Winnipeg

If they didn’t show up soon another kid was going to be hurt. I told them to meet me downtown on the roof of the Bachman Plaza. It seemed like the superheroish thing to do, but this was all new to me. Nobody knew better than I that the road of learning was full of potholes. Although I knew mistakes would be made, never did I imagine that the first would be four young kids. This had to go off without a hitch; mistakes now will translate directly into human lives. No mistakes. I was starting to get cold.

Things started out great. Four days after the meeting the birthed the XTF-3 I got a call from Madeline. They had found the guy they were looking for. Chip Chapman was a Hell’s Angel enforcer who carried around an axe. The called him “The Chopper”.

It was the Chopper that threatened the Desmond family. He terrified the man so much he jumped out a window. They also believe Chapman murdered Cynthia Miles and Greg Reefman. Current intel put the biker in Winnipeg. I offered to fly us out there.

I guess I was eager to contribute. To be honest I’m not sure where my skills as a scientist can be used to stop a motorcycle gang, but I’m willing to give it a shot. Criminology is a science right? So I charted a plane and flew them out there myself, I listened to the briefing over the intercom.

Everyone was on board except Madeline who stayed at CSIS continuing the investigation. Gaston passed out a number of files covering the informants we would be pressing for information. Did he mean like interrogating? I wouldn’t even know where to start. Did they know that I set a bunch of lawyers to investigate Desmond’s suicide? My contribution was to read the weekly reports and to sign off on the cheques.

Yet there was something I could feel. We communicated mostly through emotion. When the idea of the XTF-3 was first presented, it became excited. And what was good for it, was usually good for me too. I owed the symbiote my life. Without it, the greatest mind in North America would have been frozen and drifting hundreds of thousands of kilometers from earth. Some may say that the planet owed it a great debt. So it was the least I could do.

Just before we landed Gaston got a call. It looks like Chip “The Chopper” Chapman is trying to make a statement. He has kidnapped four kids, Judge’s children. He was going to start hacking off pieces and leaving them around town unless the Judges turned themselves over for “biker justice”. We had less then four hours before he started.

Gaston took off to coordinate with local police. He told us that our orders were to capture Chapman before the police do. The biker has information that we need to complete our mission and it may be impossible to get if the police get to him first and he lawyers up. The Colonel would relay to us any leads the cops had and try to keep them off our backs at the same time.

That’s when we split up to hit up the leads. I got nothing. Na-da. Zip. Four hours past and all the news channels where showing a finger wrapped in today’s newspaper. It looked like it belonged to a child. Thirty minutes later Fletcher gave us a call on three-way to let us know what was going down. Fletcher must be a bit better at “interrogation” then I was. I got them to meet here at the Bachman Building.

Before I knew it Shanahan was standing behind me.

Maxwell Kane

“How the hell did you get there?! I didn’t see anyone approach the building.”

Pete Shanahan

“I ran. Fletcher’s coming/”

Jack Fletcher

“Did we have to meet on top of the building?”(panting)

Pete Shanahan

“I see it.”

Down the road a motor home flanked by six bikers is driving toward the PCs.

Jack Fletcher

“He’s got the kids in the motor home. He’s staying mobile so he’s hard to find.”

Maxwell Kane

“I can just fly down there and pick up the whole thing, fly it wherever.” They didn’t seem too surprised by that. Either they already know what I can do, which is no good because I know nothing about them, or they are so powerful that doesn’t impress them.

Pete Shanahan

“They’ll kill the kids.”

Maxwell Kane

“Oh, right”

Jack Fletcher

“We have to get in there quick before they know what’s happening. Kane, can you rip off the door?”

Maxwell Kane

“No problem.”

Pete Shanahan

“Guys we better decide quick, it’s almost here!”

Introductions

Pete Shanahan had grown used to dealing with the strange and unnatural, those skills were serving him today. He had received government summons to come to this place; a high end dwelling in Toronto’s west side. They said they could help him with his investigation into Greg Reefman’s murder. Strange. For the last 25 minutes he and two others had been waiting for the last of the group to join them, no had had said a word. Unnatural.

The others were obviously with the government. The most striking of the three was a dark haired beauty in a smart but tight business suit. Her eyes were anything but business, more like those of a hawk appraising her surroundings. CSIS if he had to guess. There was no need to guess about the other two in uniform; military, special forces. The older one with the short white hair was a Lieutenant Colonel, the younger crew cut blonde, a junior grade lieutenant.

Then came my biggest surprise of the day, a national hero entered the room.

Maxwell Kane

“Sorry to keep you waiting but when the Chilean Ministry of Science needs answers on Gamatopoic Radiation, you’ve gotta take that call. So, how may I help you gentlemen?”

Gaston Gerrard

“Hopefully we can help each other. My name is Lt. Col. Gaston Gerrard and this is Lt. Jack Fletcher, we are from the Ministry of Defense, and this is Madeline Cruz from the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Are friend over hear is Pete Shanahan a private investigator. I’ll let Madeline take it from here.”

Madeline Cruz
“Thanks Gaston. Although we come from very different backgrounds we are all drawn together by a common thread: The Hell’s Angels. It has come to our attention that you two have been investigating them as well. We propose a sharing of information. Hopefully this will provide a breakthrough in the case.

Pete Shanahan

Cruz was very good. The way she carried herself, the way she spoke, she had the whole situation in control. Nothing was more dangerous then a sexy dame with brains. But there was more to this story. Madeline was the kind of woman who carefully chose what to say and when to say it. Unfortunately, I needed to work on my patience.

“You could have called us or met us individually to get this information. Why did you get us together?”

The look on her face gave me a small sense of satisfaction, I hope no one could see it.

Gaston Gerrard

“Too true, I had hoped to spend some time getting to know you two before hand…”

Maxwell Kane

“I already have enough friends Colonel, perhaps you should tell us everything.”

Gaston Gerrard

“Very direct, I like that. Let’s put our cards on the table. Anyone who’s watched the news lately knows the Hell’s Angels have been spreading across this country like a disease. It started with the Heroin Wars. We have learned that the Angels have procured a seemingly unending supply of Heroin. We are positive that they are not getting these shipments across monitored boarders or by plane or boat. Just the sheer amount they are moving precludes that.”

“They money they have been pulling down is far beyond anything we’ve seen in organized crime in this country, and that is leading to new problems. This money has bought them into corporate culture. They are laundering their drug money through legitimate business and projects. They had lent money out to Dr. Desmond and to Greg Reefman, when they couldn’t repay they became their latest victims.”

“Late last year Canada’s premier special forces unit, the JTF-2 under my command, was sent to apprehend a truckload of horse. I was running tactical for the unit. I can still hear their screams. Some how, we believe through superior weapon technology but we can’t be sure, the motorcycle gang wiped out the nations most highly trained soldiers.”

Pete Shanahan

The Colonel stopped here for effect. I knew what was coming and I wasn’t sure I liked it. These people knew a lot more about me then I imagined. Have they been watching me? For how long? Exactly what did they know? I was about to unleash a flurry of questions before Madeline cut back in. She was back in control.

Madeline Cruz

“The fact of the matter is that new technologies and the inclusion of Xenos on the international theatre have vastly changed the landscape. Conventional forces have little effect on an unconventional world. What this country needs is a new special forces unit for today. That’s where project XTF-3 comes into play.”

“The XTF-3 project will see Xeno’s and new technology working together as a cohesive unit as a force of national security. Xeno’s like our friend here Lt. Jack Fletcher and xeno’s like Dr. Maxwell Kane and Pete Shanahan.”

Pete Shanahan

Dr. Kane looked like someone stuck an ice cube up his butt. He was not comfortable with this at all. They must have been monitoring him for weeks. Cruz was careful to always put “Xeno” and “new technologies” together. Maybe they don’t…

Gaston Gerrard

“We would like to do this on a trial basis, at least until we put the people who were responsible for these crimes behind bars. At that point we will assess our effectiveness and if your willing we can discuss future options.”

Jack Fletcher

“They took away someone who was very close to me, someone who gave me a chance when no one else would. I’m going to make sure her killer pays.

Pete Shanahan

Wow, that was powerful. I wonder if Madeline told him to say it. Well its going to take more than a…

Maxwell Kane

“You can count me in. The Angels took a loving father away from two young girls. Also, I always love starting up new projects. This can be something else I’ll be an expert on!”

Pete Shanahan

Great now everyone is looking at me. Greg Reefman was a colleague but he was always getting into trouble. If it wasn’t the Hell’s Angels it would be someone else. The guy loved to play fast and loose with his life. Oh well, maybe it pays well.

“I’m in.”

Two Murders and a Suicide

Night One

It all started months ago when Lt. Jack Fletcher was recruited into the Canadian Secret Service. They knew everything about him even his special abilities. They trained him to use his powers, and then trained him to be a spy. It was like someone opened his eyes, the true face of the world was revealed to him, and it was ugly.

The called it Operation: Delta. He started with phone taps and taking pictures. Then he started trailing politicians and getting into their business dealings. Three weeks in Jack completed his first assassination. All the while they assured him it was for the greater good, they told him he was saving lives. All that changed when he was contacted by Cynthia Miles, she said she worked for the government.

Cynthia showed him pictures of him taking pictures. She had a file on him 4 inches thick. Jack had no idea who his employers really were, they tricked him. Cynthia offered the Lt. one chance to avoid a life behind bars. Go back in and help the government take them down. Eager to repair the damage he had done, Jack accepted.

He never had a chance. Delta headquarters was cleared out. They must have found out he was compromised and closed up shop. Cynthia’s commanders were not happy, they were never really sure if the enemy figured out what was going on or if Fletcher warned them. They compromised; instead of sending him to prison they chained him to a desk. Lt. Jack Fletcher was finally serving his country, shuffling papers.

*

Dr. Maxwell Kane was lucky to be alive. No, really. He was one of the five brightest minds in North America chosen for the Blind Date Project. Their mission was to take a space shuttle to rendezvous with comet C/2005 X9 that was taking a once in a millennium trip through our solar system.

The mission was a disaster. Their ship was ripped apart by micro-meteors soon after reaching the comet. Kane was the sole survivor. A man of science, he had resigned himself to completing the mission, even if it meant his death.

Weeks later the shuttle returned, crash landing into the ocean. Miraculously Kane had survived! The media called him as a science hero. No one knew that the doctor did not do it alone. Something was in that comet, something alive. As his life support began to fail, the two joined, one sustaining the other for the long trip home.

The two shared a telepathic link, they communicated with each other in a language beyond words. After time they found that they could do new things together, extraordinary things. Savage things.

*

Pete Shanahan has always been different. He could run faster than normal people, he was tougher than normal people, and he could create almost anything he wanted out of thin air (as long as it wasn’t too big). These things were so natural for him he never really wondered why he could do these things. He was a perfect fit to become a paranormal investigator.

He had made many connections in the world of the strange and unexplained and over time had become an expert on these matters. Still it was strange when his good friend Greg Reefman came buy asking for money. Reefman was an avid collector of artifacts arcane and mysterious; he had a line on some Peruvian tablets but didn’t have the cash to get them into the country. All he needed was $200k. Pete had the cash, but Greg wasn’t that good a friend. He sent the collector on his way. Two weeks later, they fished him out of Hamilton harbor, the police called it murder.

*

A dark basement office. Jack Fletcher is sitting at a desk that is surrounded by piles of papers. Every few moments he highlights something. Out of the darkness a figure creeps up on our hero then tackles him.


Jack
“What the…?”

Cynthia

“Ha ha. Your dead soldier!”

Cynthia pins Jack.

Jack

“Very funny Ms. Miles. Get off of me.”

Cynthia

“Ms. Miles, not what you called me last night. I’m sorry, are you eager to get back to work? I suppose that means you’re not interested in getting out of here then?”

Jack

“Don’t play with me woman.”

Cynthia

“Pack your bag soldier, your going on a stake out. I pulled some strings and had you assigned to relieve me after my shift. You’re going to be watching a suspect that may have connections with organized crime. I’m getting you out of this basement.”

Jack

“You’re kidding. I can’t believe it. I’m actually getting field work? Cynthia, I…”

Cynthia

“Save it soldier. You can blubber over me later after you buy me dinner.”

Jack

That was the last time I saw her alive. I didn’t do a lick of work after she left, I was too excited to get out of there. I was to call her just before my shift started just in case the target moved and we had to meet in a different location. I called her early. We hardly started talking before something surprised her and the call was cut off. I went there as fast as I could.

Their car was thrown so hard it was stuck in a tree. The vehicle was totaled. I could see Cynthia’s face through the smashed windshield. It face was frozen into some kind of death mask of horror. The police came eventually, I answered some questions and they let me go home.

When I got back to my apartment I noticed the door was ajar. I entered cautiously. A man sat at my kitchen table, the shadows obscured his features.

Gaston Gerrard

“I’m sorry for your loss Lt. Fletcher.”

Jack Fletcher


“Who are you”?

Gaston Gerrard

“I’m the person who is not going to take it anymore. I’ve lost people as you have. I’ve done some research on you Lt. I believe that we can bring these people to justice by working together.”

Jack Fletcher

“Work in the field…”

Gaston stood so that I could see him in the light. He looked like he was in his early forties; his hair had already turned a silvery grey. Something about the man screamed “French”. As he went to leave he passed me a take-out coffee.

Gaston Gerrard

“This is for you, it got cold. I’ll be in touch Lt.”

And just like that he was gone.

*

The Rising Stars Gentleman’s Club is so exclusive scientists need to be published a minimum of ten times before they are allowed a membership. Dr. Maxwell Kane got in by his 23 birthday. Today at the club Dr. Kane is having lunch with his good friend Dr. Ted Desmond. Dr. Desmond has moved out of research years ago and became something of a business mogul. As usual the conversation quickly turned to how much money the businessman was going to make. This lunch was about to turn tragic however, it started when the cops showed up.

Two police officers approach Kane and Desmond’s table.

Dr. Desmond

“What can I do for you officers?”

Officer #1

“We would like you to come downtown with us Doctor; we have a few questions about your…investors”.

Dr. Kane

“Perhaps you should tell us what this is…”

Desmond throws over the table and runs away from the cops, which unfortunately is away from the exits. Panicking he grabs a steak knife and holds it against a random woman’s neck.

Dr. Kane

“Desmond! Calm down. Drop the knife we can talk about this!”

Dr. Desmond

“You don’t get it. They will kill me, my family. They are savages. I made a terrible mistake…”

By this time the police had their guns drawn and were trying to talk Desmond down. What happened next surprised everyone. Desmond threw the hostage at the cops, tucked in his shoulder and crashed through the eighth story window to his death. We stood there looking at the broken glass in silence.

Officer #2

“Dr. Kane after we clean up here, we would like you to come downtown with us for a few questions.”

Dr. Kane

“No problem officer. (Dials Cellphone) This is Maxwell Kane. I need a lawyer.”

Damnation!

Well, gaming was cancelled tonight. So I guess we wait one more week until we Drop The Dice!

Im playing with an idea for Sean's character. The idea is to use the idea that no one knows what he is. What if during the course of an adventure PCs have to enter some supernatural place or something like Eden or Oblivion or something and they have to be identified by the Guardian. The others would be identified as Mortal Man but Sean would be unknown. Then how do we use the fact that Sean is some time of Cosmic abberation as a plot/game point?

With the Creation power Im thinking that he could use that to create any key to any door. Perhaps the reason for his being is to open such a door...

Rob called with a few questions about his character. Basically he wants to know where he is right now. I don't think it will be important for the adventure as he and the party will be all over the world during the course of the game. The only thing I know for sure is that he will be watched by the government, whether that means in prison or working for them I'm not sure. I want the PCs to trust the Government character in this game so Im leaning towards the working for the government angle. He is a highly trained spy with super powers so Im sure they could find somehting for him to do.

The way I see it, The Chopper will kill Rob's handler and Gerard will go out of his way to accuire him for his XTF-3 project. Gerrard will be apprehesive of the Spy however as he used to work for the enemy, an enemy they still don't know who it is.

...and More Character Creation

Well Sean has become beligerant about his charactger. After I suggested that he put a little more thought into his character he then insisted that his PC will "just have powers and no one knows why". Yuck, but hey ok. He then went to show how other hero's just have powers like Superman (kryptonian), Wonder Woman (Greek God), and Martian Manhunter (Martian) also just had powers. When I explained that wasn't exactly accurate, he still didn't budge. Oh well.

He took Creation at lvl 6 and Jump, and Speed at lvl one plus some other stuff. Since his character doenst have much going on we haven't really talked alot about it. I usually attribute this to someone who is trying to sow the seeds of non-commitment so as to try and pull something during the game. But thats not Seans style. I should remember to tell him that his Creation power can't actually be used as an Attack, he should consider Special Attack for that.

Seans PC is a paranormal investigator. Thats about all we know.

Greg's PC was a scientist that went into space to redezvous with a passing comet. When they hooked up with it they retreived an item which resembled an egg. On the way back they ship was bombarded by micro meteors and Greg's PC was the only survivor. To his luck, the egg hatched and the thing inside enveloped Greg keeping him alive for the journey back to the earth. He's trying to make venom, when picking powers he picked up ACV at level 10. The only reason was that it was the first combat Attribut he came across in the book! He got all the way to the D's before coming across Dynamic Powers. Then he thought he should go the Doctor Strange route... He took the book home to read up on it. Wait till he see's how much it costs per level. I cant wait to see what he comes up with next week.

Robs character remained pretty much the same. Force Fields is his shtick. His PC has been recruited and trained by a North Korean Spies acting like they were RCMP/ CSIS. Then the real CSIS brought him in and tried to run a sting on the Koreans. It should be noted that Robs PC doesnt know he was working for the Koreans. Anyway the sting failed to capture any spies but they did have to close up shop and move elsewhere. Rob used this to get a 2BP Wanted and Nemisis defect.

So this evening should be the last for PC creation and we should start dropping dice next week!

Character Creation!

Because of scheduling the third in our team didnt show up but the other two got a head start on making PCs. Rob's forcefield/special agent dude is coming along nicely. We are working on making him a super spy who "Thought" he was working for the Gov't but was actually working for a criminal organization (happens on Alias every week...).

Sean, just started picking powers and didnt take any defects. Why? Because he doesn't know why his PC HAS powers! So he seriously needs a background so his PC has some color. No backgroud? No super powers and a max stat of 4! LOL

We also decided to use the "Lifepath" rules from Cyberpunk to create the PCs family and backgrounds. We have all been happy with the use of that dynamic in the past.