[June 16, 2003 - Somewhere near Emporia, Kansas] [Continuity Note: This takes place after Team M.E.C.H.A. #120, and almost definitely after #121, and maybe even after #122 or #123. Continuity can be a fickle mistress. - Ed, who dated Continuity in college and can attest to this characterization.] Kat roared down the state highway on her reconditioned Harley, keeping her speed down to where any lurking police wouldn't decide to pick on her. She'd tried solving that problem once by using county roads, but too many of them were gravel surfaced...and while she didn't personally mind the stones kicked up at 90 mph, one of them had found a weak spot in her fuel tank and forced a lengthy stop for repairs a few weeks ago. The saddlebags were packed to bursting with the specialized equipment she'd needed on her recent "fact-finding mission" to the Springfield area, although she'd been sure to leave just enough room for the main purpose of the visit: retrieving a small computer tap that had been faithfully recording information on her behalf for a couple of weeks. Once she was back at her new apartment in Wamego, she'd be able to fully analyze its contents and determine once and for all (she hoped) whether Team M.E.C.H.A. was more hazard than hero. Of course, if the power-suited team was a threat, it'd take more than the Exarchs could muster to make a dent in them. But that wasn't insurmountable either: Kat remembered the schematics of every Robo she'd ever built or stolen the plans to, and someone with total recall could make a lot of money for parts at the various Indian Casinos scattered across the heartland.... @>-`-,-`-,-`-,`-,-`-,-`-,-`- \\ // -'-.-'-.'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-<@ .|,Coherent Comics Presents \\ // #26 - Fox In The Henhouse --X------------------------- E }X{ ARCHS copyright 2003 by the '|` A Superguy/LNH Tale // \\ Dvandroid (Dave Van Domelen) @>-`-,-`-,-`-,`-,-`-,-`-,-`- // \\ -'-.-'-.'-.-'-.-'-.-'-.-'-<@ [June 26 - Los Angeles, California] The judge's chambers smelled faintly of smoke, and of the chemicals that had been used in a vain effort to erase, cover or compete with the smoke in the years since the Federal Courthouse switched over to No Smoking. Judge Tezuka shifted uncomfortably in his chair, his left hand idly seeking a cigar that was no longer there, his right toying with a Zippo that had been empty of fluid for years. Click-clack. Click-clack. Open-close. He peered balefully at the District Attorney, then flickered his eyes over the four other figures in the room. "Mr. Bunn, are you sure the state wants to go along with this plan?" He snorted contemptuously, the nostrils on his bulbous nose flaring. Aaron Bunn shrugged and arched his eyebrows in a "What can ya do?" expression. "When you come right down to it, your honor, there's not a whole lot else I *can* do. Ms. Wynn," he gestured at Mairi, "is a professional, and her clients are both discriminating and careful. There is next to no proof that she's a contract killer, as none of her alleged victims save one have survived, and the Tongs are quite good at laundering all the crime scenes." Now he nodded to Jack, "Mr. Yuen is the only survivor who could testify. He says he refuses to press charges, and while he doesn't have to press charges in an attempted murder case, he also won't testify. We might be able to catch Ms. Wynn on some minor charges, the IRS can probably find SOMETHING on her, but..." he shrugged. The slender Chinese man to Mairi's right broke in. "Given that both Mr. Yuen and Ms. Wynn helped Skysabre here," he gestured to the superguy, "save Kansas and possibly the entire world a few months ago, such vindictive and petty prosecution would not be in the state's best interests. Also, we can produce convincing proof that Mr. Yuen cannot be killed by conventional means, so while the mens rea [criminal intent - Ed, who thought we'd seen the last of the damn Latin.] of attempted murder might or might not be provable, it's clear that murder itself was impossible." The lawyer was a cousin to "Slow Moe" Shen, nicknamed "Sustained Moe" Shen, and Judge Tezuka suppressed a groan at the memory of other tricks Shen had played in his court. "All in all, your honor," DA Bunn picked up the thread, "while this plea bargain falls quite short of justice, and certainly doesn't do much to help my 'hot dog' reputation, it's probably as good as we'll be able to get. Also, it only covers the attempt on Mr. Yuen's life, as any other potential assassinations she may or may not have committed fall outside our jurisdiction. Should evidence surface in those cases, she could still be prosecuted by the relevant court. A modified form of Probation, placing Ms. Wynn with the Exarchs team in Kansas, does have some precedent. Spandex Babe was under house arrest with the Adjusted League Unimpeachable for some time after the You Know What..." Tezuka harrumphed. "We all know she was pardoned. That probationary period was purely voluntary, coming out of guilt over what Dave Ross had forced her to do. And while the defendant here was also under mind control recently, there's no evidence such control extends back more than a few months. Invalid precedent." Bunn was not to be deterred. "Team Cynical has also..." "Team who?" "Team Cynical." "Never heard of 'em." "And then there's the Mighty Muddy Power Grangers and their rehabilitation at the hands of Team M.E.C.H.A.," Bunn shifted tack. "A team that, I might add, is within a reasonable distance of the Exarchs, and could be asked to keep an eye on things to make sure they don't let her run wild." Tezuka frowned, but didn't disagree. Instead, he turned to Skysabre. "You. Your team isn't even from this world, according to these briefs," he tapped a sheaf of printouts. "How can we trust you to guarantee the behavior of anyone, when you're under government scrutiny yourselves?" "Well, your honor, look at it the other way. The government is already keeping a close eye on us, so Mairi would fall under that umbrella with a minimum of additional resource expenditure. We have more to prove, so we'd be extremely careful not to screw up. And we've proven we can neutralize her if necessary. Not that I think it will be necessary...we saved her from a rather unpleasant fate, even a hired killer has some sense of gratitude." Mairi winced at Skysabre's bluntness. Tezuka narrowed his eyes for a moment, then exhaled deeply. "Fine. I'll accept the plea bargain...with one modification. In addition to ten years probation, Ms. Wynn will be processed into the Really Hard To Get Out Of Place and spend two days incarcerated there. This will give the wardens a chance to get her on file and develop countermeasures should it be necessary to capture her, and will also give her a taste of where she could be spending the next decade if she violates the terms of her probation. Harumph." * * * * [June 27, 2003 - Manhattan, Kansas] The Applied Metaphysics Department shared space with the Philosophy Department in tiny Dickens Hall on the main Manhattan campus of K-State, at least for offices. Anna could feel the weight of years in the old building, renovated multiple times to (barely) keep up with the needs of an ever- changing university, but she didn't feel any active magic. At least, she was pretty sure of that. Then again, the signs posted all over the hallway reading "NO MAGIC ON MAIN CAMPUS!" tended to reinforce that judgement. All of the practical stuff, such as it was, took place several miles outside of town, in a corner of the Konza Prairie area off the main roads. This was a recent development, as much to protect the mages as the rest of campus...Dickens had nearly been burnt down a while back, during a period of particularly nasty anti-magic sentiment. She'd met with the other two members of the Department out there, without much success...now the third Professor was back from vacation and willing to meet with her. Anna knocked on the door reading "Carrie LeBlanc, Applied Metaphysics". "Come in," came a muffled voice from inside. She walked into an office that defined "studied neglect". Books and folders were stacked everywhere, seemingly haphazardly yet with obvious care. Feng shui for the academic set? she wondered. "Hello, Dr. LeBlanc, I'm Anna Tanner, I emailed you?" "Ah, yes...the Outsider," the short, gray-haired woman rose from her seat, nodding. You could almost hear the capital O. "Sorry about the cramped quarters, this office was a closet thirty years ago. Applied Metaphysics simply doesn't get the prestige office space that, say, Dairy Sciences does." Anna paused. LeBlanc had not merely pulled that example out of thin air. Clearly the woman had been doing a little digging on her own, and knew about Stan's recent activities on campus. Then again, after the accident with the HyperLimburger, everyone with a nose probably knew. As Anna sat, LeBlanc did as well, taking a quick glance around the office as if making sure nothing was moving of its own accord. "I think I might be able to help you with your problem," LeBlanc said after a short pause. "My specialty is Unsympathetic Magic, and it may be right up your alley." "Yes, I recall reading about that on the directory webpage," Anna nodded. "But what *is* Unsympathetic Magic?" "You know about the principles of Sympathy and Contagion, I presume?" Anna nodded. "Of course. Sympathy says that there is a connection between like objects, and Contagion that when there is a link, affecting one thing will affect the other." "More or less correct, and I'll avoid the pedantry for now, since you're not actually enrolled in my class," she smiled. "Sympathetic magic, like the public conception of 'voodoo', relies on finding something related to or once part of your intended target, then taking advantage of Contagion. Unsympathetic magic does the opposite. Something totally unrelated to the target can be ignored in a highly specific way to generate a desired effect on the target. Of course, it's much harder to find something totally unrelated to a target than something that was once part of the target, especially since each spell cast creates Sympathy and weakens further efforts. Also, it is difficult to ignore something you wish to affect." "Sounds like it might not be very useful in a practical setting, then. And since I'm a net.he...superguy, I do need practical magic," Anna countered. "Yes, but as your slip of the tongue demonstrates, you are not native to this reality. In essence, you are the perfect focus for Unsympathetic magic, as you are unrelated to anything in the world, with the exception of the links you have forged in your short time here. In fact, everyone who comes to this world from either an alien planet or another plane of reality practices Unsympathetic magic unwittingly, or so my research has suggested. Strange things follow Outsiders around until they have made enough connections to no longer be strangers. Additionally, I understand you have experience with stage 'magic', the misdirection of which is useful in learning to ignore your target. Yes, I think we could find a way to tap your Outsider status for some *very* practical magic...." * * * * [June 27, 2003 - Los Angeles] Jack strolled along the city street, killing time. Mairi wouldn't be released until late the next day, probably not until Sunday, Louie was off somewhere checking in with his contacts in the Gray Squirrel Nation and Skysabre was busy with paperwork. So Jack was at loose ends. He'd already visited a local weapon shop and checked on the status of his order, but it wasn't ready yet either. With the Sea-Fixing Pin destroyed by the Gentle Gift of Crimson, he no longer had a portable and (until now) indestructable weapon, but a weapon- maker he knew from his stuntman days had suggested an alternative. Two steel tubes around a strong aluminum shaft, with spring-loaded action to extend the contraption from about a meter long to double that length. Not something he could hide in his armband, but more portable than a simple wooden staff. Of course, he'd also bought a collapsible staff made from pieces of hardwood for taking on airplanes. "Excuse me, sir?" a young man with a too-friendly smile and a too-neat business suit stepped in front of Jack. He had red hair and freckles, but a slight epicanthic fold to his eyes and other features that suggested he was at least part Chinese. "Have you felt the mercy of the Bodhisattva Kwan Yim?" He held out a card, proclaiming him to be the Reverend Christopher Fox of the Temple of Celestial Mercy. Jack stepped back a pace, his skin prickling with premonition. Something about this was not right. "I...cannot say that I have, no." "Then how about the fury of her son, Erlang!" On the last word, Fox feinted with the card and attempted to drive a hard punch with his other hand into Jack's stomach. Jack threw himself backwards just in time, only to be knocked off balance by a rapid legsweep. Erlang! Jack's mind raced as he parried a flurry of blows and one attempted bite. It had been years since his last inconclusive meeting with that demigod, a fight cut short by the intervention of Hell Inc. [Crazy Guy #20 - "Erlang Syne" - Ed.] Why come after him now? "D'oh!" Jack managed to slap his forehead in between deflecting a kick and ducking under a leap. He'd cut his ties with Hell after the DisIncorporation, and Erlang must have found out about the cessation of that protection. "Bad day," he muttered as he grabbed Fox and tossed him at the wall. Fox bounded off the wall, snarling. And smashed his face right into Jack's fist. Jack took advantage of Fox's momentary stunning to get his opponent into a good, tight hold. The man wriggled and stomped, but could not free himself. Then, suddenly, he shrank in size, becoming a fox in fact as well as in name! Jack was quick enough to grab at Fox's tail with one hand, and clamp his forelegs together with the other. "Oh ho! A fox spirit!" "Please don't wring my neck! I don't know anything! I just wanted to get on Erlang's good side by delivering you to him!" "Is Erlang hunting me?" "I swear I don't know! I just heard that you were fair game again from a devil I know, so I thought I could pick up some brownie points." "Hm," Jack hm'ed. "In that case, what should I do with you?" A growling sound came from behind a nearby fence, the sound of several angry dogs. "Whatever you do, don't throw me to the dogs!" Fox whimpered. "I wouldn't dream of doing that...Brother Fox," Jack smirked. Fox slumped. "Oh. You know about Uncle Remus." The growling, which had been an illusion, ceased. "The Wonderful World of Disney is one of the holiest of programs in my faith. And I know all about the briar patch." He shifted his grip to keep Fox under control with one arm, then pulled out his cellphone. "Yes, could you connect me to Animal Control?" WILL IT COST JACK ONLY 89 CENTS TO MAKE HIS CALL? HOW WILL MR. FOX DEAL WITH BEING STUCK IN A KENNEL? IS THERE ANYTHING TO THIS UNSYMPATHETIC MAGIC DEAL? DOES TEAM M.E.C.H.A. POSE A THREAT TO THE WORLD? Answers to some of these, in the next...SUPERGUY! =========================================================================== Author's Notes: Slow Moe Shen is a Tong leader who Jack has been on friendly terms with in the past, friendly enough to lend Jack a lawyer at any rate. He may show up in a bigger role if I get around to telling the tale of what happened to Jack between the end of Crazy Guy and his appearance in Exarchs. I'm going to start including stats for the various characters in the Exarchs for the Feng Shui RPG in my Author's Notes section, probably one per episode. Since the power-down, most of them are pretty close to starting Feng Shui characters as it is, although with a few rule-breaking alterations here and there, and more experience. And I may have to mess around with some of the Schticks to make them fit better (probably have to alter the Magic Schticks for Anna, and make a new Transformed Animal Schtick for Mairi...she's not a TA, but the Rooster path has a few things she might have). We'll start with a simple one, Skysabre. He's got the Martial Artist Archetype, but with a few small additions (extra Schticks, some more secondary stat points). Skysabre Archetype: Martial Artist (with mods) Juncture: Looniverse Attributes: Bod 6 (Mov 8), Chi 1 (Fu 8), Mnd 7 (Int 9), Ref 7 (Speed 8) Skills: Info/Superhero Stuff +6 (13) (replaces Eastern Philosophy) Leadership +4 (11) Martial Arts +8 (15) Detective +3 (10) Schticks: Karate Cop Unique Schticks, Fu Schticks (Prodigious Leap, Flying Windmill Kick, Abundant Leap, Flying Sword, Loyal Steel) Weapons: Twin swords Wealth Level: Working Stiff What the heck, let's have a two-for to kick things off. Kat has a LOT of extra skills, but when you're 100+ years old and have total recall, you can have a lot of skills too. And attribute adds. Kat Anders Archetype: Big Bruiser (with many many mods) Juncture: 2163 Attributes: Bod 11 (Tgh 12), Chi 0 (For 3), Mind 5 (Int 10, Per 8), Ref 7 (Agil 9) Skills: Guns +3 (10) Martial Arts +7 (14) Info/Robo Tech +6 (16) Intimidation +4 (9) Intrusion +6 (15) Fixit +4 (12) Deceit +4 (9) Driving +2 (9) Gambling +2 (5/12*) Sabotage +2 (9) Schticks: Bruiser Schtick, Armor (4) (Creature Power), Abysmal Spines (4) (Creature Power), Total Recall* *Total Recall - Int versus AV 5 to recall any detail about her previous experiences when not under pressure. AV 10 under reasonable noncombat pressure, AV 15 or more in combat. May use Int instead of For for Gambling if the game is susceptible to memory tricks (like counting cards). Weapons: Desert Eagle .357 Vehicle: Reconditioned Harley Davidson Wealth Level: Working Stiff (but maybe Rich soon).