Loa Blood

[SwampThing]

Amun

Fenris' howl draws searchlight beams from the slow flying dirigible overhead. Two Pyramid guards bound across the desert night toward him. The guards jump-jets propel them in great leaps, their heavy power armor landing heavily and sending up clouds of dust. The guards' armor is bulky and primitive, decorated with hieroglyphics, their helmets like animal heads to emulate the Sphinxs of Amun legend. Fenris, rising from the rocks and scrub trees, looks like one of the old gods returned to flesh and life, like a true incarnation of the ancient god-creatures the guards only pretend at.

The Sphinx guards cycle through the weapons arrays in their bulky armored gauntlets while still in the air. One of the Sphinxs, with a kangaroo helmet, keeps up a steady barrage of bullets from it's wrist-mounted machine-gun as it lands heavily on the rock outcropping above Fenris. The other Sphinx, with a koala helmet, lands behind Fenris, and sprays him with a blast of freezing fog.

 

[SwampThing]

Argopolis

Otto follows Nia out of their compartment, and down a corridor to the observation compartment / bar. They walk around the rim of the spacious train car, looking out the full windows at low grey clouds dropping white snow over the tall, dark pine forest surrounding Argo's capital.

"A sorry state the world is in my dear," Otto sighs, "Emperor Romero's military hold over Phyrgia has grown stronger than ever. He's pressuring GAIA to recognize his Locrian Empire, and to give them a share of the Loa Blood mined from Antarctica. Even if GAIA won't recognize the Locrian Empire, Romero controls all of Phrygia's natural resources, and Argo, Aralia, Svetla, and Amun all depend on trade with Phrygia much of their food, lumber, and fresh water. To get around GAIA's trade regulations, the Empire trades through neutral Reva, ironically GAIA's primary headquarters. And of course, on the black markets controlled by the Cold Blood and Killer Bees.

"Even my proud homeland of Sejeala is in crisis, beset by violent street-riots. The Inner Circle of Archbishops tries to keep the obsolete religion of the Wheel alive, but their worshippers are being overwhelmed by angry protesters and many new converts to the true faith of the holy Loa. Of course, the Sejealan goverment is powerless to control these riots, and so it is left to the Cold Blood to maintain order. I only tell you this, Nia, so that you will know what awaits us in Sejeala. I only hope my old associates can assist you in your search.

"We will be in Argopolis soon. Should we spend the night there, or continue straight on to Sejeala?"

 

[SwampThing]

Bumble Base

Mark dims the holographic display. "That's about it, Sparks. We'll continue monitoring the situation through our remote drones. You can contact us should you require information, assitance, or backup, but we expect you to be able to handle it. Your payment will be deposited in a secure Revan bank account, although we can discuss hardware upgrades as well, if you prefer.

"One other thing. We want the girl Nia brought in alive. Her companion, however, is expendable. Any last questions before you go?"

 

[rengadeirishman]

Fenris ducked as the guards opened fire, and he felt the blast on his back and, roaring, he turned, and tackled the guard in armor and jammed his blade into the guards throat. he leapt up and started running. I will kill them all!!! he swore to himself as he looked for another place to hide.

 

[Screech]

Sparks leaned back in his chair and placed the tips of his fingers together. Sounded like a simple enough job. Just needed to be discreet. "Alight. Shouldn't be too hard. As the target is being moved right now, it should make it easier to get close. Do you have any in-depth information about where she's being moved to, or am I going in blind for a recon on this one too?"

 

[Lady_Siren]

" They will be in Argopolis soon, As for if they will stay there overnight I am not certain. You will have to find that out on your own but I am sure they will stay there long enough for you to do enough recon on that subject. Now As Mark said if you need any equipment upgrades we shall be happy to provide him." She appeared to relax in her chair but was still completely aware of everything in the room as she awaited any more questions. You didn't get to be the queen bee by letting your gaurd down.

 

[cats]

Nia

IC: I took in Otto's words. "The world is in a sorry state. Did you know Val has its own gods? Well perhaps gods aren't the right words. Valous and his council aren't what most would consider gods. But that is the point, the world sees the Loa as gods and considering their blood it isn't hard to see why. Any on exposed to the blood becomes sick and dies or perhaps lost in their own power." A series of horrible figures moved threw my mind, shadows from before I became a refugee, forms that still lingered in my memory. "Then there are those that don't succumb. They gain new abilities, some minor like Dani's others major like monolith's. Perhaps it seems like a reward after the gods have a judge ones character..."

"Sorry, I am loosing myself aren't I? Look out there, at the distance. At first glance everything is white, but if you look again you'll see the trees are dark. My brother has been forgotten by my family, monolith has been swallowed by the earth, your home is divided, and GAIA acts as a tick gorging itself on the blood. All those touched by the Loa suffer. The Loa aren't gods, they are demons."

Valous may not be all powerful but he is wise, and kind. Perhaps if more the world worshiped him things would be more peaceful. Valous, Leos; I wonder what became of you. "I think we should spend the night here." That will give me more time to consider where I am headed.

 

[SwampThing]

Reva

Leos enters the little residential building connected to the observatory complex. Inside, the oversized boy is greeted by some of Dr. Bobby's service robots, rolling on multiple fat wheels, extending crane arms for his jacket and hat.

In the small kitchen, overlooking the city below the mountain, other robots are preparing lunch, pouring hot soup into bowls and slicing fresh bread. Olu sits at the kitchen table, waiting for him. The Svetlan pilot greets Leos with a warm smile, bright teeth in her red face, but she looks worried. "Hi Leos. Did you have a good workout?"

Dr. Bobby bursts into the kitchen, in a loud palm-printed shirt, hurriedly stuffing papers and rumpled clothes into a small suitcase, talking rapidly to Beatrice, his AI. "... abnormal activity in the mantle beginning at 08:00 hours, growing in intensity until the apparent release outside Bridges. Movement appears to follow mineral veins rather than fault lines ..." The Doctor grabs beer from the fridge and stuffs it into his overflowing suitcase. "... satelite confirmation that the quantum signature resembles earlier crystal structures, but is more complex by a factor of ..." Then he strides out of the room into his laboratory, still talking to Beatrice.

Dr. Bobby spends a lot of time talking to Beatrice. Sometimes this computer personality talks back, her voice coming from the walls of the house, the Doctor's wrist, or one of his vehicles or robots. But Leos has never been certain where the computer really is.

Olu motions for Leos to sit down, and the robots serve his lunch. "Leos, Dr. Bobby is going away for a few days. Beatrice noticed a weird small earthquake over in Argo, and the Doctor wants to see if it means new Gifted. I'll stay here with you. Maybe we could do something extra fun together while he's away. Do you want to go down to Kobal and visit the other children, or go for a camping trip in the mountains?"

"Or you could come with me, Leos." Dr. Bobby reappears at his lab door, with another suitcase overflowing with tools and instruments, a belt loaded with gadgets, and a bottle of whiskey in his pocket. Olu glares at the Doctor, but he seems not to notice. "I believe this seismic anomaly may signal the reappearance of Monolith, one of the world's most powerful Gifted. The big guy spends so much time asleep, that I want to catch this chance to talk to him while he's awake. If in fact it's him. It should be an interesting trip."

"Well Leos," Olu sighs, "what do you want to do?"

 

[SwampThing]

Rebirth

Little Timmy Candle tells Monolith the date. He's been underground for 2 years. 2 years since he collapsed Bay City, and destroyed the Antmen. 3 years since he came to Argo, and battled the Crusher. Would Hope still be imprisoned in a Locrian science camp?

Timmy leads the giant from the great brilliant crystal bursting from the earth, and along a track back through the fields to a little farmhouse. The track is a high dike between flooded rice paddies. Monolith can see that the rice is overgrown and brown, not weeded or harvested.

The farmhouse is a cinderblock shack with a tin roofed shed, a little chicken coop and a few battered trucks. Through the window, Monolith sees the flickering blue light of the TV, a sagging old Argon man slumped in front of it. Stupor beer and a stained t-shirt. The brown dog cowers under the front steps, whining.

"My mom's in town working at the post office. She won't get back till late. I've seen you on TV, in cartoons. Coda Power Hour. With Kell Claudas. You fought the sea snake, and the sun, and married the Chairman's daughter. Dad says you're not real, anymore, that was a long time ago. Are you back again to fight evil?"
___________________

Nearby, in Bridges, a man in a tuxedo, with blue-skin and many twisting horns, climbs the front steps to a gaudy casino. Troll finds Hass at a private lounge in the back. The deformed trainer leans down to the Madame's ear.

"I sensed the seismic disturbance and molecular shift all the way from Rebirth. It's a very powerful earth Gifted, possibly Monolith returned."

"Or possibly something new." Hass broods, stroking the snake coiled aroud her shoulders, "Find out. Take Nightlife, Chillwind, and a squad of ninja."

The blue-horned man nods, and quickly leaves the party.
________________

At the Bridges airport, a dark Argon man exits a sleek private jet. Black skin, hair, sunglasses, suit. Discreet metal earpiece. He walks down the stairs to the runway, and is met by another black-suited man.

"Mr. Hand."

"Mr. Book."

They walk across the runway to a Coda hanger. Inside, technicians and drivers tend to a small fleet of planes, helicopters, cas and armored trucks. They keep walking to a boxy, black armored aircar, floating on its electromagnetic suspension field. The waiting driver nods and opens the door for them.

"What are we going to do about him? The public relations scandal after he sank Bay City was enormous. Costly."

"True, but there's still so much we can learn from studying him. The material applications are very lucrative."

"Assuming he's still loyal to Coda."

"Perhaps even if he isn't."

"First thing is to make contact."

The black aircar rises silently out of the hanger, and then speeds up, towards the small town of Rebirth.

 

[SwampThing]

Amun

Valous flies low over the desert, the night calm pierced by searchlight beams and bursts of gunfire. She heads towards the source of the howl. A lone man, no not a man, a wolfman, a monster, sprints across the desert, from rock to rock, tree to tree. He's very fast, but pursued by a leaping kangaroo-guard, and a huge hovering airship with a searchlight beam.

The kangaroo guard is firing machine-gun bursts at the fleeing wolfman, sometimes switching to little mini-missiles to drive the beast out of caves or hollows. The wolfman is singed and bloodied, but appears fast enough, and tough enough, to withstand the guard's assault. If he could only reach shelter before more guards arrive ...

From the air Valous spots a low ravine hidden among some trees. If the wolfman ran in there, the airship couldn't track it anymore. Just then the airship turns one of it's spotlights on her. Valous is illuminated in mid-air, a pale violet apparition in a piller of light.

 

[Abraxas Winterlight]

Monolith

Married???? I chuckled, which when your fifteen feet tall & made completely of a stone-like substance, a chuckle is pretty loud & deep. The dog ran further under the house, and the chickens took off in a cloud of dust and feathers.
"You can't believe everything you see on telivision son. I fought when I had too, and I wish I had never been forced to make that choice. I thank you for your time, but I must be off. I have been gone far too long, and I feel the need to see what has happened in the world of men."
I looked to the south, twoard Bridges. I would be passing very close to Coda, but it couldn't be helped. I was never comforable with our agreement, and I was in no hurry to step back into that place again.
"Remember, listen to your mother, do your schoolwork, and try to do one good thing for someone else every day. That is how you make a difference in life, not by fighting monsters or showing off flashy powers. Farewell, little one."
I turned southward and took three great strides. On the fourth I gathered my strength and launched myself into the air with a mighty leap. A half mile on the first bound, then a mile, soon I was travelling at five miles a leap, reaching a thousand feet into the air, and leaving craters behind me where I landed. Instinctively, i knew where the earth would embrace me, so I was not scared of causing damage. Soon I would reach the sea, and from there I could go anywhere, safe in the crushing embrace of the deep, free to seek what the future held for me.

 

[rengadeirishman]

The guard was right behind him, and Fenris kept going. I cant keep this up forever he thought to himself. He saw a ravine. I could hide from the airship there he thought So he increased his speed and ducked into the ravine. He paused, breathing heavily, and waited for the kangaroo guard. Time seemed to move far too slow till he finally heard the guard approaching. He waited, and as soon as the guard moved around the corner, Fenris struck. He leapt onto the guard and immediately drove his blade into the guards throat. He then took the guards gun and ran through his armor, taking all the ammuniton. he then reloaded the gun and ran along the ravine. Trying to find somehwere to keep safe.

 

[cats]

Valous

IC: I dove downward my plan was to sink into the earth and leave behind the aircraft. "This is why I didn't bring my body with me." I hit the ground hard, my intangible body bouncing off the dirt. I was stunned for a few seconds while my head stopped hurting. Thats right, I have to be invisible to pass through solid objects. The image of the day I figured that out flashed threw my mind. I was walking down the street since people acted weird when I flew in the air. I stepped into the street and a car hit me. My astral form disappeared, and my head hurt for hours. That means if one of those explosions hit me I'll be trapped in my body again. I have to escape. That ravine, I can hide there.

'Stay where you are or we will fire.' I listened to the loud speaker of the ship. Another armored troop flew out of the back. "Okay." I covered my face and looked at the ravine as I lied. "Bye!" I quickly flew off low to the ground at full speed, slowing as I entered the confines of the trees. I really wish I was bodiless again. I zoomed threw the trees until the wolf man came into view again. "Run faster!"

 

[SwampThing]

Argopolis

Nia's train passes through many miles of warehouses and factories before reaching the heart of the capital city. Argopolis is the manufaction hub for all of this wealthy nation, where raw materials from the Jackson mines are turned into buildings, cars, tools, clothes, and energy for the rest of Argo. Inside the city itself, somber towers soar up into the silent snow. At the train station, Nia sees the citzens hunch through the cold streets in long coats, or in low, dark, silent cars. Overhead, a few police aircars hover between the skyscrapers.

Otto catches Nia looking at the police aircars. "They have some superheroes as well. Gifted who work with the police, as Monolith did."

The people on the streets are dark-skinned Argons. Rich businessmen heading from their offices to their pine estates, or poor shopgirls and technicians returning from the factories to their downtown apartments. Bay City had been a cosmopolitan mix of races, and Bridges had been full of refugees and immigrants. But Argo is a black city. Nia sees only a few red Svetlan faces huddled around kitchen staff entrances, and a few pale Aralians in suits. Otto and Nia both stand out as foreigners.

A taxi takes them to a district of brick apartments. The Argon driver knows Otto, and takes them to the Arms Hotel without being told. From the window, Nia sees the poor local Argons, wandering the cold streets, some huddled in doorways or alleys, many clustered around the Arms Hotel, and the bar on it's ground floor.

Otto explains, "We'll spend the night at Gator's Arms, it's a Cold Blood safehouse. These low-rent districts have been taken over by Loa-faithful, waiting for their chance to buy a piece of the gods." Otto fingers the silver Loa cell vial around his neck. "Many wait for years, doing jobs for the Cold Blood, earning enough for a vial. The bar at Gator's Arms is a meeting place for buyers, dealers, and assassins. We will be safe there.

"Do you want to visit the bar? Retire to your room? Meet Gator? or see more of the city?"

 

[SwampThing]

Bumble Base

After Sparks leaves, Mark takes a call from the Bridges Base, and relays it to Nikki.

"Unusual earthquake activity outside Bridges. Looks like it might be Monolith. He's mostly stayed out of Killer Bee business in the past, but with no more big monsters on the loose, who knows what he'll do. The Bridges office says Hass is already moving on it, and may get to him first if we don't intervene.

"You used to know him, right? Do you want to fly south and intercept him, or do you want to leave this one alone? Any instructions for the Bridges office?"

 

[cats]

Nia

IC: This place is so very different from Val, and yet just like it dominated by one race. I bet the cultures have a surprising amount in common. I wonder if Valous is fitting in. I do have an interest in seeing my son and daughter, but that would complicate things.

"Do you find drinking odd? I find it extremely fascinating, the drink stops your mind from working clearly, and yet it is so much easier to make choices after a few."

 

[Lady_Siren]

Nikki bit her lip thoughtfully. Monolith could be an asset to the beas if used properly. Besides she did not want Hass to have control of or the loyalty of such a stong gifted. It would not do for Hass to think power was theirs again. "We shall intercept him I think. We knew each other breifly before. He may be willing to speak to us on friendly terms. If not... " she let the sentence trail off. Mark knew her well to know she would never allow a potential threat to the Beas exist. Hopefully Monolith would see things their way.

 

[Screech]

Sparks

After leaving the Bumble Bee with his assignment, Sparks travelled north toward Argopolis, using the train tracks as a guide. The journey was proving to be longer than he had hoped, as he had needed to aquire a vehicle to conserve his jump-pack's power. Sure, he could have flown all the way, but then how would he get Nia back up to that floating fortress with an empty fuel canister and his own two legs for prepulsion? Not gonna happen. Besides, this way he could slip into the city relativly unnoticed and in disguise. After all, what would be more noticable? A technologically suited person jetting through the streets, or a man down on his luck in a beat-up car?

 

[SwampThing]

Amun

Fenris uses his arm blade to detach the machine-gun attachment from the Sphinx's gauntlet. The wrist-mounted gun is clumsy and awkward when removed from the battle armor, but Fenris is able to wrap the extra ammunition belt around his arm, and figures out how to opperate the weapon before the pale girl with the violet hair flies into his ravine hiding place.

Valous and Fenris are in a narrow, rocky ravine, a sort of small canyon carved around a dry river bed. Rocky cliff overhangs, and dense spily trees, hide them from view by the airship overhead. Ahead, the ravine widens and deepens into chaotic badlands terrain as it leads away from the Pyramid into the desert.

The airship hovers overhead, searchlights probbing uselessly at the tree-lined ravine. Slowly, weapon systems swivel and prepare to bombard the ravine with missiles. More Sphinx guards rappel down from the airship on cables, or drop down assisted by jump-jets. The animal-helmeted guards spread out along the clifftops, preparing to surround their unseen prey.

 

[SwampThing]

Bumble Base

Leaping south, through the swampy jungle around Bridges, Monolith is moving to fast to notice the shimmering stealthed Bumble Base, moving to intercept him at the coastline of the Svetlan Sea, still some miles south.

Mark leans over the control screens, glancing up at Nikki.

"I'm picking up tracking signals from a GAIA science vessel, and a Coda aircar in the vicinity. Monolith's a popular boy. Hass' agents are more subtle, but we can assume they're nearby as well."

"At the rate he's going, he'll reach the water before we can reach him. The Bumble Base is too slow, and we were already too far away from Bridges. We could stop him from here with a missile strike, or one of the sonic weapons Chapel devised years ago in Bay City, specifically to deal with Monolith. But that might just make him angry. Can you use one of your powers to reach him?"

 

[Lady_Siren]

Nikki's mind flitted over the best possible way to approach Monolith. Telepathy was the obvious answer but she had to be careful. Gifted often reacted defensively to mind invasions especially unexpected ones. She let her breath out slowly closing her eyes. Her body relaxed as her conciousness left her physical self flying out towards Monolith. This was alot like her astral projection but instead of an image she projected only her voice. "Monolith, my old friend do not be alarmed. Do you remember me? We fought alongside each other once long ago. I come to you as an ally to warn you of enclosing danger." Her voice was soft and melodious, pitched to the perfect calming and non-threatening tone. She held her breath waiting for his reply.

 

[SwampThing]

South of Bridges

Monolith is startled by the "voice" in his head. There had been two female mentalists in the large group of Gifted assisting police in the Bay City asylum break-out three years before. An Amunet and an Aralian. Most of those Gifted had disappeared shortly after the asylum incident, only a few others joining him to work at Coda.

When the "voice" warns of danger, Monolith looks around, at the top of his leap arc. Behind him, and gaining on him, are two flying vehicles. Some kind of silent electromagnetic propulsion, very high-tech, expensive. They appear to be two separate convoys, not travelling together. Both vehicles are flashing bright lights, attempting to signal him. The jungle below could hide any number of others.

Looking ahead, Monolith sees the fast approaching Svetlan sea, and beyond it, the red mountains of Svetla. Just a few more bounds and he will reach the sea, but those aircars are closing fast ...

 

[Lady_Siren]

"Monolith its Nikki Hall, I helped you years ago and though we didn't follow the same path I am still not your foe. Those after you seek to use you for their own gain. I only wish to help you. If you do not want t associate with me I understand but I could not stand by when I knew trouble was soon to find you." Her voice continued to hold the same calming tone conveying what sounded like true concern. She did her best to project the others intentions of misusing him. True or not she felt it was her best shot.

 

[SwampThing]

Argopolis

Sparks is native Argon, he blends right in here. Of course, the battered car is stolen, it'll be picked up within a day or two, but it should get him into the city, and close to Nia and Otto. From the train station he follows their taxi into an inner-city ghetto. Homeless sleeping in alleys. Religous fanatics, junkies, and whores waiting at streetcorners Bar fights spilling out into the snow. Small packs of hunting dogs patrol the side-streets and rooftops. Sparks has been told that the dogs, big sleek dobermans, somehow work for or obey the Hunt, this city's superhero.

The taxi lets Nia and Otto out at a shabby hotel above a bar. The Arms, although someone had spraypainted Gator's on the sign, making it the Gator's Arms. A crowd of Loa faithful, old derelicts and young bikers is gathered outside the bar, waiting for a chance to get in, or just wanting to be near the action. Sparks can tell deals are going on in the crowd around the bar, people buying and selling, probably drugs, weapons, and Loa cell pendents.

Nia is ushered Inside the crowded bar. Here, as outside, deals are being made, although inside there are more bikers, old Sejealan gangsters, hooded cultists and masked ninja. Nia overhears bits of conversation as Otto leads her to a booth at the back.

"... just got back from an out-of-town job ..."

"... make it look like a suicide ..."

"... 5000 to do them both ..."

"... his business partner ..."

"... poison is untraceable ..."

"... 5000 and the Loa pendent ..."

At the booth, Otto introduces Nia to a few old friends. Smugglers, cultists, ninja. Otto goes to the bar to fetch them drinks, and Sarra, a Loa cultist in a hood, with facial tatoos, asks Nia "Why are you travelling with Otto? What is the purpose of your journey?"

 

[cats]

Nia

IC: Well, I guess I won't be enjoying a quiet drink tonight. Its no wonder GAIA doesn't want to accept their sovereignty, all this crime just sitting out in the open. Then again it could be my location. I some how didn't think I'd be staying in such a run down place.

'Why are you traveling with Otto? What is the purpose of your journey?' Hmm, hood, a face covered in tattoos, a complete stranger; sounds like a drinking partner to me.

"Well, its a long story. I suppose the short of it is we are looking for some one. So do you drink Mrs..."