csyphrett

Re: Favorite flavor of Guardians? Also remember the guardians mentioned are high command. They pick agents they feel can do the job against the threats they percieve. In other words, Mentor, the guardians of the universe, Yoda, are the Captain Dobys of their settings. Lensmen, GLs, lesser Jedi Masters and apprentices are the Starskys and Hutches. A guardian doesn't go in the field. They send other people. That makes them a start off point for a whole campaign, or single adventure, not a force to be considered in play unless there is some type of emergency. I think Mentor was the last of his species and had lost a lot of power so trained new lensmen to send to the field. The GLC faced something they couldn't handle, so the Guardians called Superman and Alan Scott in to help out a couple of times. The Jedi were being killed, Yoda arrived with the Clone Army to save the day. CES

Re: Dragonia The basic outline of the world so far is this: Dragonia is a diamond shaped kingdom with an uneasy peace with several kingdoms around it. Ruled by King Sam, it is protected by the dragon knights from outer and inner forces that try to disturb the peace. Sanctuaries have been set up to record the memories of the dying and reload them into reincarnated bodies in case of catastrophes. Steam men rule the lands to the south under King Frank. Mechanized vehicles and artificial men form the core of their fighting force, and arming them with cannon and rifles to do the mad scientist's will. King Zephyr, not a real king, but a bandit monster controls a mountainous region to the west. He is a mostly air elemental like a living tornado in a sheet. He's fast and deadly with his powers much to the dragon knights' chagrin. Queen Lamia is a reptilian snake woman who controls light, air, water, and her subjects are lizard men. Her land lies across a channel of water in the east. The Fifth Kingdom is run by clerics and monks who act for the greater good. An abbot is elected as the policy decider for the clergy under his guidance. There is a shrine in every town with a monk charged with protecting the people. Ungi, Kraken, Hugo, and Gaia are the four elemental giants that stand at the horizon of the world. A secret empire of undead has been rumored but no one has ever found real evidence of such a thing. Individual zombies and vampires have been dealt with without a connection to a greater cause. Enter Sir Donald, the newest dragon knight, to the throne room of King Sam. The king ordered the knight south to investigate steam men building up on the southern border. Sir Donald stocks up on supplies, records his memories at a sanctuary, and heads south along the public roads. After several days, he arrives in Cornelia which is three days away from the Steam Kingdom. Mayor Puffin asks the knight to investigate a strange zombie trying to ruin the crops that help supply the region. Sir Donald agrees to handle the problem since no other knights are nearby. Preliminary investigation leads him to believe that he isn't dealing with a zombie. He decides to ambush whatever it is and take it down. Donald hid it in a ditch, waited for night fall, and shot the monster in the head with a blast arrow. Then he shot it again, as he rushed over with his sword. He knocked the head off with his claymore. He found the monster was a steam man disguised as a zombie. Donald sent a messenger bird dragon back to the king, repaired his armor, and rested up for the next leg of his journey. Stories of towns being burned down reached his ears. He decided to warn the next town he thought would be attacked and rode his dragon up in the clouds to keep an eye on things. He spotted a cloud moving against the wind, and attacked. He discovered that it was a flying machine the equal of his runt dragon. He decided to land on the back of the ship and attack the engines at the rear of the steam plane. Doors popped open to allow steam men to attack. The mechanical men forced the knight and his dragon off the plane, wounding the animal severely enough it couldn't fly. Donald pulled chicken legs from his saddle bag and fed Flames the runt dragon enough so he could fly again. Then they attacked the engines again, finally knocking them out. The plane headed down. //

Re: SoloUberCampaign:Adventures of the Dark Tavin gave chase, he couldn't allow the beast to escape, and he leapt after him as fast as he possibly could, pushing his leaping to its limits. Tavin looked longingly at the bike as it rocketed off and he followed almost as quickly, "I have gotta get me one of those!" Tavin leaped from building to building, but was quickly left in the dust by the roaring motorcycle. He did know the cyclist was moving toward the Potomac faster than any normal bike. Tavin moved to the top of the Washington Monument to see if he could find the motorcycle riding monster. Tavin spotted the enemy down by the river just off the road. Naturally he wasn't moving. It would take the shadow ninja sometime to get there even with teleportation, but he had plenty of time. Tavin moved as quickly as possible, to get to the thing, no sense in wasting time, It may take a long time to destroy the beast. The Scythe lay motionless on the ground, surrounded by green and red frogs. They looked up at Tavin in unison before heading for the river. Tavin felt a tide of uneasiness rising in him as he watched the frogs scurry away... "Does that mean what I think it means..." Tavin was very uncomfortable. He made a mental note to tell his father as soon as he spoke to him again and reached deep within him. "I apologize for the lack of decorum here my not so honorable opponent, but I must destroy you... I really have no other choice... for this" Tavin calmly said as he reached his fist back and dark power engulfed his hand as he plunged it down toward the chest of the scythe wielder "IS MY JOB!" he exclaimed milliseconds before smashing his fist into the beast. "You suck." The Scythe looked up through his armored face plate. "You hit like a little girl." One frog looked on, off to one side. Tavin heard sirens from Fire/Rescue and police coming down the highways toward the open streets that the Scythe had used as his hunting ground. They must be taxed badly with the unleashing of three killing monsters. Dark chuckled to himself, "almost forgot about Johnny Law... Gotta keep that temper in check..." he looked down and said, "Well Mister Scythe, I don't think the police will take kindly to, I was just doing my job either, so get ready for a long long time in jail. Now time to dispatch your friend." He made sure the monster's weapon and vehicle were out of reach and the police were in view before he took off in full pursuit of the other monster. The Dark knew the Monster Wrangler had been reported working his way along Massachusetts Avenue, heading north. That meant he was heading away from the Potomac with his monsters. Dark leapt down to the street, in the path of the oncoming monster, "Well we meet again, I have already defeated your partner already, why don't you just give up and lets move along." The empty street seemed silent for the amount of damage he could see with his naked eye. Then there was the cry of a baby in one of the houses and the scream of a woman. The monsters were still around, and reaping for the woman from the grave. Massachusetts Avenue ran the length of the city, composed of residential areas, historical overlaps, and some commercial buildings. As Tavin reached the street, he could see that shadow monsters had left their mark on some of the houses and apartment buildings. Bloody claw marks marked their progress north along the avenue. Any normal human meeting the things from the third boy would certainly be maimed, if not killed. "Well, guess that didn't work..." Dark moved into action, approaching the first of the monsters and unleashing a kick. The Dark's move caused monsters to appear to surround him with something like blood lust in their eyes. Claws shimmered with oily darkness as they growled at him. At least he had been able to divert the attention from the woman inside the apartment building with his bold move. She screamed so he knew she was alive, but not her condition. Dark saw what looked like it could be bad for him. He prepared to use defensive maneuvers to avoid their attacks, He looked at the monster he attacked to see what damage he had done to it as he slowly and carefully backed away from the voice to hopefully keep the monsters away from her. "If it isn't the hero." The voice emitted from all the monsters as they hunched ready to attack. "What would you do, hero, to save the woman? Would you even try to save her?" Dark could see at least 20 of the beasts around him, with the one he bruised. More eyes were drifting closer join the crowd standing outside of arm's reach. One wrong move and he would be the chum in the middle of a feeding frenzy. Dark chuckled, " I am the hero aren't I fool. But truthfully I came to kick your **s like I did to your friend, can't be letting you make me look like a fool and get away with it now can I?" Dark backed up a step to get a clear path to leap up to the building behind him so that he could cling to it and maybe get an upper hand on these beasts. "So, shall we? Or are you ok with the fact that Scythe boy is taking a nap in a nice maximum meta security prison and his motorcycle is at the bottom of a river... Ahh the memories... as I remember it he wasn't even that good of a fight... maybe I was just off my game when I fought your friend, you guys really don't seem that tough." Dark knew he was pushing his luck, but he maintained his pushed up cockiness, He knew this guy would not be an easy fight, he was hoping he could irritate it enough to come after him and leave the woman alone, and he could either hold out or do well enough that his grandfather could come and assist him. "I don't like to fight." The voice said from the army of minions keeping their eye on the hero. "And I have almost completed my part of the mission. A few more collected tonight or tomorrow won't make that much of a difference to the Gatekeeper. So I'm willing to put the challenge down for you if you're man enough to step up to the plate." Dark smiled, well he had accomplished one objective. "ha, cheap words beast, Lets do this.." Dark's cockiness was all an act and a good one at that. However, the thing that wasn't an act was his fighting skill... he took a millisecond and fell into himself, and steadied himself for the battle to come. He reached out with his senses as his Grandfather had taught him, all else faded away, he entered his stance calm and ready to battle. "Come beast, it is high time some one sent you back to hell." "I told you. I don't fight ever." The monsters continued to speak in their master's voice, but the Dark noticed they were moving to use the nearby walls and roofs as launch points if he attacked. "I'm willing to let you have the woman if you think you can find her. Let's say five minutes. After that, she's dog food. Of course if you don't want to play, she's dog food anyway. What's it going to be, hero?"

Re: Dragonia Nothing mysterious. I just needed to mark a thread out for a small solo game with my son when I didn't have a lot of time. I told him I would put the notes up for everyone to read. CES

Marker to find later CES

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Finished Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child. Picked up a book by Rob Thurman called Madhouse. Brothers Cal and Niko are in the monster detective business. Their latest case is Sawney Beane coming back to life and snacking on New Yorkers. I think I am going to hunt up the other two books and see if they are as good. CES

Re: In the Company of Strangers (story) You're welcome. If I get some more ideas, I will post them here. CES

Re: In the Company of Strangers (story) I'd like to thank the members of the board that I named my characters after for their forbearance and patience. CES

Re: In the Company of Strangers (story) In the end, Chad Reilly used his connections to clean up the mess. He supposed it could have been handled better by seasoned pros, but the ad hoc conglomeration had come through for Marlowe. The Question Man had called them together. Someone named Keys had moved them around where possible. Reilly, Thia, and Tim Bucket had acted as distractions. The coach worked hard to hide his amazement when he saw Tim and Herb after the monster had been put to sleep. Alice and Squirrel, Super Squirrel, had shown up on their own to help out with what they had. Oz Mike had acted as the stop guard at the lake. The ex-agent had recognized him from surfing competitions broadcast on ESPN. Odd had provided transportation and the solution to the problem with his hat. Reilly thought it was some kind of magician's trick at first. Nothing up my sleeve, now watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat. That didn't explain the casual way he had dipped in to pull out a casing, and then a stoppered bottle of stuff to pour into the hollow shell. The Enforcer didn't understand the explanation about how space/time folded across numerous dimensions so that when the hat was in one place, the owner could pull out what he was looking for because he was actually reaching into some other reality. He could see he wasn't the only one that didn't quite get it. That didn't matter. The only thing that did was that Keys had been able to get Alice and Thia to a bungalow near the lake and the owl woman had been able to carry the other girl on her wings so they could reach Mike and put the monster down. Aylwin joined Reilly where he stood watching agents from the Project wrestle with the shrunken, bound, but still dangerous critter as they tried to secure it on a transport truck with a portable tank back to where they kept their captured monsters. "Excellent job, Coach." Her could be anyone features were a little sharper behind the sunglasses that seemed to come with the black suit she wore. "Had some help." Reilly smiled under his mask. "Matter of fact, I hardly did anything at all. The Question Man's team did it all on their own." "The Question Man's team?" Aylwin smiled, brushing a strand of her short hair back from face. "They're still trying to decide if they want to stay together as a superhero group." Reilly shrugged. "Trebuchet's Titans has been voted down the last I heard." "A lab team has checked the lake water." Aylwin pointed to a black van further along the shore out of the way of the struggle with the much smaller creature. "It's contaminated. They think it's the same chemical dumping Leaguer linked to Alchemo back east. Tests will prove it conclusively one way, or the other." "So a team of freelancers might be approved by the Project?" Reilly had read about the dumping in the ocean and the arrest of the head of the chemical company by Leaguer. "It's not up to me, but I wouldn't be surprised if a control agent was based here for a while to keep an eye on things." Aylwin looked in the distance. "A grant might be approved for action. An operating team in America really hasn't been done since the Project first started in the 50's." "I remember." Reilly walked over to where the nine foot long Zornwill was trying to grab one of the agents in a limb taking grip of its jaws. He summoned some of that old energy back and dumped it in the tank after the other men released in concert. A metal lid went in place to hold it in until it reached its new home. "Be careful getting him out, guys." Reilly stood back as the transport buttoned up and headed for parts unknown. "I'll talk to the others." Reilly shrugged. "Maybe they will go for it, maybe not. Their powers seemed limited from what I saw, but they should be able to help in emergencies with no problem." "Are you sure you're not trying to get back in the game?" Aylwin knew that some of the first models as the Project volunteers had been called hated the loss of their powers even though they still had an extended lifespan. She routinely checked on them as part of her duties. "I can coach them for a while, but field duty is for emergencies only." The Enforcer couldn't keep the regret out of his voice. "I nearly got swallowed last night because I couldn't fly fast enough. That's embarrassing." "I'll call when I get official word." Aylwin waved, heading for her issued car. "I have to help clean up the lake, and get drinkable and usable water for the town while reconstruction is going on." "I'll talk to the others." Reilly waved back. "They might not want to be moving targets." The Enforcer took to the air in a slow, graceful glide.

Re: Magistracy: Characters Character Name: Luna Real Name: Diana Archer Nationality: American Hair/Eye Color: Blue/silver Place of Birth: New York, New York Date of Birth: 4/9/85 Height/Mass: 5'2"/99 pounds Cost Characteristic Value 5 STR 15 60 DEX 30 10 CON 15 20 BODY 20 5 INT 15 20 EGO 20 10 PRE 20 5 COM 20 PD 3 ED 4 20 SPD 6 REC 7 END 30 STUN 34 OCV: 10 DCV: 10 OECV: 6 DECV: 6 Phases: 2,4,6,8,10,12 Cost Powers and Talents (END) Detect Structural Weaknesses 5 pts, sense 2 pts, analyze and discriminatory 10 pts 17 pts Martial Art 70 pt Multipower 3u Punch a hole through anything: Hand Killing Attack 2d6 30 pts 2u Paralyzing grip: Entangle 5d6 25 pts, Takes no damage from attacks (+½) , cannot form barriers (-1/4), Must follow a grab (-½). 21 pts 4u Catching bullets: Missile deflection and reflection of bullets 35 pts 3u Untouchable: + 8 dcv, cost end (-½) 27 pts Cost Skills 3 Stealth 15- 3 Streetwise 13- 3 Shadowing 15- 3 Acrobatics 15- 3 Breakfall 15- 3 AK: New York 12- 3 KS: The Underground 12- 3 KS: The Martial Arts World 12- 40 + 5 combat skill Levels all combat 15 Combat sense 6 +4 lightning reflexes 5 International Police Powers 1 passport 5 Diplomatic Immunity 150 Points Disadvantages 15 In Love with Phaeton 15 Enraged if Phaeton is hurt. 11-/11- 15 Physical Lim: Mind wiped. 20 Watched by the UN 11- 30 Hunted by the underworld 14- 15 Reputation: Bad Tempered Terror 14- 10 Rivalry with other martial artist heroes 10 DF: Silver Hair 10 Likes to fight 10 Famous CHA Cost = 155 Total Powers Cost = 99 Total Skills Cost = 96 Total Cost = _____350_____________

Re: In the Company of Strangers (story) 13 Oz Mike Michaelson stood by Lake Marlowe and wondered if his friend has lost his mind. On the other hand, Quin had been right about everything else so far. They had got some others involved, and the monster was coming back to the lake, down the path it had already plowed. Now all he had to do was hold it until the others could carry out the rest of the plan. That sounded a whole lot easier in his brain than it did when accompanied by images of the small city being blasted to pieces by the thing he had to stop. He should get in his borrowed car and take off. That would be the smart thing to do. What could one man do against something like that? On the other hand, Steve Irwin had been catching Kaijus in the Pacific for his zoo for years before his accident. He had done a lot for the regions afflicted by giant monsters. And he didn't have any powers at all. Oz Mike stared at the giant dashing down the flattened road for the water behind him. He had said he would help, and it was time he did that. It was time to figure out what power he did have locked inside. Oz Mike stepped into the shallow water. He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the beast barreling down on him. The water around his bare feet felt energetic. He opened his eyes, looked around, realized he was ten feet off the ground on a jet of water. He was surfing a wave he created. Mike turned and the water carried him along the shore. He didn't have to balance like he would on a board. The wave adjusted to what he wanted. He looked behind him. The water declined like a falling trail behind his path of travel. Mike asked for more speed as he circled the lake. The wave grew behind him as he went. His mind reckoned it to the bow wave of a big ship. This might be what the doctor ordered. Mike circled the lake at increasing speed. It looked like pudding in a blender from his height. Now how could he use it to stop the water dwelling monster? The champion surfer gathered as much water as he could in his wake and headed for shore. The turtle crocodile roared at him. He couldn't tell if it was fear, or rage. That didn't matter. What did matter was avoiding those oversized choppers while buzzing it like a mad hornet. At least his legs felt normal again, the lethargy gone finally. He wished it hadn't taken a mobile WMD to wake him up. He could have done with a simple breakfast and walking tour. Oz Mike circled the monster, buzzing its head like an old biplane going after King Kong. Too bad he didn't have one of those old time machine guns. He wasn't too sure bullets would work but it would have made him feel better. Mike kept at his harassment until he felt his bridge start to give way. He turned and headed back for the lake. His surfing would expire without a new supply. The lizard had smashed through his wave with its forearms and upper body. He figured that had cut his supply low. Mike hovered over the lake, drawing in more of the dark water as fish dove for cover. The croc turtle was two steps away from diving into the water and making a clean getaway. The surfer concentrated on building the biggest wave he could make, extending his control over the liquid until it hurt to think about it. Mike raised his hand, then chopped it down. Every bit of water under his command rolled forward in a liquid stampede. He stood at the top, held firm by the very substance he forced forward. The champion stepped to the left, splitting off a side spray as the main force kept going uncontrolled. The tidal wave hit, forcing the monster back a step. Mike flew over the lake, drawing more material for his strange horse. He looked at the beast as it made a honking noise. It looked at the lake as its lair, and now it was disturbed to be blocked from its natural home. "It's all fun and games until the chicken wings decide to change their attitude." Mike felt a twinge of pity, but beat it down. If he let it get away, it would keep surfacing to eat people until someone else dealt with it. He wondered what was taking Quin so long to get there. A winged girl in cast off rags arrived with another girl in her arms. Mike noticed the girl being carried had a rifle in her hands. It looked like one of those elephant guns from a safari movie. "Hello ladies." Mike didn't think his new power extended to carrying others. "What's going on?" "We have an antidote for the monster." The winged girl sounded out of breath. "We just have to get him to open his mouth." "That Odd guy made it with his (&*^ hat." The other girl sighted down the barrel of the rifle she carried. "Why am I not surprised?" Mike shook his head. "Can you hold us steady? I can't shoot it if you can't, girl." The rifle woman looked up at her transport. "Switch up." Mike held his arms up to catch the shooter. "I can hold her on my back on this as long as I concentrate." The bird woman gratefully handed the shooter over. Mike held her piggy back, rifle barrel extending over his right shoulder. He concentrated on making sure his column didn't collapse under the both of them. "Hold it steady." The rifle woman growled as she looked at her giant target. "I can't get a clear shot. Its mouth is closed." "Hold on." Mike pushed forward, holding his passenger tight against the wind he was generating. "Get ready." The monster saw them coming, opened its mouth to roar out a challenge. A cloud of smoke crossed in front of Mike's vision for a second, then the bang deafened him slightly. The giant's maw clamped down. It raised one forepaw as if trying to think of what it should be doing. "Let's give it a minute to see what happens." Mike reversed course to hover just above the lake. "Have you got another one of those antidote bullets?" "Odd could only make one." The bird woman drifted beside the water walker. "Something about limitations on his hat." "I just think he's &*&^* crazy." The rifle vanished from the girl's hands. "You curse a lot for a kid." Mike watched the monster. If it got back up, he would drop his rider on the shore and try to get back to stop it from getting in the water. "First off, you're not my daddy." The shooter's voice climbed a notch. "Secondly, I'm going in the Marines in a few months which makes me an adult. Don't forget it." "Keep squirming around, and you'll be going in the water in a few seconds." Mike smiled at a thunderous snore. "It looks like you did it, ladies. It's asleep." "We all did it." The bird woman smiled. "I just can't believe it." "Believe this, I want to be put down on dry land." The rifle woman pointed at a spot close to the lake in the direction of town. "I want to go home." "Let's talk to Quin first." Mike headed for shore, eyes still on the sleeping monster. "We still have to get it out of here before it wakes up."

Re: In the Company of Strangers (story) 12 Chad Reilly floated at the back of the giant Zornwill's mouth, and almost laughed in relief. A few seconds slower, and he would have bounced down the gullet of the beast like some modern Jonah. As it was, he had hit a set of teeth and almost been knocked out. "Should have stayed retired, idiot." The Enforcer decided he had one course to try. He didn't like it. On the other hand, he didn't have much choice if he wanted to get free and smell clean open air again. Reilly pointed a finger down the throat of the croc turtle. He was getting out. The problem was he only had enough for two more shots. He hoped it worked. Reilly summoned the energy he had given by Project Z those decades ago. It built around his finger, then his hand. He released the ball of light when he reached the limit of holding it in. It vanished down the throat of the beast, heading for the stomach. The resulting blast told him that it hadn't made it all the way down. The mouth opened in a reflex action. The teeth looked like some weird portcullis from the inside. Reilly saved his last blast as he flung himself over the lips. The monster glared down at his gray form, somehow knowing he was the cause of its problems. Reilly's flight cut out as he sailed into clear air. He saw the street coming up, wondered if he would survive the fall with his toughened body and padded suit. He thought it was like falling a mile from an airplane and your chute didn't open. Walking away was like winning the big lottery. It was doable, but a one in a million chance almost not worth thinking about. Strong arms wrapped around Reilly and slowed his fall. He looked around. A face at once a bird and a woman smiled at his surprise. "Need a hand?" The owl woman dropped down toward the ground. "I'm too old for this crap." Reilly smiled under his full face mask. "I don't think we can take it. I'm almost out of juice." "You did better than I and my boyfriend have done." The owl woman blinked her wide eyes. "I see a couple of guys who might be with us by their masks. My name is Alice." "I used to be called the Enforcer." Reilly looked down, barely making out two men standing by a car painted a mass of colors. "I thought I was retired from stuff like this." Alice descended gently to a landing beside the car. One of the men wore a bowler that looked like Uncle Sam had fell into a drug factory. His companion had taken the time to blacken his face, and pulled his collar up over the bottom of his face. Reilly looked at the two. Which one had called him back to action? "How you doing?" The bowler tipped his hat. "Pretty impressive taking on that monster like that." "You know who I am." Reilly frowned. "Who are you?" "I'm Odd." The bowler made a gesture at himself that looked like a half-bow. "This is the Question Man." "Time to call Mike and tell him to get ready." The Question Man referred to a sheaf of notes he had rolled up in his hands. "We'll have to move our artillery up to give him a hand." "What about Squirrel?" Alice looked up. "He's in this too." "Tell him to get down." The Question Man's eyes glowed in the reflected fire light. "We better tell Keys to do his thing." Alice took wing, smiling. Maybe tomorrow they would have something to say about how she looked. Right then they needed her, and it felt good to be needed for who she was and what she could do. And she admitted she and Squirrel had been lucky not to have been hit by a flying car, or the missile shooter. "Hey, Squirrel!" Alice winced as the giant beast got to its hind legs and swept its tail around as it turned. Anything caught in the limb's path turned into junk and pieces. "Squirrel! Let's go." Squirrel blinked, standing up. All of his followers looked up too. Squirrels could bite through leather work gloves like they were nothing. They had been putting that talent to good use, partially foiled by the rapidly healing skin. "What's going on?" Squirrel leaped for a tree that hadn't been knocked over by the kaiju-the giant monster. He cleared the thirty foot gap easily. The rest of his followers descended and dropped off from a safe height. "We have help." Alice smiled. "I think they have a plan besides annoy the monster to death." "I'm all over that." Squirrel wiped his chin. "Biting and clawing didn't seem to do anything but annoy it." "Let's meet the others." Alice floated down, keeping pace with him. "They might as well know you're on their side so you don't get caught in whatever they're doing." "Let's do that."

Re: The Ultimates-Need Ideas... combat changes depending on dice rolls but I would match the Ultimates to their opposite number with anyone left over to be used to double team or act as a screen. Definitely use Binder as a sniper to trap characters and try to knock them out of the fight as fast as possible. I would also try to use blasters at range with any brick as a defensive line. CES

Re: In the Company of Strangers (story) 11 Herb Bucket looked at the man in a janitor's uniform like he was crazy. He started to shut the door in the man's face. No way would he allow Tim to go with this stranger. "I need to speak with this Tim Bucket." The janitor looked pained that he had to say so much at one time. "This is important." "I already told you no." Herb tried to press the door closed against the man's body. "Get out of here before I call the cops." "Cops are busy." The janitor pulled a key and pressed it into the door and suddenly he was inside the door, pushing Herb back from the wood. "I need to talk to Tim Bucket." "I'm Tim Bucket." A boy stepped out of the hallway, holding a baseball bat. "What do you want?" "Tim Bucket?" The janitor blinked in surprise. "Are you sure?" "Tim." Herb put himself between the two of them. "Get back. He's crazy." "What kind of power do you have?" The janitor frowned. Maybe he had been told the wrong address. "Tim doesn't have a superpower." Herb looked confused. "That would ruin his future. Powers aren't allowed in the major leagues." "Wrong, Mr. Bucket." The janitor shook his head. "The guy who sent me knows Tim has something. That's why they sent me." "I got a super power?" Tim laughed. "Cool. I wonder what it is." "You can't have a power, Tim." Herb looked frantic. "You won't be accepted by any team. It'll ruin your life." "Won't have a life if he doesn't help me." The janitor looked from father to son. "We don't have a lot of time. The town is counting on us." "You can't be serious." Herb shook his fist at the stranger. "You're talking about giving up everything we worked for. I can't allow it." "It's not your call, Dad." Tim put the bat down. "Let me get my jacket." "You can't do this, Tim." Herb went to go after his son. A hand fell on his shoulder. He looked up at the sad face of the visitor. "This is all your fault. You caused this." "Can't hold him forever." The janitor looked even sadder. "I'll look after him. He'll be as safe as I can keep him." "I hate you." Herb Bucket glared at the man in green. "You're causing my son to throw his life away." "His decision." The janitor lifted his key ring, picking one out. "He'll still be your son tomorrow." "What does that mean?" Herb's anger dimmed in the face of implacability. "Of course he'll be my son tomorrow if he lives." "Remember that." The janitor held his key at his side. "Remember what?" Tim came back in the room with his team jacket, and baseball cap, on. "What did I miss?" "Nothing." The man in green went to the door. "Let's go." "I want to go too." Herb's face had a collection of things on it that didn't look pleasant. "Great, Dad." Tim smiled. "Come on." The key went into the door. One hand pushed. A junkyard sat in the dark beyond the threshold instead of the Buckets' front yard. Herb almost choked at the sight. "Let's go." The janitor ushered them across the frame into the darkened car graveyard. He walked through last, letting the door shut behind him. "What's your power, Tim?" "I don't know unless it has something to do with the way my arm feels." Tim held up his right arm like he was flexing the muscle. "It's been feeling funny for a while." "Why didn't you say anything about this before?" Herb had his hands on his hips. "Cause I didn't want to spend all night at the hospital." Tim didn't look at his father. "You're all baseball this and baseball that. I don't even like baseball." "What?" Herb's mouth fell open. "No time." The janitor flipped open his phone, hitting the dial button. "Hash that out later." "The kid doesn't know what his power is." The janitor spoke into the phone when it was picked up at the other end. "What is it?" He listened for a moment, then hung up. "He said try to throw something." The janitor shrugged. "That's your power. Throwing things." Tim went to one of the cars. He wanted to show his dad he did have a super power, but on the other hand he didn't quite believe it himself, so he picked the biggest thing he could throw from everything around him. He braced himself and started to pull his arm back after securing a grip on the undercarriage. The junker sprang off the ground as he wound back to throw it. He paused and the weight started coming down on his small frame. He released his arm and the heap flew through the air at the monster in the distance. "Did you see that?" Tim jumped up and down. "I threw a car." "Don't stop." The janitor stepped back, reaching for a key on his ring. "We want to keep the monster where it is." Tim looked around, grinning at the amount of ammunition available. "The Trebuchet strikes!" He began lofting cars as fast as he could grab and pull his arm back. Some of them fell short as he sought the range, but then he started beaning the monster in the head one throw after the next. "He'll have to quit the team." Herb Bucket watched the cars vanish into the night sky. "They'll think he's been cheating all this time. I'll have to think of some other way to get him through college." "Get him through tonight first." The janitor looked at the flying cars. "Maybe the guy who called me can make a deal, or something." "College is a lot of money." Herb Bucket stared at the stranger who had thrown his life in chaos as surely as the beast towering above them a few blocks over. "Would this ‘guy' do that for Timmy?" "I don't know." The man in green shrugged. "We can ask him when this is over." Herb nodded. He looked at Timmy. His son grinned as he flung another car over the fence. Maybe he had been wrong about everything. That was a bitter pill to swallow. But he would do what was right.

Re: Who is the best Super in comics? I have always liked Hellboy. CES

Re: Help Me Populate A Creepy Hotel Kind of like the antiberserker berserker? CES

Re: What was Marvel's WORST decade? Here you Fenrisulf. One more day: http://herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62022 CES

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Death's Head by David Gunn. Sven, a legionnaire and almost primitive, is taken by the Elite Death's Head and sent out to war. CES

Re: In the Company of Strangers (story) 10 "I can't believe I'm standing on a roof with a skinny *&^*& janitor trying to save the city." Thia Halmedes glared at the much taller Billy Keys. He smiled down at her. She noticed he had a scar on the edge of his forehead. It looked kind of like a rabbit's head. "What you grinning about, #$*%?" "Have to get the kid." Billy pulled out his key ring, using the roof door to slip across town. "Oh yeah." Thia glared at the monster hovering above her city. "Go get the *&^&*^ kid. Do that janitor man." Thia had discovered her talent when she was six. A pack of wild dogs had attacked her, thinking she was easy prey. She had needed something to defend herself. She had needed it bad. As the first dog swept in to rip at her leg, she swung a baseball bat that had formed out of her sweat and terror. One hit made them all think maybe they should go after someone else. After that, Thia had always been able to call up something. She had researched every known weapon that had ever been built, or imagined. It had taught her the limits of what she could do. And here came Billy Keys with a proposal she couldn't turn down. She just didn't know if she could carry through with the job. She glared at the monster. She said she could handle it. She was going to handle it. All right, she needed the right tool for the job. Thia started with a club. It was a simple cylinder. She held it up to her shoulder, willing the material to change around. It became a rifle much like a sniper rifle. A scope popped out of the top. She smiled when it came on line, to give her range and wind speed. She frowned at what she saw. A bird woman flew around the monster's head, trying to claw it with her hands. The fingers looked like talons. She was raking at the big thing, but making little headway. Thia swung the scope around. An army of squirrels with one big human looking one were exercising their teeth on the tough scales of the giant crocodile that walked like a man. Go squirrels. Thia dropped her scope down the barrel of its body to the short stumpy legs holding all that weight above Marlowe. The guy on the phone wanted the thing held until they could turn it somehow. It definitely wasn't going anywhere if it was missing a leg. Thia thought, shaping her rifle into something bigger. She modeled it after something she had seen on a cartoon. The problem was she could build a model, but she could never match the sheer power in reality. The devil takes the butt end, her grandma used to say, but he isn't taking mine. Thia pressed the trigger on the oversized weapon. The end opened up. Thousands of miniature missiles blasted out of the weapon, reducing it to vapor as its life crossed the space between her and the monster. The missiles exploded on impact. Clouds of fire surrounded the leg. The turtle croc jumped up and down on its other foot. It glared right at Thia. Then it roared its hate as it looked across town at the girl. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea." Thia reached into herself for another of the missile guns. Good idea or not, she was committed to fighting it out as best she could. A man in gray appeared, floating in the air. Thia had a scope again checking the range. The man in gray pointed one of his hands at the thing's head. He seemed to pause as if thinking about what he was doing. A ball of light struck out at the monster's head. Thia watched as the man drifted down as if finding it hard to stay in the air, like a balloon losing helium. A huge paw grabbed the gray man and threw him in its mouth. Thia blinked. No way would he survive something like that as hard as he had it just floating there. "*(&(*." Thia took aim at the other leg. However things went from that point on, she knew she was going to do the best she could. She took a breath and held it. She squeezed the trigger until the end popped open, squeezed some more until the missiles fired away. A cloud of fire erupted around the other leg. That made the turtle croc sit down on its rump, tail lashing behind it. Thia reached for a rifle to shape, making sure she had another aiming scope to look through. The bird woman and the squirrels were going to town. They seemed intent on trying to get it to open its mouth. She didn't know how they were going to do that. Thia checked the wounds she had already inflicted. She didn't like what she saw through the scope. The burns already had blisters that were flaking off. Anything she could do would heal up in a matter of minutes. That's when the cars started dropping out of the sky in a slow metal rain. "*(&(*." Thia shook her head as she thought of her next shot.

Re: My Danger Sense Goes . . . The ability from Next to see the future and react accordingly. CES

Re: The most unbelievable trope in the superhero genre... The thing that really bothers me about this discussion is the fact a city can for all intents and purposes be nuked off the map, and no one seems to pick up the pieces. "Champ CIty was nuked today. In other news, the price of doughnuts has gone up ten cents." CES

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Finished When the Tide Rises. Commander Leary is sent to help allies who don't want to wage war for his nation. They like it even less when he decides to start cutting off the trade with the enemy. Halfway through Small Favor by Jim Butcher. Harry Dresden has been told that he has to find Gentlemen Johnnie Marconne by Queen Mab. Billy Goats gruff and Denarians coming out of the woodwork leads to things spiraling out of control. CES

Re: Hero Goes to the Movies (or TV Shows)!

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I'm looking for the powers books I dont have. I might have to just order it online when the books I am waiting on get here. Got my 50 today, tomorrow getting my Doc Savage books. CES

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I'm sorry. Its When the Tide Rises. My apologies. I'm waiting for it to ship to me from B&N. And it is a Lt. Leary book. CES