The "World of Heroes" DC RPG Season III

[The Question]

Imra bit her lip.
"Files." she said tersely. She opened the door and started down the stairs.

"Where would we be looking?"

"Knowing Luthor's type, he probably would have kept most items of interest in his office. We..."

I start to get a starneg feeling similar to when Dr. Fate teleported me to Keystone. Suddenly, I see a yellow flash, and then he's there.


Zoom.

Seconds after having woken up from his induced slumber, Zoom finally found his target. Skidding to a halt, he stopped just inches away from Saturn Girl.

"Sorry it took so long to find you, babe. I'm a little groggy from that nap, ya know?"

Zoom stepped toward Saturn Girl and backed her against a wall. He knew she could knock him out in a split second if she wanted to. He just didn't care.

"Just so you know, up until now, I barely knew you existed. You were not at the top of my priorities list. But now..."

Zoom leaned toward Saturn Girl and whispered into her ear.

"...you've been promoted to number two."

Zoom took a step back and folded his arms.

"Of course, my old buddy the Flash is still number one on my hit list. But you've got a special place in my heart now. You really should have just faded into obscurity and stayed there for awhile."

Zoom glanced at the Question. He began to wonder if the faceless man was entertaining thoughts of attacking him. Needless to say, that would be a stupid thing to do. He turned back to Saturn Girl, his once smirking face now deathly serious. He stared into her eyes with a burning rage that would shaken even the toughest person's composure.

"So, this is what's going to happen. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow...but someday soon...I'm going to come for you. I'm going to torture you for days. Before it's all over, you'll be begging me to put you out of your misery. And then...I'll let you live. I'll let you remember me for the rest of your life. Read my mind, Saturn Girl. Know that this is no idle threat."

Zoom turned his gaze toward the bomb.

"As for this bomb, and all of this Unity nonsense, you're on your own. You so-called 'heroes' are so manipulative. Thought you could have me do your dirty work and then just put me to sleep like a sick dog, did you? That's fine. Good luck disarming this thing. Here's hoping the Unity gets everyone you care about."

Zoom took another step toward Saturn Girl. They were now face to face. He looked down at her and smiled.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to visit an old friend. When the time comes, I'll be back for you."

Suddenly, Zoom grabbed Saturn Girl by the back of her head, entangling her hair in his fist, and planted a kiss on her. After a couple of seconds, he broke the kiss and stepped back. He turned away and stared off into the distance. Looking back over his shoulder at her, he flashed a devilish grin.

"See you soon."

And with that, Zoom was off. He ran in the direction of Keystone City.

Zoom.

Good God.

He could have killed us in a second.

It would have been so easy for him.

Jesus Christ.

I take my hat off, and drop to the ground.

"Christ. This is too much. All this. The alien invaders. The superpowered sociopaths. The psycho killers actually doing more than the 'heroes'. This.....I never wanted to be apart of all this. I wanted to make my neighborhood safer. I wanted answers to the questrions that no one wanted to share. I didn't want to thwart mad plots to take over the world. Leave that to the military, or Superman, or whoever the hell is actually QUALIFIED to handel this crap! Me...I...I'm just an idealistic reporter with too much free tim and no social life. I....."

I look down at the ground. I grab my hat, put it back on, and stand up. I walk towards the door.

"Let's get to work."

 

[dtorn4]

After what seems like hours, I finally make it back to my laboratory. I pull my mask off when i get inside so i can catch my breath. I do not have enough chemicals to make a lot of my fear toxin, just enough to pull a robbery to get more. I get to work on it immediately. Mixing the chemicals together in the many beakers scattered across my lab table. It is a formula I have used so many times in my life that I don’t even have it written down anymore. The toxin is nearing completion, they only thing left is to decide where to pull the job.

Suddenly, I hear a noise in the dark, far corner of the lab. Sounds like someone moving around. The light in that part of the room is out so I have to go over there to see what the noise was. I load my fear toxin into my gloves. I search every inch of the darkness and find nothing. I turn around and come face to face with…

“BOO!”

He then jumped up into the air and landed a swift kick to my face which sent me to the ground.

“Did I scare you?”...

After Bludhaven’s populations was practically wiped off the face of the earth, I didn’t feel like I had much to live for. How could the Joker do something horrific? Killing means nothing to him, he’s killed millions. But what pisses me off the most is how many times Bruce or even I could have taken him out. How many deaths could we have saved? The more I thought about the Joker, the more I realized that the Joker Venom bomb was much to complex for the Joker to have to have built it by himself. And then it hit me who could have built it…

---

I had heard that the Scarecrow was back in Gotham. I figured I’d check some of his old hangouts. He’d have to go somewhere where he could make his fear toxin. My second stop paid off. Scarecrow was returning. He took his mask off. He looked tired and was out of breath, he must have been running.

I stayed hidden while he quickly whipped up some of his patented fear toxin. That’s when I made my move. I made sure Crane heard me and when he went to see what had made the noise, I circled around behind him. I just waited for him to turn around…

“BOO!”

I then jump up into the air and land a swift kick to his face which sends him to the ground.


Did I scare you?"

“Ah, the former Boy Wonder. What brings you to my humble abode?”

“You made that bomb. You killed all those people. And now it’s just YOU and ME.”

I pull a gas mask out of one of the pouches under my arm. I grab Crane by the collar. I give him a straight right to his face and break his nose.

“Alright Crane, let’s have a little chat.”…

---

Scarecrow sang like a canary. He always does if you put a little pressure on him. I need to check in with Bruce. Tell him what the Joker and Scarecrow’s plan is.

“Batman, this is Nightwing. I have the Scarecrow in custody and he has told me some interesting things.”...

 

[Spider-Man9X17]

"Ummmmm, we're GREEN Lanterns," Kyle said, looking at guy. He still held his lantern in his hand. No way in hell he was letting Sinestro syphen off his ring. His stomach was still doing summersaults thinking about helping the lunatic.

"You want a charge, it comes from the lantern. Just enough to keep you going. Then we're out of here."

Kyle glanced back at Guy in his new uniform. Probably another cry for attention. Showoff. No time for squabling now though.

 

[Sentry2005]

"Ummmmm, we're GREEN Lanterns,"

"Whats THAT supposed to mean?" I ask.

I look down at my jacket, which has appeareda gain. It's blue.

"What the hell is going on?!"

 

[Spider-Man9X17]

"Yowza!" exclaimed The Joker, "A wrestling match, followed by a fireworks display! You Green Lantern folk sure do know how to provide a great night's entertainment! Are you available for birthday parties? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The Joker had just scrambled back to his feet. He'd really been levelled by that right hook from Batman. Wincing with pain, he cracked his wrist back into place. How many times had it been broken now?

"You've really got to lay off the ol' wrist, Batsy," he groaned, "It's getting harder and harder to enjoy Playclown Magazine."

Despite the pain, however, things were going well. With Harley Quinn out there with Mr. Freeze, and him here with the do-gooders, he was involved in the two main resistance groups fighting The Unity. And Batman may have taken his ring, but if there was one thing ol' Brucie should have learned about The Joker by now, it was that he always had a Plan B...

"I'm coming with you guys," The Joker announced, "I don't mean to be rude, but the prospect of the world's free-will being defended by a bunch of fascists makes me a little uncomfortable. I can bring a... fresh perspective to your little club. I know all the criminal networks in Gotham, and may be able to use my contacts to provide some back-up on the streets. And, should you finally decide to see the bigger picture, I have the most potent weapon for killing The Unified at my disposal."

The Joker looked around at the group that surrounded him. 2 Green Lanterns - 3 if you count the one that blew up. Sinestro. And, of course, The Big, Bad Bat. If his plan was going to succeed, he was going to need some major league back-up. And this would do nicely.

"And besides, you're all so dull! You need someone with a bit of charisma working with you, unless you plan to bore The Unity to death! HA HA!"

"Am I the only one who thinks this is getting a TAD out of control. Isn't working with one homicidal whackjob enough? And now we have Guy going all blue on us, as if his old costume weren't ugly enough."

 

[twylight]

"Christ. This is too much. All this. The alien invaders. The superpowered sociopaths. The psycho killers actually doing more than the 'heroes'. This.....I never wanted to be apart of all this. I wanted to make my neighborhood safer. I wanted answers to the questrions that no one wanted to share. I didn't want to thwart mad plots to take over the world. Leave that to the military, or Superman, or whoever the hell is actually QUALIFIED to handel this crap! Me...I...I'm just an idealistic reporter with too much free tim and no social life. I....."



"Let's get to work."

Imra smiled adn motioned towards the door.

"Lead the way. Keep in mind that if the files are less than steller, I can also scan people." She winked.

 

[The Question]

"Alright."

I enter the building, go down the stairs, and walk through the halls to Luthor's office. I break down the door, and walk over to his desk. I sit down, power up the computer (thank God it still works), and start searching.

 

[rigel7soldiers]

You may never understand how far reaching the Octopus' Empire is.

I'll try to help. Anton Arcane. You may have heard of him. His money? From the Octopus. Anton Arcane has fallen on hard times. Swamp Thing kept sending him back into the pit. This would not stand.

Of course it wouldn't. Upon recieving word that one of his more vile compatriots was once again among the damned, the Octopus set up something huge. Felix Faust and the Wizard, the best magic users money could buy, were more than up to the task of raising Arcane's spirits, if you will.

Arcane, returning in the familiar form created for him by his loyal Un-Men, was ready. With new legions of mishappen underlings, the man said to be Evil given shape waits for the call. But he is not without his own scheme. He thinks he is smarter than the Octopus. He thinks that he can strike when he is not looking, and take over the world just by murdering one man. He tried, once. The Octopus, it is said, is much stronger than one would think a man of his advanced age and weight would be.

Arcane waits still. His day would come. He continues his search for the secret of imortality.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Octopus. Even mighty Kobra trembles at his name. He is untouchable. He is unknown. Defeater of many, the measure of few. He is the most brilliant strategist the world has ever known. And now is his time. The call has been sent. His legions assemble. Victory draws closerr with each passing second, and the world at large reains unawares. It's good to be the Ocotpus. It's bad to get in his way.

 

[Johnny Blaze]

"I guess that makes me, one of those aces" a voice spoke out from nowhere.

"Let me introduce, a new member to our cause, i believe some of you have met him before..."

And out of shadows a white silhouette of a skull was seen.


"The Red x" continued Unity.

Part of Garth did not like his present company, but they were his…teammates. For better, or for worse, they would help the Unity bring peace to this planet.

“So, now that the gang’s all here, I take it you want us to go to Gotham and convert these resisters?” Garth asked the Unity.

 

[wiegeabo]

"Ummmmm, we're GREEN Lanterns," Kyle said, looking at guy. He still held his lantern in his hand. No way in hell he was letting Sinestro syphen off his ring. His stomach was still doing summersaults thinking about helping the lunatic.

"You want a charge, it comes from the lantern. Just enough to keep you going. Then we're out of here."

So much for the building of trust.

Acutally, it is impressive that I have come so far. A short time ago I would have never been offered a lantern to charge from. Now that Rayner's allowing me to do so...I am more than a little surprised.

His insistance that I charge from the lantern and not his ring is tactically sound. Being deprived of his ring power would have left him vulnerable to me, if I was still my former self, and if the other Lanterns were not around. I look at the 'new' Gardner. Well, if Jordan was not around.

But strategically...If I wanted to, I could fully charge from the lantern battery, take it for myself, and leave before they new what happened. Leaving Rayner to drain his ring dry.

But, I think back to my last...experience...with a power battery. No, taking the lantern would be out of the quesiton. Besides, I have other goals, and possessing a lantern is not one of them.

I steady myself, not knowing what to expect, and press my ring to the battery. I close my eyes for a moment, and when nothing happens, I open them and begin to pull a charge...and...nothing but energy. My ring begins to fill normally.

I smile and quickly fill my ring to capacity. My forcefield rises and I lift a few inches off the ground.

"Much better." I say with satisfaction.

 

[Spider-Man9X17]

Kyle returned his lantern to the dimensional rift. He wanted to puke. But there was a job to be done.

"OK, can we please go kick some butt now?"

 

[twylight]

"Alright."
Imra followed Question into Luthors office, and perched herself on the desk. She knew what they were looking for she'd check him mind, however he was a loner and she knew about them. She thought back to Brinn.

"It looks exactly like the Hol.." she stopped and sighed.

"Garth would understand. And now I'm stuck practically alone in the 21st century, no Garth, Bart left and Brainy is...well..Brainy."

She walked to the window, placing her hand on the glass she looked out and mentally called to Garth.

***Garth, where are you?***

 

[SuperFerret]

Diana remembers a voice in her head. Something she heard while being used as a weapon by Zoom on Superman.

Diana says in a low voice.

"The Speedforce. Something about the Speedforce."

She looks over at Kara.

"I don't know what it means, but it has something to do with The Unity. Does that mean anything to you two?"

"Yes. The Unity is an extradimensional being, probably an entire alternate universe all to 'himself', the Speed Force, which also comes from another dimension, disrupts the connection between the Unity and the Unified so long as the source of the Speed Force is nearby. Hence the difficult time the Unity had in taking Keystone, prior to the Parasite's assault on Jay Garrick."

I pause, and look back and forth between the women. "My question to you is; where's Wally?"

 

[rex26]

"I guess that makes me, one of those aces" a voice spoke out from nowhere.

"Let me introduce, a new member to our cause, i believe some of you have met him before..."

And out of shadows a white silhouette of a skull was seen.


"The Red x" continued Unity.

These kids were popping up out of nowhere, apparently the Unity's sales pitch was getting better. Slade put out his cigarette butt and looked at the second new comer.

"You didn't come back to finish the job, did ya little tyke?"

 

[Big Fat Pauly]

Mr. Freeze had gotten away from the pressure cooker that was the Prison battle, but from the looks of things, the rest of the world was just a lull before the storm.

He had an idea. But he wasn't sure where the rest of his allies stood. He had not honest alliegances, no more personal vendettas. Just his interest in destroying the lives of the rest of the world, the same ways his had been destroyed. Yes it was a vendetta, but he wasn't quite "insane".

After dropping off Harley Quinn to go wherever it is someone like that goes, he established some of his old hideouts, ice cream shops, meat lockers, and one dummy consumer cryogenics facility. He had only one idea as to how to stay safe in such a crazy world. And said as it was, he'd have to go back to the Bat.

Thankfully, confirming his hideouts were still functional was easily done over the phone. He left more than a few freezing devices wired to all the entrances, and he always left a heavily insulated answering machine to confirm all was well, whenver these prison mishaps occured.

After the 15 minutes at the Docks confirming all was in order, he returned to the island to cut his protection deal.

 

[Big Fat Pauly]

Kyle returned his lantern to the dimensional rift. He wanted to puke. But there was a job to be done.

"OK, can we please go kick some butt now?"

The boat reaches the prison just as the congregation of heroes, plus apparantly the Joker, are still right where I left them. Approaching with all my assorted freeze gear stowed in the boat, hands in the air.

"I come in peace heroes. Excuse the...mishaps. But these are strange times from what I understand. I have a proposition, if you'd like to hear it..."

 

[DarkKnightJRK]

"Yowza!" exclaimed The Joker, "A wrestling match, followed by a fireworks display! You Green Lantern folk sure do know how to provide a great night's entertainment! Are you available for birthday parties? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The Joker had just scrambled back to his feet. He'd really been levelled by that right hook from Batman. Wincing with pain, he cracked his wrist back into place. How many times had it been broken now?

"You've really got to lay off the ol' wrist, Batsy," he groaned, "It's getting harder and harder to enjoy Playclown Magazine."

Despite the pain, however, things were going well. With Harley Quinn out there with Mr. Freeze, and him here with the do-gooders, he was involved in the two main resistance groups fighting The Unity. And Batman may have taken his ring, but if there was one thing ol' Brucie should have learned about The Joker by now, it was that he always had a Plan B...

"I'm coming with you guys," The Joker announced, "I don't mean to be rude, but the prospect of the world's free-will being defended by a bunch of fascists makes me a little uncomfortable. I can bring a... fresh perspective to your little club. I know all the criminal networks in Gotham, and may be able to use my contacts to provide some back-up on the streets. And, should you finally decide to see the bigger picture, I have the most potent weapon for killing The Unified at my disposal."

The Joker looked around at the group that surrounded him. 2 Green Lanterns - 3 if you count the one that blew up. Sinestro. And, of course, The Big, Bad Bat. If his plan was going to succeed, he was going to need some major league back-up. And this would do nicely.

"And besides, you're all so dull! You need someone with a bit of charisma working with you, unless you plan to bore The Unity to death! HA HA!"

"...And I don't?" I quickly grab both his wrists, twisted them to meet the back of his head and put him in hand-cuffs.

"You're either going to get locked up in another prison or in a cage buried under a VERY deep hole."

I caught a clance over at Guy. Of course, being the "powerful detective," I ask the obvious question.

"Guy, why in the hell are you wearing blue?"

 

[DarkKnightJRK]

The boat reaches the prison just as the congregation of heroes, plus apparantly the Joker, are still right where I left them. Approaching with all my assorted freeze gear stowed in the boat, hands in the air.

"I come in peace heroes. Excuse the...mishaps. But these are strange times from what I understand. I have a proposition, if you'd like to hear it..."

Great, ANOTHER villian who wants to team up. Though, Freeze is a special case, he's not pure evil like the clown. I'll give him a shot, but if he tries anything...

"Alright, we're listening."

 

[Supergirl]

"Yes. The Unity is an extradimensional being, probably an entire alternate universe all to 'himself', the Speed Force, which also comes from another dimension, disrupts the connection between the Unity and the Unified so long as the source of the Speed Force is nearby. Hence the difficult time the Unity had in taking Keystone, prior to the Parasite's assault on Jay Garrick."

I pause, and look back and forth between the women. "My question to you is; where's Wally?"

"To be honest Kal, I've been more worried about you and the innocents to really keep an eye on anyone. Even my own team."

 

[Big Fat Pauly]

Great, ANOTHER villian who wants to team up. Though, Freeze is a special case, he's not pure evil like the clown. I'll give him a shot, but if he tries anything...

"Alright, we're listening."

"Let us be honest: I am operating solely to save myself. In exchange for amnesty, and your aid during this crisis, I will, with the assisstance of these Green Lanterns build a machine capable of SAFELY cryogenically freezing anyone you so choose. Thus, a large group of Unified can be incapacitated without fear of death. As you heroes seem to have a strange inability to finish off certain madmen."

All we need to start is the STAR Labs turret, and the aid of the Lanterns for precise adjustments.

 

[rigel7soldiers]

edit.

 

[rigel7soldiers]

The Icicle had stunned them. Temporarily. They would not be denied. Savage and Sharpe were two of the most vain human beings on the planet. They were not about to be defeated by some tool like the Icicle.

The Gambler defiantly raced after our ersatz heroes, eventually cornering them. They would not escape. Not now. The name "The Gambler" was not a legacy. It was a label. He was better than his father, and he could prove it!

Jack was getting a little better. He would likely survive, the Gambler's aim was a little off. Maybe he was shaking... Nervous. Can't blame him. His dad was a tough act to follow.

"Hey, Gambler. Draw."

Jack held out his gas gun. Lee Travis' trademark weapon, sent to Jack by Seven Unknown Men. This was his moment, his chance to do something right. He was being serious this time. He didn't expect to win. He didn't expect to survive. Rather, he only tried to divert attention away from the Spirit et al as they made their way further down the rabbit hole, if you will.

"Deal. High stakes game. Losers don't get to go home."
He may not have been as smart as the original Gambler, but he was every bit as ruthless.

This was not the deciding factor in the world's safety. This was a game. Like skateboarding, except one out of two people dies. So it's a little safer than skateboarding. It was only a game. Only a game.

Jack had an ace up his sleeve. Smoke bomb. Lee Travis used them for flashy entrances. A more practical application was for quick cover to facilitate a getaway. They ran. One last minute spark of common sense saved Jack's life..

 

[SuperFerret]

"To be honest Kal, I've been more worried about you and the innocents to really keep an eye on anyone. Even my own team."

"Well, thanks to you I'm back to being myself again. As for all the innocents who've been Unified, they're safe, mostly. It was the Joker who was the greatest immediate threat to them, not the Unity. But now, we should focus on finding any Speed Force users we can and bringing them back here to the Fortress. I'm having the beginnings of an idea, but I'll need some help with it. Okay?"

 

[Supergirl]

"Kal, you know anyone would follow you to the depths of Hell. What are we waiting for?"

 

[SuperFerret]

"Fine. You and Diana see if you can get a hold of the speedsters, particularly Garrick, I might need his scientific knowhow for this. Meanwhile, I'm going to check in with Bruce, and then try and find Wally myself."