Season Two – First Half Recap

Meet Our Heroes: Groups

Thu 29th Oct: S2E1: The Bank Job

Featuring Aster, Nightfox and Izzy

Transnational Bank in downtown Storm City has been robbed, contents stolen from a number of private deposit boxes and data vaults. The police are looking for high tech criminals, but the bank branch’s head of security believes superpowers were involved. He privately reaches out to our heroes to help him figure our what happened. He confesses that he has the power to detect superpowers being used, but he was off work that day – so he’s sure they were used.

Investigating the vault, and camera footage, our heros find a number of anomolies. They deduce that one of the deposit boxes was rented by Bon Chance under a false name. She stored a valuable stamp collection, but while accessing it with her accomplice The Engineer, they placed a tiny metal shim into the vault door to make it intermittently fail to close properly.

On the day of the robbery: The Saint, Bon Chance, and the Engineer enter the bank branch. When the door to the vault is open because a previous customer is leaving – The Saint freezes time on the bank floor for everyone other than Bon Chance and the Engineer, who proceed down the the vault to open it. The Engineer disables the cameras, apart from one which his technique didnt work on. The vault door hadn’t closed properly, and they walk in and rob it.

They steal the following:

Bon Chance: The stamp collection she deposited, papers from a box belonging to Archimedes COO Pettr Hansen, and papers from an antiquities dealer.

The Engineer: Data records from LionHead Electronics, jewellery and gold coins from a vault owned by a wealthy citizen.

When they return to the bank floor, time resumes, and they all walk out just before the alarm goes off

Aster, Izzy and Nightfox were able to prove supervillain involvement, saving the bank security managers job.

Thu 5th Nov: S2E2: Fireworks

Featuring: Void, Sundog, Joule, Blue, Red

Joseph Manchetti’s house has been burgled, and a rare collection stolen. He believes it was mutants responsible, so his Outfit are harassing and assualting young people with obvious powers all over town.

Violence erupts all over the streets. Outfit thugs assualt known or obvous mutants with baseball bats and clubs. More dangerous mutants are shot at. Mutants respond by standing up for each other – there are more mutants putting on costumes and taking to the streets. The Outfit thugs demand to know who is responsible for the disrespect to their boss.

Alice puts on the Whisper suit, and teams up with Snakeboy and Leatherskin to form the “City Guardians”, and stand between mutants and those trying to harm them.

An ice-skating Canadian in hockey gear, calling himself The Puck King, stands in defence of the Lower West side.

Our heroes have an awkward standoff with “Whisper”‘s new team of reformed villains… then are called to Manchetti’s pizzeria, which is apparently being destroyed by mutants. They arrive too late to stop it. but witness the damage caused. The culprits were Elastica, who was

Nocturna - vampire

responsible for most of the violence against people – and.. a vampire, who didn’t hurt any person, only property.

Joule spots the vampire on a nearby rooftop, and flies up to confront her, but finds herself being very awkwardly flirted with by an impossible caricature of a vampire.

Wed 11th Nov: S2E3: Immigrant Issues

Featuring: Red, Glitch, Sundog, Blue

Scarlett is approached by her neighbour, Jacqueline, whose ex-boyfriend, the huge Eastern European Guy, is upset about something. Talking to him via Jacqueline, Scarlett finds out that he’s concerned that Chinese gangs are moving into the Ukranian village, and that mutant powered violence will erupt. He thinks Scarlett has some mutant friends, so asks her to pass the message on.

Glitch gets a similar message from Yuri, and told that local gangs are meeting at Mike’s Taco Hut (a ‘Mexican’ restaurant run by a Californian surfer).

Glitch, Blue and Sundog are sharing a flat now, so they head off to investigate. Meeting with Red at the Taco Hut, they meet the HEEG, who it turns out is a local Ukranian gang leader called Alexandr. They agree to investigate this ‘Chinese invasion’.

Visiting the new factory they were pointed too, they meet some teenage Korean girls, and discover that its a crab-processing plant, run by a Korean family who were being harassed by Chinese gangs on the other side of the river. But Red’s space ruby seems to get warm and glow slightly near the factory, so they return at night to investigate.

Breaking in, they discover that the rear part of the factory contains a gigantic car-sized crab in a tank, guarded by people who have mutated crab claws and shells – along with papers which show that river water makes crabs mutate and grow to huge size… and possibly that eating enough of the crab meat mutates people too.

Blue discovers she can talk to the crab psychically – it claims it’s being held prisoner and forced to endlessly make new crabs for the factory. The team christen it “fren crab”, and release it, and the other mutated crabs into the river.

Returning to the Taco Hut, they manage to persuade Mike that crab tacos are off the menu, and stop gang attacks on the now-destroyed factory.

Meanwhile, a white and gold clad hero was seen in the skies over Storm City – the press speculating that Seraph had returned.

Thu 19th Nov: S2E4: Strangers and Thieves

Featuring: Aster, Izzy, Void, Nightfox, Joule

While Joule in Void’s sanctuary, the equipment starts malfunctioning. Joule tries to sense electrical disturbances, and detects some from a van driving around the neighbourhood that match with the equipment disturbances. Dispite not being in her costume, she travels along a lighting bolt into the back of the van, and is quickly shot by the driver who is wearing a red demon mask. His gun penetrates her electr

ical barrier. Joule loses control of her powers, and the van explodes, causing property damage and some injuries to bystanders. Void helps her escape undetected as having been in the van – when they check security footage later, they see a man watching the scene who fits the build of the man in the demon mask – and the build of The Engineer who helped rob the bank.

After Aster gets a phone call from Frank Manchetti asking about her ‘mutant downstairs neighbour’, she contrives to get her team of “security consultants” invited to Joseph Manchetti’s house to figure out which mutant might have carried out the robbery.

Investigating, the team find evidence that someone invisible to cameras (but who still leaves footprints), and someone who can flow along the ground like a liquid, broke in through a side door.

Izzy realises that her alter-ego Betty is sure she can convince Frank Manchetti that it was an inside job, and not a mutant robbery. Betty promises not to get anyone killed who doesn’t deserve it. So Izzy scouts out the Manchetti house as a hard-to-see Ghost, while Betty conspires. Nightfox persuades Betty that its a better challenge to get no-one killed.

Betty frames one of Manchetti’s thugs as the inside man on the theft, while ensuring they are tipped off in time to escape.

Ghost hears Joseph Manchetti talking to The Saint on the phone – it sounds like they’d had a deal, but Manchetti considers it over.

Frank Manchetti listens to Betty, and calls off the war on mutants – sending the hitmen after his own thug instead.

Our heroes overhear Outfit thugs saying they still plan to go after the stretchy girl and the vampire, for attacking the pizzeria,

New Seraph is seen, wearing a different costume.

Wed 25th Nov: S2 E5: Crabs and Angels

Featuring: Glitch, Sundog, Blue, Red

Red discovers The Saint and Bon Chance on the fire escape outside the apartment opposite hers. She phones Bon Chance and persuades her to come visit. Bon Chance spends a long time talking and flirting with Red – after they leave, Red searches the fire escape and finds a list of names, one of which is Alexi, her neighbour Jacqueline’s young but super strong son.

A Midtown radio station announces a crab fishing content off Storm City harbour, since large crabs have been seen recently. Glitch, Red, Sundog and Blue go down to try and stop a catastrophe happening. They prevent a fishing boat bringing a giant crab ashore, but fishermen persist, and three giant crabs come ashore. Locals and fishermen open fire at the crabs to little effect, then Blue and Glitch somehow talk psychically to the crabs and persuade them to go deeper into the sea. New Seraph arrives, talks to the radio, and takes credit for stopping the crab invasion. She does, as Red requested, tell journalists that eating crab meat isnt safe right now, as the river and sea water has somehow become contaminated.

The team check out the next name on The Saint’s list, a young woman called Angela. Angela lives in an expensive house near the sea – and the team sneak in while Sundog argues with her father on the intercom. They meet Angela in the garden – she floats down from her window in an energy bubble. When they ask Angela what she can do, she traps Glitch in a bubble and starts shrinking it. Red punches Angela to stop her, and Angela sends her flying across the garden with a light blast. Things are still tense when they leave.

The final name on the list is Kimoto Lee, who they deduce is one of the teenage Korean girls from the crab factory. They head down to speak to her, only to find Bon Chance, The Saint, Elastica, and a man with circuit-board tattoos on the roof across the road, and Kimota standing in her window looking at them.

Sundog attempts to tackle the villains, but loses control, creating a fiery explosion that destroys most of the rooftop. Elastica and Grid are blown off the rooftop, probably badly hurt – and The Saint is dazed. Red vaults up to the roof, and takes The Saint out with a stun arrow.

Between S2 E5 and S2E6

Message from Jenny Yoo to everyone on communicator

Thanks to Red – I seem to have The Saint locked in one of Seraph’s temporary containment cells in the penthouse. I can’t keep him there for long – I mean, technically, that’s kidnapping. We either need to hand him over to some sort of authority or let him go.

Broadcast from Jenny Yoo on communicator

So, I’ve got The Saint in a a holding cell at the Penthouse. Seraph always said this one should be able to hold him. But to be sure, I’ve removed his armour and anything that looks like a weapon. I left him his mask, because.. you know.. old school values. I can’t stay and watch him all the time though – anyone who wants to take a shift, let me know. He’s awake but not saying much more than “you should let me out of here, it’ll be less destructive” and “how long do you think this can hold me?”
One thing seems to have really annoyed him though – in a “pocket” on his armour I found an SD card. It just contains one set of documents, scanned. I’ve put a copy on Seraph’s computer, you can come take a look at the gallery or the penthouse, depending where I am.

The SD Card

The SD Card contains some letters between Pettr Hansen – former COO of Archimedes Industries and till recently Warden of Midtown Prison, and Bob Jones – Mayor of Storm City. They reveal a conspiracy to leak mutagenic agent into the Storm City river, and that Archimedes Industries was controlling both Seraph and Whisper. It also contained some personal revelations for some of our heroes.

Nightfox awkward chat with Charley

Charley invites Jesus over. On her workbench are a pair of boots for his Nightfox suit. She burbles excitedly about them, and he tries them, but it… seems like she’s waiting for something.

They go for coffee, while out, Charley says to Jesus, “I just wanted you to ask about me and my life. Nothing’s wrong. It’s all really good, honestly. “

“Oh-kay. Why don’t you fill me in on what’s been happening with you? We haven’t had a chance to catch up in a while.”

She’ll talk about her lab work, projects, all sorts. But Jesus seems to be figuring out that’s not what she wanted to tell him. Eventually she says really fast “…. and I have a boyfriend. “

“That’s great!” Jesus seems happy for her, although he looks a bit awkward and guilty. Charley is also nervous and anxious. “He’s like super smart, and he does science too, and he’s already been accepted for a PhD and ….”

The camera pans away, leaving the reader unsure if they ever figured out what she was trying to say.

Thu 3rd Dec: S2 E6: Revelations

Featuring: Joule, Nightfox, Glitch, Blue

Joule is at Seraph’s tower, guarding The Saint. She’s reading through the data on the SD card taken from The Saint. Blue arrives by teleport to take the next shift, Glitch comes along with her just because he has never teleported before. We see Joule reaching the last page of the SD card, and notice the name “Sarah Flynn”, then.. her hair goes blue, and the room explodes with electricity. Blue and Glitch duck behind the teleport console as many parts of the room catch fire.

Nightfox is in Seraph’s base above the Art Gallery, reading through the SD card documents with Jenny Yoo, when an alarm sounds, and Jenny tells Nightfox that theres a fire in Seraph’s tower. Nightfox decides to head over, and asks Jenny to teleport him – but he has to vault out of the way at the last moment, as an incoming teleport starts while he’s still on the pad. An older man in a red demon mask stands there. The Engineer says “I’m sorry, Jenny, I can’t let him have this technology”, and slams a metal spike into the teleport pad, which starts to burn with purple fire.

Nightfox says he needs to teleport to the tower urgently, and the Engineer says, “better get there the old fashioned way”. Nightfox leaves.

Meanwhile, in the tower, just as the fire is under control, the teleport pad explodes in purple flames. Just as the group get the second fire under control, Nightfox arrives by swinging onto the balcony, and the defenses activate. In all the chaos, an upset Joule runs away down the stairs.

Some time later, the team are shown finishing tidying up the mess. The Saint is still in his cell. Alice calls Nightfox and suggests the team cover over to discuss the Saint’s SD card. Jenny say’s she’ll watch the cell while they do that.

In the coffee bar of the bookshop, behind a CLOSED sign, the team discuss the document. Alice shares a picture she found, of herself and Jay with two boys, when they were younger. On the back of the photo it says “Jay, Alice, James and Todd”. She links that to the names of Jim and The Saint’s sons from the document. They also discuss the revalation that Archimedes Industries and the Mayor were controlling both Seraph and Whisper.

Jesus (Nightfox) gets a text and photo from his friend Charley. It shows her out for dinner with two other women and a young man, with the caption “Having fun with Todd and some friends”. It looks like a double date. Jesus and Sienna recognise one of the other women as Sarah Flynn. Jesus asks Alice if this Todd could be the same person – she’s not sure, it was so long ago – so he guiltily decides to track Charley’s phone and find out where she is.

As they head off, Jenny calls and asks who is guarding the cell – she left it with Sundog, but on the cameras it looks like no-one is there. Blue heads to the Tower to check and take over.

Nightfox and Joule watch from a rooftop across the street, while Glitch disguises himself as a random person waiting for a date, and takes the table next to the group, relaying what he can hear through the communicator. Nightfox feels guility spying on his friend. They hear Charley say that she’d wanted to invite her friend Jesus and his girlfriend to come to this dinner too, but the conversation didn’t go the way she’d planned.

In the Tower, Blue replays the video feed with remote help from Jenny, and finds Sundog talking to The Saint.

The Saint: “… We didn’t ask to be like this. They fed us alien mutagenics, poisoned our water, so they can ‘grow’ more ‘assets’. But now we are like this – now we’re better than them, they want to control us, experiment on us, put us in boxes. They call me a villain because I fight against corrupt police, corrupt government, corrupt corporations. They fear us, because to them some of us are unimaginable. We are not their assets. We need to be free. And we need to stand up for ourselves. And against those that sell out to corporations and governments. “

On the video Sundog looks convinced. The Saint suggests that if Sundog really wants to see what’s happening, she could go and find Bon Chance, he’ll point the way. Maybe she’ll agree that Bon Chance’s plan is worth doing. Or she could let him out.

Sundog says she’s not letting him out,. But takes details on where to reach Bon chance. And leaves.

Blue asks The Saint where Sundog is. He says he’ll tell her if she lets him out. And why worry, she’s strong enough to throw him back in the cell, right? Blue looks thoughtful, then opens the cell. The Saint tells Blue that Sundog is meeting Bon Chance on the river edge near the Depot. Then as Blue steps forward, everything freezes, and he says “You forgot I could freeze time, didn’t you…” The Saint steps out the window.

Back in the restaurant, Glitch and the others hear Blue on the intercom say “Sundog’s gone to join Bon Chance. At the river. Near the Depot. I’m going to stop her. … Oh.and.the.Saint.escaped.Bye”.

Almost immediately after that, Todd looks over at Glitch and says “Isn’t this when you leave?”. Glitch looks confused, and leaves.

Blue meets up with Sundog, Bon Chance, Elastica, Nocturna (the vampire), and Hard Light (Angela.. now in a blue costume). Sundog tells Blue that they are going to arrest the mayor, and force him to admit he conspired with Archimedes to put mutagen in the rivers. Blue looks unsure, but says she’ll come too, as long as no-one is getting hurt.

City Hall – our gang of villains plus Sundog and Bon Chance advance on the main door,

where two ordinary looking security guards don’t seem to know what to do. Then there is a streak of white and gold, and the new Seraph lands between them and the door. “I can’t let you do that”, she says. “Oh, let me…”, says Hard Light excitedly. She steps forward, encloses Seraph in a force bubble, and starts crushing her. It doesn’t look like Seraph is strong enough to hold back the shrinking bubble.

Things get chaotic and in the chaos, Joule, Nightfox and Glitch arrive. Blue managed to persuade Sundog to disengage. The team stop Bon Chance from getting inside City Hall.

Then a shot rings out, and Seraph drops to the floor with a bullet wound. Blue rushes to her side. Nightfox pinpoints a sniper on a rooftop a few blocks away. As Blue checks Seraphs wound, she discovers the bullet seems to be made of the same red material as Red’s “space ruby”, and the wound is leaking a blue liquid. The bullet was slowed down by body armour, which the real Seraph didn’t need, but this one is wearing.

Before Nightfox gets to the sniper, a second shot rings out – just missing Bon Chance as she stumbles. But this round ricochets and hits Sundog, dropping her to the floor. The villains all flee.

Nightfox finds and disarms the sniper, is wearing a mask with an Off switch logo on it. He’d left a card next to him with the same logo. The card had a handwritten note, “If you want to know why, check the news at 10pm”.

People wearing jumpsuits in the same colours as Seraph’s uniform arrive, and claim to be her backup team. Blue and Glitch carry her to a truck with them, and they seem to be set up to help her. Before handing her over, Nightfox pulls off her mask, and recognises the face beneath. Its Nova, a Union City hero. As the doors close and the truck drives away, they overhear someone in the truck say “Call Dr Crook”.

As the team takes Sundog to medical help, they hear an interruption to the 10pm News.

JANUS

The TV News broadcast is just starting to talk about a supervillain attack on City Hall, when its interrupted.

Ladies and Gentlemen, and those who prefer neither accolade. I apologise for interrupting your scheduled television, and also for concealing my identity. When you understand what I have to say, you will realise why I have to remain anonymous.

For that reason, you may call me Janus.

For a long time, both corporate and government interests have used your city as an experiment. What happens when mutations greatly increase, and regulation is light? You’re beginning to see the signs of that now – open warfare between mutant and non-mutant criminals in the street, destruction of public property by powered explosions.

I can tell you where this leads – to the destruction of human society by those of power, to a world in which those without power are ruled by those with it, and those with great powers dominate those with less.

I will not let this happen. I have demonstrated my ability to prevent it, by having one of my agents neutralise the powers attacking City Hall.

But, I am like you, a man with only his intelligence and wits to stand against great powers, and huge financial interests.

So here is my promise. I will use my technology, my knowledge and my assets to disable any mutant who uses their powers to commit crime, including the crime of vigilantism, within Storm City. Then I will allow the police, the courts, and justice system to deal with those crimes. There will be no more rampant display of mutant power on our streets, I will stop it.

And if you want to stand with me, find me, and let me know. I will not be so difficult to find for those who share my goals. Those mutants who oppose me, you will never find me. I will be the ghost who hunts you in the dark.

Now, I return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

MID-SEASON BREAK