Dramatis Personae

• Derrick K. Ratnam aka Legerdemain (NPC Ally): Spin doctor and media liaison for Project VANGUARD. Twin to Bo. Tagline: “Well, actually that’s not how it happened…”
• Layla A. de Blackburn aka Nox (NPC): CIA-trained child assassin all grown up to be Daddy’s Little Monster. Maybe a little mad. Argues with her shadow often. Tagline: “No, we shouldn’t do that…should we?”
• Stainless Steel Rat aka “Sir” (NPC Ally): Bo’s best friend and assistant. A sentient drone in the shape of a stylized shiny metal rat mindlinked to Bo. Specialties are rapid repair construction and modifications. Imagine if K-9 and R2D2 made a baby and it looks a bit like a rodent. Tagline: “Repairs and upgrades in progress.”

Previously . . .

It’s been nearly a week later since the battle on the bridge and have been working on the current situation. There’s been no real major crimes that they’ve had to deal with while Legerdemain has mostly been doing PR and community outreach to keep them looking good. The local neighborhood has been slowly taking a shine to them. Nyx has been investigating the phones from Behemoth and Bombarda his own, getting to someone that’s been selling the burner phones in Flushing. Michael Duncan, a man that’s been slinging burner phones and acting as a local switchboard from electronics shop for the criminal underworld and is decidedly unhappy to see Nyx.

Early Morning Switchboard

Nyx
Duncan’s Electronics and Things
Sunday, April 26th, 2020, 0800 hours (EST) 
 13201 34th Ave, Flushing, NY 11354

Nyx, at least, manages to remember him from his time in an old gang that had gotten arrested. He recalls Mike as being a bit more cocky than his own good, but it seems that he’s been knocked down a few pegs and is much quieter. He’s got some obvious gang ink that’s been covered up, including their former gang tattoo on the inside of the wrist.

Nyx gets down to business and places the two phones on the countertop where Duncan grumbles and admits that he sold the phones, revealing several intentional cracks behind the battery department. While working, Duncan asks if he’s spoken to their old gang leader, Nyx tells him that he hasn’t see the guy in over a decade and that he has no idea where the guy even is at the moment. Duncan moves into another room and comes back after five minutes with scraps of paper telling Nyx that’s all he knows about them. Nyx asks if that includes where he got the phones from to Duncan’s curses who adds to the paper stack. Another question about if he’s installed any additional software for insurance leads to more cursing and more paperwork handed over. Thanking Duncan, Nyx assures him that he was never there and to scrub the cameras before moving into a dark corner and warping away.

Suspicious though, he peaks back through the shadows to see what Duncan does after leaving which is to cross himself and try to eat some bad looking egg salad to which Nyx comments that he must have something better eat. The disembodied voice speaking close to Duncan causes him to start choking and Nyx to warp back in to give him a quick Heimlich. Duncan explains that his ex-wife is bleeding him for everything he’s got in child support and alimony and that he’s really been trying to take care of his daughter. Taking a breath, Nyx takes a moment before writing his number down and handing him it with a $50 and stepping back into the shadows. Telling him to get something better to eat before warping away.

Go Team!!!

Nyx and Threshold
Old FDNY Engine 299/Ladder 152 Building aka New Base
Sunday, April 26th, 2020, 0800 hours (EST) 
61-20 Utopia Pkwy, Fresh Meadows, NY 11365

Back at the firehouse, Threshold has been putting out ads for new talent to fill out their ranks. Asking both MAPs and the local community. Folks are already starting to show up outside the firehouse while Wirerat is slowly getting background checks done as the applications flood in. Mostly he sticks to doing administration work with Legerdemain and designing some less-lethal weaponry.

As Nyx heads back towards the Firehouse, Nox shows up nearby under a parasol complaining that she’s bored and demands that he take her somewhere. When he demurs, she lifts him up by his collar and demands to do something or eat something. Nyx, slightly unimpressed at her, agrees to treat her to some authentic New York cuisine at Frank’s Franks. A hotdog cart with hotdogs that look as old as the owner with condiments and garnishments to match. Nox barely chokes down hers while Nyx tries to convince her it’s good by ordering another one and eating it. Everything in Nox’s body language suggest that she’s not happy at what he’s treated her to so he suggests another trip out to the Queens Zoo where she happily spends some time with some of the animals, especially the Aviary.

By the time they get back to the firehouse, there’s a line of people with Legerdemain taking names and inside Threshold has set up an interview area and asks if Nyx is up for doing interviews. Agreeing to it, they start calling in people.

The first is a boy, definitely a minor, that calls himself a Refrigerator Raider aka Fridge Kid who summons a beautifully done ice sculpture. . . that explodes. According to the kid, it’s a common problem. He explains that he recently emancipated himself from an orphanage, showing them the documents when Threshold starts to give him the brush off, saying that he’ll do anything as long as he doesn’t have to go back to the gas station.

The next applicant is Boomslang, a girl dressed in Gothic Lolita fashion. Her ability is to communicate and command serpents as well as shape shift into serpent form, or multiple serpent form. She just really needs a job and the zoo won’t hire her as she keeps stealing the snakes. She makes one more attempt by telling them that her secondary form allows her to even lift up cars before Threshold says that he’ll let her know.

The next is a really tall Asian with a goofy grin on his face giving his name as James Reed who starts giving them his life story starting with his mother and father and is genuinely really entertaining naturally when he talks. When asked what his actual ability is, he’s shown that he can morph into a giant pool of tar, and coming back he explains that he was supposed to be some kind of metamorph but got stuck as tar. Explaining that he can also merge with existing sources of tar and move through it while throwing out bits of himself merely fatigues him. They thank him for his interview and he ends with telling him that he’d be able to tar their driveway for them.

The next is Jacob Shields, AKA Prizefighter, a very tough brick that can take and deal hits. A former metahuman MMA fighter that couldn’t eventually cut it in the league. He really just wants to do something, when he got his powers he thought it was great, that he was strong, fast, could do things, but getting into the MMA shows him just how bad it is to be a lightweight in the leagues. He could show them some things, but it wouldn’t be too impressive. Threshold thanks him.

The next is Denice Dennison whose power controls entropy, basically just chaos. She doesn’t have a whole lot of control over it and when asked what she can do, Threshold’s chair breaks underneath him, leaving him on the floor. The most that she’s ever affected was a school bus, she tells them with a grim look. Threshold immediately thanks her.

Nox tells them that so far, she really liked the Refrigerator Raider.

The next is Summer Stratos, also known as Chainjacket. A graduate of the NYU Metahuman Course Studies and Practical Application of Powers with a Masters in Applied Psychology. She’s a ferrokinetic with control over chains, braided steel, copper wires. She sets down a pack of chains and shows them how she’s able to handle things, her control over them, how she can pick locks, bind people with chains, that the tensile strength of the chains seems to improve several levels while she’s manipulating them. Threshold’s scans tell him that the density increased several fold. She’s currently working on her doctorate in psychology with a focus on MAD and that they wouldn’t let directly work on the research.

The next person is Eleanor Bulli, a rather perky person that immediately shows them what she can do by summoning a lot of bubbles. She explains that she wants to change the world for the better, rather happily proclaiming Go Team. Nox finds her slightly too happy and demands her destruction, at least until Eleanor compliments Nox’s outfit. She can do many things with her bubbles, including defensive, movement-wise, can even view things through them from a distance. Threshold thanks her for coming in, and Nyx directs her to the bank across from them to try to get her parking validated.

The next is Michael Featherstone who is there at his probation officer’s behest. He’s able to communicate with and control plants. He’s rather dour as he explains that he’s a freegan as well, only eating things that can regenerate. Nox isn’t too happy with Nyx’s response to that is that McDonalds has some good stuff there. Michael shows his powers by growing a tree and then leaves without much fanfare.

The next is Vargas Tello, otherwise known as Impulse. He’s got control over momentum, inertia, and similar feats. He asks what it would take to get on the team right then and there, and when Threshold asks why Vargas asks if he doesn’t remember him. Apparently years ago, when Threshold was in Ecuador they met and now he’s there on the Dreamer program for immigration and desiring to meet Threshold again. He’s got several associate and bachelor degrees but no masters yet, he’s trying to get into the metahuman program at the NYU but they want him to have practical experience beforehand. Threshold thanks him, but explains that there’s several people applying. Impulse asks to meet Threshold for dinner one evening and gives him a hug farewell.

The last interesting applicant is named Rudy Coldwater. He saw that they were doing an open hire for a metahuman team and he wanted to come in and apply for it. He’s got a stutter, but explains that he’s able to guess things very well and has advanced intelligence. He really wants to be able to put his abilities to use and he knows that he may never be out there wearing a cape, but perhaps he could help someone that is out there.

Aftermath

Nox is pretty amazed at the collection of weirdos that have shown up and says that she isn’t too fond of Prizefighter, too boring and she could easily call up a bunch of muscleheads. She’s really fond of the exploding ice boy though. Threshold has no problem hiring him as a janitor while he gets a hold of his powers which Nox offers to help with.

Otherwise, Threshold is sorta meh about Boomslang and the tar man. Summer is almost universally voted on and Nyx says they could use another cheery face with Eleanor. They sit back to discuss it a bit further.

After Action Report (GM)

I decided this game as long as I’m able, even if I have only one player, we’re playing. This campaign needs to build up momentum. I will be building it. This game WAS pretty fun even if I only had two players and I was able to spend some more time on the players with their own ideas and backstories. I enjoyed it. We did some meta-discussion on forming the team and filling it out some with NPCs since no one wants to work 12 hour days seven days a week even in a game. Current line-up seems to be:

• Collin J. Judith aka Fridge Kid (general support)
• Eleanor C. Bulli aka Bubbles (patroller/response)
• Rudy Coldwater aka Brainwave (research and support)
• Summer A. Stratos aka Chainjacket (patroller/response)
• Vargas M. Linares Tello aka Impulse (patroller/response)

Other Notes

Bonus Report from Rory.

Soundtrack

“Sunday Morning” by Maroon 5
“All Star” by Smash Mouth