Issue #2.3: Concordat pt. 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Plan: Bury the Hatchet v.2
-[X] Black Swan
-[X] Menagerie Witch
-[X] Conciliatory. You two have been the premier heroic organizations in Horizon for the last ten years, and the bad blood between has been ridiculous. You won't be a pushover, but you will do all you can to emphasize you're all on the same team.
-[X] Black Swan
-[X] Menagerie Witch
-[X] Conciliatory. You two have been the premier heroic organizations in Horizon for the last ten years, and the bad blood between has been ridiculous. You won't be a pushover, but you will do all you can to emphasize you're all on the same team.
Compared to your trip to the Apiary, traveling to New Dawn's headquarters is positively leisurely. While the Apiary's very size necessitated it being on the outside of the Worker's Mitt, New Dawn's headquarters, the Zenith, was in the heart of Uni District.
To that end, you could just drive there. Black Swan remains delighted by the novelty, but Menagerie Witch is still sulking in the backseat over not being able to bring all her friends for a second consecutive mission. You had argued that you were comfortably certain this meeting was not an ambush and making room for a circus of animals would only delay negotiations. You and Menagerie Witch had gone back and forth for the better part of an hour—the mouth that girl was developing—before she grudgingly agreed to only bring Apep "in case of emergency".
If this turned out to be a trap, she was going to be insufferable.
You turn your attention from the moody teenager you had somehow become responsible for and back to the road. As you do, you can faintly hear the radio:
". . .look, Tomas, killing a Named-Behemoth is a big deal. Especially one that escaped the QZ. It proves Justice Unlimited is still viable and still protecting people's lives. To suggest that we should just ignore that and cede the entire city to Powers and Dominion is—
"Listen, Chichi. Can I call you Chichi?"
"No. My name is Chihiro."
"Chichi, the era of superpowers being in the hands of an elite few is over! Powers and Dominion Security Concerns have democratized the superman! See this app on my phone? If I had the scratch, I—an ordinary guy—could have Scarlet Maturity on speed dial. Anyone—"
"Do you?
"What?"
"Do you have the money to hire Scarlet Maturity?"
"Um . . . no. Uhhh, I could hire Earthen Owl maybe . . .? QUICK GORILLA? No. . . he's too expensive . . ."
You smile to yourself. You love it when a plan comes together.
Minor Success: DC 5. Moderate Success: DC 10. Major Success: DC 15.
Stat Check: REPUTATION 12. Justice Unlimited has a collective REPUTATION 18.
You rolled: 13.
13 + 3 + 5 (Killed a Named Behemoth!) = 21. Critical Success!
+1 to Justice Unlimited's REPUTATION!
Stat Check: REPUTATION 12. Justice Unlimited has a collective REPUTATION 18.
You rolled: 13.
13 + 3 + 5 (Killed a Named Behemoth!) = 21. Critical Success!
+1 to Justice Unlimited's REPUTATION!
The first step to a meeting between equals is to clear the air about any misconceptions, preferably before opinions based on those misconceptions could form. Wolong believed your team to be borderline defunct, in the same dire straits as New Dawn. If you were to approach this meeting as an equal, you had to gently correct that mistaken belief.
So, you applied for the bounty on Floating Venom Morpheme and leaked news of its death to the press as soon as you collected. The 24-hour news cycle took care of the rest for you; it was all anyone had been talking about for days. Now, the entire city and, more importantly, Wolong knew that Justice Unlimited was still an institution to be respected.
As you take the exit to the Uni District and leave the highway, you find there is someone waiting for the three of you. Leaning against a wall is a sharp-dressed man in a three-piece suit, trilby hat, white gloves and a half-mask over his eyes. He's glancing at a pocket watch as you pull your car over.
He approaches you with a large smile. "Ah! Beauty incarnate! That gorgeous coat! Those sleek, sensual curves! Let me take a feel—oooh! Hear her purr!"
"Yes, Gentleman James, my car is quite something," you say dryly, "Now, how can I help you?"
The hero known as Gentleman James takes his hand off the hood of your car and removes his hat to bow. "I come at the behest of our dear leader, Wolong. He thought it only polite that our guests of honor be given a personal escort to the Zenith. When I heard the illustrious Lady Leizi herself was coming—in an automobile nonetheless!—I begged for the chance to guide you."
"I suppose you'll be needing a lift then?" you say with a raised eyebrow.
"I wouldn't refuse!"
Black Swan undoes her seatbelt and flies to the backseat with Menagerie Witch, who scoots over to make room. Gentleman James thanks her and then places himself in the passenger seat.
As you pull back onto the street, he turns around and askes, "And who is this charming young woman?"
"Black Swan!" she says cheerfully, "Nice to metcha!"
"And you!" Gentleman James then turns to Menagerie Witch, who is eyeing him suspiciously. He squints his eyes at her before nodding slowly and tipping his trilby.
"Cool hat."
Menagerie Witch nods slowly back and tips her hat.
"Cool hat."
* * *
Gentleman James is polite, affable, and charming, amusing Menagerie Witch and Black Swan with anecdotes about the Uni District as he directs you to drive by seemingly every major landmark.
"It would be a crime to come here and not see the sights," he says, "Especially in such a voluptuous creature!"
His antics draw a smile, but you don't miss the tightness around his eyes or how the "scenic route" on which he directs you takes you away from the border with the New Industrial District where Wonderland once stood. If you didn't know to look for it, you would have missed it, but Gentleman James was clearly under orders to keep you from seeing what remained of the prison.
As you arrive at the Zenith, you have to resist clicking your touch in disapproval. The Zenith is the definition of too much—a massive, glass skyscraper in the center of town complete with an illuminated rendition of the sun rising over the horizon—the official emblem of New Dawn. You can see helipads sticking out of the upperstories of the building, providing landing pads for fliers or Steelheart's drones, and the front lobby is a museum devoted to the history of the organization—complete with a gift shop.
You vastly preferred the understated elegance of the Bastion, the original headquarters of New Dawn and where NuGen made its home until the Apiary had been built.
But you keep your thoughts to yourself as Black Swan and Menagerie Witch "ooh" and "aah" at the famous building.
You pull up to find a valet waiting for you and two more metahumans, Miss Naught and Palisade. Miss Naught resembles a Hollywood medieval archer with a tunic, thigh-high boots, and bycocket hat. She has a quiver on her back and bow slung across her shoulders with a bright red bullseye on the center of her chest. Palisade looks drab by comparison. She wears black tactical gear and a domino mask, her hair braided in precise rows on her head. Even her personal emblem is simple—an image of a literal wooden palisade.
"Ah, my friends!" Gentleman James says getting out of your car, "Did you miss me so badly, you had to come greet me at the front door?"
Palisade snorts and rolls her eyes while Miss Naught literally pushes Gentleman James aside to introduce herself.
"Miss Naught, archer extraordinaire! Pleased as punch to see you again, Lady Leizi!"
You nod in acknowledgment. "Miss Naught, a pleasure. And Palisade, I'm glad to see you are well."
"Lady Leizi," she greets, "I haven't had the chance to say it yet, but I'm sorry for the rest of your team. We lost a lot of good people in the QZ."
To your surprise, she takes your hand and firmly grasps it. You had worked with both heroines during the many crises that necessitated setting aside grudges, but your relationship with Palisade was frosty in the best of times.
She and Rakeem used to date. She blamed you for the end of the relationship. She wasn't entirely wrong.
You recover quickly and introduce the rest of your team. After exchanging pleasantries, you find yourself being escorted through the Zenith.
What strikes you is the sheer number of non-powered staff there are, moving to and fro, performing all kinds of tasks. You had only been in the Zenith a handful of times—Novalight was careful to keep Justice Unlimited's chief intelligence officer out of New Dawn's headquarters—but there must have been twice as many people working now as there had ever been.
You study Palisade, Miss Naught, and Gentleman James. The three of them, plus Wolong and Dreamcatcher, were all that were left of the metahuman force of New Dawn. Yet, while you could see tension in their bodies, there wasn't despair. They were focused, alert.
Minor Success: DC 5. Moderate Success: DC 10. Major Success: DC 15.
Stat Check: OPERATIONS 12. Lady Leizi, Black Swan, and Menagerie Witch have a collective OPERATIONS 16.
You rolled: 11.
11 + 2 + 3 (You Know the Truth of New Dawn's Situation) = 16. Major Success!
Stat Check: OPERATIONS 12. Lady Leizi, Black Swan, and Menagerie Witch have a collective OPERATIONS 16.
You rolled: 11.
11 + 2 + 3 (You Know the Truth of New Dawn's Situation) = 16. Major Success!
. . . they believed there was hope. And not just them, all of the staff in the Zenith moved with an intense purpose. There were only five metahumans, four combat-types, holding the line against the worst of the worst criminals, and they were holding. That had to instill a certain kind of confidence.
But not only that, they were disciplined. If you weren't . . . well, you, then you would have no idea it was anything other than business as usual in the Uni District. Gentleman James' directions, the presence of three seasoned heroes, the tight ship that was clearly being run, it was all designed to project power and confidence and required the coordination and buy-in of dozens of people.
You quietly raise your estimation of Wolong's leadership abilities.
Eventually, you reach your destination. Not, to your surprise, the iconic half-circle table of New Dawn, but a much more modest conference room where a man in white hechang robes with gold trim sits. On his head is a black guanjin hat which remains still while he cools himself with a fan made of feathers. Wolong stands up and greets you, a small, genuine smile on his face.
"Justice Unlimited. I'm glad to see that, like the phoenix, you have risen again," he says, "Please, sit. I have a pot of tea brewing."
"Oolong?" you ask, sitting opposite him on the table.
"Am I a savage? Of course."
Black Swan and Menagerie Witch sit on either side of you, while Palisade and Gentleman James sit with Wolong. Miss Naught gives an apology and leaves with an explanation of "patrol". You make idle small talk while the tea finishes, and, once it does, Wolong pours a cup for everyone but Menagerie Witch.
She is much too young for caffeine.
As you wait for it to cool, Wolong makes the first move.
"I often used to wonder," he says, "How much more good the heroes of this city could do if we worked together instead of bickering like schoolchildren."
"A worthy thought," you agree neutrally, "But not one I'm certain was shared by the rest of New Dawn."
Wolong bobs his head and acknowledges the point, "Novalight held long grudges tight to her chest. She never forgave the 'betrayal' that was the loss of NuGen. She couldn't see how the 'traitors' formed a heroic organization that eclipsed New Dawn in less than a decade."
"Flattery will get you everywhere, darling."
"I mean it," Wolong says, "The seven of you saved this city time after time with a fraction of New Dawn's resources. And now, even after the horror that was the Movement, I find Justice Unlimited still somehow defeating a Named Behemoths with a scant three members."
You note the inaccuracy there. Either Wolong is playing dumb—unlikely—or he has no idea Handyman exists.
"I confess, I was afraid the heroes of New Dawn stood alone," Wolong says. You don't miss the slight against Powers there, not that you necessarily disagree. He continues, "But I'm heartened to see the new generation already stepping up. It is a pleasure, Black Swan and Menagerie Witch."
"Aww, thankies! And this tea is great."
" . . . why did New Dawn let Le Petit Prince kill my mom?"
The room goes dead silent. You could hear a pin drop. You're not the only one looking at Menagerie Witch in shock.
The girl is boring a hole in Wolong with her eyes, her gaze unwavering. Her voice shakes, but she forces herself to speak. "No one's supposed to be able to escape Wonderland, right? So how'd he get out? W-why'd he come where I lived?"
Menagerie Witch stands up suddenly, her chair clattering the floor behind her.
"Why didn't anyone from New Dawn help?! W-when he started killing everyone?! When he killed M-m-mom—" Menagerie Witch breaks into furious tears. "Where were you?! I was alone with him for a week! I-f Lady L-leizi hadn't saved me . . . I'd . . . I'd have . . ."
Menagerie Witch devolves into full sobs that render her speech incoherent. Black Swan immediately scoops her into a great hug and you're not far behind.
DC 13.
Stat Check: REPUTATION 12. Lady Leizi, Black Swan, and Menagerie Witch have a collective REPUTATION 16.
You rolled: 16.
16 + 2 + 3 (She is Proof of His Failure) = 21. Critical Success!
Stat Check: REPUTATION 12. Lady Leizi, Black Swan, and Menagerie Witch have a collective REPUTATION 16.
You rolled: 16.
16 + 2 + 3 (She is Proof of His Failure) = 21. Critical Success!
Wolong looks shaken to his core. Gentleman James gets up and hands Menagerie Witch a glass of water and offers to take her and Black Swan somewhere private, when Wolong stops him.
"No, wait . . . I would hear Menagerie Witch's story, if she wishes to share it."
"F-fine," Menagerie Witch takes a greedy gulp of water, much of which ends up on her costume, "You want to know? You want to know? I'll tell you!"
What follows is a fiery retelling of Madeline's story. She begins to cry at different points, but manages to pull herself together and tell the whole tale.
By the end Gentleman James has taken his hat off his head and placed it over his heart.
"Meu deus . . ."
Palisade is pale and hisses furiously to Wolong, "Le Petit Prince has new powers too. It has to be her—" she bites her tongue when she sees you listening.
Wolong's expression is fixed, but his eyes are haunted. At some point he sat back in his seat and still hasn't risen.
"Gentleman James . . . I think there's ice cream in the cafeteria. Why don't you take Black Swan and Menagerie Witch for some? Palisade, you go too. I think this young woman deserves . . . I think that's the least she deserves after sharing that story."
Palisade hisses again, "Gabriel, you shouldn't—"
"Please, Renee. Just go with them. Please."
Palisade looks mutinous for a second but gets up and leaves with Gentleman James. Black Swan looks at you and you give her a nod. She and Menagerie Witch follow.
Now it's just you and Wolong. The room is silent for a long time, the only sound is the ticking of the ancient analog clock on the wall. Then, he gets up and bows until his head is level with the table.
"I am truly sorry, from the bottom of my heart," he warbles. You feel yourself flush slightly with embarrassment; he sounds like he's about to cry. "I have failed that young woman. Please, convey to her my deepest, sincerest apologies. Nothing I ever do can make it right. New Dawn should have done something."
"Wolong . . . Gabriel," you say, his legal name unfamiliar on your tongue, "There was nothing you could have done."
"We could have done something!"
"No," you say, rising and putting a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, "You couldn't have. I know, Gabriel."
He looks up at you, unshed tears in his eyes. ". . . you know?"
He sits back down and lets out a rusty laugh. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that I can keep nothing secret from the Lady Leizi. How much do you know?"
You sit down as well, "Everything, Gabriel, I know everything. The four of you and Dreamcatcher are all that's left. The only thing I don't know is: where is Arc?"
DC 15.
Stat Check: REPUTATION 15. Lady Leizi has a REPUTATION 4.
You rolled: 20.
20 - 5 + 5 (Wolong is Vulnerable) = 20. Natural Crit! Critical Success!
Stat Check: REPUTATION 15. Lady Leizi has a REPUTATION 4.
You rolled: 20.
20 - 5 + 5 (Wolong is Vulnerable) = 20. Natural Crit! Critical Success!
Wolong looks away from and swallows a lump in his throat. He thinks for a moment, before standing up.
"Follow me. I'll tell you everything."
* * *
The beeping of machines and stinging scent of antiseptic brings unpleasant memories of your most recent stay in the infirmary to bear, but nothing is as disconcerting as the sight of Arc in the bed.
Arc's body is as destroyed as one can be while still being shaped like a human being. She's missing every limb except her right arm, and even then she only has three fingers remaining on her hand. More disturbing however, are the chunks of missing flesh all over her body, like pockmarks in the sand. In many places her body is missing skin all together, as if she's been flayed, displaying muscle and veins to the open air. If it were not for the countless machines she was attached to, you have no doubt she'd expire in moments.
You and Wolong gaze at her behind a window, and Wolong speaks, his eyes distant.
"Her power saved her," he says, "She was fighting in the deepest part of the QZ, where Valiant Silver sent off that psychic pulse that stopped the Leviathan."
You remember it well. There were a handful of heroes keeping the Behemoths away from Nora as she tried to end the madness. Arc was one of them.
"But eventually, she was grabbed by a beast and dragged into goldnine. Her power lets her reflect any harmful action against her, but it doesn't always protect her." He gestures to the window. "This is what her power did to stop the goldnine exposure."
"Leviathan's Blood," you breathe, before realizing how insensitive that oath is.
Fortunately, Wolong just lets out a bitter bark of laughter. "Don't worry, you're not alone. I've said that a few times at inopportune moments."
He turns back to Arc and his expression is melancholy again. "I don't even know if she's alive in there. Or if she's in pain."
He looks at you, lost, "Am I merely being selfish? Keeping her alive in hopes she'll come back to us?"
An part of your soul can't help but think about the potency of Arc's power and how it could be used for Project Prometheus—
You can be more.
—you crush it as the unworthy thought it is. Instead, you're honest with Wolong and say, "I don't know. If it were Rakeem or Nora . . . I cannot say I would let them go either."
Wolong smiles mirthlessly. "It is so hard to let go, isn't it. Ah, but I couldn't afford to, even if that was what I wished."
He pulls himself away from the window and pulls a screen out of a pocket, "You may be wondering, 'Why keep up this charade?' Why all the obfuscation? Why work myself and what remains of New Dawn to the point of collapse instead of coming clean?"
You close your eyes, "The inmates from Wonderland. They've been too quiet."
He lets out another burst of pained laughter, "I suppose I should thank the heavens my enemies are not as cunning as you. Yes, you're exactly right. They're organizing. Organized I should say. Around her."
Wolong pulls up an image and hands you the screen. On it is a pale woman dressed in what looks like a mixture of black leather and medieval armor. Wickedly sharp pauldrons frame her head as she lounges imperially in a chair stacked on top of countless shackles. On her head is a seven pointed crown of dark obsidian, with long protrusions that fall on her brow.
"Her name is Vitória Ximenes Rios, but now she calls herself 'Monarch'," he says, "She was a petty thief who found her way into Wonderland because of her power. She could link any two points in space together in such a way that something could travel between them instantaneously. It was as if the two points were right next to each other, and even momentum was preserved during travel."
". . . so she couldn't be housed in a regular prison," you finish.
"Exactly. And for that crime, we threw her in a facility with the likes of monsters like Acid Rain and Stitches. What did we think would happen to her?" he shouts as he pounds the window.
He angrily glares at his reflection. "Menagerie Witch was right. Wonderland shouldn't have failed so utterly. We didn't know if Cisma's barriers would survive her death, so we took precautions. It should have taken years for anyone to escape."
"But-for the perfect escape artist."
"Yes," he breathes, "She went rotten in there. She broke them out and, in exchange, she earned their loyalty. Now we all will suffer. The only reason she hasn't declared all-out war is that her position is precarious. Everyone of her lieutenants would stab her in the back without hesitation. I've been chipping away at the power base, piece by piece. Leaving her unbalanced, uncertain when the real offensive from New Dawn will come."
"But it never will. And eventually, she'll realize that." You feel cold. This is much, much worse than you thought.
Wolong seizes your hand with both of his, "That's why I need your help. I need you to help keep her fearful, keep her afraid. We can't challenge her directly yet, but there are several inmates who are isolated and safe targets. Take them out, and the other inmates will begin to wonder if she really can keep them safe."
"Gabriel, we will need somewhere to imprison them unless you expect us to start executing everyone we capture."
"No, that will only escalate the situation. I have a plan for a second Wonderland, but . . . it's risky. I need to know that you'll help us first."
DC 15.
Stat Check: REPUTATION 12. Lady Leizi has a REPUTATION 4.
You rolled: 12.
12 - 4 + 5 (Wolong is Vulnerable) + 5 (Wolong Has Confided in You Once Already) = 18. Success!
Stat Check: REPUTATION 12. Lady Leizi has a REPUTATION 4.
You rolled: 12.
12 - 4 + 5 (Wolong is Vulnerable) + 5 (Wolong Has Confided in You Once Already) = 18. Success!
Wolong stares at Arc for a long time, balling his fists. His breathing turns heavy, and when he looks at you, he is shaking with rage.
"Yelena—Novalight—left us with nothing. Our finances have been mismanaged for years. We have no allies, no new generation of metahumans in waiting, no equipment to arm our non-powered agents. This organization was wholly dependent on her because she genuinely could not imagine a day would come where she would not be in charge."
He punches a wall and then pulls his fist back, absent-mindedly rubbing his bruised knuckles.
"I . . . I've done everything I can to keep New Dawn above water. Every plan I could think of, every clever strategy, I've maximized our resources again and again and again, but I can't squeeze blood from a stone!"
He pulls his hat off and runs his hand through his hair, turning it messy. "Everyone needs me to keep it together. Everyone needs me to be strong. But I don't know how anymore!"
He looks to you, begging with his eyes, "How do you do it, Lady Leizi? How do you keep going? How do you find hope?"
You pause and choose your words very, very carefully. A quiet, scheming voice in your mind tells you that Wolong is more vulnerable and disillusioned right now than he will ever be again.
He's also a good, decent man who is in over his head, carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, and alone.
You're certain it would be trivial to get him to agree to whatever alliance you propose. The question is what do you want?
______________________________________________________________________________
Now is the time to decide the nature of the alliance between Justice Unlimited and New Dawn. Below are several options on what you can offer Wolong. Each carries its own point total.
[ ] Commit to finishing mission "Grand Theft Person". (Must finish mission in three issues, not counting current issue. Mission will cost 1 AP.) 1 point.
[ ] Commit to finishing mission "The Air in the Valley". (Must finish mission in three issues, not counting current issue. Mission will cost 1 AP.) 1 point.
[ ] Commit to finishing mission "Long Shadows of the Night". (Must finish mission in three issues, not counting current issue. Mission will cost 1 AP.) 1 point.
[ ] Commit to discovering information about Monarch. (Lady Leizi must take personal action "The Spider's Web" and choose Monarch next issue.) 2 points.
[ ] Offer Menagerie Witch's one-time assistance with patrols in the Uni District (Menagerie Witch will not be available for one mission next issue). 3 points.
[ ] Offer Handyman's one-time assistance with patrols in the Uni District (Handyman will not be available for one mission next issue). 3 points.
[ ] Offer Black Swan's one-time assistance with patrols in the Uni District (Black Swan will not be available for one mission next issue). 5 points.
[ ] Facilitate a purchase of one of Mendicants Symbiotes to heal Arc. (Justice Unlimited will not be able to purchase symbiotes from Mendicant for two issues, New Dawn will provide the funds). 7 points.
[ ] Allow Wolong to use Apiary's facilities for New Dawn missions. (-3 to global OPERATIONS and -3 to global ESPIONAGE.) 7 points.
[ ] Inform Wolong of Project Prometheus. 15 points.
The amount of points of the actions offered by Lady Leizi will dictate the nature of the alliance between New Dawn and Justice Unlimited
3 points — Friendly Working Relationship
(Wolong will provide relevant intel on Monarch's Faction, Wolong will reveal information about plan for New Wonderland, Wolong will allow a cursory glance a New Dawn's medical records—+3 DNA Profiles)
15 points — Formal Alliance, Equal Partnership
(Wolong will provide relevant intel on Monarch's Faction, Wolong will reveal information about plan for New Wonderland, Wolong will allow a detailed examination of New Dawn's medical records—+6 DNA Profiles, Unlocks Uni District as possible territory for Justice Unlimited, New Dawn's Metahumans will aid you on New Dawn-related missions)
31 points — Formal Alliance, New Dawn Subordinate to Justice Unlimited
(Wolong will provide relevant intel on Monarch's Faction, Wolong will reveal information about plan for New Wonderland, Wolong will give you a copy of New Dawn's medical records—+10 DNA Profiles, New Dawn will share control of Uni District with Justice Unlimited—+1500 Income/turn, Access to the Zenith as a base—+1 AP, +1 Global AP, +2 New Metahuman slots, New Dawn's Metahumans will aid you once per issue on any mission of your choosing, Wolong will assist with discovery Ambrosia power synergies once per issue, Wolong will be brought into Justice Unlimited's inner circle as affiliate member, Options to fully absorb New Dawn in future missions)
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