Face of Cowardice, Mark of Courage (Villian arc)

[GreyWolfVT]

Hot Streak "Gruesome but effective." he smiles at LG and Vorpal. "Well now lets see what else we need to clean up I suspect we will require a new base of operations. LG didn't you say you had a place?"

[MonkeyWrench]

After a couple more light kicks Genocide gives the severed head a good kick, watching it sail down the room. He then looks at Hot Streak, shrugs his shoulders, "Not in this city, I'm sure another good place will come around, Hehe"

[GreyWolfVT]

Hot Streak sees how LG is kicking the head around "Hmm this would make a great soccer ball." he smiles sinisterly. "That or a trophy, stuff it and mount it on the wall somewhere."

[atpollard]

Cowboy

Roll to find warehouse on short notice:
Lifestyle 109 (15+=MS, 45+=S, 85+=OS): [1d100] = 10

Roll to set up false company to hide ownership:
Computer Hacking, INT=30 (MS=30+, S=60+, OS=90+): [1d100] = 3

Roll to acquire supplies to build a bomb:
Lifestyle 109 (15+=MS, 45+=S, 85+=OS): [1d100] = 95

Roll to assemble a bomb:
Demolition Skill, INT=30 (MS=30+, S=60+, OS=90+): [1d100] = 70

Roll to hide phone call to Hot Streak from possible tracing/eavesdropping:
Computer Hacking, INT=30 (MS=30+, S=60+, OS=90+): [1d100] = 23


Roll to Mind Hack a suitable target:
Mind Hack Power, 40+1 step (MS=25+, S=55+, OS=90+): [1d100] = 48

Roll to acquire new burner phones:
Lifestyle 109 (15+=MS, 45+=S, 85+=OS): [1d100] = 7


Roll to Mind Hack another suitable target:
Mind Hack Power, 40+1 step (MS=25+, S=55+, OS=90+): [1d100] = 88

Roll to acquire new burner phones (second attempt):
Lifestyle 109 (15+=MS, 45+=S, 85+=OS): [1d100] = 8


Roll to Mind Hack a third suitable target:
Mind Hack Power, 40+1 step (MS=25+, S=55+, OS=90+): [1d100] = 16


Roll to Mind Hack fourth suitable target:
Mind Hack Power, 40+1 step (MS=25+, S=55+, OS=90+): [1d100] = 90

Roll to acquire new burner phones (third attempt):
Lifestyle 109 (15+=MS, 45+=S, 85+=OS): [1d100] = 93

Cowboy calls Hot Streaks cell phone.

"Greetings from a friend.
Listen carefully because this call is not secure, so no names and we will need to make this a short phone call.

We have a problem and an opportunity.
Tried to locate a new location on short notice, but I need more time.
I did acquire a small storage unit, but I think that 'big brother' has burned through the false ID that I tried to set up.

We can make lemonade from lemons if we hurry.
ASF must be real interested in finding you, so we can prepare a proper greeting for them when they arrive.
I will contact you face to face to share the details, shortly."


[1 minute after phone call to H.S.]
Cowboy plugs in and powers up, one of the monitors begins to scan electronics stores near the warehouse for clerks that seem to be alone.
His computers identify each location and index it with available inventory from their on-line listing.

[2 minutes after phone call to H.S.]
The first potential target is an female middle aged clerk at a phone store.
Although Cowboy is able to gain control, he discovers that the actual phones are kept at another location.
He abandons this muppet and returns to his own body.

[4 minutes after phone call to H.S.]
A second potential target is located three blocks from the warehouse, a 17 year old that works in the electronics department of a major retail chain.
Cowboy quickly gains control of his drug damaged mind and makes it to the door with an entire case of cell phones ... when he is grabbed by security.
Restrained by two thugs and unable to control the reflexes in this muppet any more than its owner can, Cowboy makes his move when Security calls the police and uses the connection to return to his own body.

[11 minutes after phone call to H.S.]
A third target is located three blocks from the warehouse (in another direction), but the hard faced middle aged fence has a strong willpower and Cowboy is tired from so many hacks so quickly.
Cowboy is unable to gain control and aborts the attempt.
Cowboy decides to grab an energy drink before trying again.

[16 minutes after phone call to H.S.]
A fourth potential target is located eight blocks from the warehouse, a 57 year old clerk at a distribution warehouse for online sales for multiple cell phone service providers.
The target actually has a simple brain jack of his own that Cowboy is able to exploit to gain both control of his body and complete access to his experience and training.
Cowboy uses the muppet's computer to place multiple orders, confirm payment, ship the orders to multiple locations, activate all of the cell phones through legitimate providers with the bills being included as part of corporate bulk accounts.
Cowboy walks out of the warehouse with a case of 100 cell phones and 10 additional cases waiting to be shipped to 10 different PO Boxes that Cowboy controls.

[24 minutes after phone call to H.S.]
A short, overweight, slightly balding man in his fifties arrives sweating and panting at the warehouse (with HS, LG and V), carrying a box.
He drops the box on the table and collapses into a chair ...
"D*mn, this muppet is old."

[GreyWolfVT]

Hot Streak on the phone call "Alright. Sounds like an opportunity but I'd prefer something else. Very well until we meet again friend." he hangs up the phone call and looks to the other 3 "It has become time we clean up what we require from here and get the hell outta dodge my friends."

[MonkeyWrench]

Genocide at the now warehouse? With the others, after just leaving with them, his pants and shirt sleeves still coated in blood, the rest of his clothes having blood spurts all over them.

Going to just jump ahead and say he is there since it seems a lot was done in less than 30 minutes, including heading to a warehouse of some kind, unless you meant the bar?

Genocide takes a look at the location, walking around a bit with a slight drunken daze to his walking as he looks and giggles insanely to himself. He then looks at the two villains and meat puppet, his face split with a mad grin, "I'm feeling a bit hungry, I think I'll go out and get something to eat" With that he begins to stroll down the street/alleyway, Cloaking when he is a good distance away and searching for people walking alone to tear apart, stopping briefly to eat a couple hot dogs from a cart if he finds one. He will not be paying for said hot dogs....

[GreyWolfVT]

Hot Streak "I suspect you will find an abandoned hot dog cart you could eat all you want. Not that I think that would stop you anyways LG." he smiles "Cowboy I presume.... you could have looked for a better muppet you know."

[atpollard]

Hot Streak "I suspect you will find an abandoned hot dog cart you could eat all you want. Not that I think that would stop you anyways LG." he smiles "Cowboy I presume.... you could have looked for a better muppet you know."

"He has other attributes to recommend him, actually I sort of like this one." the old man lifts his hair to reveal a small data port in his skull behind his right ear. "Imagine an old geezer like this going and having wetware installed. You gotta respect initiative wherever you can find it." The old man grins.

"Anyway, the handwriting was on the wall that your days of hanging out at this place were numbered ... the smell alone would eventually drive you out. I mean there is no way that you are getting all of that blood cleaned up ... EVER."

"So like I was sayin' I tried to score another warehouse for you, and there is a place that I have an eye on, but the ASF must be working overtime 'cause I am having all sorts of grief scoring in cyberspace. I tried to score some parts to build some untraceable shotguns, but they burned through multiple fake accounts and seized my receivers!"

"Ah, water under the bridge. First the good news ... it's friggin Christmas time. Here is a case of 100 untraceable disposable cell phones ... all paid up, activated and ready to use. We should assume that it is only a matter of time until the ASF traces your phones and uses them to find you. Loose your old phones and use these. Feel free to toss one and grab another whenever you even suspect that your phone might be used against you."

"Now for some bad news. The holding company that I created to own the warehouse, to keep everything looking legit, was flagged by LEO so it is only a matter of time 'til they roll up at the storage unit I rented with the account. Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, it seems a shame to not prepare a proper welcome for our guests."

"And the opportunity ... I have scored enough 55 gallon drums, fertilizer, diesel fuel and electronic detonators to build some serious bombs. The question becomes where to leave our gift."

[Rukellian]

Vorpal nods as he returns from his head count. "We could use a new place of operations. I had my men scrounge up what profits they made through the bar and have it stored away with our other loot. Medical supplies are the real deal right now and the more we have at our disposal, the better off we'll be, so I grabbed as many as we could. We have a truck a short walk from here with all of the goods, the question now is where and when?" Vorpal is talking business and he very much likes how things are progressing at a more rapid rate. Though the group of gangmembers and thugs took a heavy beating, for some reason they still seem to be quite loyal to Vorpal, look up to him even, a boon considering that the group is short on manpower.

[GreyWolfVT]

Hot Streak smiles "I have an idea where we might find a new place to move to immediately we might have to clear out some of those men I spoke to you about earlier Vorp." he heads off to locate LG once he does he tells him this "I like your style and I have some more playthings for you we just have to travel a short distance from here and you will have sme interesting things to tear apart and generally terrorize if you are up for it."

[atpollard]

"I had an idea that I was wondering if you might be interested in ...

When we first met, you were playing 'Public Enemy Number One'.
Is that really your goal?
Personally, I have survived by maintaining a lower profile, but I have a plan that might score a victory on several levels at the same time.

It begins by attacking the ASF local precinct.
But this can't be just a 'rush in and kill everyone' operation.
We need to employ some PsychOps.

So, step one is to knock them out with gas and capture the station with the Officers still alive.
Then we can tie them up and create a hostage situation, broadcasting a 'come and get them if you can' message to capture the attention of the city and all of the supers.

When they come to rescue the hostages, the claymore mines hidden under their shirts detonate creating a kill zone that wipes out the normal rescuers and weakens any supers in the room.
All of this will be broadcast live to proclaim to the city that they are powerless.

This would be a good opportunity to kill the weakened superheroes from the rescue party, on live TV. Granting both a boost to your reputation and a black eye to the superhero reputations in general.

With all of the extra responders that will gather around the precinct building to lend support, it seems a crime not to have planted some external explosives in dumpsters and parked trucks to let them share in the fun.

Then you can dismember whoever is left.

The plan is complex, but if successful, then you will be 'Public Enemy Number One'.

And I saved the best part for last ... if I can leverage the information feed from the unfolding events, there is a chance that I may actually be able to join the 'Hero Club' as a new hero ... the 'Watchman' ... a shadowy hero who keeps an eye on criminal activity ... we can become the 'eyes' of the superheroes in the Industrial district and feed them what we want them to know.

Mayhem and tragedy are all well and good, but we need to create real terror. We want the entire city to feel naked and afraid. It is not enough for the villains to succeed, the people must perceive the heroes to be unable to protect them.

That will destabilize the fabric of society.

Is anyone interested in becoming famous ... or Infamous."

[Rukellian]

*DM wipes a tear from his eye*

[GreyWolfVT]

Hot Streak assuming this was all said before he went to locate LG for a one on one conversation......
"It's a goal if you wish to call it that. Really my largest goal is revenge on the heroes that betrayed me. Vorpal knows who they all are. We were after all once heroes ourselves. Obviously he and I shared a bit of a grimmer darker side the entire time. Else neither of us would be here now. I'll say that you sure do have a great mind for plans. I like it but would like to pursue it after we relocate our selves. I might even go further to say taking a police station as a new HQ would be fun. I'm not entirely sold on having a undercover villain inside the heroes group. I am sure Vorpal and LG would have some input or concerns about it as well. You have a lot of gusto Cowboy. I think it fitting for the name you have given yourself." he smiles grimly and goes to have his conversation with LG. He passes along Cowboy's designs to LG for some sort of idea as to what LG thinks. It is after all a bit different from the styles LG, Vorpal and himself tend to do at least the beginnings of it. The carnage parts near the end of the plan fit in a lot closer to how he has seen LG work. If a bit less hands on.

"I'll be right back. Cowboy perhaps Vorpal has something you can help him with. We shall continue this conversation when I return with hopefully LG." and he turns back to walking off where LG headed off too. "Oh and do keep your selves alert that overweight hero mentioned a partner. I do so hope it is one of the heroes we killed earlier but one never can tell."

[Rukellian]

Vorpal, if only for a moment, shows a sign of reluctance in his face, but upon hearing Hot Streak make mention of their revenge, he nods slowly. When Vorpal is left by himself with the 50 something overweight man known currently as Cowboy, he carries on the conversation he had with him previously, in the same business like tone.

"I only have so many men to work with, and their lives mean something to me; they are in my care and I have a responsibility to make sure that they can return to their families by the end of the day. They are not a bunch of pawns on some chess board and they are not a bunch of play toys to be dismembered at a moment's notice, you understand? In the brief time I've been here in this part of Atlas City, I know that the people here are hurting, barely scraping by to live for another week. I'm sure a lot of them would volunteer to carry something into a police station if the pay was right. If your plan holds true, then they wouldn't have to do anything further and the gas bombs could be remote operated? That sound about right? The only problem I can think of is that we don't have those kind of armaments here. You know where we can get some?"

Former hero indeed, old habits never die it seems. Vorpal is still concerned over the well fare of those who work with him. This becomes clear as Cowboy converses with the man.

[atpollard]

Cowboy - as an old man muppet

The old man stands and begins pacing. "A thinking man. A man with a conscience. How unexpected."
He stops pacing and thinks for a moment, then turns to face Vorpal ...
"Laughing Genocide is a psychopath. That's not a criticism. It is just an honest appraisal, one that explains his motivations."
"Hot Streak appears to be an anarchist. Outside of his, and if he is correct then also your, personal vendetta with whichever hero has wronged you, he appears to be motivated by a general desire to ... to watch Rome burn." the old man smiles "You've gotta love historical references."
"So the question behind your statements is ... 'what does Cowboy want?' What motivates me ..."

He pauses again to reflect, then shrugs.
"Truth be told, I am not completely sure."
"Before I met the three of you ... every day was about survival ... and I am good at surviving.
You spoke about 'the people here', well I am one of the people here. One of the desperate living from week to week.
This is my home. I don't want to just sit back and watch Rome burn, because I live in Rome.
I don't completely understand exactly what it is that I want ... I want more than just barely scraping by to live another week."

The old man begins pacing again and starts talking while he walks "You spoke of your men. Of keeping them safe. Of your responsibility to care for them."
... he stops, faces Vorpal, leans closer and continues in barely above a whisper "I have people, too. Over a million. Scattered throughout the world. Some die every day. More are waiting in line for a chance to join our ranks. I want for them, the same thing that I want for myself ... a chance to do more than survive another day."
He begins pacing and speaking with his hands "You three have opened my eyes to new truths. We can do more than survive. I want a revolution. I want a new world order. I want to take from those who hoard wealth and power and spread it around to those noble souls who struggle to survive at the bottom."
Raising his voice "Those superheroes, those ASF thugs ... they place their boots on the neck of the people so the billionaires in their towers can keep profiting from our death and misery."
Screaming "I WANT TO PULL DOWN THEIR F*CKING TOWERS WITH MY BARE HANDS AND PLACE MY BOOT ON THEIR NECKS!"
He takes several breaths to calm down "I am at war. It is not a term that I use lightly. I am on a quest to achieve nothing less than a new world order. One that allows those who strive to better themselves through technology ... to achieve a gestalt that will allow us to become more than simple meat puppets waiting to die. When do WE get to live? When do WE get to hope? When do WE get to dream?"

Calmly addressing Vorpal ... "You expressed concern that your men might die. Well everyone dies. Especially in a war. The secret is did they ever get to live, and did they die for a purpose?"
"The ASF and the superheros need to die, but not because their death brings me pleasure, but because they stand in the way of my people having a chance to live."
"I have no need for your men to undertake a suicide mission. 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend. ' I want to provide them with the tools to become more effective."
Whispering again "Wheels are in motion. Cyber-warriors are gathering to raid the vaults of corporate giants to expose their secrets and gain us the tools to fight a war and win a revolution."

"So Mr. Vorpal, what gets you out of bed in the morning?"

[MonkeyWrench]

Hot Streak smiles "I have an idea where we might find a new place to move to immediately we might have to clear out some of those men I spoke to you about earlier Vorp." he heads off to locate LG once he does he tells him this "I like your style and I have some more playthings for you we just have to travel a short distance from here and you will have sme interesting things to tear apart and generally terrorize if you are up for it."

After some time of finding him Hot Streak does locate Genocide, sitting on a hot dog cart, eating a hot dog next to what was probably the hot dog vender's head as it lays on the corner of the cart, both mustard and ketchup bottles shoved through his eye sockets. He listens to the fire powered villain talk, Hot Streak is not sure if the psychopath is truly listening to him, all he knows is Genocide is staring intently at him, his twisted violet eyes peering straight through him.

Once Hot Streak finishes telling Genocide the possible future plan he closes his eyes, He crosses his arms and seems to be thinking for a moment, quietly nodding to himself.

After a minute or two of this Genocide opens his eyes, they seem to be glowing violetly again, He only gives the villain a smirk, instead of his usual mad and twisted smiles and grins. He hops off of the cart and casually walks down the alley, "I do not care what he does or what the plan for our band of playmates is. I have no mission, no goals. I was created to kill, born to destroy, only to be marked for death myself. I claimed my revenge, clawed out freedom." He turns to the once super now villain, leaning on a nearby building, "You may tell everyone that I will play your newest game. Just make sure that There are fun things... Or I may need to make my own fun, Heheheh..."

[GreyWolfVT]

Hot Streak remains there leaning on the side of the building or what remains of it. "Well if you'd like a mission I can give you one to do as you wish." he waits a bit then catches up to LG tells hims of the location of the strange mutants near where he teleported into Atlas City. "Take your time or go through it as fast as you wish I just want them dead."

[Rukellian]

Hot Streak remains there leaning on the side of the building or what remains of it. "Well if you'd like a mission I can give you one to do as you wish." he waits a bit then catches up to LG tells hims of the location of the strange mutants near where he teleported into Atlas City. "Take your time or go through it as fast as you wish I just want them dead."

Can I get some clarification on this post? I realize it was directed towards LG, but as the DM I would like to know what specific area you are talking about here... you referring to the Green Moon Cult, the mutated freaks that look like Symbiosis?

[GreyWolfVT]

Hot Streak remains there leaning on the side of the building or what remains of it. "Well if you'd like a mission I can give you one to do as you wish." he waits a bit then catches up to LG tells hims of the location of the strange mutants near where he teleported into Atlas City. "Take your time or go through it as fast as you wish I just want them dead."

Can I get some clarification on this post? I realize it was directed towards LG, but as the DM I would like to know what specific area you are talking about here... you referring to the Green Moon Cult, the mutated freaks that look like Symbiosis?

Mutants that look like symbiosis. No idea what the others are.

[Rukellian]

Cowboy - as an old man muppet

The old man stands and begins pacing. "A thinking man. A man with a conscience. How unexpected."
He stops pacing and thinks for a moment, then turns to face Vorpal ...
"Laughing Genocide is a psychopath. That's not a criticism. It is just an honest appraisal, one that explains his motivations."
"Hot Streak appears to be an anarchist. Outside of his, and if he is correct then also your, personal vendetta with whichever hero has wronged you, he appears to be motivated by a general desire to ... to watch Rome burn." the old man smiles "You've gotta love historical references."
"So the question behind your statements is ... 'what does Cowboy want?' What motivates me ..."

He pauses again to reflect, then shrugs.
"Truth be told, I am not completely sure."
"Before I met the three of you ... every day was about survival ... and I am good at surviving.
You spoke about 'the people here', well I am one of the people here. One of the desperate living from week to week.
This is my home. I don't want to just sit back and watch Rome burn, because I live in Rome.
I don't completely understand exactly what it is that I want ... I want more than just barely scraping by to live another week."

The old man begins pacing again and starts talking while he walks "You spoke of your men. Of keeping them safe. Of your responsibility to care for them."
... he stops, faces Vorpal, leans closer and continues in barely above a whisper "I have people, too. Over a million. Scattered throughout the world. Some die every day. More are waiting in line for a chance to join our ranks. I want for them, the same thing that I want for myself ... a chance to do more than survive another day."
He begins pacing and speaking with his hands "You three have opened my eyes to new truths. We can do more than survive. I want a revolution. I want a new world order. I want to take from those who hoard wealth and power and spread it around to those noble souls who struggle to survive at the bottom."
Raising his voice "Those superheroes, those ASF thugs ... they place their boots on the neck of the people so the billionaires in their towers can keep profiting from our death and misery."
Screaming "I WANT TO PULL DOWN THEIR F*CKING TOWERS WITH MY BARE HANDS AND PLACE MY BOOT ON THEIR NECKS!"
He takes several breaths to calm down "I am at war. It is not a term that I use lightly. I am on a quest to achieve nothing less than a new world order. One that allows those who strive to better themselves through technology ... to achieve a gestalt that will allow us to become more than simple meat puppets waiting to die. When do WE get to live? When do WE get to hope? When do WE get to dream?"

Calmly addressing Vorpal ... "You expressed concern that your men might die. Well everyone dies. Especially in a war. The secret is did they ever get to live, and did they die for a purpose?"
"The ASF and the superheros need to die, but not because their death brings me pleasure, but because they stand in the way of my people having a chance to live."
"I have no need for your men to undertake a suicide mission. 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend. ' I want to provide them with the tools to become more effective."
Whispering again "Wheels are in motion. Cyber-warriors are gathering to raid the vaults of corporate giants to expose their secrets and gain us the tools to fight a war and win a revolution."

"So Mr. Vorpal, what gets you out of bed in the morning?"

"I-I....I..." Vorpal stumbles backwards from the bombardment of the conversation, taking in everything that is being said, and not being said. His mind is not as complex Cowboy's, nor is it as simple as LG's, but he can think alright and that is what he does for a moment or so. He falls silent and looks to the floor, avoiding eye contact, buying more time to look for those right words to say... something clicks. Vorpal looks up and looks Cowboy's Muppet directly into the eyes.

"There is a reason why I originally took the life of a hero. I was a young man with dreams of grandeur. I grew up in a world of supers and wanted to be just like them. I had my own naive views of what justice was and what it meant to uphold them, and with those views I took on the mantle of Sword-Arm. I climbed the ranks, honed my skills with the blade, and eventually found myself part of the SFH. But the further I went in protecting and upholding the SFH's form of justice, the one that the whole world seemed to have adopted, I began to see it for what it really was, a festering cancer that has grown out of control and rotted."

Vorpal's mouth takes on a grimace and he looks away as he continues his story, folding his arms behind his back and raising his head up.

"Hot Streak was the first to notice this rot in the system, but no one would hear him out, the heroes we worked with, the so-called champions of justice were too busy keeping face in front of the public, kowtowing to the whims and demands of those above them. At the time, the seeds of this eye opening revelation were yet to bloom for me, so I acted like everyone else and put him down like a criminal, and for what? Going against the current system of justice and taking it into his own hands? Vigilantism at its finest, but his intentions were not entirely wrong, this I grew to understand, along with the real problems at hand around me. I woke up one day and found myself engulfed in a corrupt system of power wielded by politicians, businessmen and supers alike. The surface of it all may have seemed nice and pretty for everyone, but I knew what was really happening!"

It is at this point that Vorpal loses his calm and businessness like tone. He grows more excited, his words imbued with an inner fire of his own, much like how Cowboy was when he spoke of his revolution, his war.

"After my team of supers put Hot Streak down along with the super villian we were apprehending, sending them off to some high-max prison facility, that is when I decided that enough was enough. I broke away from the SFH, my former teammates, discarding the name Sword-Arm, a name that belonged to a hero of a corrupt justice system. Taking on the new name of Vorpal, I made it my personal mission to do what what I felt was right, pursue my own form of justice. I wanted to open the eyes of those around me to the terrible rot that has taken hold of the world, I wanted to save them from destroying themselves. There was no way to change it from the inside, the corruption was far too deep, so the only other way I know of accomplishing my goal is to... yes, 'tear their towers down'. Destroy their false sense of justice and then rebuild it. If the only way to do this is to take up the mantle of a villian and work with people like you, then so be it.

"THAT is what gets me out of bed every morning," Vorpal proclaims with widened eyes and the tossing of his arm up into the air. "Revenge was a hollow goal to begin with and that is more of Hot Streak's perogative. I want to reform the idea of justice, to reshape the world into a more sensible place, not bloody kill and destroy everyone and everything! What good would a new order be anyways if everyone was dead? I hope that in time, those two will come to this realization before they kill too many."

Oh the work I put into my NPCs