jwbullfrog

In the name of a concept chacracter? Absolutely.

To fit a concept I will:

-turn off XP to hold a character at a certain level.

-Not take specific powers from power sets (or, if I must take them, never use them) <<I have big hopes for my petless Beast MM>>

-Mix enhancement strengths (yes, I have characters with IO/ SO/ DO/ TO, all at the same time)

-build characters based around power pools

-build characters based around crafted temporary powers

Now, do I expect these characters to be able to go everywhere and do everything? Nope, they're more for the challenge of the thing. Just to see if I can get it to work.

Would I use them for something big like a TF/SF? Not really. That would run too much of a risk of messing up someone elses day. For those situations, I go back to a more standard playstyle

Actually, I'm a big fan of hand grenade recipies. I've found that they are a nice little extra something for mid to low level characters.

Other favorites from the temp power list?

Backup Radio: For those days you're playing a controller and you'd like to solo just a bit faster, thank you.

Recovery Serum: Looks Painful, but it gets you back into the fight.

Baseball Bat: Because even with your high tech armor, or vast mystical powers, or unlocked mysteries of the mind... sometimes it just feels right to whack somebody upside the head for being stupid.

Med Pack/ Resucitator: Since I have a habit of playing like a Defender even when I'm not actually playing a Defender...to the point of people reminding me "you know you are the tank today? right?"

"Benny reports contact ahead Captain."

"Is our fugitives?"

"Yes and no, Ma'am"

"I don't suppose it's too much to ask that something go right today, Becky?"

"It would be nice."

It had been a very long time since Captain Susan Kane had gotten any decent sleep. Her best estimate was that she was going on 48 hours with nothing more than catnaps, caffeine and the occasional powerbar. And the exact reason why kept eluding her.

She had been sent to Galaxy City on a flimsy excuse made up by a rival trying to shift the blame for his own incompetence and once she had gotten here, she was told by a member of the organization that was, according to official press releases, her sworn enemy, that she had to find one person and keep her alive or 'bad things' would happen.

She would have walked out of the theater and probably tried to get her money back if this were a film.

Despite all that, she still could not shake the feeling that all of this was important. And that feeling was what kept her going. She knew that her body would make her pay for this later and she had already figured that she had a week or two of leave time built up. Once this operation was over, she would get back to California and spend most of that time in a friendly beachside resort.

The site of Sergeant Reyes' contact call was one that was all too familiar to Longbow teams. Somebody had been liberally throwing around energy beams and other non-standard weaponry. The crushed vehicles and property damage would have been par for the course on any normal day in Paragon. Merely a matter for a wrecker or two and some municipal repair teams. In the already smashed Galaxy city, it was just one more insult.

Sitting on the ground were three people each being attended by one of Captain Kane's troopers. The rest of her team had spaced themselves around the area. From their positions, they were definitely watching for trouble but they were also making it obvious that they weren't picky about where it started.

Sergeant Reyes walked up and saluted before giving her his report.
"We found these three unconscious in the street. It looks like somebody worked them over pretty well. Judging by some bullet casings we found, My guess was that they ran into some Council soldiers. Once we brought them back around they verified that and said the attack happened one, maybe two, hours ago."

"Did they give you any trouble?"

"Not at all."

"Are they willing to talk?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

Captain Kane walked slowly over to the closest of the fugitives. His shirt was torn open and he was covered with purple and black bruises. She knelt down in front of him and looked into his face. He had already been bandaged but she could see signs of abrasions across his cheeks and brow.

"So," she said mildly, "did you get the number of that truck at least?"

"Heh," he laughed briefly before wincing. "Well, I don't know about a number but it was definitely from the Lon Chaney Jr. moving company."

Captain Kane laughed out loud for several seconds. She couldn't help herself. She was fatigued enough to find almost anything funny and she had to respect somebody who had a decent comeback even after being pummeled.

"The three of you do know that you're under arrest, right?" she continued in a more professional tone of voice.

"We do. You won't get any trouble from us. Even if we weren't beat up, we know to avoid a losing fight when we see one coming."

"You took on a Council werewolf."

"We didn't see that one coming," said Carpenter from a few feet away. "But he's right. We're not going to cause you any trouble."

Captain Kane saw the third member of their group nodding in agreement. She allowed herself to relax a bit. This was shaping up to be her one thing that went right today and she wasn't going to argue.

"Ok," she said standing back up and making an exaggerated show of dusting off her hands. "Now that we've established that, and you're properly cowed by the might of my legal authority, ect. ect. ... where's your reporter friend?"

"We were kind of hoping you could tell us," Sandy said. "We lost track of her after she tried to Judo Chop a Galaxy."

Captain Kane started to purse her lips for a whistle but no sound came out. A Galaxy and a 'wolf? It was a small miracle anyone was still in shape to talk to her. Still, that did not lead to too many nice possibilities for an overly curious investigative reporter. The Council's advanced soldiers were dangerously unstable at the best of times. Questions just had a way of annoying them, and they were not people that liked being annoyed.

"Ok, I've been told that it's important we find her and I'll take all the help I can get. For now, we'll consider you as 'working with authorities in the course of an investigation.' Anybody have any ideas?"

There was a thoughtful silence for a few moments before Sandy shouted "Blackberry!"

Captain Kane knew she was not at her sharpest but she couldn't quite figure out what a flavor of yogurt had to do with anything. Her three new 'assistants' all seemed to perk up at the word however.

The man on the ground in front of her climbed to his feet. "Her Blackberry device, Captain. Alexis is pretty much addicted to the thing. She always has it on. We might be able to find out where she is by using..."

"GPS, " Captain Kane finished for him. Now it made sense. "I really wish somebody had told me that sooner. It would have saved me a lot of exercise. Becky?"

"Ma'am?"

"Did we bring anything with GPS tracking software on it?"

"The mapmakers that are tied to the Eagles. They're sort of single purpose though."

"Captain, " said the man in front of her, "I have a laptop in my backpack and, assuming it isn't too busted, I might just be able to make that all work."

"Do it. Becky, help him out. Benny!"

"Ma'am?"

"Get ready to get your people airborne. If this works, I'll need your speed to confirm her location. Also, break out the medipacks and get everyone as healed up as we can get. Full permission to use everything we have. If I have to assault a Council base I'll want all the hands I can get."

"Ma'am!"

Several minutes passed while electronics were started up and checked, various arcane things were mumbled about adaptability and programming languages and elaborate plans were suggested and scrapped in favor of simpler solutions. At least Captain Kane assumed it was several minutes. One of her field medics had suggested she find a quiet corner and let her body burn off some fatigue poisons. It bothered her a bit that a twenty year old was suggesting that the 'old lady' needed a rest but the more practical side of her mind fully endorsed the idea...

When she was able to focus clearly again, she could see the face of her Master Sergeant watching her from a few steps away. Although she was an old hand at it, Rebecca Woodley couldn't quite replace the worried look in her eyes with a more neutral one fast enough. It was another old habit for them although neither would admit to it.

"Yes, Sergeant?"

"Her phone seems to be off or someplace the satellites can't see it, but we do have her last known coordinates and Benny is checking those out right now. He should be calling in a minute or two."

Susan Kane climbed to her feet and let herself become Captain Kane again. She did feel better for the downtime.

The speaker in her cowl cracked a bit as Sergeant Reyes' voice broke through.

"Strike one, Strike three on tac 3."

Captain Kane and Rebecca Woodley looked at each other in mild surprise. Benny was being way too formal for a normal operation. Their tac 3 channel was a private command circuit for the three of them and something they only used when they didn't want anyone else listening in.

Both of the women shifted the channels on their radios and Captain Kane replied.

"One and Two here. Why the formality, Three?"

"I'm over the target coordinates and something is not right here."

"How so?"

"It's a warehouse inside the safe zone Ma'am. Number 25A from the looks of it."

What was the reporter doing inside the safe zone? The base personnel knew why Captain Kane's team was here, so if the reporter had already been taken into custody, why wouldn't they tell her about it? Once again something wasn't adding up.

"Ok Benny, get to a spot where you can keep an eye on the place if you won't draw too much attention. we're on our way back."

"Yes Ma'am. See you soon."

As they walked back to the rest of the squad, one thought was bothering Captain Kane. Something about that warehouse. It seemed that she'd heard it before.She pushed the thought to the back of her mind, she'd figure it out later.

"Squad... and associates... attention to orders."

It took only a few minutes to bring her squad up to speed and another minute to form a rough plan. Her team would return to the safe zone and seem to split up, making their way to the warehouse. Once they were there, Captain Kane would try to gain admittance.

"And us?," said the man she had been told was called Handshake. "We're not going to blend in quite as well."

Captain Kane smiled at that, looked at the three of them and said, in all innocence "Well, you are all wanted suspects that I have recently arrested.






I'm going to ask you to come quietly."

And what exactly was leaking out of it? Blood? Oil? Some nameless, vaguely disturbing ooze we'd rather not know more about?

Details please.

This could be important.

My favorite solution on missions like this is the" gain a lv or two and bring some friends"

Although a pocket Shivan or a Snowbeast is also pretty useful.

Aggro management is even older than RPG's. A lot of the basic ideas of warfare are based on this idea.

An acceptible tactic from the time of Sun Tzu onward is to have a strong force hold a certain spot on the landscape that your enemy must move through. Lets say a Heavy Infantry unit from the middle ages or, perhaps, a few hundred Spartans, or maybe a modern Tank Unit.

Now, once the enemy has been tied down trying to deal with this problem, your more mobile units, (cavalry in all of its forms), and your fire support units (archers and the like) are free to chew the enemy up.

Sound familiar?

In DnD that would go something like:

1. Fighter stands in front of the horde of monsters and looks like a big, juicy, target.

2. Thieves (Rogues) skirt the edges of the fight and look for targets of opportunity.

3. Wizards and Archers rain damage down from a ways back.

4. profit.

RPG's didn't invent aggro management, it came along with the RPG's roots...

Wargaming.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, the following episode will contain absolutely no references to anything Irish.

Enjoy.


--JWB







Hiya Paragonners, Alexis Alexander here from someplace I'd rather not be...


I know what you're thinking readers, how does somebody 'recognize an Atomic bomb when they see one'? It's not like they are common, everyday objects; even in Paragon City. I'll admit to a bit of hyperbole there readers. It's not like there were words on it that said "Hi there, you have just encountered an Atomic bomb. Please handle with caution.' But there were several details that added up to a very worrisome picture.

For starters, the object in the box was a large metal cone about 4 feet in length and about 2 feet across the base, that looked very much like the nose cone of some kind of missile. Secondly, there were several wires leading out of the blunt end and down into the box it was sitting in. All of those wires seemed to be attached to something and, now that I was right next to it, I could feel a faint vibration. The final clue, and the one that tied it all together, was the printing on the inside of the box's lid which read "property: Warburg Arsenal."

I was trying to decide whether or not to close the box and cower in the farthest corner of the room or close the box and start trying to dig a deep, deep, hole when the room was suddenly lit by a shaft of light from the ceiling and a voice said "Please close the box slowly, Ms. Alexander. I intend for that to explode, but not quite yet."

I slowly closed the box and took a few steps backward before turning to face the speaker behind me. I wish I could describe him for you readers but the light flooding in had him backlit to the point where all I could see was a silhouette. Even this faded as he stepped down into the room and let the trapdoor close behind him. Once his head was clear of the ceiling, he sat down on the stairs and seemed to relax. When he spoke again his voice was pleasant but it had a faintly unsettling accent that I could not place.

"I am glad to see you awake Ms. Alexander. I was wondering if you were more injured than you appeared. It's a very good thing that you aren't. It will make things easier over the next few hours."

"And you are?" I asked. I was still a bit stunned by the bomb and perhaps not quite as polite as I could have been.

"My apologies. I should have introduced myself. I am Claudio Didraghi. Archon Didraghi to be precise. I am the commander of the local Council detachment. By the way, " he said with a slight wave of his arms "please don't waste your time trying to get a signal on your electronic device. In fact, it might be best if you switched it off entirely. It seems that the previous owners of that weapon weren't very trusting and have rigged a fairly complicated radio controlled self destruct on it. We haven't quite defeated that yet so, for now, we need to keep it down here in this signal shielded room. I think you'll agree that we don't want that going off accidentally?"

I hurriedly powered down the Blackberry and dropped it back in my pocket. This took away the last remaining source of light in the room but I had no intention of being the cause of an Atomic explosion, even if it was an accident.

"You said you intend for it to explode." I said.

"I did, and very nice to see you were paying attention. What I should have said is that we don't want the weapon detonating until the right time."

"And what time would that be," I asked. I was trying to sound brave but the reality was that I was caught in the dark between an Atomic bomb and a man who had every intention of using one. I'd have started digging that hole I mentioned if I had a shovel.

"Actually, not long now. By this time tomorrow, we will have used this weapon to demonstrate to the entire world the superiority of the Council. You see Ms. Alexander, the meteors that have fallen on Galaxy City were not just simple stone or iron but carrying pods for the aliens we know as Shivans. Normally, this would be a simple matter to deal with but, unlike the landings on Bloody Bay years ago, these meteors brought a different threat with them as well.

These Shivans are different, more aggressive, made not of the bones of our dearly departed but the concrete and steel of the city itself. That alone would make them a significant threat but, in the largest of the downtown craters is a Shivan that is several stories high. Currently it is being kept in check by Vanguard airstrikes but it's only a matter of time before it breaks free and wreaks havoc on the world. We in the Council intend to stop that from happening."

I was hoping that I hadn't heard that correctly, readers. It sounded like...

"Like we intend to use the nuclear device to destroy the Giant. Yes, Ms. Alexander. That is our intention and, yes I did just read your mind. Or rather, I could see the thought that was closest to the surface of your mind. I do apologize for doing so. It is a little impolite. I must also apologize for the mental compulsion that brought you into our hands. Please understand, I wasn't intending it to be you personally. Any person with a properly inquisitive mind would have done."

Readers, I hate when telepaths do that. It always feels...unfair somehow. I made a mental note to invest in a tinfoil hat when I got back. But the anger did help me focus a bit.

"I don't suppose saying 'you'll never get away with this' will change your mind?"

He chuckled at that for a moment before responding "Not at all Ms. Alexander, but thank you for observing the formalities of this sort of thing. And, also in the true spirit of things, I would like to congratulate you on your part in what is about to happen."

"My part? What?" Not the cleverest comeback I know but I'd lost the plot again.

"Do you recall that radio controlled switch I mentioned? Well, we couldn't defeat it entirely but we could tie it in to another circuit. Namely the one that we implanted in your body while you were unconscious. The bomb will remain inactive as long as your heart continues to beat and as long as you remain within ten meters of it. If either of those trigger events occur, the bomb will begin an irrevocable three minute countdown and then explode."

If my heart stopped beating? What would happen if it suddenly doubled in speed?

"You see Ms. Alexander," he said, all joviality dropping out of his voice, "the current governments of the world have become weak and spineless. They allow threats like the Rikti, Shivans, and Kheldians to continue to exist, all in the name of caution, or some foolish idea of peace. Even those like Vanguard, who claim to be battling those threats do not have the moral strength to use all of the force at their disposal to rid the world of them once and for all.

We in the Council have that strength. By eliminating this threat we will show the people of the world that we are strong enough to protect them. And,once they see us as fittest to rule then we will continue to show them that strength. Imagine it Ms. Alexander, no more Rikti, no more threats from the skies. No more squabbling amongst weak minded world leaders trying to protect their own petty interests. One world, strong, under the rule of the Council, where no one will need to fear again."

"But, " I stammered. I could see where this was going and I did not like what I saw. I knew I couldn't stop them physically and I was pretty sure that nothing I said was going to dim the demented dream he saw in his head. But, words were all I had at that moment. Maybe...

"No, Ms. Alexander. Nothing you could say would change my mind."

"But detonating an Atomic bomb in the center of the City? That will kill thousands! Hundreds of thousands!"

"That would be regrettable but we have thought of that. This is only a small bomb. More of a tactical device really. Not much stronger than the weapon used on Hiroshima. Given the estimated yield and the underground location of the detonation, the war walls should contain the blast. Sadly this will mean that Galaxy City and everyone in it will be reduced to ash. But, take heart Ms. Alexander, " he said as he stood up and opened the trapdoor, "you'll never feel the blast. I envy you, Ms. Alexander, you'll be the first martyr of the new world. Think proudly on that while you wait for tomorrow."

He closed the trapdoor and returned me to darkness. I didn't know what else to do at that moment, readers. So I did the only thing I could think of...














I sat down and cried.

, ,

<<<yes, thats a joke folks>>

Hm, just get in from work and City has gone kablooey. Bah, and all of those other mild epithets.

Ok, I guess I need a bit more information here...


Are we talking about the ease of defeating EB/AV while using incarnate abilities or are we talking about defeating them with IO sets or are we talking about defeating them using good, old fashioned SO's?

Are we talking about using Scrappers vs. Controllers, Tanks vs. Defenders?

Making things harder for a purpled out scrapper would very likely make these fights impossible for the Controller (who are not known for their strong offense in the first place) who is only using SO's.

So, what exactly are we talking about here?

Hiya Paragonners, Alexis Alexander here with my continuing report from.... somewhere...


Readers, if you ever get the chance to avoid being hit by a Council Galaxy, I recommend you take it. I don't think any Paragon City travel agent would list it as one of their "Top Ten things to See and Do."

I was certain that I had regained consciousness but since I was surrounded by darkness it was a little hard to be certain of much more than that. Actually, that last statement is incorrect. There were quite a few things I was certain of. Unfortunately, all of them were unpleasant.

To start with, I was in pain. A little bit of cautious experimentation proved that nothing was broken or leaking blood but there wasn't a point on my body that wasn't battered and bruised. I also had basic freedom of movement since I didn't seem to be chained or immobilized but, since it was dark, I wasn't about to try moving far. I don't know about you readers, but I have read Poe, and I was pretty certain that Napoleon's army would not come to my rescue before I walked blindly into a death trap.

I was on a concrete floor and the air around me was cool but not chilled. That told me I was not in a walk-in cooler or freezer; which my mind interpreted as further proof that I was not dead. My guess was that I was in either an interior room or maybe a basement.

I thought could hear some sounds coming from outside the room but they were dull and muffled, giving me no clear clue as to what they were. I had already accepted the possibility that they could have been products of my imagination since my ears were ringing pretty badly but I spent quite some time trying to make sense of them anyhow.

My backpack was missing. For all I knew it was somewhere in the room with me but I wasn't about to go looking for it. It had a number of items that might be useful but the main thing that it held was a personal teleport device that was given to me by a former associate. I knew it was powerful enough to carry me home from anywhere on the planet but, since it relied on a connection to the Paragon City Mediport system to function, I wasn't at all sure it would work. Besides that, I wasn't about to leave yet. I didn't know where my companions were or even if they were alive. More importantly, I still didn't have all of the answers.

A quick check of my pockets gave me my first bit of good news. It seemed that my captors had not bothered to take anything from me and that included my indispensible Blackberry.

Now you might be asking, why that would be important. Well, readers, my Blackberry isn't exactly factory standard. It's a bit bulkier than you might expect and, thanks to one Etherfalcon, it is a marvel of miniaturized technology. While it has been turned into a bit of an electronic Swiss Army Knife, it was one of it's most basic functions I was interested in at that moment.

Tell me readers, when you're getting home late from work and the front porch light is out and you can't quite see where to put the key what do you do?

That's right, you use the light from your cell phone display like a flashlight.

The glow from the screen didn't really light the room, but it did make it less dark. Holding it carefully in front of me, I was able to move around a bit and get a better feel for the place.

I was in a concrete room of maybe thirty feet by thirty feet with, fortunately, neither the pit in the floor or the swinging pendulum that my imagination tried to supply. The room was bare of decoration but there was a metal mesh surrounding the walls and ceiling that looked familiar but I couldn't recall why.

The only objects of interest in the room (other than myself of course) were a short flight of concrete steps leading up to the ceiling and a possible way out, and a large metallic box in one corner. I decided to take a close look at the box on the off chance that it might contain something that would be of use in getting away from my captors. The box itself was a dull metal of what might have been a grayish green color and it was held closed by a simple set of latches at each end.

You know the old phrase "Curiosity Killed the Cat'? Well, even Schrodinger's metaphorical cat would have taken the first train out of town at the contents of this box. Readers, I'm not an expert in physics...












... but I'm pretty certain I recognize an Atomic bomb when I see one.

cue announcer guy:

'In a world of darkness and shadow..."


very nice work.

i'll have to play around with the new toys before I stick with anything. Nothing really jumps out at me yet.

Hiya, Paragonners. Alexis Alexander here with more news from Galaxy City.


Well, readers, it looks like we've upset a few people from Longbow. Not that I was really surprised when Handshake told me that. After all, we did break into what was supposed to be one of their most secure bases and used their own teleport system to get here. On top of that, we assaulted several longbow personnel in the process and most likely shot down one of their Chasers. But, as I've told you already readers, we had good reason for that. All normal access to Galaxy City has been closed and, thanks to the way the war walls are made, it wasn't like we could just get a big ladder and climb over from Kings Row. We, rather I, had to get in here and find out what's going on.

Now I know. And now that I do, it's even more important that I stay here.

Thanks to the durability of the Paragon City phone system and a bit of computer wizardry from Handshake, we know that the chaser pilot did make it back, but was knocked unconscious upon landing and never had a chance to report us. However a full Longbow rifle team has been sent from Fort Darwin to arrest us. They arrived the morning after we settled in at the furniture store for the night.

"Gives us maybe a day head start Alexis, not much more." said Handshake.

"That's assuming that Arachnos doesn't just shoot them to pieces when they show up at the warehouse," said Carpenter in one of our short breaks while heading downtown.

"Doesn't work that way, spooky," countered Handshake. "Unless they are caught by surprise, or are ordered to stand and fight, an Arachnos team will, pardon the pun here, bug out when they think they've been compromised. That's what makes them so hard to catch outside of the Rogue Islands. And I know the lady in charge of this bunch, she'll have started moving almost as soon as we got out of her hair."

"Can we trust her not to put Longbow on our tail?" I asked. From things that were and (more importantly) were not said, I gathered that Handshake had a bit of history with Seer Constantine. Although I really, really, wanted to ask about it (remember, readers, reporters are nosy by nature) I refrained since I do possess some tact.

"Hm," said Handshake with a slightly distracted look, "I think we're OK there. Connie doesn't like me much but she doesn't hate me THAT much, either."

I was relieved to hear that, readers. Things could have become more complicated that way. "Besides," I said, "it's a big city. Even a full rifle team would need weeks to search for us. Even if they knew we were heading downtown they wouldn't know what route we were going to take or where we might be hiding or, well.... anything."

"I'm not so sure about that Alexis," replied Sandy. "Since he came here, I'm guessing that the Captain that's after us has at least some brains. He has to have figured out where we arrived at and if he somehow guesses we're heading downtown from there, he'll probably do the same thing we're doing and take the easiest and fastest route."

"And," I added now that my brain had started chewing on the problem, "He'll have access to aircraft and satellites and other ways of tracking us. Ok, not good."

I hadn't really thought of that before. Tactics are not my strongest point, readers. It's one of the reasons I took journalism as my major (the other is Daniel Kennedy, but we don't need to go into that now.) Unless we were being chased by idiots, it was a fair bet that they would choose the most likely option from a fairly limited pool of choices.

"So, our options here are either keep going downtown and hope he doesn't figure it out or give up and head for the Kings Row door, pretend to be evacuees, and hope nobody notices."

"Sounds about right to me Alexis," said Carpenter.

"Well," I said as I stood up and shifted my pack onto my shoulders, "I know which option I'm taking. You don't have to come along you know."

"Why are you so determined to go Downtown, Alexis?" asked Sandy.

It was a fair question and, I'll be honest readers, I wasn't quite sure myself. I'd suspect some kind of precognitive ability, but I know I'm not psychically inclined. In fact, tests have shown that on the basic scale of psychic power, I rank somewhere around the ability level of your average field mouse. But, ever since getting into Galaxy City, I've had the nagging feeling that it was important for me to get Downtown.

"Thats where the answers are, Sandy," I said. "I don't know what the questions are yet, but I'll find out when I get there."

"Then that settles it. Lets get moving ladies," said Handshake climbing back to his feet and dusting himself off. "The sooner we get there, the sooner I can get a beer."

We got back on our way again and I noticed a few more important facts about Galaxy City. Electrical service was erratic but in areas that hadn't suffered much damage I could see traffic signals going through their pre-programmed patterns (even though there wasn't any traffic to direct) and lights through shop windows.

Even more credit should go to Mr. Merle Jackson, readers. His roads have held up pretty well. In the places where they were not blocked by building damage, we were able to make pretty good time. If we could get a few bulldozers in here, supplies and relief could be moving quite swiftly.

That relief would be extremely important because the city is not empty. Despite the news stories you might have heard, not everyone has evacuated the city. There are always those people who cannot or will not leave once a disaster has happened. We haven't met anyone so far readers, but I can see the signs that they are here and are trying to pick up the pieces. I suspect that they are choosing to be cautious and staying close to home. I don't blame them. Although I do wonder what they'll do when they realize that there really is no help coming.

We'd been moving cautiously for a half an hour when Carpenter, who was several yards in front of us, gave us the pre-arranged signal that meant she'd spotted something she wanted a closer look at. More importantly, it meant that we should find a fast hiding spot. She was already fading out of sight when the three of us took cover behind a convenient dumpster.

There is a very recognizable sound to automatic weapons fire. We all know it because we've heard it in countless movies and television shows. I'm not too sure that would have disturbed me as much as the hissing/snapping sound of a man-portable railgun coming from ahead of us. That sound meant we had run into people that were not known for discussing things calmly and rationally. That sound, for those of us who have heard it before, meant that The Council was nearby.

Carpenter came running back in a full sprint. Small potholes formed in the ground behind her as magnetically accelerated steel bullets landed just shy of her feet. She passed our hiding place and threw herself into a dive behind a parked car. I glanced over at her quickly and received a small shake of her head. We weren't getting out without a fight.

Four Council soldiers advanced around the corner, weapons at the ready. At their head was a figure clad head to toe in black, with a faint purple glow surrounding him. That was one of their enhanced operatives, a Galaxy. The ones rumored to have alien life forms in a symbiotic bond with them.

We didn't have time to plan. Our only advantage was that they did not know about the three of us in hiding. If Sandy could get them close enough together, she might be able to use her abilities to end the fight quickly. We had to let them get closer for that though.

The Council soldiers apparently had no interest in getting closer. The Galaxy extended one of his arms and pointed at the car Carpenter was behind. A black-purple beam shot out and slammed unto the car, all but crushing it and flinging it backward. Carpenter had to dive to stay out of the way of the wreckage but doing that just exposed her to fire from the soldiers. She landed and rolled trying to get back to her feet. She was managing to stay ahead of the bullets but she was running out of room to move. It was time for us to act.

Sandy tore her goggles off her face, took three running steps into the street, shouted, and STARED. Two of the soldiers stiffened and dropped bonelessly to the ground. A third clutched his head and the fourth doubled over in pain.

The Galaxy barely turned as he swept his arm in her direction and blasted her off of her feet. Handshake stepped forward to catch her before she bounced off of the pavement and I, in a very uncharacteristic action, shot out of my hiding place and into a flying tackle.

I would like to say that he went down in a tangle of arms and legs and that was the decisive moment of the fight but, I respect you more than that readers. In reality I did manage to make solid contact with him but bounced off of him and gracelessly hit the ground. I don't know exactly which alien he was supposed to be bonded with, but I suspect it was one from the planet concrete.

He glanced down at me and, although I wasn't expecting pity, I wasn't expecting the complete lack of emotion in his eyes. I wasn't even important enough to be held in contempt. I was a bug to be squashed.

Before he could finish me off, his head was snapped sideways by a solid kick from the now invisible Carpenter. That gave me time to get to my feet and try to remember what I had learned in earning my belt. I swept a leg out low, trying to take him off of his feet, while she kept him off balance with a fast set of short punches.

The Galaxy simply soaked up the hits. Nothing we were doing seemed to have any effect. A black aura surrounded his fists as he swung them sideways and we were lifted off of our feet by a blast of energy. Carpenter hit the ground hard and I could not see her moving as the blast sent me rolling backward.

It was a few seconds before I could stop my movement and when I did, I couldn't see straight. I felt bruised all over and I suspected a concussion. I had to get back to my feet but I wasn't sure I could.

The Galaxy turned to face me and slowly raised an arm. I could see a black glow starting when his body was suddenly covered in electrical arcs. Handshake was standing in the street, his arms extended and blue-white electricity shooting from his gloves. He sent another pulse into the Galaxy as my battered brain supplied me with a voiceover from Darth Sidious saying 'No, no! Now YOU WILL DIE!' I might have giggled, at that, I'm not sure. Admittedly I wasn't thinking straight but I can tell you readers that was clearheaded enough to see what happened next. The soldier who had been doubled over in pain... changed. His clothing split as his body gained two more feet in height and became a solid wall of muscle and fur. He howled and charged with an almost impossible speed, sweeping Handshake off of his feet in a single blow. He had become, despite all logic, a werewolf.

The wolf and the Galaxy turned back to me. I couldn't see Handshake or Carpenter or Sandy and I could barely move. I think I managed to get to one knee before the black bolt hit me again and knocked me backward. As my mind and body shut down from the pain, I heard someone say...



"For the glory of the Council."

Good Evening all, JWB here with a short note before we start the new episode.

As a reminder for those of you who may be just joining in, you'll find links to parts one and two in my signature below. It may be useful (but not necessary) to read through those parts before starting on Part 3.

For those of you that have been following along, thanks for coming back again. Hopefully, I will not disappoint.


And.... off we go.

Bravo, Dink and Co.


It all looks wonderful. I can't wait to see the full, finished version of the set.

Hi, JWB here.

Just thought I'd take a moment here at the end of part two for a few thoughts.

For those of you that have been following along, thank you very much for sticking with me. I promise that there will be a Part three and all of the loose plot threads will be wrapped up.

(I hope)

Alexis Alexander will be taking over the writing duties again for the next part. She seems to have a lot to say and she's getting very insistant about it. So, she'll be back with us next week in a new thread.

For those of you that have just joined us and are wondering what's going on, you'll find links to Part 1 in my signature below. I'll add a link to part 3 when the first episode goes live.

Until then readers, have a good evening.


JWB

The streets were not easy to move through.

The threat of being attacked again kept Captain Kane and her team on edge. Fortunately, the Shivans had not reappeared, and it seemed that all of Galaxy City's usual mix of gangs and oddballs had decided that being in front of a well armed and obviously hostile Longbow unit was not a good place to be.

Perhaps, thought Captain Kane, they were still in a state of shock or hadn't quite decided that it was safe enough to come out of their rat holes to begin the serious business of looting. Perhaps, even, the meteor strikes had done the entire city a few small favors by killing off a few of them. In either case, it was one less obstacle to her and her team.

The real problem came from the buildings that had collapsed into the streets or, more often, dozens of cars that had been abandoned by their owners as they ran. Her aerial scouts had guided them through or around the worst of the blockades but time slipped by with every detour. A trip across town that should have taken no more than an hour, had stretched out into several. It wouldn't be long before they lost the sunlight, making things much more difficult. Captain Kane had long since given up on the time limit she had been saddled with 'in the interests of 'security' but she didn't want to travel at night if she could help it. Also, she could not shake the feeling that she had been having since arriving in Galaxy City, that she needed to get this job done as quickly as possible.

The shadows were just starting to stretch out to the East when the team reached the edge of the industrial park their GPS coordinates had led them to. The area around Constellation Row was fairly clear of damage and the warehouses seemed to be intact. That made for fewer ambush points but, fewer, was not the same as none. One of the first rules of urban combat is that every city has thousands of ambush points in the form of dumpsters and doorways; trashcans and mailboxes; fences, storefronts, and decorative railings. Captain Kane could see the slight movement of gun barrels and heads as her team reminded themselves of this.

"How far, Becky?" asked the Captain?

"The coordinates are about 100 yards South, and a little bit east of us. If the records are right, it should be a stand-alone building belonging to a 'West Shipping Company' out of Canada."

"Ok lets split into two groups. Take yours around and give me some crossfire if I need it. I'll hold my group here for a few minutes to give you the time to get into position."

Before the Master Sergeant and her part of the team could move, Sergeant Reyes' voice came across the radio.

"Captain, I have the front of the warehouse in sight and I have something unusual here."

"Unusual?"

"Yes, Ma'am. I would say that the door is guarded except...well...I have a single Crab Spider in view and he has white flags tied to all of his suit's arms. And, Ma'am?"

"Yes, Benny?"

"He just waved at me and is now holding a sign saying 'Welcome, Longbow."

Captain Kane found herself in a rare moment of surprise. Out of all of the possible things that could have happened, this wasn't even on the list. She glanced at Sergeant Woodley who shrugged and shook her head slowly.

"Benny, your team has that building covered. Correct?"

"Yes, Ma'am. We're positioned to all sides and we have as clear a line of sight as the light allows. As far as we can tell, that Spider is all alone out there."

"Keep an eye on him. If you or your team see anything..."

"Yes, Ma'am...Bang."

Abandoning her earlier plan, Captain Kane motioned her team forward. Standing outside the front door was the Crab Spider Sergeant Reyes had described. Crab Spider armor was designed for intimidation. With arms extended, a suit stood almost 15 feet high and carried a very impressive amount of firepower. Crab Spiders were Lord Recluse's heavy troops, so seeing one acting friendly was almost too surreal for words.

As the Captain approached the Spider waved again and motioned her closer. Her team spread out into a rough semicircle leaving the Captain at the center of their arc. Captain Kane stepped forward slowly, trusting that no Arachnos officer would go to this much trouble just to set up an ambush.

"GOOD EVE..." boomed the armor. "SORRy, I always forget where that switch is. Good Evening Ma'am. I have a message for you if you'll take the time to see it?" The voice coming out of the armor sounded young and male. The slight questioning tone in his voice left some doubt about whether he had considered that he might have just been put there for target practice.

A more... traditional... Longbow officer might have replied with something involving arrest, and maybe something degrading. More than likely, since there was a lot of bad blood between Arachnos and Longbow, a more traditional officer would have just shot first. From a long way away. From behind if possible.

Captain Kane simply nodded.

"Thank you Ma'am," said the Spider. "Please watch the screen next to me."

The screen, a simple flatscreen monitor like the ones used on thousands of computers worldwide, brightened into an image of the black and red headdress that was the uniform of an Arachnos Seer.

"Good Evening," said a voice from the screen, " My name is Seer Constantine. I must thank you for not being one of the typical thugs that Longbow hires. It would have been inconvenient if you had killed my soldier. I still have some use for him.

First: Allow me to express my condolences for your loss. I know a lot of people looked up to him and even my Lord Recluse was not unmoved..."

"Captain Kane looked at her Sergeant. "What is she talking about?"

The image stopped and the head tilted slightly. "Oh, " it said "you haven't heard? I won't spoil the surprise then. After all, you have more important business than some dead hero. And, yes, I can see and hear you. Please don't think less of me for using such mundane things as a camera and microphone. I know we Seers cultivate a certain...reputation, but that's a bit exhausting and it's much less confusing this way.

In the interests of saving time, let me answer all of the questions I know you want to ask. Yes, your fugitives arrived here after Leaving Fort Darwin. No, they are not dead, nor are they in our custody. Yes, they left under their own power shortly after arriving. No, they were not beaten, tortured or otherwise harmed by my people, except perhaps for being scared out of their wits. No, they were not, nor are they, agents of Arachnos. No, you don't know if you can trust me, but at least I'm giving you straight answers. Did that cover all of them? Or did I miss one?"

"No..." said Captain Kane after a moment's hesitation. "No I think you got them all."

"Good," said the Seer. "Now, take this advice for what it's worth but you might want to head downtown to catch up with them. The reporter is about to find out something that will make some very... unpleasant... people, very fatally angry with her. And, not to scare you, but if she dies, something even worse will happen to Paragon City."

"Worse, what do you mean worse?"

The image on the screen turned so that, even though it was off to one side of her, Captain Kane got the impression that the Seer was looking directly at her.

"I don't know. I can't See it that clearly. All I know is that if you lose that one life, many more will follow. And there will be nothing that anyone can do about it."

To the best of my knowledge, City does not have a 'full 3D' mode. I suppose that if it did exist you'd need not only a 3D TV but a graphics card that can render it properly.

Panel of experts?

Fair winds to you.