[Twi]Chronicles of the Impaler: Crisis of Infinite Draculas OOC

[Corvond]

That would make perfect sense, and I'd have no issue with that at all... if Souske had deployed the bomb. I mean, fair enough, there are presumably video cameras, though why they haven't been used to identify certain relevant plot features is beyond me. But if Gary did use them, he's apparently blind, since Souske didn't deploy the bomb, in any way, shape or form.

It was unequivocally Panty, who Souske was actually fighting at the time. So why the hell does Gary, after having just watched footage of Panty deploying it, blame Souske?

About the only way you could justify this mixup was ignore security cameras, that would be very useful for say, identifying Archer, and instead somehow found a receipt (for a black-market purchase), except since he was sent the virus by mistake even that doesn't hold water.

So yes. Please retcon it.

[darkblade]

The video feeds are fine but it would lead Gary to see Panty (also mysteriously lacking in a paper trail) as the perpetrator.

[Corvond]

Is it safe to assume that we're always under surveillance then? Or just in a few public places?

[darkblade]

Always while on the school grounds and not in bathrooms or dorms.

[Cracklord]

Believe it or not, I wanted to write something positive, where the good guys win. I suspect there is something wrong with me.

Spoiler

Show

Sirens continued to wail, and red lights flashed out their incessant warnings. The vessel shook and at once, with no more warning, a wall of consoles exploded, showering the corridor with white-blue sparks and shards of metal, and belching a fresh wave of smoke into the already choked passageway. A line of crewman bustled past the smouldering wreckage that had once been a control console, coughing scorched lungs out from between their soot-blackened lips. Not one of them so much as glanced at the burning ruins of the machinery. Or the two corpses adjacent to it. They had were other priorities.

The ship shook again, the forceful tremor that ran throughout the length of the ship a testament to the strength of the armor… that salvo had a force most conveniently measures in gigatons. The siren's tone changed, the pitch dropping half an octave. The crewman noted the fact, -the life support in this section was back online- but did not respond, while he hurriedly welded to resecure a crucial section of the hull plating. If it collapsed, the whole deck would be isolated, and the ship would crumple like it was made out of tinfoil.

The view from outside the ship was markedly different. Two ships drifted through space alongside each other, exchanging broadsides. The men was aboard the smaller of the two ships. It was gunmetal grey, and had its bridge amidships, set above the barrel of a large spinal mounted phasers. It was long and low. The Free Enterprise was one of nine great arks that had been hurriedly converted, each the size of a small metropolis. Even so, conditions were cramped. But that was good. All that was left of the alliance was crunched aboard those nine ships.

The larger ship was terrible. The Phyrexians did not built machines, they built partly mechanical organisms, and this craft was no different. They had learned to copy space-faring, and still had only a cursory understanding, which had allowed the arks to mostly out-maneuver their adversaries, but when they were cornered, they suffered tremendously. And now was no different. It would take every ounce of the captains experience, grit, determination, and sheer luck to limp away from this fight somewhat intact.

* * * * *

Paul Atredis pursed his lips, his eyes half-closed, as he meditated, inducing the mentat state that had been trained into him at a young age. His eyes flickered as performed calculations in his head that would shame even the legendary super-computer Deep-Thought. Variables, equations and other considerations flashed through his head faster then conscious thought as he weighed his options, until at last he had something resembling a plan.

By reversing the magnetic polarization of the engine, and diverting all power, while taking advantage of a loophole in the laws of improbability and the technology to utilize Icarons (artificially create tachyons)it should be possible to, for a moment, exist simultaneously at every point in the universe. Then, by taking enough melange, he should be able to determine the safest point to start haven. It was desperate, and would burn out the engines, but the alternative was the phyrexians.

And that was no choice at all. Turning on the intercom, he gave the order. For a few moments, they were horribly vulnerable, and then abruptly the ship was gone, as abruptly as though it had never been, as it achieved ludicrous speed.

* * * * *

Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future, blinked. They say you should never meet your heroes, but they've never met the real deal. Because it's overwhelming. "You can't be serious. This is suicide."

"I'm always serious when flying and women are concerned." Ace Rimmer replied easily, the light twinkling off his pearl white teeth. "And suicide is not a word in my vocabulary. Don't worry, I have this well in hand."

"Sir, the odds of your plan having anything resembling success are so astronomical I hazard even to calculate, but..."

"Good. Never tell me the odds." He told Spock, confidently. "Now Dan, I've got a more important job for you. This world doesn't have long left. We'll stand and fight, those that can, but most of us left are civilians. We have to save as many as we can."

"But there is nowhere safe."

"Not here, no. So take my ship, activate warp capability, and find another universe. Take them all somewhere safe. Women and children first. I'm counting on you."

"But sir, surely it's your ship..."

"And that's why I'm trusting you to fly it, Dan. Don't let us down, or you'll have me to answer to. But I have my own job. Ark 3 is still missing, and Picard wouldn't have let us down if there was anything he could do. He's in trouble, and I've never once left a man behind. I am not about to start now."

"But what can you possibly hope to..."

"Hey, it's me." He replied, with a cheery wink, then walked into the Millenium Falcon, his hand picked crew behind him. "Smoke plenty of Kippers, I'll have them all back for breakfast."

What a guy.

[Colesign]

That would make perfect sense, and I'd have no issue with that at all... if Souske had deployed the bomb. I mean, fair enough, there are presumably video cameras, though why they haven't been used to identify certain relevant plot features is beyond me. But if Gary did use them, he's apparently blind, since Souske didn't deploy the bomb, in any way, shape or form.

It was unequivocally Panty, who Souske was actually fighting at the time. So why the hell does Gary, after having just watched footage of Panty deploying it, blame Souske?

About the only way you could justify this mixup was ignore security cameras, that would be very useful for say, identifying Archer, and instead somehow found a receipt (for a black-market purchase), except since he was sent the virus by mistake even that doesn't hold water.

So yes. Please retcon it.

And there we go. My memory of previous plot events was....dodgy. I thought I remembered Souske deploying the bomb.

Really, really sorry. Will retcon promptly.

Additionally...

*Stares with glistening wide eyes at Cracklord, hands clasped together in glee*

[Cracklord]

Glad you're happy. Didn't come naturally to me at all.

[doliest]

Just to make sure, Stocking was working for Nicodemus, right? Its obviously been a while, and my details are a bit rusty.

Also, can I toss my hat back into the writing ring?

[Draxx]

I'm taking over the fall of Shatterworld, if you want you can help me out with that.

[doliest]

Wouldn't mind, if you didn't mind- anything I can/should cover?

[Draxx]

Well, I was thinking of expanding my time-line to make up the first chapter, just to make sure everyone's on the same page.
Then I thought the next three chapters should be a lead-up, dealing with the evolution of super-crime. So first, we have James Moriarty, Dr Fu-Man-Chu, Mabuse the Gambler, Arsene Lupin, Fantomas, and possibly Count Dracula (although perhaps not, as he's got a cause, and all the others are in it for the money), Henry Griffin and a couple of other classic villains getting together, and talking about how the world is changing. This is set in the 1900's, or thereabouts. An exact date can wait.
Then we have Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Hannibal Lecter, and a couple of others in the 1950's, when it's graduated from holding individuals at ransom to holding entire nations at ransom.
Then finally, we have Lex Luthor, Ra's Ah Ghul, The Kingpin, Dr Doom, Vandall Savage, about thirteen of the best villains, the cream de la cream. (Not the Joker, because he's too unstable, or Red Skull, because even they have standards). An they are talking about holding all of human society at ransom.
So yeah. My first task is filling in the roster. Any ideas?

And if you want to help, pick a character, any character, or any group, and tell their story. Easy.

[AnimeKid]

Hey Draxx I'm guessing Hansel and the students are too far gone to acknowledge Kid, Liz, and Patti?

[Draxx]

Hang on, just let me get into character.
For those who came late...

Spoiler

Show

Mankind is a young creature. Even on earth, there are countless other creatures that predate him. However, even in a time of a hundred thousand years, a mere eye-blink by the standards of geological terms, let alone astronomical terms, its timeline is so unimaginably complex and tangled it is all but impossible to make sense of it for even the most dedicated observer. However, an attempt shall be made here.

For I am Uatu, the watcher, and I perceive and remember all. I was born to observe, and shall continue to do so even unto the end of time.

In the beginning, the universe was created by some manner of supreme being, or perhaps a group of less then perfect beings working in concert. None know exactly, despite claims to the contrary, and so this is best left to philosophy. Nonetheless, this being or beings put things in motion, much of which would remain beyond the comprehension of even beings such as I, an unreachable goal to humanity, or so I assume. For though I have witnessed every event, from their beginning to their end, I have and never shall know what it is to be human.

Four and a half billion years ago, out of the wreckage of stars was formed a world, a mere crust upon an inferno of molten rock. It formed a core and eventually an atmosphere, and began the complex process that would lead to ideal conditions for one day supporting life. Of course, many worlds have the potential, but never the opportunity. But Earth was chosen, perhaps by the same force that made the stars and set the limits of the possible, and life did begin there.

Shortly after this process began, a being took up residence on the planet. It was a being that defied existence as any can hope to understand, given it was not composed of matter, energy, or in point of fact, any material that existed whatsoever. But despite this impossibility, it nonetheless persisted in existing and chose Earth as a suitable place for it's needs. Shortly after arriving, it went to sleep. It still slumbers now, dreaming terrible dreams, awaiting the starts to be right.

But in regards to the process of development, and in the story I will now tell, this being is entirely irrelevant. Despite it's presence, the earth would slowly develop and support life, and many beings would come to call it home, beings of startling diversity and disposition. Periodically, they would be scythed from the surface by ice, gas, inundation or falling rocks impacting from space, shaking up the delicate systems that formed the environment to such an extent that by the time they recovered the world had moved on without them, onto new things, new designs, new lifeforms.

Nonetheless, this rock would go on to be the birthplace of mankind, of that rarest of miracles, intelligent life. Much of the actual process does not interest us, as a complete report on the slow and gradual process to come just this far detracts too much from the purpose of this, understanding mankind's past. The environmental qualities that led to their bodies tell us why humans are, but not what humans are, for example. Enough to know that they did develop, adapt, and in time, even thrive. Instead of adapting to their environment, mankind forced it's environment to adapt to it, and strived to greater and greater heights.

Since recorded history began, some fifty thousand years ago, there has always been more to the world then has been guessed by those trying to understand it. Much of this can be glimpsed in the stories they tell, the tales they make, and words that have been passed down in folk-lore and the collective unconscious to form a sort of racial memory. There is a secret history of the superhuman and fantastic, purposefully hidden from the eyes of those who live in the world of the mundane, by a vast and incomprehensible conspiracy that keeps the knowledge for itself, purposefully isolating humanity from the wonders and terrors that are actually present on Earth. Traces of these wonders can be found, but the reality is warped and somewhat sinister.

History when it comes to the truth is something with few facts but much conjecture, even for an impartial observer whom nothing is hidden from. Little empirical evidence is to be found, and less still can be made sense of. Even if one sees everything, how can they hope to unravel the complex and tangled series of events that lead to results? But there is enough to see one thing that few people can bring themselves to truly accept. Man are not alone in the universe, or even this planet. More to the point, they never have been, even from the start.

In the most distant mists of the past, some hundred thousand years ago, the Celestials arrived. I know them of old, just as they know of me. The Celestials are alive, but not in a way that makes much sense to us biological beings, they are an enormous and enigmatic race of unfathomable purpose and power, whose designs even I fear to guess. They visited Earth, at the time a sea of life, where they found a species called Homo erectus (so named because they walked upright, the distant ancestors of humanity). They made a few changes to the world, in order to better serve their mysterious purpose. First, they influenced the chosen species at a genetic level, furthering their evolution for reasons known only to them, as well as implanting several latent genes that would remain dormant for a long time. Once they had done with humans, they created two other races, the Eternals, who would be the immune system of the planet, and the Deviants, beings who each was a fresh roll of the genetic dice, creating limitless diversity. They then built the city of Olympia on the South Pole, and departed. When the Deviants multiplied beyond what could be supported and began a conquest of the world, twenty thousand years after their genesis, they returned and culled them, leaving them almost totally extinct.

It is not known if this is unrelated or caused by the Celestials behavior, however it was after this second arrival that humanity began to develop a purpose, a historical inevitability that took physical form, in the 'spirits of the century'. Each one had a lifespan of a century, and would live out the events that humanity itself struggled with. While all had a tremendous effect on the times they live in, few made it into recorded history beyond off-hand mentions and the occasional observation in folk-law.

Humanity began to evolve and build society, cities, and the trappings of civilization, forcing the planet to their designs rather then make the most of its natural state. And so the city of Archon was built, secrets better left undiscovered were found, black magic and necromancy were first used, and the worst of humanities propensity towards hate and violence was uncovered. After the fall of Archon, Atlantis came to power, forming the first major Empire on which the sun never set as it stretched around the entire globe, before it sank beneath the waves and it's people were forced to adapt to life beneath the seas, it's satellite kingdoms finding themselves suddenly independent and free to pursue their own destinies, beginning the age of High Adventure, of Nemedia and Aquilona and the the other kingdoms, that at last gave way to the kingdoms of Mesopotamia and Babylon, both of which would fall to Egypt, the people of the Nile founded by two trapped aliens resolving to make the best of their situation. It was then that the wizard Shazam created Black Adam to be humanities protector (not trusting the often absent Gods or the mysterious Eternals), but he proved to be far too dangerous to be allowed to remain and so was banished (for a time) and forgotten.

However, despite their growing levels of understanding, at the time humanity were still primitive, and ignorant of the planet around them, of it's history, and of those who lived upon it. What they did understand was as much a product of superstition as fact, and they were ignorant of the wider universe. Unfortunately for them, other beings were not so ignorant of humanity. Perhaps humanity would have been wiped out completely by a more advanced race, never having come within inches of it's potential, but for chance, as the races that did look down upon them proved benevolent.

The Asgardians, one of four great powers among the Third World, along with the Olympians - another of the powers, both took an interest in Earth beginning four thousand years before Rome, in the city of Mesopotamia, and began to guide humanity when whim took them, teaching them aspects of their science and knowledge, only slivers, but enough to jump forward development at a rapid pace. Both would grow to care for humanity in their own way, and did their best to help and protect them, even from themselves. However, two thousand years ago, the Third World was destroyed, and the Fourth World rose in it's place, the old gods almost eradicated but for precious few survivors who managed to escape the fate of being dissolved into raw firmament to build the next generation of gods.

For a while the Eternals covered for the now absent heavens, however increasingly they were not needed as humanity took on a life of it's own. The Roman Empire, commanded by Julius Caesar proved unbeatable, and by 50 B.C stretched all the way from Britain to outer Mongolia (bar one defiant village in Amorica, Gaul), under the tactical brilliance of Julius Caesar, who married the last of the Ptolmic pharaohs and beget a dynasty that would last five hundred years. But for said tiny village, he could have been said to rule the majority of the world. But it was not to last forever, and Rome was split into the two empires, one to be wiped out by the germanic tribes and the Huns, the other to slowly change to the point it had become a middle eastern nation.

However, with Rome gone, there was a sudden power vacuum, and nations regained their independence all at once. Some of them did better then others. In Britain, the kingdom of Camelot was founded, with the help of Merlin Satanspawn, and the bastard son of Uther Pendragon acting as regent. Percy the Black Knight helped protect it, and for a time it flourished as the last bastion of civilization in a darkening world, fighting off hordes of saxons other invading armies while promoting a better way of life then rule of the strong. Indeed, Arthur more then anything wanted to destroy the idea that Might made Right. However it was not to last and Mordred betrayed his father and destroyed the kingdom, plunging britain into dark ages once more. Merlin would wander for a time, bitter and lost, before being the first being to be made The Doctor by the wizard Shazam, meddling again in human history.

It is now that the Kherubim and Daemonite war comes to earth. They crashed millennia ago after a skirmish between their exploratory vessel and a Daemonite warship near Earth's orbit, and have since been grounded there. Lord Majestros of Khera, their defacto leader decided that as long as they were here, they could make use of it, and so put their powers and knowledge to work. However, this did not see widespread use, as for the most part they would work with an individual rather then put it into mass production.

The Renaissance came and went, the Industrial revolution began, and humanity continued to exponentially develop in all the areas of science and culture. Wars were fought, men lived and loved and died, and the world moved on again. However, society didn't necessarily keep up with innovation, and that would go on to cause problems.

In the seventeenth century, mad scientists ran the world. Badly. The landscape was ravaged by superweapons, death-rays, armies of clockwork soldiers and genetic abominations, and that was just the start. Steam and clockwork engines served every purpose imaginable, maps changed overnight as they battled for supremacy, and monsters were created, all because it seemed a good idea at the time. However, their madness proved their own undoing, as one by one they were burned to death by angry mobs, turned on by their own creations, or caught in explosions as their devices malfunctioned. Eventually, towards the end of the century, all but the best died out, and the left a power vacuum in europe. That, more then anything, led to a new age of empires.

Nations grew in size and power, settling in parts of the world previously undiscovered. Some, like America, went on to become independent, others were throughly conquered. It was a time of ideas, and the birth of globalization. Britain was the Empire on which the sun never sets, modeling itself on ancient Atlantis. The Ottoman Empire was on the decline, and the world was coming to focus on Europe. The frontiers were being pushed back, and new discoveries were constantly rolling in. Metahumans existed on the fringes, using their gifts as best they could to preserve themselves.

This was the age of the zeppelin, the ocean liner, the flying-boat airliner, and the skyscraper. Progress seems unstoppable and the future is bright, though economic downturns and shortages conspired to keep the lower classes from appreciating them.

The war of the worlds, shortly after the turn of the century when martians from Mars invaded Earth, is largely what inspired the trend of individual enhancement, although contact with extra dimensional creatures stretches all the way back to the dawn of man. However, before the war against the martians, they were not something that concerned human beings. They were simply something that existed. The war changed that, but the effects were not felt for some time after, even considering the formation of the 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'.

Contact with other worlds had occurred in the past, but for the most part this was limited to extremely advanced species who used Earth for their own reasons, some idealistic, some brutaly pragmatic, a few even malevolent. Humanity had always simply weathered them, they did not seek them out or look for them, simply making the best of their situation. But as man would not be a slave to his environment, so he would not allow other beings to define his existence.

The first contact with an alternative reality intended by humanity was in 1920, where a stable portal was created through the Bleed, and contact was made with Sliding Albion, an advanced, although stagnant, imperialistic society. The two cultures met cordily, and there was a period of peace and cultural exchange, although after World War One almost all the remaining monarchies had vanished.

In the meantime, humanity continued to develop at an outstanding rate, sending up the first satellites of what would soon be a global communications network, creating limitless free energy utilizing heretofore unavailable substances, and embarking on projects to change the landscape of the world.

It was also a time of cultural change. Cities were rebuilt, largely to facilitate humanities growing innovations and changing lifestyle, as well as rebuilding being a cheaper alternative to upgrading. For a long time in Europe, cities would be left abandoned as construction was begun elsewhere of a newer, more developed city. Skylines became filled with towering, dream-like structures, and other formerly impossible feats of engineering. London, for example, installed cavorite in Buckingham palace after some considerable reinforcing of the structure, allowing it to hover over New London. It also lead to many new cities in America, such as Star City, Gotham, Metropolis (that would go on to become the nations capital) and several others, as the older cities were abandoned.

But humans remained humans. The drive to become more really began with World War 2, when Germany was taken over by Grand Arcmage of the Thule Society Adolf Hitler. The war was not truly a new war so much as a carry on of the first, under new management. The society in the background was much the same. Germany, with their growing obsession with ethnic purity and superman complex, desired to reach the 'sum of human potential', that set off a genetics race. Furthermore, Hitler acquired the spear Longinus, allowing him to use it as a focus to write the destiny of his people.

Huge breakthroughs were made in building 'better soldiers', through therapy, experimentation, regimes and breeding, even cloning, the Nazi's slightly ahead at first, but the gap rapidly closing as the other nations threw their might behind it, and the nazi's getting side tracked by dead ends (billions were wasted on the search for the 'homosexual gene'). Captain America was the first great success, and was seen as the poster-boy of the projects. Rogers proved to be more then capable, and his officers came to rely on him as much as a battalion of their best men.

Shortly after, the wizard Shazam awoke from his meditations in the Himalayas, and walked into parliament in full regalia, proclaiming that Winston Churchill is the promised savior 'returned in the hour of greatest need', and then stays on as a war advisor, even participating during the Blitz, with Captain Britain arriving shortly after as well. The Howling Commandos, the Blackhawks, and several other special soldiers were inspired by this new way to fight a war, and soon began appearing on every front. More then that, Majestic decides to interfere in human affairs when the Nazi’s ally with another of his people’s ancient enemies (the Chitauri), and, along with 'The Big Three' (Majestic, Miracle Man (a failed attempt at making Captain Marvel), and The High) come to the allies aid. In short, the dawn of the 'Superhero'. The phrase was first coined shortly after.

It was this time, that Order 666 was given to several inner ranking Nazi higher echelons. They were to win the war by any means possible, no matter the cost. They focused on the occult while the allies focussed on science, leading to armies of robots fighting armies of superhuman zombies, supermen fighting mad archangels bound with infernal runes, and other, less easy to describe things. Major Montana Max, Grigori Rasputin, the host of the first of the Ogdru Jahad and all the creations of Wolfenstein were geared towards building an army that could defeat the Allies. They ripped a hole in reality, stepping through to the ruins of an advanced and dead civilization, and used what they found on the other side to great effect, as well as making contact with said alien race (the Chitauri). They are also aided by several less the scrupulous beings with agendas of their own, including Vandal Savage and Ra's Ah Ghul, however The League of Shadows betrayed Nazi command in the early stages, killing many of the high command and leading them to be replaced with the Nazi's supersoldiers.

The Japanese don't have a program as such, leaving that to their allies. Just the same, they did have several figures who filled that role helping out, and the Emperor was secretly removed. Furthermore, they mannaged to make an alliance with a race of extraterrestrials formed of living, sentiant metal, known as the Decepticons. Using what they could glean fom the study of their allies, they reverse engineered their technology to build weapons and robots far ahead of the rest of the world, giving them (at the time) seemingly unbeatable tanks and warmachines, complete with minds of their own, in the form of AI's. Equally usefully, their long distance communications and transportation took off, even discovering micro-chips and crude shielding tecnology. They break alliance with the rest of the Axis before long, and attempt to carve out an empire in Asia, ignoring Europe completely. However, they lose heart, particularly after Hiroshima, and the assasination of the Emperor, and surrender.

In 1943, after the invasion of Russia, Red Skull tired of Hitlers mistakes (as well as the man being essentially a laughing stock, having being badly beaten up by several Heroes who came just shy of killing him by luck more then anything else, and several time-travelers launching assassination attempts), executes him on National Television, and takes command himself, using the military to seize all means of production and supplies, and turning Germany into a dystopian state practically over night, rigidly controlling every aspect in the process, and turning all the industrial power to war. The Nazis were no longer making administrative mistakes, and the war stretched on for four and a half more years, devastating much of Europe, and ending in 1948. The German people were largely doing their very best to aid the allies in every way they could or were totally crushed by fear by this point, but Red Skull pointedly said he did not need, nor care about, their approval.

Finally, the end of the war came, as Germany could no longer support it’s efforts, and Nazi high command begin making their escapes. They will go on to be a threat for a long, long time. Berlin was occupied, and Red Skull vanished, along with Captain America. An official statement claimed he was killed during the fighting, but even in those days that was recognized as unlikely, and conspiracy theories abounded. The truth is, he took a job with Stalin, and started making the system more efficient (both the nazi and the communist felt that loss of life was largely incidental). He’d still be there for decades to come.

We then hit a stop. With no longer any such motivation pushing people forward, the development of super-humans lost priority, and the industrial capacity instead geared towards repairing the damage. The Superheroes in this are the early heroes, groups like the Minutemen, ordinary people dressing up and fighting crime. Usually, not even organized crime, just pickpockets and other petty criminals, gangs and delinquents. They generally didn’t last long, and are seen as essentially stunts, not worth taking seriously. Just the same, they did manage to inspire plenty of detractors. The powerful individuals who had emerged go back into seclusion, no longer needed. Majestic returns to his people and the civilization they are trying to build, while others integrate back into the world. Miracleman, for example, launches a successful corporation.

Progress in terms of Superheroes stops... until the sixties when it takes off again. The Vietnam war was underway, and the militaries are not proving up to the task of pacifying the region. Then, in less then a few months apart, Dr Manhattan and Superman Red Son arrive on opposite sides, and suddenly the Cold War took on a whole new dimension. Red Son proved to be easily the most powerful known being, far beyond any pre-existing class (Including Majestic, or even the deities that had visited earth long ago), while Manhattan was essentially the same, near omniscient and capable of producing energy to change molecular structures, making him, from an outsiders perspective, able to warp reality on a whim. However, while Manhattan's powers made him detached and uncaring, considering himself above normal people and unable to relate, Red Son's had the opposite effect, making him an altruist who did all he could to support his fellow man, and changing the Soviet Union to become what it had always presented itself as. With Stalin's death (Red Skull had vanished shortly before, untraceably) Red Son took over as General Secretary, and began fixing the problems that plagued the Soviet Union.

Now in the world at large, there is a drive to expand, and so they do, building several teams, and revitalizing old programs. More to the point, several heroes appear on their own, and it was that, more then anything, that prompted the worlds governments first began to become aware of the tremendous threat that they represented, a threat perhaps more real then conventional weapons, as individuals possessing destructive capabilities beyond anything humanity had access to existed, and were answerable to nobody.

The first initiative was to create superheroes of their own. At first, these results were less then spectacular. The Comedian, for example, was heralded as the new Captain America in media explosions, but he was largely a propaganda front, and aside from being tough and well built he had little real weight in the circles he moved in. They received a lot of media attention, but in the scheme of things were not particularly significant.

It was also the first incarnation of Stormwatch. America created SHIELD, England created STRIKE (At first directly under and answerable to Parliament, but later given independence and with Jenny Sparks (Spirit of the 20th century) put in charge and given autonomy), and several other agencies came into existence, all at the same time, for the same purpose: Controlling, monitoring, and dealing with threats that the rest of the nations reserves were not equipped to handle.

STRIKE soon collapsed, and instead a new group was formed, the MIB under Cecil Stedman. They would work to keep the realities of the world from leaking onto the news too much, as if there is one thing humanity craves, it’s stability. Their job was making the world appear to be safe and secure, and many of the things blamed on the conspiracy are in fact directly the fault of this organization.

Meanwhile SHIELD, headed by war-hero and hardcase Nick Fury and General 'Thunderbolt' Ross saw things differently. If that's the way it was going to be, then they would have better superhumans then anyone else, and over the next decades the two of them were largely responsible for all America's varying superhuman programs. But it all began with Weapon X, essentially (at the time) colonel Stryker, colonel Wraith, and a drinks tab trying to overthrow the Soviet Union. However, SHIELD grew in power over time, and they eventually formed their own unit of specialist military personnel, G.I Joe, as well as a division to reverse engineer the weapons and technologies utilized by the regular threats to Earth.

The Doctor, at this time a man named Dr Steven Strange, decided to take a more overt hand on the world stage. Cutting all links with his previous groups and affiliations, which he had only maintained out of tradition, he takes a hand in improving the state of life the world over, first with medicine and spiritual healing, then more overtly.

Chinese national Shang-Tsung launched the 'Strongest Under the Heavens' tournament, where it is won by an old man, Jackie Chun. He appeared from nowhere and was a total unknown, and vanished again soon after, however he did star in a few B-grade movies in the one year he was known, most of which went on to become cult classics and began an industry of poorly envisioned martial arts movies, where metahumans utilized their powers for entertainment.

Finally, the Space Race was won by a third party candidate. Professor Cuthbert Calculus, alongside a few scientists and old friends of the professor succeed in building a functional rocket ship in Syldavia (backed by the governments generous contribution) and getting it not only to the moon, but to the dark side, take pictures and return, months before either the Americans or Russians had anything quite workable. Tintin, a Belgium reporter, had the honor of being the first human to meet me, and I retain fond memories of the young man.

The seventies came next. And they begin on an exciting note, as Elijah Snow, the ghost of the 21st century, actually tracked down Red Skull and confronted him. If their was any justice in the world, the nazi would have at last answered for his crimes, but it didn't go well for the archeologist, and the nazi vanishes again, leaving Elijah stranded in The North Sea. He would go on to help found several organizations and cause chaos and destruction in South America, although, upon determining that the goals of said groups were all doomed to failure, cut all ties to them and, upon consideration, give up nazism as well, trading it for a new concept of his own creation. In much the same time, Elijah rethinks his purpose, and decides it is not merely to uncover the lost and forgotten secrets, but also to bring them to light, and improve the world with his discoveries rather then hoarding them.

Of course, the great equalizer was about to come, and put a new perspective on the superhero arms race. A special comet passed the Earth during the 70s. The comet gave off special radiation that would turn many humans on Earth into Seedlings, people with (latent) superhuman powers find them coming to the fore. They were Mutants, and it was as the celestials had intended.

They were not the first. Some were manifested far earlier, although their powers were increased by the comet, and among them were two intellectuals, Charles Xavier, and Eric Lesherr. The two of them had been in contact for a long time previously, and had become close friends and confidants, and so with the coming of the comet that they concluded that humans were out-evolved. They could not compete with the new, emerging race, that shared their DNA but was not truly among the rest of the world. The two went on to form a group of such people, build their own island, civilization, and everything else, and waited for the world to follow them. The two friends slowly began to come at head, their radically different ways of acting at odds with each other.

Meanwhile, SHIELD finally began to have success. Their creation of the 'ultimate assassin' had less in the way of concrete results then their soviet counterparts. The best result they could get was Slade Wilson, who escaped with his brother in tow and went into buisness for themselves, and James Logan, a mutant of unclear origins. The few that they did keep were more or less useless. But Fury managed to poach Bendix, who proved far more capable by not worrying about things like morals or ethics, and having access to all sorts of DNA taken from various members of the superhuman community, makes some truly spectacular breakthroughs.

The eighties were a period defined entirely by relentless growth. Nixon, during his second term, had Dr Manhattan intervene in the Vietnam war, finally winning the war for the Americans. It was the first actual use of superheroes in war since the second world war, and the world was shocked. Russia retaliated with an EMP nuclear missile, cutting all power in America and blotting out the sun for three days, as well as destroying Washington DC. It was largely this that led to test ban treaties, mostly regarding posthuman limitation and nuclear proliferation. However, the balance of power was shifting, America in something of a decline, while The Soviet Union was on the rise.

Increasingly, America was finding itself in debt and unable to produce enough, necessitating it sinking further in debt. Worse, the Soviet Union was going the other way with Red Son in charge, and it's borders were spreading, peacefully, mind, but surely and steadily.

The greatest under the Heaven's tournament is opened again, and this time won by Son Goku, after a tremendous fight with a being who claimed to be a reincarnated Demon King Piccolo, first vanquished in the Han dynasty. The being was vanquished, and Son Goku vanished with him, never to e heard from again.

Two groups, under the auspices of the Directory of Mainland Technology Development, attempted the same mission, faster then light travel. Both consisted of four people, a pilot, a scientist, and two assistants, and would be using the same type of ship, departing with in seconds of each other, to attempt the same result, the first foray into what was called 'the N-Zone', later renamed the Bleed. The results were nothing more then a quirk of fate, but while the group led by Reed Richards came to New Genesis and were bombarded by one wave of cosmic rays, the group headed Randall Dowling were bombarded by the same radiation, but ended up in a very different place.

It was what first drew the lord of Apokolips, God of Tyranny and king of the fourth world, Darkseids', gaze to earth, and when they returned, both found themselves with very different missions. It was also the moment of the first successful defection from The Soviet Union, in the form of Latveria, headed by Victor Von Doom. It was followed by Vorozheika, headed by the Eternal Druig, lord of nightmares.

Charles Xavier and Eric, now calling himself Magnetto (and abandoning human culture completely) finally part ways. Their split was far from pleasant, and Magnetto becomes something of a dark messiah, as well as engaging in acts of terrorism against the western world for mutant rights. The two would go on to find themselves at odds constantly.

Superheroes were appearing everywhere by this point. The Hulk's first rampage is stopped by a man who calls himself Superman, and soon becomes America's favorite son, given that he embodies the values and qualities that people had began to think were gone from the world. Decency, justice, truth, and doing the right thing. And in all the world's history, there was never another man his equal. He would go on to become one of the worlds most identifiable constants, and become an international figure of incredible acclaim.

Around the same time, Bendix went rogue. To match all the 'superheroes' he sets himself up as the opposite. Approaching Red Skull and Destro, a prominent arms dealer, funded by Lex Luthor, he began an army of his own, and Stormwatch found themselves in a fight beyond their capabilities. However, he is eventually stopped, though it's a near thing.

More Superheroes were appearing, and less want to have anything to do with any government at all. Themyscira appears in the greek archipelago, a remnant left by the Olympians when they favored the world with their residence, the entire island snapping into existence seemingly out of nowhere, and many of the previously neutral super-beings find themselves having been surpassed without their notice and no longer relevent. Princess Diana, or 'Wonder Woman' as she calls herself, is sent as an emissary, and is given a seat on the United Nations. At the same time, King Namor of Atlantis is officially recognized.

The global blocs are becoming increasingly tense, and Mutually Assured Destruction came into play, with the doomsday clock ticking closer and closer due to tensions rising. Red Son has annexed more of Europe, absorbing it into his growing state that stretches from china all the way to Germany. Meanwhile, America’s economy is struggling, with no real production and most of the manufacturing done in India, the national debt out of control, and quality of life is spiraling down, leading to a crime wave. Nixon, deciding that there is no other option, resolves to attempt to wipe out the Union before they can do the same to him, and prepares to press the red button.

Fortunately, he never does. A former hero, once part of the second Minutemen, Ozymandius now going by Adrian Veidt, foresaw this, and puts a plan he prepared for this eventuality into motion. Realizing that humanity had begun fixated on perceived differences, he realized he had to engineer an event that would make them look elsewhere. He had a complex plan that would cause a ceasefire, by engineering a cosmic threat and forcing mankind to band together. Initially, he planned to fake one, but then had a better idea, and using a complex signal actually brought one.

That night, within minutes of Nixon having come to his decision, a silver streak could be seen in the sky as the herald of Galactus came. An hour before the order to fire the nukes was given, Galactus came to Earth with the intention to devour it, sparing nobody. The embodiment of entropy had intended to devour the planet, but was stopped (by Reed Richards, Eljah Snow, and Superman), and, graciously admitting defeat, left after the promise to never devour the Earth. Dr Manhattan, suddenly forcibly shown that for all his power, he is still a long way from being as enlightened or powerful as he had always assumed he was, left Earth to explore the rest of the universe and learn more. Humanity, realizing how close destruction had come, agreed to a ceasefire, and for a while things looked good.

It was an illusion. It had turned everyones gaze outward, to look for an enemy amongst the stars instead, and so the Earth begins to become involved in galactic events, despite it’s desire to remain alone. S.W.O.R.D is formed, replacing the now long defunct MIB.

The first Kree-Skrull war flares up, with the alien officer Captain Pluskommander Geheneris Halason Mahr Vehl arriving and mankind finding themselves involved almost by default. However, the earth mannages to pass through the battles mostly unscathed. Due to the circumstances of their victory, however, the Skrulls come to see Earth as a holy site, and begin infiltration. Both superheroes, politicians, and people of a less tangible evidence are abducted and replaced with Skrulls assuming their identities (Elvis Presley among them). This would not come to head for some time.

Worse, the Kerubians, long allies of Earth (if for no other reason then convenience in their ongoing interstellar war) were wiped out almost completely by the Vitrulmites, along with several other worlds on friendly terms (Almerac, Tamaraan, Thanagaar) when they resist the warlike races expansion efforts, leaving the ones on Earth as the sole remaining survivors of the species. Majestic leaves earth with all the companions he could convince to join him and attempts to get revenge, returning a few months later, alone and badly beaten, his companions all killed. Fortunately, internal problems and administrating concerns slow the Empires expansion. Majestic, not appeased, makes a deal with several specialists on Earth, and creates the Legacy virus, that wipes out almost the entire population of his new enemies, and spreads too fast to be combated. In no time, the Vitrulmites are all but extinct as well.

Nick Fury in response to all this, formed his own team, 'The Avengers' as the American equivalent of 'The Winter Guard'. As it is formed, to the surprise and delight of everyone, Steve Rogers, 'Captain America' is pulled from the ocean, frozen solid, and successfully revived. He is placed in charge of the team. The team soon cuts ties with the government, and the independently wealthy members begin funding it.

China at last completes it’s own project, and announces ‘the great ten’. Led by a clone of Guan Yu, a man famed in his life for his fidelity, honor, nobility, and ability to rout an entire army by himself. As the nation was, at this point, a subsidiary of the Soviet Union, the team for the most part is of little importance, until the second revolution swept through China, and the nation declared it's independence.

Charles Xavier, Informal Leader of the World's mutant affairs, was assassinated. The killer was never found by the worlds authorities, however I can tell of an unrecognizable corpse is found, torn apart from inside, not long after. With his death, organized mutant rights plummet, and the brotherhood takes over as the primary agency working to further mutants. Mostly through terrorist actions. Many of the X-men default to The Brotherhood. But once more Earth's problems were miniscule besides the universe's own issues.

Thanos created the infinity gauntlet, and so achieved omnipotence. Fortunately, he did not destroy the universe in the end, as much due to his own flaws as due to the abilities of those in the universe to stop him, and was stopped, but not permenently. He returned shortly later, and began once more working towards his goals.

It was at this point that Japan completed the Knightmare and other 'mecha' giant robots with human pilots based on the principle of Decepticon technology mixed with several other concepts. Tony Stark worked as a correspondant, and at the time made several improvements to his own armor.

Black Adam’s first and greatest rampage began when his lover is killed. Having been ruling Kahndaq with an iron fist, he abandoned all he had achieved to find those responsible. He began at Latveria, smashes into Russia to battle the Winter Soldiers then Red Son himself, and after being halted then driven back deflected and veered into China, where he was forced out again, and left to devastate much of Europe, proving almost impossible to stop. Eventually he was brought down, at considerable cost, and the process of rebuilding began.

Barely a week later, The Authority was reformed by Jenny Sparks, and the world begins to take a darker tone. Gone are the old days, now the world seems perpetually at war with itself. The Authority, however, proved to be very much a decisive force in the world; while their success at protecting the Earth from various extranormal threats and international terrorists was unparalleled, their simultaneous use of lethal force and willingness to topple dictatorial regimes favored by one power bloc or another kept tension high. However, for the first time in forty years, the US is matching The Soviet Union. By the turn of the millennium, America is more unstable then ever before, going through no less then four presidents in a year ( was impeached, the next two were assassinated, the first by the renegade superhero group the seven guns, the second by )

The Skrull Secret Invasion came to head, over the course of which many Skrull infiltrators are identified and dealt with. The Skrulls had been undertaking a long-term, well-planned subversive infiltration since the war, and they are finally ready to move. They are eventually dealt with, by Norman Osborne of all people, although it was a near thing.

Humanity was invited to join the coalition of planets by Thaedus, the founder and ruler of the group, and after a summit meeting humanity agrees. It's a period of development, and once more we make great leaps and bounds in terms of progress.

Unfortunately, this was also a time of galactic unrest, as the Sinestro corps war began, as the mad lantern rallied himself an army of the most fearsome beings in the galaxy and declared war on the peace-keepers in the name of law and order. The war ended with the matter undecided, and thousands dead on both sides. All was going according to his plan.

Hawksmoor and Magnetto cut a deal, and mutants are finally given the recognition and status that satisfies him. In exchange, he goes legitimate. Eric Lensherr actually goes on to become a senator, proving that there is no such thing as bad publicity.

And then, all of a sudden, The Authority are taken out of operation one by one by a shadowy self-proclaimed terrorist who goes by the name 'V', who is never identified, found, or even satisfactorily established as dead or alive. Never giving them a chance to strike back he immobilizes them through a series of perfectly taken care of incidents, taking out most of the administration who supported them in the process with assassinations and blackmail. Eventually, Hawksmoor is forced into a corner, with the only way out being to stand down, and restore democracy to America, with free elections.

Lex Luthor is elected president by a landslide. He dismisses Fury from Office, and makes Norman Osborne secretary for defense and head of SHIELD. Not because he trusts him, simply because it provides him with the perfect fall guy for the more morally questionable policies his administration undertakes. Leaning hard on congress and the senate he continues the economic reforms the Authority had begun, revolutionizing several industries and rebooting the economy. However, his primary motivation was simply forcing Superman into a situation he couldn't effectively fight back. Secretly, he begins the Mankind Liberation Front, an alliance with several other powerful figures, with the intention of removing the Mutant gene, 'foreign articles' from the genepool, and otherwise eliminate all metahumans and aliens. He was, however, perfectly willing to use metahumans as pawns in order to do this.

I am the Watcher, and I have seen more then any other being can claim. All that has happened, every molecular event, happened with an observer. And now, you know enough to make sense of the dark days to come...

Tomorrow, we have Dramatis personæ, a brief introduction to the other organizations at work, and of course, letting people claim their own part of the long and bloody tale that will soon unfold...

It's all a bit rough, if someone wants to pretty it up, they're quite welcome to.

[darkblade]

Just to make sure, Stocking was working for Nicodemus, right? Its obviously been a while, and my details are a bit rusty.

Not Nicodemus, Atticus Murphy Jr. from Todd and the Book of Pure Evil. Basically think Nicodemus but instead of having denarians he has the Book of Pure Evil (a blatant Necronomicon Ex Mortis expy) and is much less competent.

[Colesign]

Interesting World-Melding, Draxx. This...this epitomises what's best about series like Planetary and League of Extraordinary Gentleman...taking the collective body of adventure-themed fiction for the past few centuries, and turning it into a grand world history.

I'd totally be cool with helping out with the world-building (the guilty pleasure of fantasy and sci-fi): I just got back from summer school in China, and have a lot of time off, so I've got the hours to do some lovely leisure writing.

The fictional interludes I've been publishing here so far have dealt with Richard Seaton, the great grandaddy of space opera heroes, and his life and times as a defender of the Dark Tower.

I've been fascinated by his character, I suppose for several reasons. I wanted to give him some depth (and a story arc of a descent into Captain Ahab-ness) that he lacked in the 'Skylark' series. I like the brass-plated aesthetic of the original pulp space opera epics he inspired, especially when juxtaposed with other settings and styles, and I'm currently leaning toward sci-fi on my seasonal swing between SF and F. Seaton's the most science fictionish of the Last Order, and thus the go-to guy for examining the melded-continuity on the galactic scale.

In the main Shatterworld (the Space Game being an alternate continuity now), given our huge confluence of different settings, there are a large assortment of Galactic Empires in our galaxy alone, all of them poised to run over everything...and that's not even counting the various alien locust hordes, aggressive cyborg assimilator creatures, and long forgotten superweapons/sentient cuttlefish spaceships of doom.

I figure that there are heroes and alliances keeping at least some of these factions in check. Seaton's part of it, and there are certainly others...Lantern Corps, federations, traveling doctors, people named Shepherd...but what goes on behind the scenes? What do people to do keep the bad guys in check on the galactic scale?

That's the sort of thing I'd like to explore in more detail.

[Draxx]

Well, I was planning on their being an intergalactic war between everyone else and the Empire of Tears. They've been reduced to a joke since after the Silver Age, I'm afraid, but I plan on ignoring that, and giving them back their respect. I'm a real Silver Age fanboy, so despite the harsh end, it will be closer to SIlver Age then anything else.

I also want to put in a lot of the B-listers, because I think it's a shame they often get ignored these days.

[Corvond]

Took a few liberties with history there. My assumption is that in this hypothetical world, it's really still in the age of colonialism, and that dynasties were successful (while in ours, committees were successful). Certain things still happened a similar way, (I assume that rather then rising tensions leading to WW1, instead the royal families grew closer together, and eventually united with some well-placed maneuvering), and that the major source of conflict is Europe holding the rest of the world in a strangle-hold.

Feel free to have Souske shot down, and his request ignored.

[Colesign]

The Empire of Tears...

[Googlegooglgooglegoogle...]

Nice. An intergalactic empire built on Sorcery, instead of super-science. You could canon-weld a whole bunch of different continuities onto that. The Carrionites from Doctor Who leap to mind (actually, a whole bunch of Doctor Who Monsters could fit into that...), a lot of Doctor Strange's nemeses, certain eldritch creatures, etc.

Any way I can help, just say.

[Draxx]

Essentially, they're what Blackest Night should have been about. Anyway, I've got all sort of stories to tell, because there are such a lot of characters that deserve that dignity. So my plan was to let anyone take any character that they particularly like, and tell their story.
An end, but one worthy of remembrance.

Chapter 1, Fall of Shatterworld
Enemy at the Gates

Spoiler

Show

The building was in the mountains, Switzerland, where the air was cold and crisp and clear and the ice never melted, and was the most exclusive hotel in the world.

The chamber was illuminated in dramatic pools of flickering gaslight. A long table was surrounded b sumptuous leather chairs, though nobody sat at them. The furnishings were all deep crimson and burgundy, everything from the thick curtains on the wall to the Persian rug on the floor.

And inside the room, they stood about, chatting amiably enough, though there was an undercurrent of tension. Some doffed hats, some lit cigars and muttered, impatient with the proceedings, while others stood quietly apart, keeping their thoughts to themselves.

Moriarty sat alone at the table, resting at the head in a padded leather chair, his long fingers laced together. He was tall and stooped, his hair thinning at the temples, cheeks sunken and skin sallow as only a man who lives indoors can be, with a yellow cigarette stain between his first and second fingers. He wore a dusty (no, chalky) frock coat, red picked out on the inside giving him an operatic flair, and as if to complete the image a tophat and a monocle screwed over his right eye on a fine chain. He had a queer unhealthy light about him, not in himself, but for everybody else. "Gentlemen, I bid you welcome." He addressed those he had, at great personal difficulty, assembled here. "You know why I invited you all. All of us have traveled a considerable distance, at no small expense to our continuing interests, to neutral territory." He said, his voice a soft, metallic rasp. "To me, this betokens the seriousness of which you take this matter. Most of you are familiar with each other, but some are new to this rarely convened circle, so if you will humor me I shall not make introductions."

His eyes caught the others. Cobra eyes, as they say, large and clear and cold, grey and fascinating. "Some of us prefer titles to names, but both are precious. So let us all remain anonymous. As no doubt you shall agree, sir."

Fantômas had the poise and manner of a dark-eyed renaissance prince. A cold wisp of a man, slope shouldered and wiry, with a brooding, melancholic almost sullen cast to his patricians features that spoke of melodrama. He wore a black coat with tails, and dark gloves, with long boots and a cane completing the picture of a gentleman of leisure. He nodded at the attention, his features carefully blank, but didn't say a word.

"We are the greatest criminal minds of the nineteenth century." Moriarty said, in the dry, clipped tones he lectured in." Despite being one of the wealthiest men in Europe, he maintained a scholastic position in cambridge that did little but distract him from his preferred vocation, and here, he took on something of the lecturer. "And yet, like the century, our days are numbered."

Nobody replied, voicing outrage, or interjecting their disagreement, nor did they offer encouragment. They simply watched him. "We draw to the end of the golden age of our field of endeavor. Who has their been to oppose us, but ourselves? No police force assembled has been more then a momentary inconvenience, easy to thwart and easier still to suborn. But it will not last."

His eyes flickered over them all again, this time more thoughtfully. "Already, men - and a few women, of intellect, resource, wealth and character are rising to the challenge, not because they are supposed to, but because they must. We all know the species of law-breaker who steals or murders or violates because he has not the strength of mind to resist the urge..." His gaze flickered over Fantômas again, then went elsewhere, point made.

"Such impulses likewise exist in the minds of our enemies. They have an instinct, a compulsion, to bring us down. At present, it's easy to be rid of the stray honest persecutor or police inspector. There is no shortage of more pliable public officials to thwart their efforts without our intervention. But crime-fighting is about to change. What will happen when the civilized countries adopt to devote as much to their police forces as their military? When the sort of man whom once sought glory and fame discovering the source of the Nile or pacifying the dark continent sets out not to become a soldier or a explorer, but a detective? When modern science is turned against us? Because the detective of the future shall be a thinking machine, as cold and effective as any of us, with capabilities to match."

Like something forgotten in the depths of a cold pool, Fantômas stirred. He stared at the mathematics professor a moment, thoughtful, then spoke, his voice without accent or inflection. "Fear-mongering. And no doubt you have the solution?"

Moriarty hissed. "Be silent and listen."

"I agree." Si-Fan said, his voice as cold and proud as a duke of hell. The Dragon, The Lord of Strange Deaths, The Mandarin, or the pseudonym he had studied under long ago, Dr Fu Manchu. Si-Fan was the name he was born with, but few had the courage to speak it. Some secrets were dangerous. He was tall, lean and feline, high-shouldered, strong, intelligent and handsome, in a sharp and forbidding way, with a wide, noble forehead, a pointed chin and deepset eyes. He favored long, whispy mustaches that fell almost to his chest, and his long hair was soft as foam, falling all the way down to the small of his back. Each of his fingers was capped with a golden nail, sharp as a razor, and he wore white. "You have no facts, no observations, nothing substantial. Just wild speculation." His english was very good.

"Then you are both ignoring the writing on the wall." Jack Quartz said, inclining his head in respect to the man at the head of the table, whom they called the 'Napoleon of Crime'. Quartz was so gaunt that the shadows turned him into a skeleton. His head seemed overly large for his thick neck, his brow heavy and solid. "As my esteemed colleague suggests, we must pay attention to developments in detection, and must not underestimate the scientific method. Moreover, we must not ignore the quality you do not seem to fully appreciate yourself, Moriarty. Altruism. Idealism. To hold such things as a mere compulsion is to underestimate them dangerously. Heroism is not susceptible to mathematics. It is not a condition to be cured, like a fever. No, like all faiths, it is mysterious and strong. I daresay we shall have to get used to it."

Moriarty just looked blank. Fantômas looked bored, and impatient, and Si-Fan was inscrutable. wearing an air that this was all a novelty he had condescended to watch, but was losing interest in.

Moriarty resumed his tangent smoothly, taking back control of the conversation. He had no notes, but he never did, he never needed to show working out. It was all there in his head. By the same token, he never used his pocket watch. He set the schedule, and everything went as he stated, or their was trouble.

"At the highest end of our calling, most of us are scientists, in one form or another." That was true enough. Si-Fan got his degree in Edinburg, and most of the rest had a string of letters to put before their name, recognized as the kings of their respective fields. "Unencumbered by ethics, or bugbear morality, science has shown us the way. Advances in economics, in medicine, engineering, transport, communications, it has all contributed. We have built upon the achievements of our ancestors, where once a doctor Syn had a smuggling ring, we have armies, businesses and fleets."

"Si-Fan, you are more truly an emperor than your ancestors who styled themselves as such." The dragon's eyes flashed at the use of his name, and his fingers twitched, as though suppressing the urge to strangle the man, but Moriarty ignored him. "Lupin, there is not a challenge in existence worthy of your talents, and wherever english is spoken, I tithe two pennies from every shilling taken. We all have our accomplishments and successes. But we could do better. And to do that, we must find common cause."

"With you as the chairman, I suppose." Slim and self-assured, his cigarette holder angled jauntily upwards, it was the fist time Lupin had spoken.

"Who else?" Moriarty replied, meeting the challenge with his own. "For an age, we have thrived, because the world was divided between those of who were afraid of us, and those who did not believe in us. We cannot rely on this persisting. We will stay in the shadows. Name a famous criminal, and you name someone who got caught. And when the light shines on us, we shall remain invisible. Because they are coming. Agencies are being constructed in all our countries. Detectives, adventurers, superior policemen, prosecutors. Men with unique abilities. Men who wear badges, and men who wear masks, men who will be - I do not exaggerate - a match for us. Some will rise for abstract notions of justice, some to protect the downtrodden, some to seek revenge. The most dangerous will be dispassionate thinkers, for whom solving a mystery will be reward enough. We have all been setting puzzles which are to the scientific investigator what a peak is to a mountaineer."

"Moriarty, do you think the barbarians are at our gates? Is there nothing to be done?" The Gambler Dr Mabuse was high-cheekboned and thoughtful. His hair was white, streaked with oddly virile slashes of iron grey, swept back from his high, waxy forehead. He was smiling, in a way that was slightly disquieting. A barracuda might smile like that. The eyes were wide-set, and seemed to be expanding, growing until they were dark pits you could fall into. Or at least, that's how he looked today. Tomorrow, who knew who he would be?

"We have to strike now." He said, getting to his feet as a strange passion overtook him. "We must find these heroes in their cribs and strangle them or beat their brains out before they can ever come to be. Kill their parents, their assistants, their comrades, their sympathizers in the police or the media. They must never come to be. So you understand?"

The next chapter will take place fifty years later, in the Headquarters of Spectre. Anyone have any characters they'd like included? Do speak up, I need all the help I can get.

[Cracklord]

So we're dividing it, are we? Then dibs on the Wilson Duo (possibly trio, if Ravager goes evil again), The Phantom, Power Girl and Atlee (YES!) and Rex the Wonder Dog. And any villains you want.

[Draxx]

Sure thing. Rex, Atlee, Phantom and Power Girl are all part of the Justice Society, and The Deathstrike clan (Mortal Combat reference) are hired by Luthor as enforcers, and sent to catch Wolverine (both have a history in Weapon X, afterall) to begin taking down what's left of the X-Men, one at a time.

[Colesign]

...very beautiful. Really, really beautiful and compelling, Draxx.

What stories may come from this, I'm eager to see...

My latest fictional excerpt is done, but I'm going to wait a bit further before deploying it.

I'm still very much invested in sci-fi at the moment, but still want to get away from E.E. Doc Smith's continuity...

...but I just had a thought. With your permission, Draxx, I'd like to tell the stories of the truly early space travelers, the mad scientists and half-brained stuntmen and crazed visionaries who traveled into space before the world was ready for such things, men who were traveling to the moons of Saturn and cavorting with green-skinned, tentacled ray-gun toting aliens long before Apollo was a twinkle in Von Braun's eye...

...and I'd like to figure out what happened to them all and their impossible rocketships. What happened to Han Zarkov and his crafts, or Thomas Edison's fleet of electric spaceships? What became of the Rocketship XM, or the moon-voyaging Cavorite sphere? Whatever happened to Barbicane and the Gun Club, and what became of their marvelous Columbiad?

...the answer I hope to give is both that some evil folks had it out for them, and that they reached too far in their leap towards the stars, with tragic results: I'd be drawing from some of Warren Ellis's 'Ignition City' and bits of Planetary, as well as plenty of early space travel fiction.

In the history of Shatterworld, the Cold War nations eventually forged the road into space with Apollo-style chemical stage rockets, or NERVA style rockets like the one designed by the hard of hearing Professor Calculus.

I hope to write some pieces about the secret history of space travel that came before...

...and perhaps just 'why' the other planets of the solar system are so devoid of notable alien life.

[Draxx]

That sounds absolutely awesome. Please, go for it, and with a will. Shatterworld is mostly comic books, so keep that in mind, but obviously there is room for whatever you want to happen. Though I don't know how I'll fit it all in...

Mars should be fun, at the very least you've got 'The War of the Worlds', 'Barsoom', 'Out of the Silent Planet', and the martians from D.C comics. And from all that, you've only got one survivor. And the Moon, you got 'True History of Lucian', 'The First Men in the Moon', '2001: A Space Odyssey', and 'Amazon Women on the Moon', and you got no survivors. So presumably, something bad happened.
If anyone else wants to do a spinoff, World War II sounds good.

I just read over my first chapter, and I realized something else I missed in my Victorian England opening. All of them, one way or another, are in it for the money. Unlike those to come.
See, this is why I shouldn't write. I'm never happy with it, or even willing to leave it as it is, and keep tinkering with what I put down. Anyway, the next chapter is shorter.

[darkblade]

When this game ends I might try my hand at doing a bit on Molly's invasion of Britain and UNIT/Torchwood/SIS/STRIKE/MI-5, 6 and 13's attempts to stop her.

[Draxx]

Gorgeous. I figure that most of the A-list organizations are in the ground by then, but we'll see.

[Cracklord]

And now, some pedantry.

The content is good, but the research needs work. For one thing, the dates don't match up. Drummond is set before World War II, Doc Savage is 40's-50's, and Hannibal is late 60's-early 70's. Of course, James Bond fits in anywhere you want him, because he's awesome like that, but regardless, the dates need refining, as Hannibal would be a teenager, and Drummond would be past retirement.

Either set it earlier, swap James Bond with The Shadow (who knows what evil lurks within the hearts of men?), as that would only help change the focus a little, swap James Bond with another pulp hero, and swap Hannibal Lecter, or set it later, and get rid of Drummond and Savage.

[Draxx]

There. All at the right time, all comic book noir, all fixed. Hannibal Lecter and James Bond can come next.

Already Burning

Spoiler

Show

"The American secret service is rather less effective then I assumed. To think they would be forced to resort to freelancers." The woman was one of a kind, wearing a floor-length gown but still looking completely naked, her rich dark hair falling smooth to her shoulders in lustrous waves, and an air of casual contempt. She lit a cigarette, so calm it was obviously staged, and blew a ring of smoke.

Miss Silken Floss was a master at playing such a roll.

"Cut the act." Came the curt, metallic rasp, and the shadow man detached himself from the wall he had insolently propped himself against and glided closer, eyes staring through her shell and into her soul. The Shadow was tall, and spare, dressed in a long dark coat, with a hat shadowing his face and a red bandanna as the only splash of color to be seen. He needed no introduction. He was the man who all the criminals who made Gotham their home had come to fear more then the icy touch of death itself.

Doc Savage glared at him, then shook his head slightly, and returned his attention to their captive. He stared for a moment, then pointedly reached over and took the cigarette out from between her lips and flicked it away. "I'd prefer it if you didn't smoke." He said, with a tight, controlled smile. "Believe it or not, it's bad for the lungs."

Savage was bronze-haired, bronze-skinned, and well built, his face an easy testament to stark male beauty. He was dressed comfortably and practically in a khaki shirt and cargo pants, with 'Fair-Play' written on a patch on his chest where a military man might display his medals. When she didn't react, he folded his arms across his chest, and leaned back thoughtfully.

"To answer the question you're not actually saying, madame, yes, we're not part of any institution. But we're all glad to do our part here, thank you very much, and of our own violation, if that's any concern. Now I'm being honest with you, so why don't you be honest with me?"

She laughed, throwing back her head , then shook her head. "Perhaps you don't respect me, but don't insult me, mister Savage. I know what kind of man you are, and I know what your kind of man wants. What they always want. What are you afraid of, to show you're afraid?"

"You won't talk then?"

"I have nothing to say to you, you tiresome little man."

"Then I suppose you won't confirm it. We already know about the opium smuggling from Egypt to India, and then to Shanghai.And we know about the human trafficking as well from Africa to be used as cheep labor over here. We even know how you're laundering all the profits." Savage replied, with a small smile. "Slaves and drugs, all to push for a monopoly of trade in the orient. And you have the nerve to play the victim." Disgust crept into his voice.

The Shadow let out a growling sound, and his hand crept towards the butt of his revolver, as though barely suppressing a desire to put one between her eyes. But she only smirked languorously, and clapped her hands twice. "Well done, sir. And yet all you have are small potatoes. The corner of a bigger picture then you can imagine. So you'll get Marquis di Gorgonzola, but you've just got one of many financiers. There are others. There are always others. This is bigger then little men with little dreams like you could ever imagine."

"So you do know more then you are saying." The Shadow hissed, then pushed back his hat. His eyes were dark and mesmerizing, and she found herself drawn into them. "Tell me. Or do you just want us chasing ghosts?"

"Chase them, but you'll never find anything. We know about mister Britt Reid infiltrating us. How could we not? We're simply using him to dispose of a man with ambitions beyond his competence. " She smiled. "I suppose I'm expendable as well, but you have to understand that what you can threaten me with is nothing more then a passing discomfort. If I say more then is wise, I'll have an accident."

"So I guess we've got nothing else to say."

[Colesign]

That sounds absolutely awesome. Please, go for it, and with a will. Shatterworld is mostly comic books, so keep that in mind, but obviously there is room for whatever you want to happen. Though I don't know how I'll fit it all in...

Mars should be fun, at the very least you've got 'The War of the Worlds', 'Barsoom', 'Out of the Silent Planet', and the martians from D.C comics. And from all that, you've only got one survivor. And the Moon, you got 'True History of Lucian', 'The First Men in the Moon', '2001: A Space Odyssey', and 'Amazon Women on the Moon', and you got no survivors. So presumably, something bad happened.

Don't forget the Radar Men from the Moon!

...but furthermore, I think I've begun to figure out just 'what' exactly happened...both to the early space explorers, and to the planetary civilizations that met a messy, messy end. Both what happened, and who is behind it.

Furthermore, I hope to tackle an additional paradox: Shatterworld's space programs and technologies are limited (even though the world's much friendlier toward atomic rocket than ours) and nowhere near prioritized enough to create a true spacefaring civilization.

And yet it's been hit by so many alien invasions that it's ridiculous. For that matter, it's been hit by nothing but a specific kind of alien invasion, the kind with aliens that, whether through technological deficiencies or psychological blind spots, still stand a chance of being defeated by Earth's current tech level.

Why hasn't the alien booty from all of these failed conquests kick-started expansion into space?

There's certain parties to blame. Torchwood and UNIT and MIB. The machinations of the Four. William Proxmire.

But who created this situation? An earth that willfully lacks true spaceflight, and yet an earth constantly beset by alien invasions that it manages to triumph over.

Who's behind this?

...I think I can supply some hints.

[Cracklord]

And the mi-go.

I figured it was because we lacked the means. It's one thing to posses the theory, another to posses the technology, yet another to put it into widespread production, and an entirely different animal to actually apply it species wide.

Besides, galactic empires don't last long, thanks to beings like C'thulhu. When their neighbors get too rowdy, they start to get restless, so to speak. Not to mention that in this universe evolution will eventually let your species be able to crush moons with your bare hands, if the more impressive superhero specimens are anything to go by, and you have a pretty good reason again.

[industrious]

Hi guys.

Sorry about the dearth of posts.

To be honest...writing Stephanie and Cass is hard. Like, really hard. And them not getting anything from DC (plus all the stuff DC is doing right now) makes it harder.

I don't really know if I can do them justice right now.