A second team, more closely allied to the authorities of Century Station (for good or ill) joins the fight for Truth, Justice, and the American Way.

There has always been a Grey Guardian in Century Station. Native Americans whisper stories that the original Grey Guardian emerged during the time of the first white settles, going back 4 and a half centuries. He was known for fighting both Wendigos and Skin Walkers, keeping both natives and whites safe from threats supernatural and mundane.

There have been 13 Grey Guardians since people started keeping records around 1800. While each incarnation has modernized the "costume" to their own tastes, there are commonalities. Grey is of course the color of choice, and each have carried an obsidian headed tomahawk and a Spanish made .73 calibur flint lock horse pistol. The current Grey Guardian wears special urban camouflage patterened BDUs and a dark grey WWI Era trench coat, said to have belonged to the Grey Guardian of a century ago, and a modern mask that features a dome eyed design.
https://www.aliexpress.us/item...gatewayAdapt=glo2usa
This message was last edited by the player at 00:53, Thu 14 Sept 2023.

By contrast the hero known as Janissary has just arrived in Century Station. His land of origin is not well known but it is fairly obviously somewhere in the Mid-East. The name Janissary has connections back to the Ottoman Sultanate of the early middle ages but he has not claimed any direct connections to any modern government.

He is tall, leanly muscular man, with dark skin and a hawklike visage surrounded by long wavy hair as black as ravens wings. His costume in a fusion of modern tactical garb and traditional Arab desert fighting robes.

It is clear that he is an exceptional, possibly even superhuman athlete but his most obvious powers are the ability to create and shape energy in force structures and weapons of various types. All of the items he creates with these powers have a dark amber color.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:42, Mon 18 Sept 2023.

This is Rex Carpenter, a man of world, a man that lives for the thrills and by the thrills. He desired since childhood to be as bold as Indiana Jones and recover ancient artifacts in some hidden ruins.
Never studied beyond high school but his thirsty for discovering ancient items made him a "library mouse" combining his self education with occassional formal education (some credits in such or such college) but at the end what drove his life was always being involved with the most craziest expeditions on earth, fruit of his restless search for expedition opportunities.
In one of his journeys, he met Topaz, the daughter of an industrialist from the east coast called Simon Star. Star was a man of action as well and was looking for someone to help him to retrieve his most desirable holy grail: items from the Titanic.
Cunning as only he could be, wanted to take advantage of the admiration Rex Carpenter had by Topaz to convince him to undergo an experiment to make him more resistant to high pressure so he can achieve the most important landmark in the history of archeology by entering the Titanic by himself.
Topaz who was already in love with Rex, did not consent with that crazy idea but Rex was sure this would allow him the greatness, glory and richness he needed to impress Topaz's father. Rex underwent a painful and almost mortal experiment that served as a trigger to activate the mutant powers he had without knowing of their existence.
Rex became a mutant and the result was nothing as he expected: his limbs started to create all sort of items and his skin changed color same than his eyes turning him into a real freak. Rex fleed Topaz as he thought she would never accept him as the freak he was now, traveled to the west coast and ended almost by serendipity in Century Station where he met other like him that accepted him like he was. What Rex never knew is Topaz loves him for his soul and not his face and the beautiful blond is looking for her beloved wherever he is.
Rex Carpenter made a name by himself as the superhero Dyna-Man, trying to create recognition and glory to win the love of Topaz but no by the means of richness and fame but by doing the right things, serving justice and peace.

DI Stone stood at her desk and shook her head at the nigh-overwhelming piles of paperwork. Not for the first time she was forced to accept that she simply had not been given the resources to deal with all of this crap.

There was one bright spot. She had been handed three top notch operators, with the promise of others to come, and that meant that they could go active with Operation: Street Wardens sooner than expected.

In fact TODAY.

For the first time in days she smiled as she reached to activate her radio earpiece.

#[Grey Warden and Dyna-Man]"Operators Grey Warden and Dyna-Man report to HQ. Mission Briefing for your first field op is at 0800 this morning. Don't be late."

Rex was having breakfast at the moment of the incoming message. Waited a few seconds to swallow the bite of food still in his mouth so he can speak clearly, manners over all.

#[Team]"Sure thing boss."

Her sharp British accepnt came back almost immediately.

#[Team]" That is Detective Inspector or DI Stone, Dyna-Man. Thank you."#

Hernando drove his new 2023 Dodge Challenger 170 in to his new job. The 170 was slate grey with black trim and of course his vanity plate GRYGRDN. He pulled into the lot at high speed and executed a perfect J turn into an empty spot - backwards! He exited his muscle machine in civilian clothes: a suite whose color perfectly matched his car with a black button down shirt, grey tie, and black wingtip shoes.

He carried his Grey Guardian gear in a large duffle bag over his shoulder. He stode into HQ like he owned the joint, in fact he had owned it until he revealed his secret identity a few months ago, at which point he donated it to the city as a show of good will.

Uniformed officers parted for him as he passed and made his way into the building. Through the doors and he made sure to wave at everyone politely. He took the stairs up to the floor where Stone kept her office. Walking in he dropped his bag and reached into his jacket pocket for his cigar case. He took one out for himself and offered Stone one as well. Biting off the tip and dropping it into her trashcan, he light his cigar, "So Seniorita, what do you have for me today, eh?"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:36, Mon 18 Sept 2023.

#[Team]"Sorry...D...I...Stone."#

Rex steps near a window in his second floor department, after slurping the last of his hot drink, jumps to the street transforming himself into a ball and using his bounceability powers to bounce all the way to DI Stone's office.

That is what I call traveling with style.

Fortunately Rex's department is located a few blocks from his working place so he can get at time.

Once in front of the doors of the building he resumes his human or better his humanoid form and walks getting to DI Stone's office at 8:15.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:14, Tue 19 Sept 2023.

DI Stone deftly slipped the cigar she was offered into the inside pocket of her blazer and just as deftly removed the lit cigar from Hernando's mouth and pinched the burning end off.

She handed the now unlit cigar back to him with a sympathetic look.

"This is a government building now. No smoking in government buildings Don Hernando."

She turned to the door as it opened, 15 minutes late, as if someone had left a box of dung sitting there.

Glancing at her wrist chronometer, "Glad you could join us Dyna-Man."

Saying nothing else on the subject she gestured to the wall where a panel opened revealing a 60 inch screen.

"This mornings operation, Operation: Little Brother, targets a mid-level Color Gang calling themselves The Pallbearers."

On the screen a group picture appeared. 8 men of various sizes and ethnicities, one of them truly enormous, posed and grinned a the camera. All of them were wearing dress coats with tails with the arms ripped off along with battered top hats canted to all sorts of rakish angles. Each of them was armed with some sort of weapon as well, everything from ball bats to European military rifles. The gigantic gang member was holding what looked like an uprooted sign post with a big block of concrete still attached to the bottom of it.

Simultaneously DI Stone drops an almost embarrassingly thin folder on the table.

"Mjolnir" had been sloppily painted on it with a spray can.

"This group is affiliated with a new mastermind in town. We do not have a name yet but we do know that he has made some seriously grandiose promises regarding the level of protection he can offer his henchmen."

"We are going to force him to make good on that promise."

"An undercover operative has infiltrated the gang. She will guide to their hidden clubhouse as soon as she has maneuvered them into position there. The two of you will assault the clubhouse and apprehend all of the members you find there."

"Janissary will be held in reserve. He will be on station above the area of operations. You can contact him directly if you need his assistance but will only engage in an emergency."

"Any questions so far?"

In reply to Detective Inspector Stone (msg # 11):

Dyna-Man may be sardonic sometimes and is used to always put jokes into everything but this time DI Stone means serious business and the enormous guy is not a joke.

Will we have at least some police backup when we assault that clubhouse. My math are not that good but at least I know 8 against 2 is a fight you probably will lose. What are their powers?

Hernando looked at the cigar sadly, "Land of the free, home of the brave," he quipped. He said no more on the subject. He acknowledged his partner with a nod, thinking something about youth being waisted.

When the picture of the color gang popped up he studied it with amusement. He quoted Anthony Burgess, 'It's funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you watch them on a screen.' Then his eyes dropped to the folder, "The hammer of Thor. Trite. I would have chosen Lævateinn." He reached for it and opened it curiously.

While scanning thd file he added a question, "Who is the UC?"

Color Gang ID#: 0068731-PE

Streetname: The Pallbearers

Colors: Black and White. Gang members affect outdated, worn, and battered funeral garb.

Origin: Originally the three founding members specialized in body disposal for various underworld figures. All three original members have served time in state penitentiaries for Tampering With a Corpse and Destroying Evidence.

Numbers: Total membership is figured to be ten members.


Founding Members
1. Erland Xavier Pietri. Founding member. 31 years of age. 5'10" (178cm), 175lbs (79kg). Erland is a former apprentice medical examiner from Valle Lindo California. He moved to Century Station and was unable to find work post the Daedelus Incident. Turned to petty crime and later to using his skills for the underworld.

Pietri is a qualified medic and has military weapons training

Status: Currently incarcerated (13 months into a 5 year sentence at San Quentin State Prison.

2. Peter "Bodo" Wakefield. Founding member. 32 years of age. 6'1" (185cm), 195lbs (88.5kg). Bodo (note: The Bodo are a people found in Northeastern India) moved to Century Station from England and began working with Pietri almost immediately. He was a medic in the British Military and also claims to have E.O.D. experience (unconfirmed).

Status: Parolee. Current de facto leader of the gang.

3. Ovidia Popovik. Founding member. 35 years of age. 5'7" (170cm), 155lbs (70kg). Ovidia was a paramedic and nurse for the CSPD who was arrested and charged with working with Erland Pietri in his evidence destruction for hire business. Shortly after she escaped and continued to work with him in the underworld. She has been twice convicted and served sentences of 2 years and 3 years for her crimes.

Popovik has police combat training as well as first responder training. She is also one of the 2 powered members of the gang but the exact nature of her abilities is not know (it is considered minor but much feared on the streets of CS).

Other significant members

These members represent the gangs expansion from a specialized body disposal service to a full on Color Gang. They were recruited concurrently with the alliance with the gang's unknown patron and provide the primary muscle for the operation.

4. Lofa Hamutan "Tafola" Qiloa. 25 years of age. 6'8" (203cm), 450lbs (205kg). Tafola (Samoan for Whale) is believed to be the only other powered member of the gang. His exact powers are unknown but he certainly possesses some level of superhuman strength (even compared to other men his size).

5. Abduweli Van Heel. Age Unknown. 6'2" (188cm), 215lbs (97.5kg). "Van Heel" is believed to be an alias and the suspect's surname is unknown at this time. He is believed to be of African decent and speaks with a West African accent.

Abduweli possesses high level military training and is skilled with a wide variety of weapons both ranged and melee. He is considered the member of the gang most likely to resort to lethal violence.

Note: He has been known to profess the Islamic faith but has been witnessed on multiple occasions to violate even the most basic tenets of the religion.

6-10. Roger Pasqualino, Svend Fairbairn, Maurice Solomon, Augustino Fraire, and Ronaldo Ling.

These 5 men are fairly standard Color Gang members. Violent, aggressive, better armed than Street Punks, but with marginal training and questionable intelligence.

Note: Fairbairn is also currently in San Quinten.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:58, Mon 23 Oct 2023.

"CSPD will be involved only to transport suspects once they are apprehended."

"This is an opportunity we are being given to prove ourselves to Chimera. IF apprehending these eight relatively low caliber felons is outside of our capabilities they have no interest in our help."

"I believe we are up to it."

In answer to the Guardian she said simply.

"I'm told our current clearance isn't high enough to know her name."

She made a face at that comment that was reminiscent of when Dyna-Man had come in late.

"I learned it of course, about 12 minutes after they said I shouldn't know it, but I will bow to their wishes unless it becomes necessary not to."

"Your recognition code phrase will be "Canary". The response should be "Coal Mine"".

"According to plan she will contact you once the gang is in position."

Hernando swore, "Sange de Dio." And immediately repented, "I am sorry, Father, forgive me."

He shifted in his seat, "I would like to requisition some gear. A hard armor vest, an energy pistol with a nonlethal setting, tear gas and flashback grenades, hand cuffs - reinforced for superhuman strengths, and a riot shield. Anything for you Dyna-man?"

Turning on his charm he smiled at Stone, "From you, Seniorita, I would requisition dinner at a fine dining restaurant to celebrate the victory, once it is captured of course." His grey eyes met hers with a fierce courage as well as more than a bit of bravado. Neither are arrogance, he manages to stay in the self-assured zone of personality.

In reply to What's in the File (msg # 14):

Rex stretched his neck to sneak over Hernando's shoulder to read the document. After reading it he threw his unsolicited comments.

Mmmm now that I read about Valle Lindo, someone of my trust told me to contact one of the local superheroes; Dr. Roller. I would like to know his opinion about how to change my condition. Regarding this Color Gang I am not impressed, it seems the only with superpowers is "Tafola", super strength over human average? Again, not impressed.