Superheroes – Once upon a Time in 1968 – Issue 13 – The Darkness in the Light

 

Picking up directly after Issue 12, with our heroes still on Jaiipuur at the party celebrating their victory over the Gosovians.

Cover: The high spire of Jaaipuur illuminated against a dark background.  Shadowfist and 808 are super imposed in the front of it, Shadowfist’s hands on 808’s shoulders, “Your perfect wold is a lie!” she says.  808 looks shocked.   Across the bottom, “Will our young heroes survive the revelations within?!”

Opening page:  The high spire (again) with character’s face’s in circles showing where there are:

• 808, top of the Tower “Blithely enjoying the party in his honor.”
• Horizon, top of the tower, balcony, “Brooding over the damage he may have caused.”
• Roboto, top of the tower, “Not sure where everyone else is.”
• Shadowfist, basement, “Horrifed by what she learned.”
• Vulpix, ???, “Where is Vulpix?”

Next page: 808’s superior, 1307, directs him to gather his friends for a ceremony of thanks.  Agent 605, a classmate of 808’s who was gushing over how well 808 had done, seeks out Horizon.  808 gathers Roboto and go in search of Shadowfist with the aid of the building’s syetem, they take the lift shaft down to Sublevel 7, the Gate Monitoring level.  There they find Shadowfist slumped down, looking defeated.  When they approach, Shadowfist explains what Miss Ood had shown her about the Gosovian prisoners (at the end of last issue), they debate the situation, with 808 becoming more and more agitated, his form flickering between his uniform and the custome he uses on Earth.

Distracting the operators in the monotoring room by offering to cover for them while they get some food from the party, 808 uses the system to take a look at what is happening at Mining Outpost 741 on November.  There he sees a small group of Gosovians being process, the last of many it seems as there is a significant pile of equipment on one side, helmets, webbing and such.  Roboto records this with his inbuilt camera (not used before, but it makes sense).

Returning at last to the party, and an impatient 1307, the young heroes are recognized.  808 receives his promotion to full Agent of the Jaiipuur Guardians, something he is now more anxious than proud of, everyone else is given a medal, “The White Sun of Jaiipuur, symbolizing the light that guards and guides our world.”  Roboto is also told that he can keep the rocket-pack he used in the battle.  Horizon takes the medal off, gives an impassioned speech about how this is all a sham and that people were hurt and killed and no one should be celebrating it, he bends the medal, drops it and storms off.  1307 takes 808 aside and tells him that maybe it is time to take his Earthling home to cool off as they seem to be under considerable stress here and lack of rest.  808 agrees, after all, he is feeling the same way.  Shadowfist surreptitiously scoops up Horizon’s medal.

The team finds Horizon down in the garden at the base of the spire.  They return to the Gate level, from when they arrived from November, Shadowfist shuddering slightly, picking up some fuel for Roboto’s new rocket-pack as well.  Passing through the gate, they appear back in Central Park, conviently near to Vulpix’s Swinging Pad.  Roboto plugs himself in for a partial recharge before they head back to the Professor’s lab, to the Professor’s relief.  Once there, they copy the film of the Gosovian prisoners and play it for Horizon and Vulpix.  Horizon is very accusitory toward 808, “How could you not know what is going on?”

Once Horizon has calmed down, Shadowfist approaches 808 sniffling, she admits that she let Miss Ood go when they encountered her in the warehouse (back in Issue Ten) and so it is all her fault that Leonard was kidnapped and she is so sorry.  Shadowfist collapses in tear.  808 flies away in confusion.  Shadowfist keeps crying and explains to the rest of the team what happened.

808 is glowing brightly as he flies around above New York, his powers only barely under control, attracting all sorts of odd looks and causing multiple reports of a UFO over NYC.  Horizon decides to go after him and see if he can help, grabbing a red balloon on the way.  “Hey Sparky, you trying to do that?” gesturing to the glow.  Horizon offers the balloon as a temporary replacement for Leonard, 808 waves it off but rizon grabs a red balloon and heads off after 808.  “Hey Sparky you trying to do that.”  Gives balloon as a temporary replacement for Leonard.  808 tries to mitigant his shedding of light but waves Horizon off.

Horizon returns to the rest of the team.  “Bob just needs some time to cool down.  And he has cooled down a little,” Horizon says pointing up to where 808 can just barely be seen, his light much dimmed.  Shadowfist returns the bent medal to Horizon.  “You will want to keep this as a momento.  Maybe of not what to do?” Horizon nods and tucks the medal away.

After a check by the Professor to make sure he is working properly, Roboto plug himself into recharge.  The rest of the team fall into bed, completely exhausted, after trans-dimensional travel, war and terrible revelations.  They are awakened a few short hours later by the voice of Leonard over the communicators, “Help me!  Help me!  Help me!”

End of issue 13!  Next Issue 14

Notes: This was a fabulous game, I just set a few things in motion and the players did the rest.  Lots of drama and teen angst which is so appropriate to the genre.  Very few dice rolls but everything moved along quite well.

Also, you can skip along the timeline to the Christmas Special.  Which is in continuity but hazy as to where exactly it fits in.

Photos upper: Spire image from PxHere and is in the Public Domian.  Lower photo found on PublicDomainPictures and is also in the Public Domain.