Champions Recap

GopherDave ran his Champions - Phoenix game tonight.  This game is always a blast.

We started the evening at the beginning of a combat (see last session's recap for details).  Mister Sarcastic was inside of the H.U.R.T. van, trying to find the assailant that had done serious bodily harm to the agent driving us to the former Viridian Industries site on the outskirts of Las Vegas.  He realized that whoever had attacked the driver had done so with a beam weapon from the roof of the van.  Mister S attempted to teleport through the hole left by the beam weapon to the roof of the van.  Unfortunately, his teleportation power failed to activate, and a wave of vertigo left him off balance and reaching for something stable.  Furthering the unfortunate event, the only thing his grasping hand found was the steering wheel of the van.  Accidentally wrenching the wheel sent the van into an uncontrolled roll.

Strobe, Stephanie and Dr. Strasser engaged the "Science Police" who were (probably) trying to capture Stephanie.  They took down one enemy agent, and were seriously threatening another, when it phase-shifted back inside the factory building.

The suddenly rolling van took the attacking agent on the roof by complete surprise, and he tumbled off, landing somewhat safe in the scrub.  Mister Sarcastic again attempted to unsuccessfully teleport from the van, but this time suffered no additional mishap.  Frustrated with his inability to activate the teleportation power, Mister S opened the van door, and tumbled safely to the ground.

Right around this time, a new participant arrived to the combat.  Henrietta Vasques young son Max, apparently had a prophetic dream foretelling this massive battle involving his recently found hero, Mister Sarcastic.  Determining that Mister S needed his help, he used his newly discovered superpowers to fly to the Las Vegas location.  Upon arrival, he evaluated the situation and decided that the large rolling van would make an excellent weapon.  Using telekinesis, he directed the rolling of the van onto the SciCop, crushing him into a helpless heap.

As this was transpiring, two SciCops appeared in one of the service doors of the factory, ready to engage Strobe, Stephanie and Strasser.  Acting quickly to defend Stephanie, Mister S uses mind control to force the two enemy to attack him instead.  The triple S also recognized the threat, and Stobe used her telekinetic powers to slam the double doors into this new threat.  Max, seeing this decides to throw the van into the doors as well, blocking the SciCops from view.

Sarcastic notices that teleporting to the top of the van would allow him to drop to the far side where he could engage the enemy.  He does so, to find not two, but four SciCops who promply open fire on him.  One enemy scores a hit, dazing him momentarily.  Strobe sees Mr. S' maneuver and follows suit similarly.  She begins to hammer at the enemy with her light based powers.

Meanwhile Stephanie pulls the severely injured HURT agent from the crumpled remains of the van, and Dr. Strasser succeeds in stabilizing him, despite being blinded by the side effects of Strobe's attacks on the enemy.  Strasser, realizing that the SciCops are trying to abduct Stephanie tells her to flee the scene, so that whatever happens, the Sci's will fail in their mission.  Stephanie, seeing as usual that discretion is not just the better part, but the only part of valor begins running from the fight.

Maximillian, deciding that he cannot see enough of the battle, flies to the far side of the factory, and enters invisibly through an open window, so that he can see his hero, Mister Sarcastic, in action.  Sarcastic, realizing that decisive action is necessary successfully activates his Nintendo Power Glove, granting him enhanced strength, which he uses to pummel two agents into unconsciousness.  Strobe takes out a third agent.  Max, overcome with excitement decides to "help" in the battle, but really only manages to stun Strobe and Mister Sarcastic.  Mister Sarcastic, unable to control his tongue when injured, throws a bitter insult at the invisible Max, reducing him to tears. 

The remaining agent sees that the fight is lost, and throws his gun towards Mister Sarcastic and Strobe.  He then engages a control on his arm, and he and all of the unconscious SciCops disappear.  Max hears a beeping coming from each of the SciCops weapons, which mysteriously were left behind.  He determines that they are going to explode, and reappears to warn his hero of the danger.  Mister Sarcastic grabs Max, and runs to the exit, and keeps running.  Strobe and Strasser also begin to run.

Stephanie, approaching the SciCop who was downed by the tumbling van also notices the beeping, and stops to user her mental control powers to keep that particular weapon from exploding.  The other five weapons all detonate simultaneously, each with the power of a miniature nuclear device.  Strobe and Strasser take a considerable amount of damage, and Strasser is knocked unconscious.  Mister Sarcastic throws his body over Max's to shield him from the blast.  His already battered body is further injured, but he survives.

The HURT agent was not so fortunate.  Sheltered from some of the blast by the building and the wrecked van, he is nevertheless killed by the combination of explosion and radiation.  Mister Sarcastic briefly considers attempting to use his power to try to revive the expired operative, but knows that it would be suicide even to try.

In the aftermath, emergency services show up, and help Stephanie disarm the unexploded weapon.  The bomb squad takes great interest in this future tech, but Stephanie only lets them keep one component of the weapon, insisting that it will be enough to let them figure out the bomb's workings.

Mister Sarcastic, angry almost to the point of fury with the young Max for having not only endangered himself in the fight, but by also contributing to the harm of the HURT agent who was in the van while Max was throwing it over the countryside teleports away - landing in the living room of the parents of one Agent Randall.  It seems Agent Randall was enjoying his down time watching a game and drinking beer.

Mister S briefly outlines the battle, and his anger with Max, but then changes the subject entirely.  He proposes, even insists, that he is hiring Agent Randal to head up an alternative agency, free from government red tape.  He reasons that Bob Lattimer is out of his depth in being placed as an administrator of HURT, and that Agent Randall is needed for his leadership skills.  Mister S says that no matter what Randall's decision is, as far as S is concerned, Randall is on the payroll, and that a limo and a corporate jet will be placed at his disposal, and that money would start to flow his way immediately.  Agent Randall is left to mull over his future, as S returns to the Vegas factory.

Max returns to tell Bob Lattimer what has happened, and begs that Bob not tell his mother.  Of course, Bob immediately calls Henrietta Vasquez to his office to let her know what her son has been up to.

Strasser and Strobe oversee decontamination operations, thus ending the evenings adventures.

Tom Reed adds: "While Mr S. was talking to Randall, Strobe explored the building ruins and discovered an underground bunker (shielded from the blast). Inside the bunker are two tubes holding clones of the Devereaux twins."