Champions Tournament (Final)
If the Octagon tournament final was the warm-up, this was the main event: one of the most involving tournaments I have ever played in. All of the tournament finalists were present, so Rex (who was an alternate again) was left out (for the fourth time). Another player and I had played Diamond in the first round, so when it came time to chose who got the character, Mike Mallonee (the main GM) had several members of the audience be a jury, and the other guy and I had to plead our case before the ‘jury’ in our Diamond’s divorce trial! I may have made a mistake in playing to any (non-existent) female members of the jury, which is probably why I had to play the last remaining character, Halo. (This was the third time I advanced to the final round, and the third time I was unable to play the character I advanced with. I had sworn that if I ever did play that same character that I would win the tournament, but I guess it will never be, now.) At least I could fake a good Hispanic accent (courtesy of three years of Spanish in high school and Cheech Martin), and I immediately picked up on the idea of sterility: that would be about the greatest disaster for a Hispanic male, not to bear children.
We picked up directly after the fight scene in the first round, where I saw a man (played by Mark Blumberg) watching us from the next hill. Just watching us. I flew over to confront him; as I approached, I recognized him. He was the first hero, the first one to put on a mask and fight crime, after which he disappeared for twenty years. Eventually the rest of the team confronted him too, and he introduced himself as Adam Kiley and told us the following story:
Twenty years ago (he said) he was assigned to a secret military project, to create superpowered paranormals. His job was to man a fail-safe switch, in case anything went wrong. There was a test, once, and the result was far greater than anticipated. He hesitated, just a moment, and the fail-safe mechanism was ruined. He then left, knowing that everyone thought him and the rest of the project dead, and wandered the country.
But he was infected. Paranormal abilities, we had discovered, weregenetically-based, and could be transmitted like a disease. In fact (he continued) he thinks he may have spread the disease himself, but not to the scale that was now threatening the world. That was why he wanted us to help him return to the bunker where the project was located, fix the fail-safe and stop the paranormal plague that threatened to sterilize humanity, even if it possibly meant our lives.
At that point, I (Halo), being sterile, had very little to live for personally, but I also had a family back in Chicago that I would do anything to protect, so I was already convinced. Diamond, who had been (actually) massaging Adam’s back, wrapped his/her arm around Adam’s throat and warned him that the slightest false move would be very dangerous on his part. (Rapid shrinking plus enhanced strength plus an arm around throat equals possible fatality.) The others were not convinced, but were at least ready to try. We all climbed back about the helicopter and headed for New Mexico.
Unbeknownst to us, we were overheard by someone, and Adam’s words about sacrificing paranormals was broadcast to everyone. As a result we were attacked on our way to the bunker by the paranormal Corsair, who fired three missiles at our helicopter. I shot one down, Dakota diverted a second, and Challenger stopped the third with his chest and barely survived back to the helicopter; he had major wounds and needed particular medical care, which only Necro could provide. Fortunately this was a medical evac chopper, so the equipment was available, and Necro talked Indigo through the procedures. The rest watched for more paranormals, but none showed up until we arrived at our destination.
We were met there by a government ‘plumber’ named Serpent (played Jeff Smith, who is one-armed) who had been hunting Adam for twenty years (Kiley hunted by the one-armed man); his job was to ‘clean up’ after the project, and although we were prepared for a fight, he let us by. Or at least he was going to let us by, but Diamond collared him as well and brought him along too. We descended into the bunker and sealed it; outside, groups of paranormals were arriving and fighting for their survival or the world’s survival: various GMs and people from the audience played bit parts in these scenes.
We found that we could fix the fail-safe, although it would take the assistance of the device’s builder (played by Mike Mallonee), who was found cleaning the trophy room of the Texas Rangers: when we first called, all we saw was the mask of Dr. Destroyer in the video screen, which was then revealed to be in a display case. We had fixed the device and were debating whether or not to active it, when a woman’s voice from the end of the room said “You cannot move nor use your powers.”
The other survivor of the disastrous test twenty years, Evelyn (played by Sue Grau) appeared, holding Dr. Destroyer’s mind control device. We had no choice but to obey. She stood before us, putting the device on the table, and told us of her plans to use it to dominate a planet of paranormals. It was Dr. Destroyer’s dream and it would be hers. He had rescued her from the wreckage of the project, taken her ruined body and repaired it, making it better than ever; now she would see his greatest dream fulfilled herself. In a few minutes her satellites would destroy the orbitting fail-safe device, and the world would be hers.
We were given at least two chances to break free, but her control roll was very high. Challenger came the closest, but his Disadvantages included Double Effect from Mental Attacks, so he was particularly helpless. Only after Diamond sacrificed her turn to taunt Fist (whose natural abilities could possibly not be counted as powers) and Fist’s player used some freebie points that we had been given in the beginning of the round (and that most of us had promptly forgotten) to boost his Ego was he was able to break free. His line was something like “Not for a world of slaves, but for 500 years of free black men.” when he rolled, and he broke free of her control. He promptly lept forward and destroyed the device on the table.
Immediately everyone was free. Since Diamond hadn’t acted, she reacted immediately, rocketing into Evelyn and smashing her to the ground with her fists. Indigo appeared at Evelyn’s body, transporting them both into the shadow realm of her powers and returning alone. Really alone, as she left those powers behind; she was free of them, finally free of their dark burden, and could embrace Halo without fear or harm. Since Halo had been praying to every saint he could remember, he knelt and crossed himself.
Still, that left us with a decision to make, and quickly. Evelyn had set Dr. Destroyer’s hunter satellites on automatic, and they would destroy the fail-safe shortly. However, Necro had taken a vital circuit from the device and would not replace it until he knew everyone’s intent. Everyone except for Fist was ready to sacrifice themselves; Fist still thought there was a chance, a possibility that a cure could be found. One of the people we fought at the of the last round was a genetic shapeshifter, but we couldn’t depend on him nor could he control his powers enough to ensure a cure.
Fist was outvoted, and the fail-safe was activated. As we waited for the end, we all said our final good-byes, in whatever way we knew best. I shook Challenger’s hand and kneeled and crossed myself. Diamond embraced Necro, the only person present who could do so safely; (formerly) Indigo wanted to but wisely held back. Dakota expressed regret that he couldn’t tell his wife good-bye. Oak, who possibly could have survived, said “Then I will be a tree.”
And then we died.
The fail-safe device destroyed a protective layer in space that kept out a cosmic ray that was fatal to the paranormal-power carrying disease and to all who were infected. Yet humanity was saved; nine months later children were born in Chicago and around the world. Thus ends the history of the world of the Texas Rangers and the Confederation of Heroes, as it concerns superheroes.
It was a draining event. Physically, since it is always warm in the room (small room, too many bodies; it always draws an audience) but emotionally as well. (I know I was way too emotional throughout.) Hugs and handshakes were exchanged all around, players, GMs, audience. Everyone involved roleplayed excellently. The guy who played Diamond was incredible: I do not mind losing the character to him as he did some things with the character that I wouldn’t have that contributed to the plot. Challenger, played by my old friend (and now GM) Darryl Poindexter, was Challenger: commanding, knowledgeable, self-sacrificing. When the GMs left to decide on a winner, that was the first thing they said about the character. Fist was excellent: he figured out how to escape and justified it in character; later, in his insistence that a cure could be found he maintained that same intensity and drive. Oak had the best line of the day: “What is sterility?” Kudos also to the GMs and their assistants.
But the hands-down best was Necro. The guy came into the character cold and took off with it. He put on a long black leather coat (and wore it for all four hot hours!) on top of a Vampire:TM T‑shirt and a silver ankh, and spoke and acted like Lionel Atwill throughout the session.
Halo was essentially without depth; he was driven, almost suicidal. I took a back seat to many of the others largely because of that. The only things I wish I would have thought of to do would have been to compliment (and make a pass at) Indigo when she lost her powers, since her darkness powers and my light powers were largely antagonistic, and to ask Necro to hear my last confession (he’s the Angel of Death; there wasn’t a priest, but he’d be the next best thing.)
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