THE PANDORA PROJECT, A FUZION SUPERHERO PBEM PRELUDE - Fair Game (Harborview CN, USA. After-hours.) Neon lights against the darkening sky, red, white, green. Immense and imposing in the gathering gloom, the amusement rides tower above the crowd. They cast no shadow. On the dirty asphalt of the fair ground, they ARE the light. Like humble supplicant's the game stands and greasy spoons worship at their feet, lighted by a web of smaller lamps, mere crumbs from the steel gods. Further away, the small shops lining the outside of the fair are mostly closed. The mounds of T-shirts, comic books and souvenirs trapped in their lightless confines. Padlocks protect them for the midnight darkness of the bay, surrounding the fair on all but one side. One wonders if the locks would be enough without the Main Avenue's wooden planks clearly marking the boundary between rocky shore and inky abyss... [SONICMAN'S INTRO] Ray Stalker is there, afraid to be recognised or seen. Maybe it's his long years of covert missions and training that are making him uncomfortable, even agoraphobic. But the refreshing Fair music, the happy people and their children tended to confort him. He's there to watch the "Man who Catches Bullets" exhibition. It's a short teaser show that the Janey Circus is doing to promote tomorrow's main representation. Can there possibly be a man as fast him? Naw it's got to be a fake. Anyway he's gonna find out real soon: the show starts in an hour. While waiting for it to begin, Ray wanders around, looking at the attractions but staying alert and suspicious. Why, he doesn't really know. Habit, no doubt, though there appears to be little worth the worry in this place. The game stands in this section of the fair are all pretty commonplace, ball in an aquarium, dart tossing, water guns; all of them lighted from above by the lights of the Ferris Wheel. There's plenty of time left before the demonstration begins, so he decides to stop and spend 5 bucks at the dart throwing stand thinking it could be fun to win a giant poodle. Ray is about to pay the guy at the boot when the din of players is shredded by the wail of a little boy, crying and stomping his feet in front of a stand. He waves at the guy to wait a minute and starts to move towards the child to see if anything is wrong. The more Ray approaches, the louder the boy's cries. 'Some sort of proximity detector ?' he wonders. The child's head comes to somewhere below his waist so he must be what- five, ten ? It's been a while since he had to deal with kids... "What's the matter, sport ? Anything I can help you with ?" The child swallows another wail and blinks up the stranger's imposing frame, teary-eyed. Still gulping, he says, "I, I'm bored... Mommy's always busy." Getting more confident as he talks, "I want to play. I want a toy to play ! I want it nowOwOw !" He starts swinging his arms front to back, rocking his whole frame. He looks about ready to start wailing again too. Out of the corner of his eyes, Ray spots a woman at a stand across the way. She has the same dirty blond hair as the boy. At first she looked worried, but now only casts occasional glances at the two of you. Seeing his look, she smiles a smile of resignation before returning to her customers. To the boy, "Now, now. Enough of that. Strong boys shouldn't throw tantrums." A small smile breaks Ray's semi-serious facade, "Still, it's been a while since I played... What do you say we give it a go together ?" To the kid's enthusiastic nodding, Ray turns to the nearby stand. It too is a dart throwing event, though a bit more complicated. There's three games spread out on the back board: balloons, a moving target and a precision event where players must spell "Winner". "I'll go for the giant poodle." announces Ray to the stand manager, a lanky teenager with arms too long for his body. "No." The child has jumped up and is tugging at Ray's sleeve with insistence. "No. The boat ! I want the boat !" His eyes shine as he points to a boat constructed in what appears to be a clear Magnum of champagne (at least the size is about right). "Ok, Lets try the boat!" Ray hands over 5 buck to the teenager, telling him they want to play the balloons game first. The attendant hands him the darts and the game is on! Ray helps the kid as best he can, giving advice and placing his tiny hand to target the balloons at best. The darts start flying. At first only the child's, then, as he gets better, he and Ray start alternating, trying to outdo one another. The lanky teenager looks on, tacitly agreeing with this new "doubles" version of the game... and why would he object ? The fivers have been crossing his palm at a brisk pace. Certainly more than enough to cover the cost of the coveted boat many times over. <:)> Balloons pop, then moving hearts and bunny rabbits get skewered with more or less accuracy. With a wild cry, the last dart sails through the air, launched from the kid's hands. Both players look on with wide eyes and clenched fists. The dart seems to float slowly towards the final letter, the small R spelling WINNER. "Thunk."... "We have a winner !" announces the attendant as he rings the winning bell and the kids goes wild, slapping the counter and jumping up to grab Ray. He quiets down suddenly: the teenager is bringing the boat ! Reverently, he lays it into the kid's arms. There is a moment of silence, shinning eyes lavishing the boat with childish admiration (it looks cheaply made to Ray, but what does he know ?). Then he rushes across, holding the boat aloft. "Mommy, mommy ! I won ! Look what I won unh !" A tall figure hurrying the other way collides with the kid, sending him to the ground. He looks up, horrified: the glass-bottled boat is coming down towards the asphalt ! Ray, surprised by the roughness of the stranger, immediatly rushes to catch the falling boat. 'Superspeed would come in handy right about now.' he thinks as he dives for it. The bottle bounces on his outstreched hands, trying to get free like a living thing. But reflexes honed by plasma wave induction cannot be so easely defeated : Ray's left hand shoots out an grips the bottle by the throat ! The prize safely in hand, Ray Stalker kneels by the boy, checks to see if he's ok (just a scrapped elbow apparently) then looks angrily after the one who so casualy threw him down. "He ripped it !" says the heavily muscled woman (rather tall too). She and her diminutive companion have stopped a few meters away from the collision. "That brat ripped it !" She waves the blue sleeve of a very tight-fitting plastic coat with matching gloves... and pants. "I'll burn him to cinders, the little..." The short, pudgy man at her side tugs her back. "I'll just fix it good as new. Don't make a scene, Nap-" "MY NAME IS NOT NAPALM ! I'm..." She looks very confused all of a sudden. "Yeah, yeah. I'm not Bubbles either. Now come before the cops find-" "There they are !" cries a voice from back in the crowd. Liquid drips from the rip in Napalm's sleeve, burning itself to nothing before it even touches the ground... Ray, fearing the consequences of the imminent confrontation, takes the boy in his arms and jumps behind the nearest stand. "Stay here, I'll get help." Quickly, he turns the corner but, instead of continuying along the aley, he doubles back around the far side of the stand towards the developing confrontation. Still running, his thumb presses on the special plate on what appears to be a tank green thermos. The "thermos" explodes into a myriad of thin metalic bands which wrap themselves around the running form with unbeleivable speed and accuracy. In a fraction of a second, Ray Stalker is gone. In his place runs Sonicman ! To Ray, it feels like he lives once more. His body is light - No - crackling electricity, dancing at the speed of thought. He can do anything, run for days and not be winded, overcome all obstacles in his path... He knows such confidence is fleeting, a by-product of the process which took down more than its share of his fellows... Still, he smiles nonetheless. In a flash, he stands behind the two perpetrators. Stricking a dramatic pose, he shouts : "WHO ARE YOU TO TROUBLE THE PEACE OF THIS FAIR !!!" All turn towards him, the tall dark-haired woman, the diminutive dwarf at her side, even the very young policeman pointing a trembling gun at the two. They turn and they see... Insert a dramatic description of Sonicman here, please. "Oh shit." The small man takes one look at Ray's superhero get-up before turning 90 degrees and high-tailing it out of there. His short legs pump madly as he makes a break for the croud, "You're on your own Nap." The tall woman is not listening. She's actualy... growling! The stange form-fitting outfit she's wearing is peeling and popping, like film under an intense heat. "I WON'T GO BACK !" she yells madly and erupts into a tower of flames! (Sonicman is blasted back several meters by a wall of burning air.) "YOU WON'T TAKE ME THERE EVER AGAIN !" 'What a blast!!' thinks SonicMan while being blown away. He rolls with praticed grace, springing back up facing the fiery woman. "Sorry Miss, but you've just won a trip straight back to where-ever you came from." The green and silver hero takes off, kicking dirt behind him like a race bike, and starts running furiously around the mysterious lady, his awesome speed shaping a whirling column of air to contain the flames. They don't go easily. They sputter and spit, small drops of flame raining down on our hero and on the croud, increasing its panick. "NO ! I'm not going back !" A ball of fire shoots out from the shrinking column, missing Sonicman and splashing on the ground, still burning... Which is more than can be said for the fiery pillar. It finaly dies down to nothing, revealing the woman inside : she is coated in watery flames, dripping and flowing, twisting her features into a demonic, translucent mask. "You will BURN ! Ashes, ashes can't do ANYTHING !" Napalm whirls and releases another ball, intending to take the still spinning hero by surprise. Sonicman slows down just a bit, letting the ball pass mere inches from his chest. But the ball doesn't stop, it sails above the stands and impacts the support strut of the ferris wheel three-quarters of the way up... where it begins to melt its way through ! SonicMan is dazzled by the fiery power of this b@#$h!!, wondering how he could possibly stop her. The indirect approach perhaps. Jetting away, SonicMan screetches to a halt near a big metal trashcan. A roundhouse kick propels it into the air, scattering its content on the ground. The superspeedy hero catches it on its way down and then charges the Napalm lady head on! "Stop running away and Burrrrn ! Coward." Chunks of fire rain down on the weaving hero, the biggest blob impacting the can with a resounding clang. If it hadn't been there... Sonicman leaps up and to the side, swinging the unwieldy (and now flaming)trashcan, aiming it for his oponent's head and an early knockout. glancing blow to her shoulder as she dodges and turns, her hand gliding accross his back in a caress that leaves second degree burns ! (Thankfully, only a little of her fire actually touched you so you're not burning, just burned.) Clutching his slowly melting weapon, waiting for his enhanced metabolism to repair the damage, Sonicman is treated to a strange sight indeed. The forgotten policeman has gained a second shadow, a man of darkness with glowing eyes. This newcomer knocks the policeman down with one blow and starts advancing towards the two of you! [SHADOWMAN'S INTRO] Peter Douglas stands outside the gates of the fair grounds, waiting. The crowd is starting to thin at this hour, the air smells of old sun, dust and potatoes; murmurs of conversation are often covered by the enthusiastic cries of nearby ride-goers, getting their last thrills before closing. Peter holds a note in his hand, reading it to himself over and over, trying to figure out who sent him this strange message : "If you help me, I will help you in your quest! Wait for me at midnight, by the front gate of the fair ground. Signed: Sarah". Who is this Sarah and how will he recognise her ? It could be a trap but he needs some information: it's been more than a month since he lost track of the Fire Eagle gang. So Peter stands and waits, wary of what will come (He's already spotted a shadow between the small shops lining the outside of the fair. Just in case !). People exit, the rise and fall of their conversations flowing around him, mingling with the sound of boats in the distance. No-one approaches him, only faceless strangers all around... One of which appears to be waiting for something as well. Tension is thick about this one. Deep brown eyes dart commandingly about, watching beneath the border of a shapeless gray hat. A gust of wind from the bay plasters his equally gray trenchcoat against him, outlining a bulge on his hip. Though he would keep it hidden, he's been running recently... *A gun! What if this man is searching for Sarah too ? He doesn't look like he has anything nice in mind for her.* Worrying about the situation Peter decides to move to a more secure spot: the shadow of course. He walks as normally as possible, trying not to be noticed by the man. Though he feels the stranger's gaze pass over him, it glides away without apparent notice or alarm: you are not who he seeks. From the shadow, the tall stranger looks much the same. Tiny details jump out at Peter, black polish on his shoes, pleats of his blue pants peeking from below his trenchcoat and the freshly shaved gleam on his squarish jaw... Then a sideways glance and a small gesture before returning to his searching. A signal ? The man seems not to be interest in him... What to do now ? Feeling more comfortable under the protection of the shadow, Peter decides not to move. He waits for further development, thinking again about the mysterious Sarah and her note. In the light, it quickly becomes apparent that the man is not alone: Peter spots at least three others in similar dress scattered about the concrete plain of the gate. After a good moment, a well rounded man trots up to the taller one and speaks in serious tone. From his expression, square jaw is not pleased by what he hears. There might even be some cursing... Fortunetly for little children's ears, he is interupted by a loud wooshing sound as the entire scene is lighted by a fiery light. A column of... flames has erupted in the middle of the fair grounds! "What the...?" He extracts a radio from his coat pocket and proceeds to ask what appear to be very unkind questions. "Track. Track ! NO CONTACT you ! Never mind, we'll handle it !" The radio shatters at his feet as he and his men take off running. "Get those ESWAT clowns here on the double, Simons !" He yells back at the fat man, "If one of my guys goes down because of them, I'll have their hides and eat it in front of their wives ! You tell them that !" As he bounds over the gates, his trenchcoat opens wide, revealing a police uniform, complete with captain insignia... 'Cops! I'm a lucky man. I have to hurry to the fire, with them it's sure that trouble is ahead.' Peter Douglas's eyes seem to open on a pit of swirling energy, as do the captain's... In the policeman's mind, columns of flames erupt in places where there are none. "The battle's moving. After them !" He turns sharply and leads his men away, firing orders into a newly acquired radio. A faint "But captain..." is the last Peter hears of them. With a wave of his hand, the shadows darken and cover his mortal body, cloaking him in the loose black coat of their living forms, making him one of their own. The face of the man of shadows is very diferent from that of Peter Douglas. Very ugly even concealed under a purple scarf. Above that face, bright, evil eyes glow orange from some internal fire, contrasting sharply with his long locks of black hair... The Shadowman runs in the direction of the explosion, attracting puzzled looks and a few startled yelps. He runs... until he meets the first wave of panicked fair goers. Like a wall of flesh, they push him back, eager to get away. In the air is the smell of fear and smoke. The dark man lets the croud push him back but steers himself to the side and into shadows. He melts into them, sinking down into their warm embrace as the world above moves to where he wants it to go... Smimming up and surfacing behind a neon sign on the roof of a hot dog stand, shadows clinging to him possesively. Something... something about the trip felt different. Felt like an icy current in the warmth of the shadow world. Cold yet somehow... hauntingly familiar. Waiting... But time for that later, below he sees a fiery woman and a blur that is a man circling her. Fire burns on the ground and up the ferris wheel. A young policeman points a trembling gun at the two, his voice unheard by any but the man in the shadows, "...S-stop I said Stop. -Please - I'm going to shoot if you don't stop.." 'What a stubborn little policeman. Ignoring the orders of his boss like that.' Shadowman closes is eyes, mumbles an arcane word and a blot of shapeless shadow appears to his right. Plunging his hand inside, he proceeds to extract his dark and deadly katana. He melts in the shadows once more, reappearing behind the foolish cop and knocking him down with the side of his left hand. Shadowman says: "Not a job for a common mortal." He takes a defensive position and carefully moves in the direction of the woman. 'Damn!!', SonicMan tells himself, seeing that shadow thing coming. He had more than enough troubles with that Napalm lady right now. BANG ! From where he fell, the panicked boy squeezes the trigger convulsively, firing a deadly lead missile... But Shadowman's cape swirls, alive with mystic energies. It swirls in the abscent wind, reaches out to the racing bullet and swallows it! Unperturbed, Shadowman continues his move. "Sweet mother of !" At the heigh of panic, the young policeman squeezes off two more shots (killing an innocent lightbulb and some empty air) before scrambling madly to his feet and running away as fast as his legs can carry him. "God oh God oh God !" Paying the fleeing boy no mind, the dark man's glowing orange eyes search the fire woman for signs of weaknesses. He starts yelling at her: "Stop this stupid game, little girl. Fire is too dangerous for a kid like you!" Napalm whirls around, droplets of fire flying from her hair and sizzling on the ground. "Another one ? Why won't you leave me ALONE !" she seems on the verge of crying. "GO AWAY !" The dark crusader's cape swirls to block the rushing flames. They impact the barrier, gobs of the stuff splashing past and starting a small blaze on his fore-arm and chest ! She laughs, ruby tears dripping from her demonic face, "Yes. Burn, BURN! Your needles will NEVER pierce me ag-WHAM!!!" The silvery disk of compressed air from Sonicman's SuperSonic Punch blows her clear off her feet! She impacts pavement a good ten meters away with a lung-emptying thump and skids/thumbles to a fiery crash into a small shop (which promply catches fire). Contrarely to the emerald champion's expectations, her flames are *still* burning bright and showed no sign of wavering. Behind them, the Ferris wheel attendant finaly seems to have noticed that something is wrong. As he begins the long process of getting the fairly calm ride-goers to safety, the wheel creeks ominously, the affected support nearly burned through by the now dying flames... 'Too late to avoid damage now', thinks Sonicman to himself as he watches the stand burn and a few foolhardy spectators re-evaluate the safety distance, 'Let's finish this one quickly.' Running towards his opponent, his fists start to blur once more Propelled by a mighty two-legged kick, an entire *counter* shoots out of the collapsed shop, arching its way straight for him ! Quickly re-ajusting his aim, our hero unleashes his superfast punch, blasting the projectile to bits. He runs through the cloud of falling debris (burning chuncks of wood mixed with paper products), only to stop short as an impossibly thick shadow stretches out and swallows the shop whole ! A minute earlier, Shadowman ran in the direction of the nearest shadow and in one smooth motion rolled on the ground (leaving about half the burning substance behind) to end up squatting, the point of his Katana touching the ground... Under the protection of the shadow, he laughs, his laughter seeming to come from a hell demon. After a moment he says very slowly: "You're dead!" Using his power, he extends the shadow in the direction of the burning "NANA", swallowing her and the surrounding shop. In the darkness, Shadowman's orange eyes gleam, at rest within their element. Everything looks like it's lighted from within... except the flames, dark and smoky, litered everywhere on the ground and one on himself, still eating his flesh. Less than ten meters from him, the pile of junk that was once a shop stirs and crumbles, revealing a figure made of smoke looking blindly about. --------------------------------------------------------------- CHARACTERS GM, Frederic Fleury THE SHADOWMAN "Stephane Poire" After witnessing the sacrificial murder of his wife and twelve year-old daughter, middle-aged archeologist Peter Douglas is rescued from death by a friendly voodoo priest. Now he stands between life and death, between darkness and light, plagged by nightmares and things unholy. Now he is the Shadowman ! SONICMAN "Sebastien Mathieu" Using gene therapy and highly advanced plasma wave induction, scientist were able to create a resonance wave within Col. Ray Stalker's molecules. This wave, when harnessed by a special exoskeleton, gave him tremendous speed powers. Now hiding with the lead scientist after the project's violent cancelation, SonicMan jets the streets and buildings of Harborview, defending the American way as he pursues his own mission ! --------------------------------------------------------------- INFO Location Guide: HARBORVIEW: Imaginary city on the west coast. Positionned somewhere in the vicinity of Boston. Main businesses are those related to the sea trade and a smatering of industries (Melard Steel, Biolife Chemicals and Microtech being the most noteworthy). THE FAIR: The fair sprawls on a small point of land, surrounded on three sides by the bay that gave Harborview its name. On the fourth are the parking lots on one side and the trees of Memorial park on the other (Which continues to the north, away for the main part of the city (South and West)). The main avenue goes all the way around the exterior of the peninsula and is made of wood, the interior paths are regular pavement. Shops and permanent rides are on the in-land side with only the boat rentals and some mobile vendors being bay-side on the rocky beach. THE BAY: The waters of the bay are not fit for swimming, being generaly cold (even in the heart or summer), choppy and poluted. There is a "Save the Bay" foundation dedicated to the restoration of its once rich ecosystem. Donation are always welcomed. :)