Harry asks to see the phone. "That's... something." He hands it back and looks at Peter. "That's the sort of thing that really..."

"Yeah," Peter says, in both summary and agreement.

"What they're trying to say is, Oscorp doesn't make phones. And nobody makes phones like that," Mary Jane clarifies. "At least not yet."

"I did say it was 2021 in my world.  Time seems to be weird between dimensions.

Maybe I'll just buy one to use while I'm here, unless Rocket can connect this one without wiping my data."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:01, Mon 08 Mar 2021.

Rocket shrugs.  "I could hack into an intergalactic line if it had the range, but that might be hard for Earth-tech.  Emergency lines if we wanted to broadcast our hack to the people we we're hacking.  Haven't tried hacking Earth's comms yet."  Rocket adds a line through the Talus.  *We could ask our crutch to provide non-team coms if we need to, or just buy disposable Earth phones.*

((OOC: Or, depending on continuity translation, Rocket might have several disassembled short range ex-phone walkie-talkies on him he didn't pay a PP for.  EDIT is entirely OOC.))
This message was last edited by the player at 22:06, Mon 08 Mar 2021.

Gwen's eyes dart to Rocket briefly and she says over the Tallus link: * I think disposable is the way to go.  No SHIELD tech.  Norman is already talking about things that are supposed to be confidential. *

((OOC: Looking back, he did still have the phones, but hadn't done anything to them yet.))

Rocket pulls out quite a few pre-paid phones from several pockets, dumping them onto the table with various other mechanical bits and bobs intended to be spliced into the phones to boost range and bypass hardware security.

"Based on these though, I'm going to need some time to make them usable.  Unless someone here is familiar enough with the coms network to fill in my local knowledge gaps for a software bypass."

((Is Rocket 'suspicious' or 'surreal' now?  At least he didn't dump watches on the table. :3))

"Rocket - those are prepaid.  They... they already work.  You don't need to boost anything, they work for a month or 500 minutes of calls inside this continent.  Just throw it out if it gets compromised.  Anyone monitoring the network already knows who Pete, MJ, and Harry are."

Gwen grabs two of them, and hands one to MJ.  She's trying not to look at Pete too much while he's sitting around in his boxers.  "Can the three of you put your numbers in these?  Plus May in case there's an emergency.  And anyone else you think we might need to call that won't freak out when they hear from a ghost.

I already figured out my dad isn't here, and I don't want the details."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:01, Tue 09 Mar 2021.

While they're dealing with the phones, Gwen starts the coffeemaker and fills every spot in the toaster with Pop-tarts if they're available, or bread if they aren't. "I'm going to get cleaned up real quick."  She says, and disappears into the guest bathroom.  She clearly means the quick part because before the toaster even finishes she comes back wearing her spider-woman suit with the hood back and no gloves or mask.  Her wet hair smells like MJ's shampoo.  It saves time when dressing/undressing is instant.

"So, is there a plan for today?  Nothing really exploded last night like I thought it would."  She puts everything she just toasted on her own plate along with an equal amount of fruit.  The coffee is for everyone, with Harry and MJ getting theirs the way they like it.  (probably)

"And this morning is a mess, but it saved me a trip to Oscorp.

There's one more thing.  Rocket said the guy at the front door was Bullseye... but I've never seen that guy before.  At home, Bullseye is Clint Barton and he's part of the WAR MACHINE mercenary company with Frank Castle.

I'm just saying, I may be asking questions because your world is kinda weird."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:27, Mon 15 Mar 2021.

"Every word of what you just said makes my brain hurt," Peter admits. "Clint Barton's a hero, an Avenger. He goes by Hawkeye, and I guess he's got kinda the same schtick, but..." He frowns. "That's where the similiarities begin and end. He's not technically meta, so he's not a fugitive... but he's also not a complete nutjob like Bullseye."

"But... but... War Machine is a dude, one guy, Tony's best friend Rhodey. And Frank Castle doesn't work with anyone. He just... kills whoever he wants, whenever he wants, until one of us puts him in prison. And then he kills more people in prison, has his lawyer thank us, and then escapes to kill more people."

Harry puts a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Some day, Pete."

"Are any of the heroes from this world, my friends, not monsters in yours? The X-Men, the Fantastic Four? I mean... damn... does Logan talk in the movie theater?" He leans in to dramatically whisper, "Is Captain America a deep, deep cover Hydra agent?"

Rocket pulls one of the phones apart to pass the time, rewiring the pound key to access a new mini-circuit that amps the phones frequency range.  He presses that and a few extra numbers, and Rocket's earpiece beeps in Peter's ear.

"If these had more range, I would have accidentally called my other self.  That would be a pain to deal with."

"At least you have another self.  I have enemies I've never heard of here and I put out a beacon to them last night by telling Norman where I am."



"I don't know what X-men, Avengers, or HYDRA are, but there's Em Jay, Harry, and me.  We're not evil.  On the other hand, that 'complete nutjob' Bullseye you know is your bodyguard."  She makes air quotes here.

"Tony Stark runs the biggest coffee chain in the world, he's not involved in superhero stuff."  Gwen isn't completely sure about this anymore after noticing that Tony's gauntlet here looks the same as Castle's death-glove at home.  "Jesse Drew isn't evil, just misled by Cindy.  The Fantastic Four was a reality tv show following the Storm family.  Em Jay, Glory, and I used to watch it when we were kids... and actually that's a bad example.  Sue Storm is a complicated subject.

You know, maybe writing it out would help."

Gwen turns towards her backpack on the chair in the living room, and pulls it over with a webline.  She pulls a page out over her notebook (she intends to destroy this page afterwards) and starts writing with one of those pens that can click into a bunch of colors.

Gwen keeps talking (and occasionally eating) while she starts writing things down, changing colors to mark allies and enemies.

"Castle seems worse here - WAR MACHINE is brutal but they do most of their work in warzones - The only one I've seen Frank kill is Rhino, and weirdly he was protecting me at the time.  Jameson hired him to bring me in, but then he figured out who I was and... helped me stop the Kingpin instead.

Logan is that samurai I was talking about last night.  Cursed so he can never die?  His SHIELD file says he doesn't remember.  Doesn't really talk much at all, just brings out the murderhands.

Actually, you're the one that has Captain America as an enemy, she's a national hero in my world.  During World War 2, Samantha Wilson found a Nazi plan to bring in reserves from other dimensions.  She broke into their summit, teleported the whole mountain somewhere else, and destroyed the machine from the other side.  Spent 75 years finding her way back home, punching holes in dimensional walls with her shield.  Cap would have been a way better choice for this dimensional agent thing.
She's the only member of SHIELD that I really trust.

We have way fewer people with powers than you do, so probably most of your hero friends are just normal people.  Usually New York gets their Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Woman and the rest of the country gets SHIELD.

This is everyone I know of involved in superhuman stuff in this country."

She hands the page to Pete.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Gwen's world as of 4/13/2021 9:33 PM



Peter Parker (Lizard)^*
Sue Storm (Dr. Doom)^*
Johnny Storm (Torch)^*
[Adrian Toomes (Eagle)]^@
[(Titania)]^@
Mysterio^?
Koala Commander^A
"Dracula"^?
Janet Van Dyne (Black Widow)^@R
Reed Richards^@
Felicia Hardy(Le Chat Noir)^@
[Curt Connors (Lizard)]^*
Captain George Stacy, NYPD
[Rachel Leighton (Diamondback)]
[John Allerdyce (Cryo)]^@


Legend

OOC: I started with Earth-65 but have made a couple adjustments/additions/tweaks to make it weirder - This Gwen may have not had the dimension hopping, but she has a lot of experiences similar to her canon counterpart.

Gwen is going to recognize some other New York-based people almost immediately even though they have no powers where she comes from.

Examples already in the game:
She-hulk: Pro wrestler.  Luke Cage: Actor

The time is very specific because that's when the bomb went off.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:31, Sat 20 Mar 2021.

Peter and Harry take a fair minute passing Gwen's organization chart back and forth between them and cracking jokes-- they find her designations of "Murderhands" and "NOCLIP murderhands" particularly amusing.

They start to make jokes about Matt Murdock being the Kingpin... and then they stop. There's an uncomfortable silence, and Peter suddenly changes the subject: "Hey, uh, Gwen... who's this Cindy Moon? Is she somebody I--"

Harry and Peter both grab for their phones faster than humanly possible. Peter puts his hand over his mouth, while Harry would deny that the greenish cast to his features owes more to oppressive dread than his unique physiology.

Mary Jane puts her hand on Peter's back, as if to keep him upright in his chair. "Who?"

When Peter can't answer, Harry says, "There's been an incursion, right in Midtown. The demons themselves would be a handful, but it's who they belong to."

Peter finds his composure.

"N'Astirh."

Harry turns to Gwen. "I know this is... off-mission, but this is an 'all hands on deck', and having someone N'Astirh hasn't fought before could..." he falters. "Could make the difference. There aren't any mystics on your list, though. Do you have experience with... demons?"

Vampires were mystical, so maybe they hadn't gotten to Dracula yet.

"It depends who you ask."  Gwen says.  Venom had been called that a bunch.  She'd been called that when she first bonded with it.  Gwen didn't exactly agree.  She decides on something technically true that might reassure him.  "Murderhands thinks he was possessed by one when I fought him."  Just because Logan thinks Venom was an Oni doesn't mean it's true.  I mean, obviously it's not since it came from a lab.

"Anyway I doubt it's unrelated.  I'm staying with you until this is sorted out.  I can handle it.  You can explain on the way." She pulls up her hood and shoves a pop-tart in her mouth before pulling down a mask.  She puts her phone and the disposable phone in a pocket at the small of her back, trading them for a pair of gloves.  A pocket that's totally invisible when closed, though MJ and Rocket are the only ones present that might notice that.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:51, Fri 23 July 2021.

The Goblin Glider lives up to its name, gliding silently into view while Spider-Man puts his mask on. Harry tells Gwen the intersection where the fighting is at its worst.

"The Thunderbolts are rolling up in force. Dad's big chance to show them off, tell the world we don't need Captain America. You can beat them there if you don't let this old man--" he slaps Spider-Man on the back-- "-- slow you down."

The glider soars overhead and Harry jumps up and grabs it and he's gone.

"WHEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEEEEEEEEE!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:18, Sun 25 July 2021.

In reply to Timebroker (msg # 66):

Gwen is out the door before even checking if Rocket is following.  She stays with Pete on the way.  What's the point in getting there early?  Nobody knows her - and she's fought alternate versions of a bunch of these guys.  She can't even say she's Spider-woman since that's someone else.  Stick with the mission.  Keep Pete safe.

Harry is right, the three of them are old (to Gwen anyway.) This is weird.  Pete died junior year of high school, so seeing him looking like someone's dad is freaky.  Oh.  Should not actually mention that word when they have an empty nursery.  Should she ask about that?  Is web of life actually about Pete and MJ having a kid?

One thing just stuck out when they left.  "There's been an incursion"
If this were a TV show, a bunch of people showing up from another timeline would be an incursion.

Gwen is an incursion.

OOC: I think breakfast was back in the apartment, so there shouldn't be any bill to pay - even if they ordered Stark Tower room service, they probably just bill that to them.  Gwen would not have said all that stuff in public.

In a surreal moment, Gwen somersaults directly above the alley where her team first entered this timeline.

Times Square is in shambles. Any chance at an orderly evacuation was spoiled when some New Yorkers abandoned their cars in the middle of the road. There's a mob of demons swarming out of a massive black portal, causing more property damage than bodily harm... but the time for mayhem is bearing down on the crowd, and the fires the demons are leaving in their wake will do plenty of both.

Scene Complications:
Portal to Hell d10
General Mayhem d6

ORDER OF BATTLE
Spider-Woman
Spider-Man
Green Goblin
Mob of Demons
???

NEXT: Spider-Woman

Gwen only quickly looks around when she lands.  No time to wait.

Infinite demons pouring out of a portal = infinite problems.  Can't deal with the others until you cut off the flow.

Gwen does not know how to close the portal, but she does know how to block a faucet.  Even if she only blocked part of it that would help right?

She rushes towards the portal and pushes a van in front of it, intending to web it into place and block the exit.

7 with d10 effect (stepped up from web constructs)
Also rolled a 1.
15:50, Today: Spider-Woman rolled 3,1,4,2,2 using d8,d8,d10,d6,d8.  safety,rush the beat,superhuman strength, sfx web constructs, sci expert.

22:27, Today: Timebroker, for the NPC DOOM POOL, rolled 16 using 1d8+1d8+1d6+1d6+1d6 ((1,1,2,6,6)).

That's Effort: 12 and Effect: d6 back. With two Opportunities, if you want to spend 1 PP for a push/stunt die, or create an asset.

Gwen's pushing isn't quite getting the van into place to block the portal.  Venom extends two tendril arms with its shapeshifting abilities to nudge it a bit more.

09:06, Today: Spider-Woman rolled 4 using 1d10.  stunt die.
With the stunt die: effort 8, effect d10.

Now have PP in Bio2 line

Through the psi-link of the Tallus, Sue reached out to Gwen:

Gwen -- the warehouse came under attack by what the Tallus describes as an international occult/paramilitary secret society, known as The Hand.  Like ninjas, who turn to dust when things unexpectedly don't go to plan! Frank is pretty sure they aren't part of Stark's forces, but we've no clue who they serve.    They came here searching for something - or someone - maybe even me, I mean the Sue of this world, based on their reaction.   If you've got any insights, suggestions, I'm listening! 

She added: I put them at bay, for the moment.   But supposedly their 'master' has been notified!
This message was last edited by the player at 17:40, Sun 08 Aug 2021.

Gwen sends a short reply * They worked for the Kingpin in my world.  A blind lawyer named Murdock.  But Pete laughed at me when I said that...

Can't talk, there's a portal to hell 50 feet from where we came in last night.  I think this might be what we're here for, it's bad. *
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:28, Sun 08 Aug 2021.

Spider-Man picks up Gwen's strategy immediately, webbing up the van to try to keep the portal contained, if not seal it entirely.

23:27, Today: Timebroker, for the NPC Spider-Man, rolled 26 using 1d8+1d10+1d8+1d8+1d6 with rolls of 7,8,5,5,1.  Buddy + Strength + Combat + Weapon + Grapple. – 26

23:27, Today: Timebroker, for the NPC DOOM POOL, rolled 14 using 1d8+1d8+1d6+1d6+1d6 with rolls of 5,2,2,4,1. – 14 There's an Opportunity on the Table for Gwen.

The Portal isn't actually dealt with, but it's no longer a factor in combat.

The Demonic Horde, of course, objects to being cut off from their reinforcements and decides to take it out on the Spiders, rushing at them with their awful rusty cleavers.

23:37, Today: Timebroker, for the NPC Demonic Horde, rolled 7,3,1,3,2,7,8,1,6 using 1d8,1d6,1d6,1d6,1d6,1d8,1d8,1d8,1d6 with rolls of 7,3,1,3,2,7,8,1,6.  Born to Raise Hell + Team 4d6 + Strength + Weapon + Combat + Area Attack. – 7,3,1,3,2,7,8,1,6

That's Effort 14 with a d8 each for Gwen and Spider-Man.

23:40, Today: Timebroker, for the NPC Spider-Man, rolled 8,4,1,2 using 1d8,1d8,1d10,1d12 with rolls of 8,4,1,2.  Buddy, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Reflexes, Acrobatics. – 8,4,1,2

Spider-Man eats the attack, taking d6 Physical Stress.

The demons don't seem like they're fast enough or skilled enough to be able to touch Spider-Man, but with numbers on their side, a few of them get some lucky hits in-- glances and scratches along his forearms, defensive wounds, mostly.

REACTION NEEDED: Spider-Woman

Rushing right in got Gwen and Peter surrounded by them.  Well this is bad, she thinks.

She's supposed to be protecting Peter... which is really the least she can do after what happened with him in her world.

Gwen seems to dodge all the attacks, even the ones coming from behind her.

08:51, Today: Spider-Woman rolled 3,8,9,12,2 using d8,d8,d10,d12,d4.  safety,reflexes,sfx: Spider-sense(senses),acrobatic,rushing(d4).
effort 20, effect d10

Rolling distinction as a complication for a PP, burning it for Spider-sense (not going to reroll that)
Leaving the opportunity for now - Harry should be free to use it?
This message was last edited by the player at 13:04, Wed 25 Aug 2021.

"HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE!" Harry banks the Goblin Glider hard, sending it careening into the group of demonic warriors to Gwen's left while his body careens into the group on her right, cackling the entire time. Though he isn't wearing his mask, his face is strangely reminiscent of the photos Peter showed her-- in the midst of the chaos, he looks like he's having the time of his life.

16:00, Today: Timebroker, for the NPC Green Goblin, rolled 1,3,2,8,6,1 using 1d4,1d4,1d10,1d10,1d8,1d8, unique dice.  Team 1d4, Reclaiming the Legacy, Strength (+ Seething Rage), Weapon, Combat. – 1,3,2,8,6,1

That's 14/d10.

16:02, Today: Timebroker, for the NPC Demonic Horde, rolled 4,4,3,6,3,1,7 using 1d6,1d6,1d6,1d6,1d8,1d8,1d8, unique dice.  Team 4d6, Born to Raise Hell, Durability, Combat. – 4,4,3,6,3,1,7

13/d8. Demonic Horde is reduced to 3d6

The horde reels from the unexpected assault... and then a voice cries out "THE SON OF OSBORN JOINS THE BATTLE! FOR VENGEANCE!"

And every demon in Times Square stops menacing innocent civilians and stops destroying property and turns their attention to the three superheroes.

"Oh."

TOP OF PANEL

NEXT: Gwen

AVAILABLE:
Spider-Man
Green Goblin
Demonic Horde 3d6

In reply to Timebroker (msg # 76):

Gwen jumps and attempts to kick one of the demons with full force... Hopefully knocking it into its friends.

Just need to keep them away from Peter.


19:04, Today: Spider-Woman rolled 1,1,10,4,4 using D6,d8,d10,d8,d4.  Violence, Peter's death, push, strength/leaping multipower.
19:29, Today: Spider-Woman rolled 6 using 1d12.  Acrobatics
16 with d8 effect.

Two GM opportunities.  Demons up next.
.

The next several minutes pass in a blur of iron and blood-- Gwen might be relieved to note that it's easier than she expected to protect Peter and the innocent civilians when the demons are displaying an almost single-minded obsession with Harry. Or... she might not, as this alternate-reality version of her dear friend shows little regard for his own safety.

With the portal webbed-up, the demons still on the other side-- the demons in Limbo-- can do little more than growl helplessly and make disturbing threats. Without those reinforcements, the demons on this side of the portal are little match for the heroes, even at twelve-to-one odds. Ten-to-one. Nine-to-one. Seven. Six. Four. When fewer than a dozen of the foul hellspawn remain, the portal sizzles and winks out, and the last few stragglers wink out with them Gwen might note that it is they who seem relieved. Or... she might not, given the litany of other things that might be on her mind at that very moment.

As the trio of superheroes catch their breath, The Hulk plummets into the middle of the road, eager for a fight-- she turns this way and that, and sighs bitterly when she finds noone left to smash. Captain America and Luke Cage immediately set to work extinguishing fires, pulling civilians out of cars, and ther post-battle superhero clean-up; Peter and Harry acknowledge them without batting an eyelash, grateful for the assistance.


Moments later, Polaris floats into view with Tigro in tow. From opposite sides of the Square, on different motorcycles, Funnybone and The Unseen. And then Iron Man arrives, leading the dropship carrying the Thunderbolts team.