After their tussle with Mechanon, New York’s newest heroes agreed to keep in touch, but otherwise continued to operate relatively independently of each other. Although their new found ally, Fleetfoot, recommended that they form a more tight-knit association, their individual styles worked against the creation of a more formal team. Nightshift and Sparrow Hawk, for instance, enjoyed the relative anonymity that came with operating in the shadows, while Troyus basked in media attention and kept a public identity to boot. Motivational differences also kept the team for cohering, as Apex and Rampart remained more focused on pursuing their private lives, fighting crime only when they happened to stumble across it or when it reared its ugly head in some sort of dramatic, public fashion.
Of all the heroes, Troyus’ life was most transformed as a consequence of their first case together. The family-owned auto-shop where he worked became the center of media attention. His boss, Joe Roberts, seemed ambivalent about the attention. Troyus’ celebrity drew some new customers, but others took their business elsewhere, apparently uneasy about Troyus’ “inhuman” nature. The shop even lost one of its mechanics, Ted Gordon. Gordon had never been friendly towards Troyus and the hero’s most recent display of power apparently pushed him over the edge. Finally, Joe also seemed worried that Troyus might attract attention of the more violent kind. Nevertheless, Joe and his sons, Josh and Seth, remained supportive of Troyus, keeping him at the shop and working to make him feel at home. About a month after the Mechanon fight, Joe decided to explain why. Inviting Troyus over to his home for dinner, he introduced the young hero to Josh’s five-year-old daughter, Sophie. Born with a tail, heightened agility, the ability to cling to walls, and heightened senses, Sophie lived a marginal existence. The Roberts, therefore, were sympathetic to Troyus’ situation, and promised to help him to the extent that they could. Grateful, Troyus promised to protect the Roberts.
That same evening, trouble was brewing downtown. Dylan Price (aka Nightshift) was having a drink at his favorite bar in Hell’s Kitchen before going out on patrol. Unbeknown to him, Tom Clayborn (aka Rampart) was also at the bar, setting up for the gig that his band had scored for later that night. Both witnessed an exchange between Mercedes, a waitress at the bar who also happened to be Dylan's girlfriend, and two men. One of the men, Ricky, was making crude comments to Mercedes, while simultaneously relating that her boss should follow-up on their offer for “protection.” Dylan confronted Ricky, only to have the second man, Rocky, intervene. Rocky prompted Ricky to apologize to the “nice lady,” politely requested that Mercedes relay their message, apologized to Dylan for Ricky’s transgression, and then left the bar with Ricky. Expecting trouble that night, Dylan left the bar, donned his Nightshift persona, and chose to stick close to the bar during his nightly patrol.
Later that night, Sparrow Hawk happened to be patrolling the same neighborhood when she noticed two gangsters setting-up what looked like a mortar in an empty lot. She dove in and quickly subdued the men. Meanwhile, Sparrow Hawk’s movements were noticed by Xander Lamberton (aka Apex), who happened to be tending to the needs of the homeless in the neighborhood. He approached to see if Sparrow Hawk needed any help, only to see mortar shells arc through the sky from other locations nearby. The shells hit a warehouse across the street, filling it with gas. Nightshift also heard the attack and teleported to the scene. When the heroes entered the warehouse, they found two groups of gangsters facing off. One group, the Maronis, suffered the effects of the mortar-delivered tear gas that choked the room. The second group, the Carellis, wore gas-masks, brandished laser pistols, and was in the process of mowing down their opponents. The heroes intervened, quickly taking down the Carellis. Inspecting the Carellis hardware, Sparrow Hawk noted that it bore the VIPER insignia. Checking his sources, Nightshift determined that this was likely the final battle in a months-long territory war between the two crime families. He also noted that the Carellis had recently made moves against another major crime family, the Spumonis.
The next day, at lunch time, Michael Brandeis (aka Fire Brand) was on his way to his favorite deli when he heard the sounds of gun-play and people screaming from down the street. Rushing to the scene, he saw a security guard lying prone before the broken plate-glass window of the first national bank. Rapidly changing into his hero guise, he swooped in as Fire Brand and found two VIPER agents menacing the bank’s patrons and employees. Firing two well-placed bolts of flame, he incapacitated the agents. A bank teller told the hero that other agents had moved to the vault, but before he could proceed, Fire Brand was interrupted by the arrival of New York’s premiere superhero, Starburst. After a tense moment, Fire Brand convinced Starburst that he was not there to rob the bank and the two moved towards the vault. There they encountered and easily subdued two other VIPER agents carrying bags of loot. Things became complicated when the VIPER agents received back-up in the form of super-villains Pulsar and Brick. Quite the braggart, Pulsar enthusiastically attacked Starburst hoping to earn popularity by taking down such a well-known superhero. Meanwhile, Fire Brand tussled with Brick. Pulsar, however, proved ineffective against Starburst's defenses and was quickly taken down. When the two heroes turned to face Brick, the rocky behemoth gabbed a bank teller by the head and threatened to turn her into tomato paste if the heroes did not back off. With that he grabbed Pulsar and made his escape down a manhole and through the sewers, taking the teller with him as insurance. The teller was later found in the sewers, shaken but otherwise unhurt.
Having heard of the attempted robbery through the news, the city’s heroes began to converge at the bank. Nightshift arrived in his civilian identity as Detective Dylan Price, along with his partner, Detective James Rourke. Troyus, Rampart, and Apex also arrived, but Sparrow Hawk was diverted by Nightshift who heard over the police radio that Vito’s, an Italian restaurant in Brooklyn, had suffered an explosion simultaneous with the bank robbery. The heroes spent most of the time getting to know one another and interacting with the press. Troyus, in particular, had a few words with ace reporter, “Gyro” Jim Dugan, while Rampart and Apex exchanged contact information with Fire Brand and Starburst. Meanwhile, Detective Rourke approached his partner with a bit of evidence: VIPER was after more than just cash. One of the bags carried by the VIPER agents contained a safety deposit box registered to a man named Carmine Del Vecchio. Del Vecchio was a well-known and somewhat high ranking-member in the Carelli crime organization, and papers found in the safety deposit box, although vague, suggested a link between the Carellis and VIPER. Meanwhile, Sparrow Hawk’s investigations confirmed that Carmine Del Vecchio had been dining at Vito’s that afternoon. Del Vecchio escaped death, however, when a chance phone call caused him to leave the restaurant moments before the explosion.
The heroes dispersed after the bank robbery, returning to their lives and work. For Dylan and Rourke, however, this meant following-up on Del Vecchio. They went to the gangster’s home, only to find one of his henchmen, Angelo Demeo, leaving the premises with a suitcase. Demeo claimed that Del Vecchio had left town. Unconvinced, Dylan and Rourke decided to follow the gangster. This led them to an apartment building in Brooklyn. Dylan related this information to Sparrow Hawk, who was still in the area. He and Rourke then split up and entered the building through different entrances. Dylan managed to catch-up to Demeo as the gangster was let into a third-floor apartment. To his surprise, the man who opened the door for Demeo was none-other than Rocky from the night before! Dylan then teleported to the fire escape adjoining Rocky’s apartment, leaving Rourke to watch the hall entrance.
Meanwhile, Sparrow Hawk arrived at the scene on her motorcycle. As she pulled up, she saw a black van conspicuously parked in an alley next to the apartment building. Stepping out of the van and into the apartment building was a man wearing maroon and orange colored armor, with a brass flamethrower strapped to his back. She radioed in a warning to Nightshift and an alert to Troyus, Rampart, Apex, Fire Brand, and Starburst. Sneaking up to the van, Sparrow Hawk then encountered and made quick work of two VIPER agents.
Of all the heroes, Troyus’ life was most transformed as a consequence of their first case together. The family-owned auto-shop where he worked became the center of media attention. His boss, Joe Roberts, seemed ambivalent about the attention. Troyus’ celebrity drew some new customers, but others took their business elsewhere, apparently uneasy about Troyus’ “inhuman” nature. The shop even lost one of its mechanics, Ted Gordon. Gordon had never been friendly towards Troyus and the hero’s most recent display of power apparently pushed him over the edge. Finally, Joe also seemed worried that Troyus might attract attention of the more violent kind. Nevertheless, Joe and his sons, Josh and Seth, remained supportive of Troyus, keeping him at the shop and working to make him feel at home. About a month after the Mechanon fight, Joe decided to explain why. Inviting Troyus over to his home for dinner, he introduced the young hero to Josh’s five-year-old daughter, Sophie. Born with a tail, heightened agility, the ability to cling to walls, and heightened senses, Sophie lived a marginal existence. The Roberts, therefore, were sympathetic to Troyus’ situation, and promised to help him to the extent that they could. Grateful, Troyus promised to protect the Roberts.
That same evening, trouble was brewing downtown. Dylan Price (aka Nightshift) was having a drink at his favorite bar in Hell’s Kitchen before going out on patrol. Unbeknown to him, Tom Clayborn (aka Rampart) was also at the bar, setting up for the gig that his band had scored for later that night. Both witnessed an exchange between Mercedes, a waitress at the bar who also happened to be Dylan's girlfriend, and two men. One of the men, Ricky, was making crude comments to Mercedes, while simultaneously relating that her boss should follow-up on their offer for “protection.” Dylan confronted Ricky, only to have the second man, Rocky, intervene. Rocky prompted Ricky to apologize to the “nice lady,” politely requested that Mercedes relay their message, apologized to Dylan for Ricky’s transgression, and then left the bar with Ricky. Expecting trouble that night, Dylan left the bar, donned his Nightshift persona, and chose to stick close to the bar during his nightly patrol.
Later that night, Sparrow Hawk happened to be patrolling the same neighborhood when she noticed two gangsters setting-up what looked like a mortar in an empty lot. She dove in and quickly subdued the men. Meanwhile, Sparrow Hawk’s movements were noticed by Xander Lamberton (aka Apex), who happened to be tending to the needs of the homeless in the neighborhood. He approached to see if Sparrow Hawk needed any help, only to see mortar shells arc through the sky from other locations nearby. The shells hit a warehouse across the street, filling it with gas. Nightshift also heard the attack and teleported to the scene. When the heroes entered the warehouse, they found two groups of gangsters facing off. One group, the Maronis, suffered the effects of the mortar-delivered tear gas that choked the room. The second group, the Carellis, wore gas-masks, brandished laser pistols, and was in the process of mowing down their opponents. The heroes intervened, quickly taking down the Carellis. Inspecting the Carellis hardware, Sparrow Hawk noted that it bore the VIPER insignia. Checking his sources, Nightshift determined that this was likely the final battle in a months-long territory war between the two crime families. He also noted that the Carellis had recently made moves against another major crime family, the Spumonis.
The next day, at lunch time, Michael Brandeis (aka Fire Brand) was on his way to his favorite deli when he heard the sounds of gun-play and people screaming from down the street. Rushing to the scene, he saw a security guard lying prone before the broken plate-glass window of the first national bank. Rapidly changing into his hero guise, he swooped in as Fire Brand and found two VIPER agents menacing the bank’s patrons and employees. Firing two well-placed bolts of flame, he incapacitated the agents. A bank teller told the hero that other agents had moved to the vault, but before he could proceed, Fire Brand was interrupted by the arrival of New York’s premiere superhero, Starburst. After a tense moment, Fire Brand convinced Starburst that he was not there to rob the bank and the two moved towards the vault. There they encountered and easily subdued two other VIPER agents carrying bags of loot. Things became complicated when the VIPER agents received back-up in the form of super-villains Pulsar and Brick. Quite the braggart, Pulsar enthusiastically attacked Starburst hoping to earn popularity by taking down such a well-known superhero. Meanwhile, Fire Brand tussled with Brick. Pulsar, however, proved ineffective against Starburst's defenses and was quickly taken down. When the two heroes turned to face Brick, the rocky behemoth gabbed a bank teller by the head and threatened to turn her into tomato paste if the heroes did not back off. With that he grabbed Pulsar and made his escape down a manhole and through the sewers, taking the teller with him as insurance. The teller was later found in the sewers, shaken but otherwise unhurt.
Having heard of the attempted robbery through the news, the city’s heroes began to converge at the bank. Nightshift arrived in his civilian identity as Detective Dylan Price, along with his partner, Detective James Rourke. Troyus, Rampart, and Apex also arrived, but Sparrow Hawk was diverted by Nightshift who heard over the police radio that Vito’s, an Italian restaurant in Brooklyn, had suffered an explosion simultaneous with the bank robbery. The heroes spent most of the time getting to know one another and interacting with the press. Troyus, in particular, had a few words with ace reporter, “Gyro” Jim Dugan, while Rampart and Apex exchanged contact information with Fire Brand and Starburst. Meanwhile, Detective Rourke approached his partner with a bit of evidence: VIPER was after more than just cash. One of the bags carried by the VIPER agents contained a safety deposit box registered to a man named Carmine Del Vecchio. Del Vecchio was a well-known and somewhat high ranking-member in the Carelli crime organization, and papers found in the safety deposit box, although vague, suggested a link between the Carellis and VIPER. Meanwhile, Sparrow Hawk’s investigations confirmed that Carmine Del Vecchio had been dining at Vito’s that afternoon. Del Vecchio escaped death, however, when a chance phone call caused him to leave the restaurant moments before the explosion.
The heroes dispersed after the bank robbery, returning to their lives and work. For Dylan and Rourke, however, this meant following-up on Del Vecchio. They went to the gangster’s home, only to find one of his henchmen, Angelo Demeo, leaving the premises with a suitcase. Demeo claimed that Del Vecchio had left town. Unconvinced, Dylan and Rourke decided to follow the gangster. This led them to an apartment building in Brooklyn. Dylan related this information to Sparrow Hawk, who was still in the area. He and Rourke then split up and entered the building through different entrances. Dylan managed to catch-up to Demeo as the gangster was let into a third-floor apartment. To his surprise, the man who opened the door for Demeo was none-other than Rocky from the night before! Dylan then teleported to the fire escape adjoining Rocky’s apartment, leaving Rourke to watch the hall entrance.
Meanwhile, Sparrow Hawk arrived at the scene on her motorcycle. As she pulled up, she saw a black van conspicuously parked in an alley next to the apartment building. Stepping out of the van and into the apartment building was a man wearing maroon and orange colored armor, with a brass flamethrower strapped to his back. She radioed in a warning to Nightshift and an alert to Troyus, Rampart, Apex, Fire Brand, and Starburst. Sneaking up to the van, Sparrow Hawk then encountered and made quick work of two VIPER agents. Responding to Sparrow Hawk’s warning, Dylan teleported to the rooftop and changed into his Nightshift costume. By the time he returned to the fire escape, however, chaos had broken out. Catching sight of Blowtorch, the man with the flame-thrower on his back, Rourke called for him to stand down. He opened fire when Blowtorch refused, only to have his bullets bounce off the hit man’s armor. Ignoring Rourke, Blowtorch kicked down the door to Rocky’s apartment and filled the room with a stream of chemical fire. The attack killed Demeo and Del Vecchio. Rocky grabbed Ricky and ran for the window, only to receive a blast from Blowtorch as he leaped through. Rocky seemed relatively unharmed by the flame, so Nightshift attacked the gangster as he emerged to the fire escape, knocking him down three stories. Rocky managed to execute a relatively controlled fall, shielding Ricky from harm. It was then that Nightshift noticed a purple and red skin-tight costume showing through the gangster’s burned clothing. Throwing Ricky over his shoulder, Rocky ran down the alley as Nightshift was forced to turn and face Blowtorch.
At that point, the rest of the heroes arrived. Sparrow Hawk entangled Rocky with a bola, allowing the rest of the heroes to pile on, while Nightshift threw Blowtorch into the alley below. The heroes quickly subdued Blowtorch, and then delivered a series of blows that brought Rocky to his knees. Ricky began to yell for Rocky to get up and "murderlize" the heroes, but the resilient gangster chose diplomacy instead. Rising to his feet, he suggested to the heroes that there was some misunderstanding. Rocky pointed out that he had not broken any laws. He then explained that as a longtime member of the Carelli crime family, Del Vecchio came to disagree with the family’s new association with outside parties. This disagreement led to mounting tensions. Fearing for his life, Del Vecchio turned to Rocky for protection, but sadly the Carellis' managed to terminate the old man’s life before the contract could be finalized. Rocky insisted that his actions regarding this incident were as noble as the heroes own. Fire Brand whispered to Nightshift that he recognized Rocky as an enforcer from the Chicago branch of the Spumoni crime family. Unable to find evidence implicating Rocky in wrong-doing, however, the heroes reluctantly let him and Ricky go.
That night the heroes met at Central Park. They speculated on the precise nature of the relationship between the Carellis and VIPER. Sparrow Hawk related that the communicators carried by the VIPER agents self-destructed upon their capture, thus making it impossible for her to track "the snakes" back to their nest. She also suggested that Central Park was not the best place for them to meet and gave them an address for a riverside warehouse that could serve as a more discrete meeting place. Following through with her call for subtlety, Nightshift critiqued the others, especially Troyus, for drawing unnecessary attention from the media. Troyus defended his actions, pointing out that he had not revealed anything that would endanger anybody but himself. Rampart also chimed in, suggesting that the more public heroes drew attention away from the more subtle ones. With these issues unresolved, Apex turned the conversation towards further investigation of VIPER, suggesting that the team might try to infiltrate the organization. Starburst wished them luck, offering to help where he could, but stating his preference to operate solo. With that he excused himself, leaving the others to consider their next moves.
Experienced Points Earned: 2
1 comment:
I'm glad I read this. It clarifies the events in my mind. Thanks.
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