DC Villains #34: The Cold Equations
DC Villains
Episode 34:
"The Cold Equations"
Roll Call:
Bucky
Captain Republican
Chemical Lad
Mr. Roboto
Manhunter gathered the Secret Society together to share the latest intel on Darkseid's campaign to rule the universe. He had learned that Darkseid's minions were being sent to kidnap three Earthlings, for some unknown (but no doubt sinister) purpose. Unfortunately, given the Society's reputation as notorious super-villains, simply warning the victims was not likely to be effective (Chemical Lad: "Can't we just call them and pretend we're Batman?"). So the only alternative was to kidnap the people themselves before Darkseid could snatch them.
The first target was a young woman known as "Empress", a member of the Young Justice team. The Society approached their headquarters in the Catskill Mountains but, as predicted, they were immediately recognized and the teen heroes attacked:
Arrowette
[Armor, Arsenal, Heightened Expertise]
Empress
[Experience Levels, Force Field, Mind Control, Special Weapon (Staff)]
Impulse
[Electrical Field, Super-Speed, Vibratory Blast]
Robin
[Armor, Experience Levels, Heightened Attack, Special Weapon (Batarangs, Staff)]
Wonder Girl
[Experience Levels, Flight, Reflection (Kinetic, Energy)]
Impulse's ability to attack multiple targets near-simultaneously made him a high-priority target, and the Society used their ranged attacks to avoid contacting his Speed Force-electrical aura and took him down. Robin's battle-staff and Batarangs were ultimately not much use against the powerhouse villains, and he fell as well. Arrowette's boxing-glove, incendiary, and sleep-gas arrows kept her foes busy for a time, but she was no match for them hand-to-hand. Wonder Girl fared better, with her ability to deflect many attacks off her bracelets, and she pounded some sizeable dents into Mr. Roboto in particular, but she could not withstand the full force of the Secret Society. Empress lasted the longest, thanks to her protective force field and psychic powers, but her martial arts prowess was not enough, and the Society dragged her back to their Sanctuary.
[Loot Drops: Arrowette's Quiver (Arsenal), Impulse's Gloves (Electrical Field)]
Next on the list was the Pied Piper, a member of Flash's Rogues Gallery that they'd encountered once before (see Episode #17). Heading to Central City, they interrupted the Piper and several of his fellow Rogues attempting to vandalize the Flash Museum:
Golden Glider
[Armor, Bridge Travel, Gravity Increase, Ice Blast]
Heat Wave
[Flame Blast, Life Support]
Pied Piper
[Emotion Control, Force Field, Sonic Blast]
The Top
[Arsenal, Natural Weaponry, Reflection]
Weather Wizard
[Armor, Weather Control]
Heat Wave's upgraded flamethrower, firing a napalm-like substance that kept burning for an extended period [Duration modifier] was doing significant damage, so he became the first target. His hazmat suit protected him against Chemical Lad's acid spray, but not the knuckles of Captain Republican and Bucky. The Top's collection of deadly spinning toys were giving the team some trouble, especially the one who's emanations caused them to age prematurely [Devitalization Ray], so they ganged up on him next. His rapid spinning allowed him to shrug off some attacks, but enough got through to bring him down. The Golden Glider and Bucky were locked in a stalemate for a time -- she would coat him in ice, he would break free, only for her to freeze him up again. But once the rest of the team turned their attention to her, she didn't last long. The Weather Wizard buffeted the Society with tornado-force winds, but he himself proved somewhat vulnerable. The Pied Piper was the last man standing, mainly due to the team not perceiving him as a big threat; his sonic blasts and attempts at mind-manipulation mostly fell on deaf ears. He soon joined Empress in lockup.
[Loot Drops: Heat Wave's Gun (Flame Blast), Top's Suit (Natural Weaponry)]
Darkseid's last target was an alien woman named Beautiful Dreamer, part of a group from New Genesis called the Forever People. The Society tracked them down to a boarding house in Metropolis, and once more dived into the fray.
Beautiful Dreamer
[Emotion Control, Heightened Defense, Illusions, Mental Blast]
Big Bear
[Density Increase, Experience Levels]
Mark Moonrider
[Electrical Bolt (HtH Contact Attack), Experience Levels]
Serifan
[Force Field, Paralysis Ray, Power Blast]
Vykin
[Invulnerability (Kinetic), Telekinesis, Weakness Detection]
The large and intimidating Big Bear made for an obvious target, and his mighty punches were nothing to sneeze at. But even his massive frame could not withstand the sustained attacks from the Society. Serifan's "cosmic capsules" allowed him to dish out heavy energy damage while staying safe inside a protective field, but finally his foes pounded their way through his defenses and knocked him for a loop.
The rest of the team held their own for a time -- Moonrider smacking his foes with electrified punches, Vykin hurling "magnetic" [actually Telekinetic] blasts, and Beautiful Dreamer sniping with her psionic attacks. But they could see the tide was turning against them, and Vykin declared that it was "time to bring out the big guns". The three placed their hands on Vykin's Mother Box, uttered the magic word "Taaru", and suddenly the Forever People all vanished, replaced by a single, powerful figure: Infinity Man.
Infinity Man
[Disintegration Ray, Experience Levels, Flight, Siphon (Super Abilities)]
The mysterious Infinity Man might have prevailed, with his ability to neutralize his opponents' super-powers [Siphon]. But he seemed to be operating at less than full power, perhaps because some of the Forever People had been unconscious when he was summoned. Before he could completely de-power the villains, they rallied and defeated him. As he fell, Infinity Man vanished and the Forever People returned, now all unconscious as well. The Society collected Beautiful Dreamer and returned to headquarters.
[Loot Drops: Infinity Man's Goggles (Disintegration Ray), Vykin's Helmet (Weakness Detection), Mother Box (random buffs and debuffs)]
Examining the prisoners, Manhunter discovered that buried deep within each one's brain was a tiny fragment of something called the Anti-Life Equation. Darkseid had long sought this formula, which would allow him to turn off all free will in the universe. Having even a small part of the equation was what gave each of the prisoner's their own mind-affecting powers.
Unfortunately, Manhunter said, it appeared the only way to prevent Darkseid from getting hold of the pieces of the Equation was to kill the people who possessed it. The Society members concurred, and carried out the sentence.
[The player characters earned 3 character points each, giving them a total of 202.]