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 . . .

Folks get called in, starting with Bubbles as she’s another teleporter. Prodigy and Gimmick are working on getting the sensory deprivation tank. Wirerat has MIA working on cataloguing incidences coming over the police bands, identifying what’s important to work on. Nox cooks up some breakfast for Prodigy who easts it absentmindedly and Nox gives one of very few non-psychopathic smiles.

Wait. Wait. Wait.

Nyx, Threshold, Whisper, and Wirerat
Old FDNY Engine 299/Ladder 152 Building aka New Base
Thursday, May 7th, 2020, 1000 hours (EST) 
61-20 Utopia Pkwy, Fresh Meadows, NY 11365 

Threshold is trying to keep an eye on things to lead the team and keep an eye out in an administrative role. Popping around, trying to pin down parameters on the metal shards so he can get the techs working on to detect it. He’s not sure how it was made, but he is able to determine that the material is negatively charged orichalcum that is sucking in the energy. And like all orichalcum, when it absorbs too much energy then it will explosively explode, but it’s got a long way for it to go. He makes sure to keep the samples separate in different jars. Staying within range to pop back into HQ if needed as MAPs HQ is calling every 20 minutes or so to tell them whether or not they’re needed somewhere.

Whisper has been patrolling as normal, cooking, and working with the dogs taken from Crawford. They just seem happy to be away from the guy that had them in C4 collars, so any attention for them is good attention as she walks the block looking for any strangeness in the hours after the breakout. The last time Riker’s Island had a breakout, there were thousands killed so those this time are either hunkering down or getting out of dodge while the government is telling folks to take shelter and not leave the city to alleviate the problems.

Wirerat is quietly taking care of himself, sipping on delicious smoothies while Legerdemain brings him a green smoothie that tastes like freshly cut grass. Wirerat accepts it and drinks it, after adding some proper flavoring. He watches over MIA and SSR as they do their thing, overlooking designs as they come through, trying not to strain himself and keep recuperating as things are likely to get worse.

Nyx grabs a list of their most wanted that they came up with and visits Michael Duncans, getting him on their side to give them a heads up if any of the folks on the list come by for burner phones, promising to pay him for each reliable tip they get before teleporting out to Triboro Postal Federal Credit Union to get access to whatever the key he has.

Hol ‘lotta Stuff

Nyx
Old FDNY Engine 299/Ladder 152 Building aka New Base
Friday, May 8th, 2020, 1030 hours (EST) 
61-20 Utopia Pkwy, Fresh Meadows, NY 11365 

They’re in the process of closing for the state of emergency where the guard waves him in and locks it behind him. The guard, an old lady, directs him to the front desk when Nyx asks where to go.

At the front desk, a rather short, petite man greets him and after a short conversation, they get access to the safety deposit box. A quick follow up, there’s a messenger bag inside the box that’s filled with papers and documents and a leatherbound journal. Dozens of USB flash drives at in there as well. A quick shake of the box reveals a joker card from a deck of playing cards, matching the deck he got from August’s apartment. Saying his farewells to the bank staff, he teleports back to the HQ ready to give the USBs to Wirerat when they get a warning that there’s a fire at a medical high rise where MAPs HQ calls them and directs them to deal with the fire.

FIREEEEEEEE!!!!

Nyx, Threshold, Whisper, and Wirerat
Old FDNY Engine 299/Ladder 152 Building aka New Base and/or NuSun Tower Condominium & Medical Tower
Friday, May 8th, 2020, 1500 hours (EST) 
61-20 Utopia Pkwy, Fresh Meadows, NY 11365 or 136-18, 20 Maple Ave #136, Flushing, NY 11355

Coming across the radio, they’re informed it’s The Maniac. The Maniac is a pyrokinetic pyromaniac of ridiculous proportion that has fire that can melt stone. He’s normally alright, but if he sees fire then it gets worse and worse until he gets into the zone and starts burning everything. Once he starts using his abilities, he gets very mean, very callous, very fast. Threshold moves in first, getting in sight of the building to get a reference point for teleporting the rest when he’s overwhelmed by the sheer heat and has to immediately teleport. He could barely hear The Maniac screaming and singing a song before he poofs out.

A quick suggestion later and Threshold teleports into water and then onto the roof of the burning building as water rushes in as everything is steaming off as Threshold opens another portal to NOMAD HQ where Nyx calls in Fridge Boy who is excited to do his thing and jumps through the portal and starts shutting down the fires, it’s a weird sight to see. Threshold moves back in, trying to exoport The Maniac as he cries about his beautiful fires but he keeps resisting the teleportation when Threshold bursts into flame. Fridge Boy encases The Maniac in ice and the fire dies down a little bit as Threshold keeps burning until Fridge Boy finally kills the fire on Threshold, giving him a bit of frostbite. Panicking, Fridge Boy’s powers go completely ballistic and there’s literally a fire encased in ice. While the rest of the team is evacuating people. Whisper comes in covered in firefighter gear and a halon tank.

Pointing the hose at The Maniac, Whisper says that it’s time for him to go night night and sticks it into a hole in the ice cube and unleashes it. It’s displacing the oxygen and he slowly passes out while Fridge Boy slowly puts out the rest of the fires. Threshold pats Fridge Boy on the back for motivation while Whisper gives him a pat and a hug saying that teamwork makes the dream work. Once they have a second, Threshold gets him over to a station where he’s immediately medicinally restrained without them worrying about even trying to nullify his powers. The last thing that can be heard as he’s wheeled away is a softly spoken verse from the song he was singing.

Aftermath

Officially they cannot acknowledge that Fridge Boy helped as he’s not an official member of the team and just an intern/janitor, Nyx still asks Wirerat to print out a commendation sheet, which Wirerat overdoes and gets a nosebleed as he uses his technopathy again despite Nyx’s protests. When HQ thanks them for their service and has them back on call, Nyx also finally gets Wirerat to check out the USBs in a secure sandboxed computer. It’s going to take some time decrypting them, it looks like encrypted video files. Wirerat asks June if there’s someone that her father knew that was into computer stuff, which sounds like Willard who came over occasionally, mostly while she was at school before she hands Nyx a sheet of gold star stickers. Nyx thanks her and places a gold star on her forehead, and then on Whisper. . . twice, and Threshold once when they bring up good points. While Threshold and Gimmick go through the papers from the messenger bag, Nyx pops back over to August’s apartment building to grab his mail with a key made by Whisper. Teleporting back, he notices that the sky starts darkening unnaturally and Nox shows up by Nyx’s side looking incredibly worried.

After Action Report (GM)

This game was short (2 hours) but my gawd was it just fun. We did the round robin to keep everyone getting their shine though my brother was being a bit difficult as he was kind of at loose ends with his character – he’s good and hitting, killing, and sneaking and there wasn’t much of that called for this time around. I totally spaced on the PC’s having a cryokinetic turning the problem with the Maniac into something potentially laughable and given the fact that Fridge Boy IS powerful (just undertrained) it felt right that the PCs could hit the crazy firestarter hard enough that he went out before much damage could be done. It was well done (heh…hehehehe) and the PCs pulled together to pull it off. A GM simply cannot ask for a better session.

I also got to improvise some music for the Maniac as he was screaming Disney’s “Part of Your World” at the top of his lungs but replacing the lyrics. Because damn it, that’s funny. During a bio-break for everyone I wrote this.

A Part of Your Flame

Look at the flames, aren’t they blazing?
Wouldn’t you think my fire’s amazing?
Wouldn’t you think I’m the guy,
The guy who controls the fire?

Look at this heat, inferno untamed
How many sparks can one soul contain?
Looking around here you’d think
Sure, he’s got everything

I’ve got flames and embers aplenty
I’ve got scorchers and burners galore
You want fireballs?
I’ve got plenty!
But who cares? No big deal,
I want more

I wanna be where the fire burns
I wanna see, wanna see it glowing
Dancing around in those
Whaddya call ’em? Oh, flames

Flickerin’ bright, you don’t get too close
Caution is required for taming, controlling
Roaming about in a
What’s that word again? Blaze

Up where they ignite, up where they rage
Up where they blaze all day in the heat
Roaring with might, wish I could be
Part of that fire

What would I give if I could live
In flames eternal?
What would I pay to spend a day
Bathing in warmth?

Betcha in fire, they understand
Bet they don’t reprimand their firestorms
Bright hot women, sick of dimmin’
Ready to rise

And ready to learn what the flames can do
Ask ’em my questions and get some answers
What’s the smoke and why does it
What’s the word? Rise

When’s it my turn?
Wouldn’t I love, love to explore that burn so high above?
Out of the cold, wish I could be
Part of that fire

Other Notes

Bonus Report from Rory.

Soundtrack

“Fire” by Ohio Players
“Part of Your World” by Jodi Benson