We start the day with a pilgrimage to the tinsel Mecca to view Hero. Bruce (Sting Ray) is beside himself with happiness. Chuck (Archangel) announces to the world that he has finally seen a good movie with Jet Li in it. Actually, he doesn't do that. Ernest points out that even if he had, he'd be wrong: Jet Li has been in plenty of good films. It's just that none of them have been made in America. But then Tim (Zom) shatters the atmosphere of adulation by complaining that he feels strangely unfulfilled by the movie, as if he'd just eaten half of a bowl of Chinese food.
Paul (Darren Stone) trumps everyone else by deciding that sleeping in and pursuing his ever-more-susceptible-to-gossip social life is far more important than watching Jet Li kick Imperial ass. He shows up late enough that Bruce is able to inveigle Chuck and Ernest into playing Pirates of the Spanish Main. Ernest manages to eke out a desperate victory, prompting everyone else to ask him closely about his attitudes towards creator's rights and information. Ernest just sits back and declares, "Information wants to be free!"
The session opens with the characters marching out of Eclipse and straight into the gun barrels of dozens of STAR Squad troopers. They look around to find that Scarecrow has vanished. Darren Stone mourns, "Isn't that always the way it goes... the one who looks like the wanted criminal is the only one who gets away." The other characters get themselves zip-tied and stuffed into a STAR Squad van alongside their onetime foe Choke Chain. They notice that the troopers treat the unconscious Choke Chain with the sort of delicate respect normally reserved for armed explosives and hazardous waste.
The characters arrive at the STAR Squad headquarters after a short drive. A couple of burly guys with heavy-duty handcuffs cart Choke Chain off, while the characters are taken to a combo interrogation room and cell. They spend just long enough time alone to get themselves some coffee when Captain Bill "Bulldog" Maddox tromps in. He is built like his name, and he makes very sure that the characters understand that he is serious when he tells them that they need to be careful in the future. Sting Ray understands that there is a certain level of legal protection available to superheroes under the Mask Act, and that the police can't just fingerprint them for no reason at all. He also figures out that Captain Maddox isn't so much hostile to heroes as he is upset at the notion of metahuman brawls in populated spaces.
Once Maddox is done, a thin, balding, nervous man enters and introduces himself as Assistant DA Robert Sissman. Archangel comments, "It must really suck to be the guy who has to interrogate the supervillains. I bet he's been mind-controlled so many times he can't even count." Introductions are exchanged, then he thanks the characters for bringing in Choke Chain. Apparently she was wanted in Portland for a variety of civil-disturbance charges.
He then turns his interest to the characters, asking them, "So, what brings you to our fair city?" Darren Stone and Sting Ray rather blandly respond, "We live here." ADA Sissman asks, "You part of any of the existing supergroups?" Archangel is forced to answer, "No, the cool kids wouldn't let us play with them."
The characters end up giving him a statement about the whole Wolf Pack incident. They try to be as serious as they can. ADA Sissman seems happy.
After ADA Sissman leaves, the characters congratulate Darren Stone upon his remarkably calm handling of the situation thus far. He tells the others, "Authority figures are fine as long as they're kept accountable to the common man." Archangel whispers to him, "Don't let him know you're a Negro." Darren Stone refuses to glorify this comment with any sort of response.
Assistant DA Sissman closes the interview by telling the characters that the District Attorney wants to chat with them. Darren Stone asks, "The DA? That's the guy who keeps flipping that coin with the X on one side, right?" Sting Ray agrees, "Yeah. District Attorney Hardly Bent."
Sissman ignores the characters' commentary as he takes them up two floors to the executive offices to meet District Attorney Daniel R. Dergin. The characters have heard his name before. He won an election by promising to be tough on crime, particularly organized crime. He's quite zealous as an anti-Mob crusader. This has guaranteed that his popularity with the Freedom City cops. He has also spent some time playing the other side of the fence: he's arranged a lot of media events with the Freedom League, ensuring lots of good photo ops and a positive rep with the local superhero community. He's forty with sandy hair and blue eyes.
As the characters enter the office, a tall African-American with gray hair, trimmed beard & moustache, and a nice suit is just leaving. DA Dergin calls out, "Thank you, Director Powers!" as he leaves. Powers gives a long lingering look at each of the characters as he walks by.
Sissman introduces the characters to DA Dergin. Dergin thanks the characters, and reminds them that they'd better obey the law. Then he comments, "Robert says you'd be willing to help us out in something. Is that right?" Darren Stone answers for the rest, "Yes, well, he didn't give us many details..." Dergin smiles and reassures them, "I'm sure that Robert will be happy to fill you in."
Sissman ushers the characters out and back down the stairs. On the way, he tells the characters, "We have a witness. We need his testimony, but we think his life is in danger. He has adamantly refused police protection, but he specifically asked for Archangel's protection. If you're willing, we'd like you have you look out for him for a while."
The characters are led into an interrogation room. They see a slacker biker type drooping over a plastic chair. They recognize him as Zom, the Wolf Pack member that Archangel saved. The fellow seems a bit groggy and disoriented. Archangel addresses him, "So, Zom, you're turning State's evidence?" The words drool out of the corner of Zom's mouth, "Well, you said I should do something with my life, and it was this or veterinary school. But the cops told me that before I could enroll in art school I have to testify."
Eager to salvage some decorum, Sissman reinforces to the characters, "Mr. Schmead here has agreed to testify against some of the other bikers."
Archangel is not totally convinced. He asks Zom, "You serious about putting the other Wolf Pack guys behind bars?"
Zom replies, "Well, kinda. Aaahh... yeah. I gotta find a new gang. Anyone got a cigarette?"
Sissman is apologetic, "This is a public building. Smoking isn't allowed."
Zom protests, "But the cop over there was smoking..."
Archangel walks over to the cop and asks, "Give me a cigarette." The cop refuses. Archangel turns on the lights and repeats himself, "GIVE ME A CI.." The cop mutely hands him the whole pack.
Sissman explains to the characters that the trial is in a couple weeks. Some Wolf Pack guys got away, so he needs the characters to keep an eye out for them and keep them from whacking Zom. The characters agree to pick up this commission.
Zom goes down to the clerk to pick up his clothes, boots, dice with little skull-shaped pips on it, cigarettes, and a buck-fifty. He also gets his bike back from the impound lot. He proudly shows it to the other characters, "See? It says 'Zom' and it has little skulls on it!"
The characters take Zom uptown to Sting Ray's condo. Archangel tells him, "You can even bring your bike in - he's got a really good maid." Sting Ray moans, "Shut up!" Darren Stone busies himself tuning Sting Ray's radio to various gospel and soul stations while Zom looks for booze. Sting Ray notices Zom's quest and tells him, "You're just going to find empty bottles. Archangel already got it all." Darren Stone offers, "Yeah, he likes to get plastered and go flying at night. He comes back covered in bruises and pigeon shit."
Zom tells the others the Wolf Pack is a pretty recent creation. Ox created the group, helped by his lieutenants Wrench and Skeeter. Ox was obviously dealing with someone else for the money and drugs. Spasm was never part of the Wolf Pack: he worked for Ox's bosses. Zom also thinks that Ox had some kind of connection with the Aryan Brotherhood. Neither Ox nor Skeeter is currently in custody.
Then Zom mentions that there's supposed to be some kind of Brotherhood thing going on in the park. Sting Ray mocks Zom, "Oh yeah, Ox was apeshit about this thing going on in the park. Something about bad Christians and skinheads and things. Something that happened last week." The characters eventually figure out that Zom talking about Wharton State Forest, that this event is in a few days, and that Zom knows how to find it.
Archangel asks the others, "Is there any way we can get Zom some Ritalin or something?"
Sting Ray grins and replies, "You don't know how proud it makes me to hear to you say that."
Darren Stone offers, "Isn't there a version of Ritalin available on the street? It's called speed."
Zom finally notices that the others are talking about him and brings his own superior knowledge to bear. He tells them, "Doncha know the difference between good drugs and bad drugs? And the difference between a dealer and a pusher?"
Sting Ray ignores Zom, but tells the other characters, "I bet if you record him and play back every other word at double speed and you can hear secret messages. Listening to him is like listening to the cosmic connection, like listening to the static from the beginning of the universe."
Darren Stone scoffs, "But you say that about Sesame Street."
The next morning, Sting Ray goes to work. Archangel goes out and buys a PlayStation with Sting Ray's credit card. Zom figures out how to unscramble the porn channels on Sting Ray's TV.
Sting Ray returns home with some news. He tells the others, "Hey! I think Sylvan Sentinel got flamethrowered with his oubliette by the Parks Department, trying to clear out the sudden outbreak of bocage! I can't raise him on his communicator shard!"
Darren Stone concentrates on his shard for a moment, "Sylvan Sentinel? I get no response. Hmm, maybe you're right."
The characters load up for a field trip to Sylvan Sentinel's grotto. They find that the place is still there, but there are a lot of chopped-up plants around the perimeter. From the looks of them, passing wildlife didn't eat them. Sting Ray notices that the plant remains have long hollow thorns with poison reservoirs. He fires up his sparkly field and heads into the Fortress of Plantitude, undisturbed by the occasional crackle of doomed mosquitoes.
Darren Stone follows Sting Ray in. He looks around, "You know, he had a lot of stuff down here. Still no electricity or TV, though." The earth cries out to him. He follows its calls to find a discarded weapon, a sharpened metal bar with duct tape wrapped around the handle. Zom comments, "That looks like the shank you get after graduating... from shank school." Darren Stone muses, "Looks like it's cold iron, too."
Zom comes up with some rough pallets and plastic shopping bags full of stuff, string and shiny pebbles and soda cans. He asks the others, "You said this guy was part of your team?" Archangel comments, "Well, we suspected him of collecting the occasional homeless guy." Zom notices some bottles of body lotion near the oubliette. He says nothing.
Darren Stone asks the others, "Think there's anything in the stream?" Sting Ray gestures towards it. Zap! Unmoving things bob to the surface. He tells the others, "I count eight blind cave fish. Want to have a fish fry?" Zom gasps, "Are those dead, or just stunned?"
Darren Stone ignores the biker. He tells the others, "Looks like this place got hit from outside. Maybe he just shouldn't have told all the local homeless guys where this place was."
Archangel finds some pamphlets in one of the cells. Zom recognizes them as being similar to materials Ox had. They are obviously written by Aryan Brotherhood members, and are not subtle at all. The characters collect their stuff and head back to Sting Ray's place. Zom asks, "Can we stop by the liquor store on the way back? You're out of booze."
As the characters head out of the park, Zom sees some fearful-looking homeless folks watching them. Sting Ray lures a couple of them out, including one named Jeb who says he saw the whole thing. The characters ask if it was the parks department that did this. Jeb tells them, "No... these guys came sneakin' up all stealthy like in the night. There was a big old guy with them, in a zipper mask. Like that movie. And they had machetes, like we used to use in Nam! They went in there and they come out carrying the old tree guy. And he warn't moving. But they carted him off. Plus some guy who had vines all wrapped around him. They took him to a van and drived off. It was like black and it had a lot of Jerry crap on it. Nazi crap!"
Jeb tells the characters that the local homeless folks miss the tree guy. Darren Stone reassures him, "We'll find him..."
The characters get back to Sting Ray's place in time to catch a Special Report on Action News about the GAN attack on the CORE rally, reported by Amy Feng. The characters are gratified to see that she gives appropriate props to the Redeemers for minimizing the damage.
In contrast, the Daily Herald headline is "Supers Disrupt Revival." It isn't nearly as positive. Sting Ray gets a copy of the article from his neo-con co-worker. He comments, "I'm gonna frame that one."
Darren Stone checks up on his brother. He is glad to find that he's been going to work. Unfortunately, he was also recently hassled by a bunch of skinheads. Those guys are thick on the ground at the moment.
Archangel comes back to Sting Ray's apartment from the park. He finds a parchment envelope with an "A" on it slipped under the door. Inside is a St. George's program with a schedule for the week on the back. The Wednesday services notice is circled, with the comment, "Meet me. Urgent. T."
Zom notices Archangel and asks, "You have a girlfriend?"
Archangel tells him, "Kinda. We just meet at church. It's a little weird."
Archangel and Zom head to Wednesday night services. Darren Stone declines to go, saying, "I don't go to no white people's churches." Sting Ray stays home to mourn his ruined décor. On the way out the door Zom tells him, "You're gonna need a new casserole. I was making lasagna, but I forgot it halfway through, and then Archangel thought the house was on fire. And then we threw it out the window." Darren Stone inspects the damage and comments, "Wow. You should really stop buying monogrammed pans. But none of the stuff that's burned into this thing is used to make lasagna." On the street far below, a VW Beetle has a dent in its roof thanks to an errant lasagna.
Archangel meets Lady Tarot in the annex shrine, under the gazes of cruel, disinterested saints. She gives him the Death card and tells him that one of his companions is in grave danger. He points out, "We know." She tells him, "But this is for the future, not the past."
The characters resolve to show up to the skinhead rally in appropriate costume. Sting Ray dresses up in beat up Bill Blass jeans, leather jacket and t-shirt. Plus crocodile skin boots. He ends up looking like the rugged biker survivalist.
Zom tells the others, "I'm just gonna go get some clothes at Wal-Mart." Sting Ray quavers, "Sure, we can go to Wal-mart. I'm not scared. Do I look scared?"
Darren Stone teases, "You're worried because there might be poor people there."
Suitably equipped, the characters head out to the State Park. Sting Ray drives, with Zom providing directions of a sort: "Take a left. No, a right. Oh, sorry. My bad." Sting Ray stops the car and grumbles, "You're gonna drive, and I'm gonna put my hand over your brain-pan. And if I think there's no activity going on in there, I'm gonna give you a jump-start." Zom drives.
A few miles shy of the State Park, the characters are pulled over by the po-lice. Zom tells the officer, "I got a call from my girlfriend, and she's out here with her mom and... you wouldn't happen to have any meth, would you?" Then he realizes that the cops are bogus, set to keeping people out of the park. He talks his way past them with the secret code phrase, "Hammer Skin Forever Forever Hammer Skin!" In the back seat, Darren Stone and Sting Ray offer up a lame and surprised, "...rah..." Archangel mumbles, "Mmm... potato skins..."
Zom resumes driving. He asks Sting Ray, "Hey, does our insurance cover hitting deer?" BAM! Sting Ray covers his eyes and moans.
The characters finally make it to the rally grounds. There are lots of motorcycles and cars littering the forest landscape. Zom tells the others, "See? Told ya. I said it was like a racist Disneyland." Darren Stone sinks low in the car and tells Zom, "Bring me back a t-shirt from It's A Small White World."
The characters head to the rally. They notice a guy handing out goatskin leggings. They estimate that there are at least a thousand people around the site. Zom realizes that he might be recognized and asks the others, "Can I huddle in the middle of you?" Sting Ray replies, "Yep... that was huddle, not cuddle!"
Darren comes in over the communicator shard, "It might seem late to bring this up, but why the hell did we bring him here? We're supposed to be protecting him, and these are the guys who wan to kill him." The others ignore him and continue deeper into the grounds.
The characters reach the stage. Sure enough, Sylvan Sentinel is up on the stage, chained to a cross. White Power music blares. Zom acts as a tour guide, pointing out local sights: "And over there is Third Generation! They're tops in white power music! Want an autograph?"
Then the music cuts out and a figure in Klan hood, half-length white tunic and fatigue pants steps out on to the stage. He has a dramatic red stripe across his robe. Sting Ray murmurs, "We got the Iron Wizard coming up on stage." Darren Stone asks, "Time for me to get into costume?" Archangel comments, "Not quite yet... and get out of the suburban first..."
Red stripe starts talking about the mongrel Jewish gene pool and keeping bloodlines pure and how the Good News of Christ was not delivered to Orientals, Nubians or Aborigines, just White Adamics. And then he starts talking about freaks, who just add insult to injury what with the ro-bots and the aaa-liens. "Like this one!" People boo and throw beer cans at Sylvan Sentinel.
Darren Stone pipes up again to tell the others, "Your plan might need to be modified by the guys in unmarked body armor coming in from the parking lot. They're beating up skinheads." He emerges from the car, skins up, and follows them.
The other characters watch as a couple of guys get set to light up the Sentinel. One of them drawls out, "Naw we will rid ousselves of this nawn-huu-man. Light 'im up, boys!" Zom heads over to buy a hot dog. Archangel sees Ox and Skeeter heading towards Zom.
Sting Ray and Archangel start stomping down the skinheads who were about to light up Sylvan Sentinel. Zom notices that Archangel is flying, and scurries after him. Three helicopters come on the scene and shine searchlights down. A voice from the sky thunders, "This is the United States Government! Put down your weapons!"
Up on the stage, the Iron Wizard waves his fists and yells, "No! Don't let them interfere with our white culture and purity! Burn the impurity!" The skinheads seem to hesitate, then rallies. The figure on the stage flares with unholy fire and proclaims, "I am the White Knight! My brethren! I call on you to resist the Zionist lackeys!" He sends a bolt of white flame into Archangel and Zom. Fire crackles all over Zom. Zom goes limp.
The AEGIS troopers fan out. They appear to be wielding strange weapons that shoot a strange blue zappy bolt. They start taking down skinheads.
Ox moves in, battle rifle in hand. Skeeter proclaims, "Hahaha! Wolfpack!" Sting Ray electrifies Ox, who keeps on coming. Ox dishes out a blow to Sting Ray. Sting Ray tries boxing with him, accomplishing nothing beyond putting his life at risk.
Skeeter sprays Archangel with submachine gun fire. Archangel barely notices as he moves up to heal the burned Zom. He feels powers living inside the guy. And he's not burned. He has been plot-deviced! Zom promptly tests out his new powers by turning Ox's FN-FAL into mercury. It goes "bloop" and falls from Ox's fingers, poisoning the grass.
White Knight rises into the air, shrieks, "INFIDEL!" and shoots a blast of flamey flamey energy at Archangel. Archangel is surrounded by fire, but emerges unharmed.
Guys in powered armor start rappelling down from the helicopters. In response the miscellaneous racists unleash their rottwielers.
Then Spasm comes out from under the stage. Darren Stone announces, "I TURN AROUND AND HEAD BACK TO THE CAR!" But in spite of this he still advances. He takes a hit from Skeeter, and responds by charging him and sending him flying.
A Wolf Pack guy carrying an RPG comes out of a tent and fires it at a nearby power-armor guy. He hits him in the back. The trooper cartwheels forward and lands at the feet of the woman in the red dress. Some of the AEGIS tactical guys notice the enterprising gunner and take him down in a hail of bullets.
Spasm sets Sylvan Sentinel's cross alight. That gets a reaction from Sylvan Sentinel. He writhes in his cold iron chains. Then Spasm reaches out to Zom with his slickery slickery arms. A spike of rock shoots up from the ground to block the attack. Then Archangel blinds Spasm as Zom, suddenly renamed as the Shaper, melts Sylvan Sentinel's chains away.
Rottwielers rage across the battlefield, attacking armored AEGIS troopers, Darren Stone and anyone else they can reach. Nobody really notices.
Spasm's eyes clear and he goes for Shaper. Shaper ends up in a bear hug and starts to get tired. Soon it will be Nap Time.
Sting Ray hits Ox again. No effect. Then Darren Stone charges Ox. Ox takes a stun hit. Ox backhands Darren Stone, who staggers back and takes a hit of his own.
Shaper tries to change Spasm's mask into a featureless, form-fitting steel plate. It doesn't work. And then he ends up fatigued. In desperation he transforms the earth into a big pool of gasoline, right up to the burning cross. Spasm shrugs, thanks to a Villain Point. Sylvan Sentinel notices that he's on fire and comments, "Huuu-mans! I have decided you are a cancer on this earth! You must be cleansed!" He animates a nearby tree and sends it rampaging through the crowd.
White Knight flies up to deliver an all-out attack against Archangel. Archangel cartwheels into the gasoline, stunned. Archangel sits up. Archangel looks rather singed. He charges the White Knight, straight up. He delivers a stun hit.
Sting Ray finally notices that Darren Stone has been screaming, "Shoot Spasm! He's vulnerable to electricity! ELECTRICITY! Shoot him now! Noooow! Shoot him!" at him for the last five minutes. He decides to ignore Ox and take a shot at Spasm. He misses. Spasm notices that Sting Ray missed him, so he throws Shaper into him. Shaper ends up stunned. And he takes two more stun hits, one from the impact and one from Sting Ray's electricity field. Sting Ray just takes a hit. Spasm steps out of the gasoline.
Sting Ray burns his last hero point to zap Spasm. Turns out that Spasm actually is vulnerable to electric attacks. He ends up stunned. Shaper helps out by creating a five-foot deep pool of burning gasoline under Spasm. Spasm goes underwater.
Darren Stone manages to deliver a stun hit to Ox. He crows, "My second hit! Of course, I've taken three, so he's winning." Ox responds by belting Darren Stone and stunning him.
An AEGIS guy tries to help out Darren Stone. He lands a punch between Ox's shoulder blades. Ox takes a hit. In response, Ox clubs the armored AEGIS guy and stuns him. Darren Stone charges Ox and knocks him out. He tells the others, "I'm going home, guys. Have fun taking on those PL11 villains!"
Sylvan Sentinel's tree eviscerates some skinhead and heads towards the AEGIS guys. Sylvan Sentinel personally slams an armored AEGIS guy, sending him spinning. He moves in and throws the trooper into the flames. The man screams and yells a lot. Then he heads off to Wharton State Forest to kill every human who enters. An AEGIS guy finally takes out the animated tree.
White Knight offers more rhetoric, then pounds Archangel again. Archangel ends up stunned and back in the dirt. To follow up, he summons a huge flame strike. Sting Ray takes a hit. Shaper takes a hit. Ox takes a hit. And one of the rottwielers gets fried.
Archangel takes another lethal hit from being burned, but recovers from stun.
Sting Ray waits till Spasm comes exploding out of Shaper's deep pool of gasoline, then zaps him again. Spasm takes a hit. Then he clubs Shaper and drags him close, into the burning gasoline.
Shaper notices that the situation is becoming quite bad. He turns the gasoline to steel, trapping Spasm in it. This isn't quite enough to let Sting Ray hit him. Spasm throws Shaper into Sting Ray again. Sting Ray bears this pretty well, but Shaper goes unconscious.
Sting Ray aims very, very carefully and finally manages to hit Spasm square on. Spasm goes unconscious. Darren Stone looks over and comments, "Great shooting there! You must be proud that it only took you three shots to hit a guy buried waist-deep in steel!"
Darren Stone then lunges towards White Knight, who shrugs off the attack. Darren Stone hits him again. White Knight takes a stun hit. Then Archangel flies in to unleash a flurry of blows. To little effect.
The three AEGIS choppers move in and deploy hoists to retrieve the knocked-out power armor guys. Oddly, the regular AEGIS guys are still doing okay. Three of them come over to grab Spasm. The chopper overhead drops them neutralizing manacles and a fire extinguisher. One of them yells up to the chopper crew, "Dude! He's also stuck in steel! We'll need a welding torch!"
White Knight flies backwards and does an energy blast at the AEGIS chopper. The chopper spins out of control. Sting Ray runs in front of it, in hopes of letting it hit him first. Darren Stone notices that Sting Ray is planning on committing suicide, so he launches rock slabs up to grab the helicopter. The crew leaps to safety. Darren Stone asks, "Sting Ray, what were you thinking? Do you realize how much a chopper weighs? And how much damage it would do to you?" Sting Ray opens his mouth in a lame attempt at defense, then slinks away silently.
Archangel takes a parting shot at White Knight. White Knight growls and comments, "FOOLS! Tools of the Zionist Government! You will never suppress the true white race!" He zooms off into the distance.
Archangel wakes up Shaper so he can turn off the steel. Then he heals everyone in sight. AEGIS guys run around arresting people.
Director Powers of AEGIS emerges from one of the surviving choppers. He claps Archangel on the back and chortles, "Good work, guys. We had this little shindig under surveillance." Archangel comments, "Yeah, you guys got your asses kicked. Could we borrow a couple of your SWAT teams?" It turns out that Zom/Shaper was wearing a wire.
Each character gains three experience points. Everyone should have just reached PL9! W00t!