: Theyv'e extended an invitation to people like us to enter Paragon again. Two: You still owe me for getting rid of that crazy [censored] you call a girl-friend." Shaakti
"Okay. One: We could have gotten into Paragon any time we wanted, thats one of the benefits of being in the Dark World Court. Two: You are the one who hooked me up with that chick in the first place. And I don't wanna go." Dax
"Well Dax, you're only a Bishop. I'm a Rook and these orders come straight from the boss man." Shaakti
"Crap. Ok then you owe me breakfast for this. . . AND NOTHING CHEAP!" Dax hung up the phone and smiled.
Things are getting interesting already.
I do not know my reasons for posting, but post I must. ~~Build
"We can't stop here, this is bat country."
--Johnny Depp
"I ain't bi-curious, I'm a man. Why do you think I'm wearing this tight spandex and got all these muscles?" Meatwad
Definitely NOT Cohen the level 47 scrapper and Brighid Moreira were both walking through Boomtown, together.
This was odd.
I
Guess I really never understood
She said quietly.
Definitely NOT Cohen nodded slightly.
They walked on towards their destination.
I guess saying sorry wouldnt begin to cover it?
Definitely NOT Cohen the level 47 scrapper shook his head sadly.
I thought not
She sighed. Just one question though
One would think it would be easier to do this elsewhere, a more central location like Atlas Park or Galaxy City. Why Baumtown? Its Secluded, and the second northernmost zone. Once you succeed
IF I succeed. Definitely NOT Cohen the level 47 scrapper corrected.
ONCE you succeed. The City Representative repeated. The change will be slow. It will happen, but much more slowly than if you had chosen a different zone. Why here?
Silence for a long time.
Because Boomtown is the Perfect Place for a Blast from the Past. The dark figure finally responded. He looked South. "They'll be coming soon, you know. This is your last chance to back out. Run back to them and tell them. That was my original intent."
Moreira shook her head. "No. They wouldn't believe me, I think. Even if they did, they wouldn't do it."
"Quite true, although the entire purpose was to simply make them aware. Still, I can improvise. This plan can still work."
They arrived.
"And this is where we part ways." Definitely NOT Cohen the level 47 scrapper said. "You know what to do. Make sure to edge up along the wall, otherwise they'll spot you before-hand."
Moreira nodded. "I'll be careful." She said.
But she said this to thin air. The dark figure had already gone.
-----
The Clockwork
*ticktickticktickticktickticktickticktickticktickt ick...*
All over Boomtown, the Clockwork scavenged. This place was heavy to them. An endless waste filled with nothing but scrap and left-over metal, and nobody else around to use it.
All the other groups mostly left the Clockwork alone. The things were not hostile unless you deliberately got in their way, and they wern't much of a hinderence.
The Clockwork, likewise, left everyone else alone unless the deliberately got in the way of the little automatons and their scrap.
Soon, however, that would change. Big-time.
It started slowly.
Slowly, one by one, the Clockwork put down whatever they were holding, and slowly turned their green, lifeless glowing eyes towards the other inhabitants of the zone.
Mainly the Trolls and the Outcasts...
(OK, this character is still in developement, but, since I hate to pass up joining a promising RP, I think I'll throw my hat into the ring.
Anyway, everyone, meet Tenrai Shinzui. [Roughly translated, Divine Spirit.] Magic Controller with the ability to manipulate souls, to an extent. Tenrai Shinzui, everyone.
Anyway, I'll be updating my Character Description post with his information soon after this post, so check in on that if you care.)
"You're kidding me..." Dusan said as he lightly tossed the file he had been handed down onto the desk of his contact, having already thorougly looked over it. "You know I only go for bounties. Why should I care if some guy kidnaps an official, again," He said, emphasizing that last word, "with the hope he can meld the world to his will? This is hero business, Jack." He had a rather annoyed look on his face, seeming upset at the very suggestion of him doing something selfless.
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Jack replied, grabbing the file and storing it in a drawer under his desk. "But, the thing is, it's not hero business."
Dusan's ears perked at this, although he said nothing.
"The situation has become dire enough to get Vanguard involved, which also means that villains are coming into the mix."
"And if villains are voluntarily going..."
"Exactly. There's a reward." Jack replied, leaning back in his chair and webbing his fingers together, a satisfied grin playing across his lips as he saw the wheels turning in Dusan's head.
Sighing, the super powered youth gave in. "Alright. What do I have to do, exactly?"
A full blown grin replaced the smile Jack's face as he saw him give him. "All you have to do is go to Baumtown. Details of the situation will be given there."
As he saw Dusan turn to leave, he stopped him, giving a final piece of advice.
"I have to warn you though, kid, that guy laid Statesman out cold. You'd better be careful."
The look on his face could reflect that of pure terror the moment after he finished his sentence, and that of a certain cocky teen's the next. "Relax Jack, if it has a soul, it's not getting away from me..." With that, he walked out of Jack's office, making a beeline for Baumtown.
OOC:
[ QUOTE ]
meet Tenrai Shinzui. [Roughly translated, Divine Spirit.]
[/ QUOTE ]
*Steals name*
>_>
What?
Duel swords are coming soon! 
Energon X stared at the TV, the purple glare that happened whenever his gaze fell on something even slightly reflective washing out the picture slightly. He watched not-Cohen's speech, listening thoughtfully. Then he rewound it, a look of puzzlement furrowing his brow. Then he rewound it again. And again.
Six watchings later, he was convinced that something wasn't right. Most psychotic 'Bwahahahaha, I'm here to take over the world!!!!' rants don't have that distinct edge of self-mockery. Even given that these types almost always lie, something else is going on here. Then he made an amused noise. Besides which, I've heard enough uber-villains monologuing to recognize someone who's faking it.
He floated off the couch, gliding sedately over to the commcentre of his small apartment, and raised a cynical eyebrow. Twenty-seven missed calls in that short a time? He flipped through them briefly, flagging the important ones, then listened through them. Hmm... even Gaussian wants me in on this one. That alone suggests that there's several deeper levels at work here. Eh... even if he didn't, SERAPH's called me in. And, while I don't 'officially' work for them, they've always done right by me in the past.
He shrugged, and called Rebecca Brinell. "Becka? This Boomtown thing? I'm in." He listened for a moment, then checked the mission briefing in his monocular HUD. Making a few affirmative noises into the phone, he terminated the call, floated a little higher, then swooped out the window, fading from view as he did so.
Interesting. This new technomancy bit has SERAPH intrigued, and, I suspect, a little professionaly jealous. Magic and superscience don't tend to play well together- dropping a mystic artifact into a particle accelerator has had results ranging from the disappointing to the spectacularly fatal. Now that there's an artifact at the power level of the Malleus Mundi running around in Paragon City, they want to try a few theories out on it. And, being one of the most potent powersources on two legs, of course I just 'happen' to be elected to test things out.
A brief stopoff in Galaxy City to be outfitted with a new suit of armour- one that offered the same level of protection as his old suit, but was significantly bulkier thanks to the hundreds of esoteric sensors packed into it. The crowning touch was a pair of big parabolic antennae attached to the back, neatly disguised as a pair of high-tech wings. Energon X eyed the black-white-and-gold effect with blazing eyes- colour downshifted to a glowing yellow from their usual purple, thanks all the exotic energies flowing through and around him. He shrugged, making the wing-antennae flutter. "Not my usual look, but not bad." he commented.
He rose off the floor, techwings flapping slowly, and nodded his now-hooded head to the technician who had outfitted him. "Thanks Vern. Hopefully all this junk you've loaded me up with does the trick. And if not... eh, it's one more layer between me and some geek who shredded States." He soared out the doorway and was gone.
A short while later, he had touched down at the Vanguard DPO, nodding to the startled operative as he decloaked next to her. "Energon X. I think you are expecting me?" he stated simply.
"A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head." Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates
MA Arcs: #12285, "Small Fears", #106553, "Trollbane", #12669, "How to Survive a Robot Uprising"
[ QUOTE ]
OOC:
[ QUOTE ]
meet Tenrai Shinzui. [Roughly translated, Divine Spirit.]
[/ QUOTE ]
*Steals name*
>_>
What?
Duel swords are coming soon!
[/ QUOTE ]
(Ah, nice try, but he's already a Level ten Ill/Kin troller. *Laughs maniacally and runs off*)
Unknown Location
T Minus 4452 Hours
INCOMING TRANSMISSION
AUDIO ONLY
"This is Wilcox. They have taken the bait."
"Good. The 'portal generators' are on their way. Your associates know what to do."
"Yes. Everything will be ready long before anyone gets there. As promised, they will see nothing. The task force will assemble as planned."
"You've done well. Anything else?"
"I have concerns about the Freedom Phalanx. If they interfere...well, let's just say subtlety isn't their best quality."
"Oh, don't worry about that. I've already arranged to have them taken care of..."
--------------------
Steel Canyon Medical Center
T Minus 0517 Hours
Heavy steps echoed in the main lobby of the hospital, two pairs of armored boots proceeding down their path with intent. The receptionist laid down his phone without a word as he heard them approach, silently handing a clipboard with several scribbled-on notes into the hand of a purple-armored glove.
The Colonel gave an appreciative nod, glanced to her partner Sorcerer, and then the two operatives that hailed from the Sword of Vanguard proceeded deftly down the corridor the man now indicated. Like machines they walked, their pace neither hurried nor any slower than it should be.
L-15; Marcus Cole, the clipboard stated. Not even sparing a glance at the Longbow soldiers keeping watch over the drab, melancholy door of the hospital room, the Colonel reached to the handle, depressing it and letting the door swing open to a dismal view.
Marcus Cole - the Statesman - lying there helpless in a bed of white, his mind struck down to the far reaches of the subconscious realm. Tubes and lines led from his body into various machines, filling the room with constant hum and chitter. The repetitive beep of the heart monitor was likely the only comforting one.
Ms. Liberty sat at his side, her fingers gripped firmly about the hand of her grandfather. She wouldn't leave him, this the two could already see. The other Vindicators had returned to their posts, having seen the need to keep the heroes of Paragon organized instead of rushing to the rescue themselves.
The Freedom Phalanx, however, seemed to have no such inhibitions. They'd assembled in full force, and there was little doubt as to their intentions once they knew their friend and leader safe.
Their heads turned as the Colonel of the Sword announced the duo's presence, establishing what the Sorcerer had to offer. Slowly but surely, one nod joined another, even Manticore's skepticism of the Sword eroding with time. Finally, the Phalanx members did as asked, departing the room for the Sorcerer to perform the ritual he'd laid out.
But not Ms. Liberty.
The heroine simply shook her head slowly, raising her gaze every now and then to indicate she listened, a nod or two interlaced there and then as the Sorcerer explained to her the potential dangers to a waking mind nearby.
Nonetheless, she would not have it, staying by her grandfather's side as immobile as the Rock of Gibraltar. Finally, she convinced the two of the Sword to begin the process despite her presence. She would ride it out.
Though he hesitated at first, the Sorcerer came to agree, drawing the staff from his back, arcane power dancing about its length as the man began an incantation. Slowly and with impeccable precision, he let the tip drift to and fro in complex patterns, its energies snaking over Statesman and his granddaughter.
Finally, Ms. Liberty collapsed onto the bed.
The second task had been done. The first had been to cast an illusion upon the security cameras. Now the third task could begin.
Reaching into her armor, the Colonel drew a tiny rod, no larger than a chip of pencil lead, placing it upon the head of the comatose hero. Within moments, the thing evaporated, and the third task had been done.
Ms Liberty awoke once more, lips unmoving as she beheld her grandfather still lost in his own head. The Sorcerer expressed his deepest regret, shaking his head slowly in the explanation. However, he then raised a finger, telling the heroine that his spells had indeed uncovered something, even if they had not had the power to rouse the Statesman.
Recalling the members of the Freedom Phalanx into the room, Ms. Liberty listened intently as the man of the Sword told her of something most rare and difficult to obtain that he suspected carried a high potential for returning her grandfather to the waking world. It would take the entire Freedom Phalanx to retrieve. Though this would mean not pursuing the newly arrived maniac, he assuredly indicated Vanguard would come through for them, that the Dark Watcher had been sure.
Manticore was the first to step beside the heroine. He laid a hand upon her shoulder, then raised a fist and declared they would not rest until the Statesman stood on his own two feet once more.
Their tasks now done, the two of the Sword gave a curt nod of goodbye, then turned to depart once more, stepping from the hospital doors with an air of accomplishment. Now the real work could begin...
--------------------
The Fuse
T Plus 0027 Hours
"Indeed we are." a Sword Sorcerer greeted Energon X with all the enthusiasm of a stone-cold machine. The slim man stretched an arm in the direction of the now-closed gate, "Please proceed to the Security Chief. You'll get your briefing from him. Also, we highly suggest you arm up with whatever stock of supplemental equipment you can safely carry. Once we depart, there may not be opportunity to do so..."
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
Bladewing flew up to the closed gates of Boomtown, landing with a small cloud of dust in front of the sign that said "This way to the Vanguard DPO"
Walking inside he went up to the receptionist.
"Who do I talk to about going into boomtown to turn that thief of an "Archvillan" into a pile of hamburger meat?"
"You, dear sir, are a legend. "- nelly. "PIE DOESN'T HAVE TENTACLES!"
Bladewing Draconian lvl 30 KAT/SR scrapper
DarkNinjutsu lvl 50 DM/REG scrapper
Dajoji Hino lvl 50 elm/ela scrapper
Bloody Byakko lvl 20 claws/sr scrapper
Martin Sanders leaped and bounded across Steel Canyon. He knew the city zone from the ground up, and from the up to the ground, it was actually less complicated...
"Ledge here, rooftop there... The Green line and here... we... go?"
Glaring at the massive steel doors clamped shut, he turned to the Security Chief who was packing up some stuff from his guardhouse.
"Hey!" he barked at the SWAT officer, "What does a guy have to do to get in there, now?"
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
The Council Base
Grenadier Village
Archon Auswitch polished his boots.
Then he checked the clock.
He went and shined his badges.
He checked the clock again.
He lit a cigar.
Then he checked the clock again.
Where was that BLASTED Adjutant?
In truth, the Adjutant in question was running late on purpose. None of the men in the base particularly liked Archon Auswitch very much.
It had all started when the good Archon had been recommended for promotion by Archon Burkholder himself, who just HAPPENED to be a cousin. Naturally, Archon Auswitch had been assigned to the Megamech project on Striga.
He had not been condemned to Boomtown for failure. Oh no, failure was perfectly understandable when it came to the Megamech.
He had been condemned to the Boomtown Council Cell for forgetting what the launch code for the Megamech WAS in the first place, mistaking one of the heroes for a solider and helping him to set a bomb, of all things, accidentally shooting three of his own soldiers, and after all the heroes had been defeated and it miraculously looked like the Megamech project would actually SUCCEED, he had gone and pressed the button that closed the seal at the top of the volcano.
DURING the launch phase.
Normally such idiocy would have been awarded swiftly with death, except, as it turned out, Archon Auswitch had gotten wound up in some of the legal affairs of Archon Burkholder, and he had proven moderately useful in getting the man out of the Zig. So instead of executing him and tossing his corpse into the sewer network to be left for the dead, (literally) he was condemned permanently to supervise the Boomtown Council Cell. Or, simply put 'The Dead End of the Career Ladder,' as far as the Council went.
HE had thought he was being elevated to some key position critical to the plans of the Center.
HE thought that the cell actually MATTERED.
In short, he was an idiot, an incompetent, and everybody hated his guts. Not the best of combinations.
Over an hour later, a certain Vortex Cor Leonis Adjutant by the name of Salvatore entered the room. He was the person who actually RAN the base while they shut the Archon up in here and loaded him down with faked paperwork to fill out.
Unfortunately, once every week or so, SOMEBODY had to take up the unpleasant duty of delivering the 'report' to Archon Auswitch. That happened to be Salvatore.
"You're late by over an hour." Archon Auswitch snapped. "If you're late again your rations will be reduced and I'll personally see to it you become war-wolf chow."
"Of course sir." Salvatore replied smoothly. 'If only we HAD any war-wolves here. The soldier thought to himself wistfully.
"Report." The Archon said.
"Clockwork activity in the Powderkeg and the Fuse has increased slightly. The Lost seem to have withdrawn into their hideouts and are keeping quiet, for no particular reason. The Vahzilok continue to scavenge about everywhere for new victims, as per usual, and the Trolls and the Outcasts continue to make fools of themselves in the Fuse." The Adjuntant said.
'And he thinks this is an actual REPORT. How would you like to know about the liquid nitrogen valve that has a loose bolt in it that is slowly frosting your office door shut, hmmm? But no, such things are too LOW for you to bother yourself with, you need REAL information, don't you? What do you care if the entire base falls apart while you play a proverbial fiddle?'
"I want extra patrols of fifteen men in the Powderkeg to figure out what the Clockwork are up to then." The Archon said.
"Yes sir." 'Like we actually HAVE that many men. When was the last time he saw the REAL enlistments form?'
"Is there anything else to report this week?"
"No sir." Salvatore said, keeping a straight face behind his helmet and restraining himself from laughing.
'Aside from the IMPORTANT stuff. Like the dangerously low supplies, the Vahzilok disguising themselves as trash heaps and ambushing what very few patrols we DO have, not to mention our last Mech actually FLED, and that it has easily been over a year since the base last underwent proper maintenance. But there you have it, none of that is really that important...You stupid twit.'
For a few moments it looked like the Adjutant would actually get out of the office with his intelligence mostly intact.
Nothing in life is EVER that easy.
The alarm klaxons suddenly blared.
"What is that?" The Archon shouted.
"Almost certainly nothing sir! Nothing we can't handle sir! We'll get right on it sir!" The Adjutant shouted back, unslinging his rifle and heading for the door.
To his horror, he heard Archon Auswitch retrieve his rifle from beneath his desk, and march right after him.
'Oh god, PLEASE, not during an actual emergency...
"Sir, I advise that you remain here, the situation is entirely under contr-"
"I'm sick and tired of paperwork, I don't care if its some stupid drug-addled troll who accidentally passed out against the door, I am PERSONALLY handling this situation."
'If it IS a drug-addled troll, you'll be the first person in history to actually turn such a situation into an emergency bordering nuclear apocalypse. The Adjutant thought grimly, but he didn't oppose the Archon. He did pull rank.
A short time later
Council soldiers, weapons armed, running about and shouting, were all gathered about the doorway.
What is it? Salvatore asked one as he ran by.
Clockwork! The soldier responded, settling behind a short wall and aiming his rifle at the sloped cave passage leading up to the door. Theres an entire army of the little things at there. We locked the door and they started ripping it down. We barricaded it, but we think theyre going to breach it in a few minutes.
What are you doing? Archon Auswitch asked the soldier, who blinked behind his combat monocles.
Loading cryo ammunition into my rifle
Sir
It tends to freeze up joints very well, and the Clockwork arent
YOU IDIOT! The Archon screamed. The soldier almost flinched. THE CLOCKWORK ARE UNSTOPPABLE
Unstoppable? Salvatore asked.
HEAVILY ARMORED
Heavily Armored? The poor soldier asked.
DEATH MACHINES!
Adjutant and Rifle-man both blinked again.
Ah
Sir, I think you
Salvatore began.
AND THAT IS WHY YOU ARE ONLY AN ADJUTANT AND NOT AN ARCHON LIKE ME! The Archon screamed. WHEN YOU THINK YOU SCREW EVERYTHING UP! NOW LISTEN!
Both the soldiers were glaring at him now, wondering just how much he would be missed if they gave him to the Vahzilok.
You are only to use grenades when fighting the Clockwork. LOTS of grenades. Trust me, I know all about fighting Clockwork.
Im sure you do. Said the Ascendant Archon in the corner dryly.
WHEN DID YOU GET HERE! The Archon screamed.
They settled for just knocking him out and putting him back into his office.
Sir. Salvatore saluted smartly to the Ascendant.
At ease. He said. I take it youve been running the place
?
In a manner of speaking
Good. Listen. I take it you know about the Malleus Mundi situation?
The Adjutant nodded.
The Center has taken a personal interest in this matter. We cannot interfere directly, of course, due to matters elsewhere, but we will be parachuting you new troops and supplies regularly. Your cells new assignment is to locate and secure the Malleus Mundi, using any means necessary. Please keep in mind though, the Ascendant added, That your operations are still going to be very limited. While the Malleus Mundi is indeed a very tempting prize, having to fight someone who put Statesman down just isnt worth it, along with the trouble of having to deal with the heroes will immediately home in on us once they learn we have it. Or rather, in short
The Ascendant leaned closer and whispered mockingly. Somebody higher up has taken a bit of pity for you. Be thankful.
But let me guess
Salvatore said. This means Auswitch is still Archon here?
Unfortunately for everybody involved
Yes. The Ascendant said. Now then, didnt you have Clockwork to attend to before all of this?
There was suddenly a very loud thumping noise, followed by lots of shouting.
Whats going on? Salvatore shouted to the troops at the door.
The Clockwork are throwing bodies down the passage! One of the soldiers shouted back.
WHAT?
I SAID THE CLOCKWORK ARE THROWING DEAD BODIES
And indeed, from the top of the passageway, an entire army of Clockwork was heaving dead bodies down the passageway leading into the base proper.
They were all Outcasts and Trolls. And they all had burns all over their corpses. The work of the little automatons above.
Get those bodies cleared! Salvatore yelled. Then clear the Clockwork from the entrance and get it barricaded
-----
Vahzilok
Whoa. Said a Reaper as he looked over the ruins of Boomtown.
Bodies.
There were dead bodies everywhere.
And all of them were members of the Outcasts and the Trolls.
Jackpot boys! Lets haul these away and whip us up some cadavers! Shouted another Reaper. A series of huzzahs went up, and with several abominations and cadavers helping them, a small army of Reapers and Mortificators began to joyfully drag bodies off to where ever to work on them.
There was a tiny problem.
Ok, heave! One Reaper shouted.
A pair of cadavers lifted up the body of a Troll to reveal two Cannon Knights who had been hiding under his body. With a fury they leapt upon the surprised Reaper and he was a crisp in mere moments, with the Cadavers following suit quickly.
Such situations began to happen at every body the Vahzilok picked up.
The Clockwork had set up ambushes
What the HELL! A Reaper yelled. Run!
But it was too late. This particular group of Vahz had walked right into a field of dead bodies.
Hundreds of green eyes peered at them from every direction as said dead bodies were rolled and shoved away by small brown almost toy-like constructs
-----
Clockwork
*ticktickticktickticktickticktickticktickticktickt ickticktickticktickticktickticktickticktick*
All around the Cannonade, the Clockwork scavenged.
Not for scrap though.
Now they scavenged for the dead.
Whenever a body of the Outcasts or the Trolls was found, a small team of Clockwork would pick up the body and start hauling it to the Grenadier Village.
There were thousands of Clockwork all over, carrying hundreds of dead gang members.
One thing was clear. The Outcasts and the Trolls had just vacated Boomtown.
-----
The Lost
Unseen from the fortified ruins of old buildings, and from beneath sewer gratings and cracks in the ground, oddly mournful eyes watched as the Clockwork dragged away their victims.
What are they doing? One wondered aloud. Clockwork arent supposed to behave this way.
But do you question my wisdom now? Asked an odd voice that sounded old and slightly ragged.
No, Pariah Pontifex. The Scrounger said in a tone of reverence. We did not believe before. We doubted the wisdom of the Green Gods. We did not know
Be calm. There was no way you could have known.
What shall we do know though, Pariah? We cannot hide forever. Eventually the Clockwork will hunt us down to, and not even our fortified hideouts will protect us from their numbers
Do not place doubt in our gods. Pariah Pontifex replied.
He looked long and hard at a pair of figures armored in futuristic armor only he could see.
They have the best of intentions in mind, they will keep those who are Lost safe
-----
"You have to go to the Green Line." The officer replied. "Vanguard has set up a portal to the DPO lobby in there, right outside on the ramp."
Martin turned around angrily and almost slapped himself for his blindness.
"Just goes to show ya, I'm spending too much time with my head in the clouds..."
Despite his near-amused speech, inside, he was roiling.
"That wasn't there just a short while ago... What the Hell else has changed? Good Lord, how long has it been since I've been to Boomtown?"
"Too long," a voice replied in the back of his mind, "And thank you for accepting the task I have set for you."
"You again," Martin sucked air through his teeth sharply as he marched for the Green Line, "Who are you? What do you want with me?"
"You have not yet accomplished enough to have earned that knowledge," the voice replied, oddly patient, despite the numerous arguments it has had with Martin in the past, "Trust me, all in due time."
"This guy mopped the floor with Statesman... Whatever that ghost was..."
"It's not a ghost. Something... Much worse."
"Whatever... What chance does a bum like me have against it?"
There was a chuckling sound.
"Why, you're practically Death incarnate, my child... There's nothing that can stop you."
Martin's eye twitched a little at that. Sure, he had a connection to the dark realms beyond, but that hardly qualified him as 'Death' itself. What the Hell was going on, and what was that voice?
Was he truly insane?
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
Dusan quickly arrived at his local Green Line, teleported himself to Vanguard DPO, and got directed to the Security Chief without too much incident, which was a wonder considering with only a white T-Shirt and baggy jeans on, he didn't look like much of a meta.
"So, you're the guy I gotta talk to about this demi-god, right? So what's the situation?" He asked these questions as straight-forward as possible, accustomed to getting his information fast and accurate, however, he had other reasons other than habit for wanting to hurry this up. Truth be told, he disliked the idea of dealing with someone more powerful than The Statesman, and he'd dealt with more than one entity without a soul. In those cases, he was what was often called a 'buff bot', only useful to enhance the souls of others to new heights, and even then, if villains were involved, some may not even have those. [Hell, maybe even some heroes.] All in all, his powers were purely situational.
Mind you that a convienant situation is rather common, but nonetheless...
Dax yawned in one of the Vanguard soldiers face. "You gonna let me through or am I gonna have to pull out the puppy dog eyes?"
"Yeah you can go through. Thats a mighty fine coat though, you sure you wanna take that into a battle?" The officer asked.
"Now that you mention it I really don't wanna put another hole in it. Think you can keep it safe here for me?" Dax implored.
"Yes, we'll be pleased to keep some or all of your personal items here." The officer stated innocently
Dax handed the jacket over leaving him wearing a black t-shirt with a green chaos symbol on it. He stepped up to the portal and looked back at the officer, "I'll pick it up when I get back." With that he took one large step and dissappeared into the portal.
The officer turned to his fellow Vangaurd members. "Hey guys! I gotta new jacket."
I do not know my reasons for posting, but post I must. ~~Build
"We can't stop here, this is bat country."
--Johnny Depp
"I ain't bi-curious, I'm a man. Why do you think I'm wearing this tight spandex and got all these muscles?" Meatwad
The Security Chief nodded.
"We're waiting for other potentials to show up first. Help yourself to anything in those bins. We'll brief you soon."
"YESSSSS, all you can use buffet!"
Bladewing almost dove into the bins, grabbing charm crystals, signets, amulets, rings, and scrolls like popcorn and stuffing them into his dimensional holding sack.
He turned a sheepish glance to the wide eyed heroes, villans, and vanguard members.
"What????? I'm a huge fan of the concept Overkill."
Grinning maniacally, Bladewing dove for the crystals that contained damage potential enhancement spells.
"You, dear sir, are a legend. "- nelly. "PIE DOESN'T HAVE TENTACLES!"
Bladewing Draconian lvl 30 KAT/SR scrapper
DarkNinjutsu lvl 50 DM/REG scrapper
Dajoji Hino lvl 50 elm/ela scrapper
Bloody Byakko lvl 20 claws/sr scrapper
"Fair enough." He half said, half muttered, giving a friendly wave as he made his way over to the inspiration bins and picked out a few that he thought useful.
After looking around a bit, he frowned slightly. What? No seats? I swear, hospitality these days... Giving a little sigh, he leaned against a wall where he had a perfect vantage point of all the incoming supers, despite not caring much for his potential allies.
"Do take care not to overload yourself." the Sword Sorcerer told Bladewing nonchalantly, "You never do know if your foe might level some manner of nullification on any unorthodox means of storage you may possess..."
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
A Cannon Knight ricocheted off the wall with a clatter, followed hotly by Energon X, his tech 'wings' flaring as the flapping 'disguise' mechanism struggled to match his flight speed. Fists wrapped in a bloody glow, the blaster reared back and brought both fists down, mashingh the unfortunate electric 'bot into tinfoil. "Buh-uh-gger!" he panted. "I was just scouting about invisibly, and... these little sods are going crazy!"
He glanced around at the assembled supers, then turned to the Vanguard rep. "There are blood stains all over the place, and not a Troll or Outcast in sight. Even the Vahz seem to be gone." E-X made an irritated noise. "If you tell me that the yobbo with the Mundi is now powerful enough to subvert the King's control over the clocks, I'm going HOME." he snarked.
Stalking over to the bins, wings quivering with irritation, he started sorting rapidly through them, choosing a solid blend to store in his belt pouches, then stuffing several giant random handfuls into the pocket dimension that held his Freeze Ray/Rocket Launcher combo, hard rations for several months, a tent, spare powercells for his armour and various gadgets, and basically anything you might need if you expected there to be a good chance of you not being able to get home for a long while at any given moment.
[ QUOTE ]
"You never do know if your foe might level some manner of nullification on any unorthodox means of storage you may possess..."
[/ QUOTE ]
At that comment, he glanced at the Sword Sorceror. "Been there, done that." he grunted. "That's why I keep a full nanotech repair suite OUTSIDE my pocket dimension, clipped to my belt with the other smallish bits of junk that might be useful at a moment's notice."
"A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head." Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates
MA Arcs: #12285, "Small Fears", #106553, "Trollbane", #12669, "How to Survive a Robot Uprising"
(( Buh? Devious are you going to royally have Diov screw me over or something?...in that case))
Bladewing looked at the Sword Sorcerer.
"Ah well in case of that I do have a back up"
Hovering in midair, Bladewing assumed sitting lotus and began to mutter while forming various handsigns. One by one inspirations and powerboosters floated from his storage sack and began merging with his scales, providing easy access when needed. When all his scales were full Bladewing dropped back to the floor, grinning widely.
"Okay so when do we get to go wreck the yutz who stole my Malleus Mundi page?...oh yeah..and he kidnapped the city Rep too."
"You, dear sir, are a legend. "- nelly. "PIE DOESN'T HAVE TENTACLES!"
Bladewing Draconian lvl 30 KAT/SR scrapper
DarkNinjutsu lvl 50 DM/REG scrapper
Dajoji Hino lvl 50 elm/ela scrapper
Bloody Byakko lvl 20 claws/sr scrapper
((Nah, just dropping in some common sense. 
))
"In due time." the Sword Sorcerer replied, "Specifically, as soon as you obtain your briefing from te Security Chief and my partner returns with a...very sophisticated means of tracking..."
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
"Yeeeeeee-Haaaaaaaaaw" Was all Dax was able to shout. He had stomped a clockwork into the ground and was using the unfortunate automaton as a makeshift skateboard. He smashed his fist's repeatedly into several clockwork that had him surrounded. The skin that covered his knuckles and back of his hand had been sliced open from repeatedley smashing them into the metal, but instead of the normal red flesh that was beneath the skin there was only luminous green crystal that was harder than diamond and could absorb energy.
He watched as the joker with the tech wings smashed a canon knight. Wimp, probably couldn't take a punch to save his life. Then again he's probably one of those 'boom' types.
Oh well, hey look more clockwork. Dax headed toward another group loudly cracking his knuckles.
I do not know my reasons for posting, but post I must. ~~Build
"We can't stop here, this is bat country."
--Johnny Depp
"I ain't bi-curious, I'm a man. Why do you think I'm wearing this tight spandex and got all these muscles?" Meatwad
It was another normal day in Atlas Park. Heroes fought devious and wicked villains, ending plots to over-throw the city, Mrs. Liberty lauded about on her Pedestal, completely ignoring the level fifty Malta ambushes who managed to get under the statue, Azuria kept losing everything in the Magi vault, and so forth.
It was normal for now. Soon, something new would happen. Not some cliché gang war or arch-villain attack or plot. Oh no, this would be completely new, and it would be the first time to ever happen in the entire history of Paragon City, and the tale would be told for ages to come long after it had finished
-----
2:00 P.M.
Atlas Park, City Hall, M.A.G.I.
Oh, hello again. Azuria said to another new hero.
Hi. He responded.
Azuria blinked. Errr What?
The hero appeared to hesitate, and then said
Hi?
Uh anyway, what do you need today? Azuria said, smiling awkwardly.
I require the Tears of the Spirit. Numina as[/i]ked that I might retrieve them for study.
Azuria kept smiling, but inwardly, she thought, Why is he talking like that? Cohen never talked like that before Must be a new mutation or something.
Uh sure. She said. She desperately tried to remember what is was the Tears of the Spirit actually DID. (Yet more signs of her incompetence!) Nothing popped into her head. Well it had the word tears in it, so most likely it was a blessing or empowerment charm of some sort.
A few minutes later, after completely ignoring the pointed and obvious DANGER! NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER REMOVE FROM VAULT! sign posted right beneath the vial containing the strange shimmery crystal blue liquid that was the Tears of the Spirit, Azuria handed it to what she THOUGHT was Cohen the level 47 scrapper.
And are you ok? Your voice sounds incredibly dry.
The hero made a few throat-clearing noises.
All better. He said.
-----
Definitely NOT Cohen the level 47 scrapper walked to his location.
He was on a schedule, but he took his time. He had a lot of patience.
He had a lot of patience because he had needed to wait over five years waiting for somebody stupid enough to stumble along and let himself be possessed.
Five years was, understandably, not a very long period of time when it came to these matters, but Definitely NOT Cohen the level 47 scrapper was modern terror. None of this mystic rune or curses or inevitable ultimate doom revenge spells. Oh no, he was much more simple, stream-lined, and efficient.
He stopped thinking about that.
Instead he started thinking of the city around him.
It was
Amazing.
It had only been five years and already it was apparent Rikti tech and advancements in technology had turned the place into a technological utopia. The shimmering blue war-walls were indeed a sight to behold. He had naturally sensed them before, of course, but seeing them was a rather different and more pleasant experience. Especially during the night.
Well, now he was ready. He had the Tears of the Spirit. He was very surprised when he hadnt even needed to manipulate Azuria into handing the vial over. She must have really been as naïve as he had heard.
He quickly made his way away from City Hall, taking care to avoid other heroes while doing so. The first thing he did was go into a book-store. Three minutes later he emerged with several history books. There was a great deal of shouting going on inside the shop, and looking at the dark figure hurrying away with the books, it was quite clear what had happened.
Finding a bench, Definitely NOT Cohen the level 47 scrapper sat down, opened the history books, and flipped most of them to the very end, specifically around the winter of 2002. After reading for twenty minutes, he left the books on the bench, and searched for a newspaper machine. Finding one almost instantly, he gave it a solid smack with his fist, causing it to split open and spill papers everywhere.
The body of Cohen smiled for the entity of Definitely NOT Cohen the level 47 scrapper.
Right smack-bang on the front of the page read
Brighid Moreira to award Task Force Jetstone Honorary Badges for Defending the City against attempted Praetorian Invasion.
Task Force Jetstone, having brought the Praetorian Earth dictator, Tyrant, to justice, have enjoyed a week of celebration and commemoration. Today they will be receiving honorary badges, presented by Brighid Moreira, City Representative, and Statesman, who was present as the time of
Definitely NOT Cohen the level 47 scrapper folded the newspaper and left it to rot on the ground, heading for his goal.
-----
Steel Canyon, Blyde Square
Hereby award you the Hero of the City badge, along with Freedom Phalanx Reserve Membership. Statesman finished. There was a polite smatter of applause. Mrs. Moreira, take it away.
The City Representative now stood on Positrons pedestal. He and Valkyrie had taken off from the scene for the day.
Thank you, Statesman. First of all, I would like to extend my deepest thanks, as City Re-
There was a blaze of black smog which seemed to drift across the general base the huge statue at an alarmingly fast speed.
-pr-
It rushed through the crowd of reporters and onlookers.
-es-
It rushed through the assembled team of eight heroes.
-nt-
It vanished.
-at-
Every Bystander suddenly collapsed silently onto the ground.
The eight heroes who had been Task Force Jetstone reacted as if theyd been hit by a rocket. All of them were tossed into the air like a frog leaping in zero gravity, and they came down. Hard.
-ive ? Finished the City Representative.
The heroes angrily got up and dusted themselves off, looking around for the cause of the commotion.
-----
Manticore frowned as the footage of the event was suddenly cut off.
He reached for his communicator, activated it, and spoke.
We may have a problem
-----
A single figure advanced in a rather threatening manner down the street, approaching the base of the statue, heading right for the team of Heroes.
And who the hell are you? One of them spat.
A Memoir. The figure said.
There was another black blur. The hero who had spoken fell down onto the ground, unconscious. Definitely NOT Cohen the level 47 scrapper didnt appear to have moved.
Get him! One of the heroes shouted.
What followed could have easily been described as a massacre. Statesman and the Representative watched, stunned, as who they knew as Cohen the mildly stupid level 47 nobody scrapper calmly beat the crap out of an eight-man team as if they were children. The battle was over in twelve seconds, he just placed one blow on them and they were down for the count. He simply shrugged off any blows they landed and he seemed to be ignoring the weakening effects of the teams debuffers.
Wiping his hands off on the nearest heros cape, Definitely NOT Cohen looked to Statesman.
Oh, so youre next? He asked.
Statesman grimly stepped off the pedestal from beside Moreira, and advanced on Definitely NOT Cohen the level 47 scrapper, full-heartedly regretting what he was about to do.
For entirely the wrong reason, as well. That had to be the stinker when he woke up three weeks later.
-----
Definitely NOT Cohen the level 47 scrapper positioned the camera very carefully. He wanted to make absolutely sure that it got what he was about to do.
Why was he doing this? Well, for the attention, of course. That was why he even still existed.
Suddenly, the news came back on, and the event continued on television.
If Manticore had THOUGHT there was a problem before, now he KNEW. He grabbed his communicator and started speaking in a commanding voice to whoever was on the other end.
-----
Good Evening, Citizens of Paragon City. Definitely NOT Cohen the level 47 scrapper spoke almost cheerfully to the camera.
He had moved Statesmans body out of the cameras range. He had some dignity.
I am yet ANOTHER arch-villain who has just recently arrived in Paragon
A complete lie, but hey, it was there as a grabber. He worked with what he had. What he had was stupid television watchers and a few heroes. Go figure.
And I intend to take over the world and meld it in my own image as that of
Think hard, something relatively morbid and cliché.
The Dark order of pure and total oblivion, and you shall all be cast into the infinite expanse of doom
That should do it.
I intend to conquer this PITIFUL
Lovely.
City using nothing else than the Hammer of the World! Using this artifact
He waved the vial containing the Tears of the Spirit in front of the camera.
The Tears of the Spirit! An artifact which grants any one wish to the user! I will use the Tears of the Spirit to gather the Malleus Mundi, every last page, every last scrap and shred of it, and I will use the Hammer of the World to dominate this land!
Well, at least THAT statement was 50% true.
He lifted the vial containing the shimmering, crystal blue liquid up to the dark depths of his hood, and the vial slowly empties.
A few moments pass.
There is a solid thud, and the Malleus Mundi, with every last page, scrap, and shred of it intact and in place, dropped out of thin air and into Definitely NOT Cohen the level 47 scrappers hands. The book was bound in simple black leather in its current appearance.
..Not even an explosion ..? That was a let-down ..
The words were just barely audible.
BEHOLD! I now possess the Hammer of the World! Soon, Paragon City shall fall before my invincible wrath, and the entire world will soon follow!
He rushed off-camera.
OFF TO BOOMTOWN, WHERE I WILL ENACT MY PLAN! He says a little too loudly so that anyone listening to the television could have heard him plainly.
-----
By the time the rest of the Freedom Phalanx had arrived, the villain was gone, along with Brighid Moreira. He had kidnapped her.
Most devastating though was the sight of Statesman. It looked like somebody had tossed a big red white and blue cow into a wood chipper.
-----
One day later
What do we have? The Security chief rumbled in the Steel Canyon PPD building.
Azuria, (who was standing rather sheepishly and guiltily) and General Hammond both stood within the same room.
Ah Magi has leveled all of its magical forces to attempt to locate our mystery villain and his two acquisitions, but no matter what spells we use, they always seem to fail. The Baumtown nexus is completely normal, there are no background build-ups of Joule particles, and we have sensed nothing out of place there. Even after contacting two dimensional entities who are sympathetic to our race, the only thing they could conclude currently was that Clockwork activity appears to have increased slightly. She said carefully.
Scans using our satellites and monitoring drones have gotten zilch. Background radiation is exactly the same as always, power signatures are non-existent, and gang activities are still normal. Hammond said.
So our maniac most likely isnt even IN Baumtown. The Security Chief said flatly.
Oh no. Both Hammond and Azuria said at the same time.
Our scrying spells, while unable to pinpoint any specific location, confirm that he IS in Baumtown. We just dont know where.
We also have footage from global tracking and police drones of him entering Baumtown through the gate with Mrs. Moreira over his shoulder. He blew right past the drones like they didnt exist and we havent even FOUND the guards yet. Our means of tracking him promptly malfunctioned to high hell the second he made it through, by the time we got everything back up and running, hed vanished off the map.
The security chief growled in frustration.
Ive already had a small talk with officials from the F.B.I. They say if we cannot organize a force to retrieve the Malleus Mundi, they will be forced to In lighter terms Liquidate Baumtown, and unfortunately, kill Brighid Moreira in the process. They will do anything to make sure the Hammer of the World is not misused.
So what exactly stops us from doing just that? Why not form a task force? Asked The City Representatives vice secretary.
It might have something to do with our target blowing away eight of our top heroes all by himself, outright killing three of them, and putting Statesman into a coma. The Security Chief answered in an annoyed voice.
I think I may have an answer Said a quiet voice from the corner.
Everyone turned to the Dark Watcher.
It is Vanguards duty to defend not just Paragon City, but the entire world, from the Rikti Threat. However, Lady Grey agrees with me when I say that the threat of the Malleus Mundi in the wrong hands is the responsibility for all organizations to take care of. Since the second invasion attempt has calmed down and, dare I say it, failed, Vanguard will be able to spare a token force. That alone would do nothing to help the situation. HOWEVER The Dark Watcher paused. If you were willing We could set up a DPO in front of the Baumtown entrance. Specifically, right inside the zone gate. Where we would allow villains-
There was a sudden roar and outrage as every last person in the room immediately erupted into screams and shouts, cursing the Dark Watcher, proclaiming his a lunatic, and so forth.
He continued regardless, merely raising his voice to make sure he was heard.
-access to Baumtown and ONLY Baumtown to help heroes seek out and recover the Malleus Mundi, Mrs. Brighid Moreira, and bring our arch-villain to justice!
Everybody quieted down a little to hear him out, although there were still several VERY angry mummers in the air.
Vanguard would, of course, take extra special care to ensure rogues cannot leave Baumtown via the Steel Canyon gate. The Dark Watcher added. I dont like stooping down that low any more than anybody else, but considering how immensely powerful our opponent is, bringing in aid from the isles may be our only hope of doing this.
There was quiet.
Alright. Well give Vanguard thirty six hours to set up a secure DPO inside the Baumtown gate. Taskforce Blitz will begin to form in forty-eight hours, and it will potentially contain both heroes The Security Chief ground his teeth as he spoke the next word. and villains.
-----
Forty Five Hours Later
Vanguard DPO, Baumtown, Entrance Gate
The Vanguard DPO was ready.
The first thing that Vanguard had done was close the giant gate leading to Steel Canyon. Any villains who came in to try and sneak into Paragon City proper would be sadly surprised. Just to make sure, Longbow had set up camp behind it.
The chain-link fence in the middle had been torn down, and a series of large bins chock-full of bio-stims, tiny magical runes the size of pebbles, vials filled with multi-colored liquids, and all other sorts of inspirational power-boosting devices had been planted in the middle for everyone to take from, should they need any. Four Police Drones that had been reprogrammed not to attack villains guarded the gate leading INTO Boomtown. Two portals leaned against the opposite walls. One led to the Rogue Isles, Cap Au Diable to be specific. Any villain who entered would find an additional portal there leading here. The second portal led right outside to the Green Monorail station. Two Vanguard operatives had been positioned by both portals to fully explain the situation to any volunteers.
The Steel Canyon Security Chief in particular waited in the make-shift DPO, along with several Vanguard soldiers.
The call was sent out on every channel. Soon, heroes everywhere would know of the forming task force, along with plenty of villains in the Rogue isles.