Century Station, technological and gothic, dark and bright at the same time. A metropolis, the place where everything starts. Seven million people live here, seven million of dreams but also seven million of worlds that not always believe in truth, justice and the American way.
This is the place where the Justice Front tries to make a difference.
Once they tasted the satisfaction to help those in need and punish the wrong doers, they know this is their call. Every member is in his or her place, living a life but eager to read that message on their Whatsapp group "we are needed".

OOC Issue Zero is intended to intruduce backgrounds and set the things for the first adventure.

Lisa Woodrow, who would grow up to be Scarlet Wolf, was the lone survivor of an accident on the highway, leaving her alone in the world. She was taken in by a Korashi Technics researcher and raised as their daughter. While she was an only child of this researcher, she was not lonely during her childhood as there were other children for Lisa to play with around all the time. Lisa didn't really remember her real family as she was pretty little when they died. The only parent she's ever known is the researcher.

Her childhood was fairly routine and normal once she'd been taken in and raised in the researcher's house. It wasn't until she turned eighteen that she was told the truth about her family's death. Having been told the truth, Lisa was also told of an experiment that Korashi was planning to run. The researcher wanted Lisa to volunteer for this experiment. And so Lisa did. The experiment was a success and Lisa had become the Super Heroine Scarlet Wolf. She developed the ability to expel light from her hands and eyes, grew two extra arms and hands underneath her natural arms and hands. And she developed mental powers as well. She seemed to be able to regenerate a lot of the damage that her body ended up taking and to attack people with her mind. It was an incredible breakthrough for the researchers and scientists though they weren't sure how they did it or how to duplicate it at all.

The best news for them though is through it all, Lisa, now known as Scarlet Wolf, remained loyal to Korashi Technics and her guardian.

Alexander "Lex" Myers was never good at school. He was an athlete but not a "jock" preferring his own company to the brash and arrogant jock crowd. He was also an Eagle Scout and Order of the Arrow, so he was good at something. After high school he went west and ended up becoming a Wilderness Guide in one of those Survival ranches. One of the places they often went was the Grand Canyon, which has many secrets still undiscovered. As luck would have it, Lex had wandered off to let his group bond and found a vertical crevasse in the canyon wall which had a breeze blowing from within. This was enough to get him to explore. He does not remember the next three days, but he was found by a search and rescue team. His eyes don't work any more, but his brain can do many new things like create a radar and use his hearing in an enhanced way. He has many other new abilities...

He brought these abilities back to Century Station and took on the guise of the Crusader. As the Crusader he wears a combination of greens and blacks to hide better in the Station's varying environments and even his eyes aren't visible (even though the Avatar does show his eyes). Lex, in civilian guise, is a large and very fit man. He has brown hair and blue eyes, and he uses a blindman's cane supposedly to get around.

Harlan Stewart, Hal to his friends, finished his military service having served as both a Ranger and a Military Policeman. He relocated to Century Station and the CSPD was happy to have a man with his skillset on the force.

He served there for a couple of years and even married a young woman, Matilda, who was also a CSPD officer. He was up for a promotion to detective, his wife made Sergeant in record time, and things were looking great.

Then Bloody Monday happened.

The assault on the cities biggest cartel went off the rails almost immediately. The criminals had been tipped off by dirty cops. Crooks who had uzis a week before showed up in exoskeleton armor with military grade weapons. Worst of all every super powered criminal, assassin, and mercenary was waiting in ambush.

They were there ostensibly to counter the large number of superheroes involved in the raid but had no compunctions about turning their abilities on non-powered cops and civilians.

26 year old Sergeant Matilda Stewart was one of the first to die. She bought time for a group of school kids to escape their wrecked bus with her life, temporarily blinding an invulnerable super by unloading her shotgun in his face.

We he got the news a darkness was awoken in Hal that he had thought left behind on the battlefield. He stole a recoilless rifle from the armory and began hunting super villains with the anti-tank weapon. In a night of carnage he killed 17 people, arrested 0, and lost the better part of his left leg.

The loss of a limb was devastating but the guilt nearly destroyed him. Harlan was a man of principle and his wife was a moral and ethical cop. He knew what he had done broke all of her rules and worse yet violated her beliefs. But what could he do against such power?

When he was approached by a mysterious organization calling themselves ARCUS and presented with an opportunity to be on equal footing with super villains he jumped at the chance.

4 and a half years of painful and dangerous experiments later and no results to speak of had Hal, and ARCUS, ready to give up when an unexpected accident exposed the test subject to a powerful magnetic field.

Harlan, never a small man, was transformed instantly into a 7 and a half foot tall, 1/2 ton behemoth covered in dull grey metal with black eyes and massive metallic wings.

Metallurgists could only say that it was an "Unknown Alloy" and so that became the name the project was known by.

Virtually (though not completely) impervious to harm, impossibly strong, and gifted with the ability to levitate and fly through magnetic repulsion and the use of his powerful "Mega Wings" ARCUS finally had their operative.

6 months of training to grow accustomed to the powers, and most importantly how to control the transformation, and the new hero "Alloy" is ready to hit the streets.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:41, Wed 18 Oct 2023.

The alien called Puck was a bit of an enigma.

At first glance, one might assume that the giant feline humanoid was a user of high technology; not the mystic arts.   As always when he was out, he prefer traveling by flying through the air; courtesy of a Fly as the Eagle magics.   And also likewise, he also wrapped himself in the protection of an Armor of lthan spell.

He flew along at a relatively leisurely pace, eventually setting feet on the concrete walkway leading up to his restaurant of choice.   Shortly after arriving, he'd discovered the most wonderful of all foodstuffs: chicken deep-fried in animal fat.   And unlike every other restaurant, only this one used animal fat rather than *ick!* some sort of vegetable oil.

He had to duck his head whenever he used a Man-sized door, which was just about all of them.   Being a good two-thirds of a meter taller and easily double the kilos in weight, tended to have that effect.   This particular establishment had a set of double doors that opened outward; and Puck landed with practiced ease, actually seeming to step down the last half meter or so to the concrete.

The species that Puck came from was exclusively carnivore in nature, which made finding acceptable food a bit of a challenge.   It seemed to him that the natives in this area used vegetables in everything; and a bit of experience had made it much easier to conceal the revulsion that just the thought of the food called 'salad' made.

As for Puck, he also came from a culture where names were earned rather than given; and since he'd not had one when he'd left, that meant he'd earned it somewhere along the way.   Which lead to the main headache that he was dealing with: he could remember the planet he'd come from, his culture, and so forth.   In addition, he also could remember everything that happened After he'd arrived here.

The problem was that everything between the two was a maddening scramble that refused to settle into any sort of coherence.  He had taken, and continued to take; time out of each day in mediation, but whatever he'd experienced since leaving 'Home' refused any sort of coherency.   Which lead him to conclude that however he'd traveled here had resulted in the jumbled mess in his head, as well as the nagging feeling that he'd forgotten something (or a number of somethings) very important.

Hopefully, when his memories came back; he'd be able to finally go home.  It felt to him like that was where he should be going next.   So until that time finally arrived, he was quite happy to be "heroic"; even if acceptance seemed some time in the future.

The individual known as Alana presents as a female robot, not quite human enough to be called an android but enough to be unmistakably made in that mold if not image.  She came to Century Station recently enough that she still carries an air of mystery about her, but no so recently that she is unknown.

Whatever her power source may be it is clear that she operates more along the lines of an experiment than any sort of pure technology borg or robot.  The most obvious evidence is the inconsistency of both her size and mass in various forms.  Her humanoid or 'base' form is always the same five feet tall exactly and two hundred and ninety pounds of metal that could only be possible if she were mostly hollow or made from a very light weight alloy.  The real problem shows up when she turns into anything else, and it does seem to be just about anything of a machine like nature she can turn into even different versions of the same functional item.  These items can be anywhere from half her size up to several times her size and mass, although truly large objects like passenger air plains tend to be a miniature version of such vehicles.  So far there is no human identity associated with Alana, either it doesn't exist or it is a fairly well kept secret.

For those who know her Alana spends most of her time in her robot form unless she is performing some function or playing a prank on someone who doesn't expect it. More than one 'new' appliance in any shared space has been fully operational for days before anyone notices that it was Alana all along.

Genesys, the bio-technology company that is trying to take over the world's agriculture is not only known for tampering with seeds genetic but also for altering animals to make them mutated animals that could be used as disposable soldiers. Genesys have not only gotten bringing into life dinosaurs by cloning them but they went beyond trying to clone sentient beings. More specifically super beings.
Bloody monday was a strike of luck for Maximilliam Valentine, my father? That is what he told me. But why does he want to kill me?
I have heard stories of people killing siblings, oh I remember that Cain and Abel story, one of the first I listened, that happened but never heard of a father trying to kill his son. Perhaps Maximilliam Valentien is not my father after all. But I digress.
I read this from Genesys records before I left behing that evil people for good. Scientists from Genesys recovered dozens of super beings corpses whose relatives did not claim or were willing to receive money to remain in silence.
Other were simply stolen from the morgue, is not that ilegal? Yes, but that was not difficult to do in a system plagued by corruption.
Genesys started trying to clone the fallen super humans with the intention to create several of them for military purposes. But they discovered cloning was not that easy. Cloning people was complex and all their attempts failed miserably...except for me. I am alive and that is enough for me to think I am the fruit of success but Genesys did not think the same. They created me to obey blindly any order, but I developed free will and that was something that could not be tolerated.
Six months they were trying to fix what was wrong until the day they got to the conclusion I had to die. That was the day I run away. I overheard a conversation the night I left: "he is a loose cannon, he must die".
Probably I am, yes, beware the Loose Cannon evildoers no injustice will hide from my sight.

Enough memories for today, Loose Cannon stands and look at the hat over the roadway, just a few coins, same than yesterday and for sure same than tomorrow. Enters the same store he visits every day the same time of the day. Buys some bread, fruits and milk, very well covered as no one have to see his hairy body, then walks that small alley in which he disappears using a drain to go the place he calls home. The boy eats, drinks and as every night waits patiently a message from Crusader.

I hope there is some action tonight.

It's an odd sight, just outside of town, a dozen feet from a small stream a small fire burns. At the edge of the flame, a number of wild tubers roast. In a small pot dangling from a tripod made of sticks and vines, something bubbles as it cooks.
A few yards further from the stream, a man of indeterminate age buries the remains of a squirrel. As he works, he occasionally glances up and around and sniffs the air till he's fairly certain there are no dangerous animals about. Opening himself to fabric of reality, he sighs as he detects nothing untoward for miles around. As safe as he can be alone in the scrub, he strips off his clothes. Moments later he's stepping into the stream and briskly splashing himself.
His ablutions are quick, and he doesn't bother donning his clothes, but uses the same stream to clean them. The saltbush roots he gathered earlier work fine as detergent. Once washed and rinsed, he carries his clothes back to his campsite and hangs them on bushes nearby. Donning the hooded robe that would look comfortable if it weren't reminiscent of coarse wool,, Hatfield dips some stew into what passes for a bowl, and snatches some of the roasted tubers from the fire. Taking his ease, he eats.
Later, Hatfield sits against a tree dipping what appear to be parsnips in the gravy that remains in his bowl. When he finishes, he uses the bowl to scoop up the remaining parsnips and drops bowl and all in a large tub of water from the stream. Removing the rest of his squirrel stew from the tripod, he cuts the vines and drops the wood pieces into the fire. The now cool parsnips are taken from the water and dropped into the stew while the bowl screws on to the pot to become a tight-fitting lid.
He pushes the tub of water to the edge of the fire.
Stepping over to a large tree, Hatfield puts a hand on the bark and begins to chant. Stepping back from the tree and around the fire, he begins drawing in the dirt with a stick as he chants. Walking in a definite radius around the campfire, Hatfield scratches a continuous line of figures in a great circle surrounding the campsite. As he returns to where he began, the circle begins a slight glow, till Hatfield completes his incantation and stabs the stick into the ground with some finality. With a flare, the spell activates.
Moving to a tree across the fire from the water tub, Hatfield nods at his handiwork. The fire should keep the critters at bay, and the simple circle of protection should keep anything more than critters out. Leaning back against the tree, his head cushioned by the hood of the robe, Hatfield sleeps.
Hatfield sees the sun coming through the trees, but the first thing he really notices is the squirrel sitting on the branch. Then the squirrel speaks. "What will you do here that can't be done by someone else?"
Hatfield doesn't consider his reply, he knows this squirrel, and trusts it. "Weren't plannin on doin anythin but livin. Didden know they was a work requirement."
The squirrel was adamant, "not a requirement, and not for me. You claim to know yourself, but you won't admit that you miss seeing others, finding new things, and traveling. You know the city is interesting, and it NEEDS you. This isn't you, Jonathan, you're acting as indolent as the city slickers claimed your paw was."
With a jerk, Hatfield woke and sat up. Jisdu, or just his own inner voice, wouldn't have resorted to using his true name if it weren't important. That Century Station place DID show a lot of promise, and he could probably help them achieve the glory they sought, but there was so much concrete and steel and people! When it got to be too much, he could always return here.
He began to meditate and chant, waving his fingers in the shapes of figures. The mice, squirrels, and rabbit nearby twitched their whiskers and stepped out to investigate, but learned little. Each of the critters felt a little tireder as hatfield pulled some of their energy into his tracings. The air became heavy, and his glowing fingers began to leave glowing lines of the figures behind. The traces grew, and brightened, coalescing into a doorway in front of him. Nodding a thank you to the forest creatures, Hatfield shouldered his backpack and stepped through the doorway and onto the street. Century Station might not be home, or even the type of home he liked, but Hatfield McCoy was sure he could help it be better.

Three months ago the destiny put together a bunch of altruistic and selfless people, a group of vigilantes, part of the so called legionnaries.

"This is officer Thorpe, badge 256485, we just tried to stop a kidnapping, two officers are down, we need support immediately, send an ambulance and a tactic team to pursue the hijackers".

"Officer Thorpe, unable to continue pursuing?"

"Negative, the hijackers have super human support, the public enemy known as Proton and he destroyed all our vehicles. We require CHIMERA support immediately. Send Centurions or Sector 10 operatives".

Some seconds later.

"Negative, no Centurions or Sector 10 operatives available at the moment. Regular support will arrive in about 15 minutes. Out".

A car moves over Rattle Ridge /109 interchange, getting to Fairfax, a superbeing flies over the vehicle, attentive to everything around, as guarding their passengers.
The intention of the hijackers is leaving Century Station to flee towards the north to cross the limits with Oregon.
The only way to do it is heading to Diego Verde and trying to scape by hiding in any crops that provide some concealment.
But the destiny had prepared a group of legionnaries that that very day would cross paths with the criminals to foil their plans and rescue an innocent kidnapped girl.

Already on the road, in range to hear the radio call, and in the form of a convertible candy apple red first generation Tesla Roadster Alana, and up to two potential passengers, doesn't need much in the way of preparation time to reorient to a north bound course and increase speed to catch up to the fleeing hijackers.  Doing so without freaking out hundreds of people on the road along the way becomes the order of the day.

Zipping along at well over 100mph the other traffic functions more like a series of stationary orange cones on an obstacle course than legitimate participants in this kind of driving, although some of them do manage to shift into a new lane at unfortunate times.

Fortunately this particular car is extremely agile, and the pilot quite good at doing this sort of thing with both superhuman reaction time and a total lack of delay between observation of a threat and vehicle response it is almost painful to watch how easily she zips around the other traffic.
[Private to GM:
Alana rolled 22 using 1d100.  111% Pilot Self.]
[Private to Alloy; Crusader; Hatfield McCoy; Loose Cannon; Patricus; Puck; Scarlet Wolf:  Up to two other characters can act as passengers in 'sports car' mode, feel free to post yourself into it unless two people already have, or you are smaller than a breadbox.]

Lex had pitched it as a team retreat, a way for them to get to know and trust each other in a relaxed setting. He had them all packed and heading for the Oregon Forests, about 40 minutes ahead of Alana at normal speeds. His older model jeep wrangler got the job done but couldn't compete with the cyborg in speed. He was cruising, presumably with the rest of the team who weren't in Alanamobile, with the top down and doors off just to enjoy the breeze. Yes he can drive, just so long as he doesn't get pulled over, and he is a very careful driver. He kept the police ban CB on at all times, you never know when something might come up. The urgent call from Thrope, not someone he knew but he knew of in the way that a good reputation precedes a person. When it was clear no one else could help he made a split second decision. He picked up the hand piece and clicked into the conversation. "Officer Thorpe, Crusader of Justice Front. We are in the neighborhood and heading to you to lend a hand." Alana passed him like his Jeep was standing still. "Some of us will ETA sooner than others. Be advised we are heading in to help so don't shoot us, Okay?"

He motioned for one of the others to take the wheel while he costumed up. By the time they arrive on scene he should be prepped for whatever they are heading into. He grabbed the hand set again, "Alana, you copy? Can you slow down just a bit and give us a wake to follow?"

Anyone not riding with Alana can ride with Crusader.

Loose Cannon sat in front of the same building everyday he sits waiting for some coins to eat reads a message in the Whatsapp group for the team. "W r need". It is not common to read message from Crusader in that fashion so something grave must be happening, the team leader had to go out fast so the problem requires swift actions. Another message pops from Alana: "Riding at X street".

"Oh that is near here", thinks Loose Cannon. The hairy 6 months old teenager takes the coins from the hat and moves as fast as he can to the encounter with Alana.
Once on the Street he sees a flashy car approaching.

"Definitely her"

Alana stops as Loose Cannon jumps into the car. The flashy car resumes its course.

ON the other side the officer in the communications responses:
"Justice Front? Never heard about that team, do you have a registry number Mr. Crusader?"

Crusader reponded to Thorpe, "We're new in town. I don't know what you mean by registration number. You turning down the help?"

"No, your help is welcome. For now... I recommend you to register you and your group in the offices of CHIMERA as soon as possible. Good luck son"