Herculean revenge is about getting back at HYDRA (Hercules killed the lernean hydra in greek mythology) for what they did to him. Its not meant to be hyperagressive or ultraviolent, just a cool reference. When he volunteered he thought it was more about extreme training, or at worst, less invasive technology, like nano masks or some-such.
As for Black Widow, it's mostly based on a tall tale he tries to tell about the few times he's run into her on a job or the helicarrier and the "near intimate" nature of those encounters (all false). He looks up to her as a superagent, and if shes in any kind of trouble after all this he'll want to find her and help her. However, I would happily change that to Rat out of the Cage to represent his several years in captivity, and inability to reintegrate into society or trust anyone new.
I chose a variation on Growing Dread to represent the idea that maybe HYDRA actually has some control over this device, or is able to use it to foil his plans, thus making things more difficult for anybody whenever he uses it (activating opportunities to turn him into the wrong person and grow the doom pool).
Before we start, I think I'm going to write a thing. It's mostly just for me, both to get in the character's head and to put him in an interesting place to bounce off of when the game proper starts.
(note that while I'll be using an interviewer-interviewee format, I obviously don't expect this to count as part of the "Agents of Buh-WUH?" milestone)
V: "Could you state your name, first and last, into the microphone, please?"
C: "My name is Clifford Ware, I'm an Agent of...well, former Agent of SHIELD."
V: "And how long were you with SHIELD, Cliff? Can I call you Cliff?"
C: "Clifford's just fine. Let's see...I guess it would have been about two years? It was shortly after the Battle of New York that I joined. I wonder if I'm alone in that? I mean, SHIELD's trained attack dogs, Romanov and Barton, fighting alongside Captain America? Must've been a hell of a publicity push for them. I guess I could probably look up those figures now, huh?"
V: "You could look up a lot more than that."
C: "No kidding."
V: "So, Clifford, what drew you to SHIELD."
C: "It was my neighbor, actually. His name was Walter, I think."
V: "You think?"
C: "Well, it was probably a cover, right? It seems like everyone and their brother had a cover, if not a nickname."
V: "If our sources are correct, you were a nickname guy. Am I right?"
C: *sighs* "Yup. They called me 'Detective.'"
V: "And why was that your nickname?"
C: "Because I was really good at finding things. Pretty much anything, actually. Things that were lost, things that people wanted me to discover, occasionally things people didn't...it basically became my job for SHIELD, outside of missions with my team."
V: "That's an interesting role to play for such a shadowy group."
C: "You know, they didn't seem that shadowy from the inside. Obviously, it was all just a facade, but for a long time..."
(Clifford stares into space, his mouth open like he's about to speak)
V: "Clifford? Mr. Ware?"
C: "Right, sorry. You'll have to forgive me. It's just...SHIELD was the closest I've ever come to trusting an entity that doesn't have a face, you know?"
V: "Ah, yes, that's right. Your belief in conspiracy theories is well-noted in your file. It looks like it almost got you in trouble a few times?"
C: "Oh, yeah. Hehe, yeah, it did. It's funny, in retrospect. No one really liked it when I told them about the New World Order, when in reality I was closer to the truth than even I thought. Maybe they were in on it. Like Walter."
V: "That's of interest to us, actually. Tell us about Walter and HYRDA."
C: "HYDRA...I'm not sure the shock of that will ever get old. So, like I told you, SHIELD was the closest I've come to trusting something so big, and Walter was a big part of that. He gained my trust in a way no one could. It was like...it was like every conversation with him was him baring some small part of his soul to you, you know? He was one of the most genuinely honest people I'd ever met, even after I discovered he was with SHIELD. And then, and then I joined up, and suddenly the whole organization felt a little like that! For the first time in my life, my talents were going to something that wasn't examining every passerby for a gun. I appreciate that you didn't bring yours today, by the way."
V, flustered: "My-I'm sorry, what?"
C: "Your piece. Handgun, you usually wear it under that jacket on your left side, because you shoot right handed...9 or 10 millimeters? I always get them confused."
V, bewildered: "9-it's 9 millimeters-how did you do that?"
C: "Sister, it's all I can do. Anyway. Where was I? Right, purpose. I had purpose. I saw that the work I was doing was genuinely helping people, you know? Whenever we took a dangerous artifact, it was blasted off into space. The guys we captured were sent to prison, and the guys we buried deserved it. For the first time, it was a world of black and white, good and evil.
"So of course it was all a big lie.
"I found out around the same time as everyone else, barring maybe a few seconds. I had noticed the last few days that half of the team was on edge. Not much, but they were definitely not their usually selves. It was really subtle at first, but then they started disobeying the CO's orders, talking back. They were sullen. I thought maybe it was the stress, until one day the CO didn't turn up to a rendezvous. 'It's cool," Walter told me, 'he called me up, said he's stuck in traffic.' And I knew right then he was dead."
V: "How did you know?"
C: "Because the last few days, he hadn't had a phone. I noticed it was missing from his pockets, and when I asked about it, he made up some nonsense excuse about having to send it in for a replacement. I think he could smell a few rats and wanted to be as hard to find as possible, but it didn't work. They got him. And now, they were going to get me."
V: "So what did you do?"
C: "I ran. I ran like hell."
V: "From who? Was your entire team compromised?"
C: "I still don't know. And to be honest? I didn't care. Still don't. I grabbed my bugout bag and made a run for the fire escape. I heard gunshots, roughly a dozen, and they were probably all aimed at me."
V: "Probably?"
C: "I'm good, but I don't know if anyone's that good. It was chaotic, maybe they had just put a few through the loyal guy's skulls. Maybe there were no loyal guys. All I knew was, I had to leave. Had to get on the run, and fast. I didn't know it was HYDRA, and I didn't know it was happening to anyone else. But old instincts die hard, and I knew not to trust anyone. I didn't even take a cab."
V: "And now you're here."
C: "That's right. I spent a couple of days to lay low, and then thought I should come to you."
V: "You know the people I work for will want to hear this."
C: "And you remember the terms of our agreement."
V: "Right. *sighs* This only gets out if you die."
C: "That's right. I want my story told, but in the right way. Preferably by me, alive, once HYDRA is wiped out."
V: "And what would you do after that?"
C: "I don't know. Go back to work, I guess?"
V: "For SHIELD?"
C: "SHIELD, yeah, or something like it."
V: "You know how crazy that sounds."
C: "Of course. But like I said, SHIELD was the closest I came to trusting anything that big. I don't think I'll ever come so close again. But if there's one thing I want in life, it's something to trust in. Something to believe in. I need that. I need SHIELD."
Sheild decyrpted files 1104.... Taken from the case files of Detective Ramon Gomez dated Feb. 2002 Brazil
Igelsias Compound
Feb. 4 2002
9:45 AM
I wasn't surprised when I recieved a call of murder at the Igelsias Compound. The drug cartels familes in Brazilhave been a each other's thoats for years. The newspapers have even given the familes the clever name of the untoachables. What did surprise me was the bodycount. 38 dead including 5 high ranked officals of the Igelsias, 10 mid level street dealers, 22 armed to the teeth security guards, and the head of the family Juan Carlos Igelsias all killed by some kind of long blade. If it wasn't for the way which all of them were killed I might I have written this case off as one of the other families move up and still might.
Also worthy of noting two other guards in control of the video and audio surveillance some how where left alive and unharmed. When question on what happened inside all the interveiwers could get out of them was that nothing happened. one minute everyone was alive then the next the cameras went off for a few seconds and when they returned everyone was died. Impossible to tell if what they say is made up or just spinning the truth. Either way there was more here then meets the eye.
Javier Stables
Feb. 5 2002
1:09 PM
I have bearly wrapped my head around the massace of the Igelsias when I arrived at the scene. Two days in a row the heads of infamous cartel familesae been found dead. This time it was Roberto Javier, head of the Javiers who had been slained. He was found this morning hung by the neck with fishing lines in the family horse sables. Family members at the home said he went out to feed his prize stallion at 10:30 AM this morning. when he didn't return his grandson Diablo Javier went to stables around 12:15 PM, at which then he discover the crime. Many in the force believe that the familes are in the begins of a all out war and that the Jes'us are behind these attacks, since they are the family still standing. Other then rumors at this point nothing solid to pin on the Jes'us family at this time.
Jes'us Residence
Feb. 7 2002
6:30 AM
Just when I feel like I have a handle on what is going on here and start to focus my investigation in a postive direction, the case is blown apart from the sound of my phone ringing this morning. The head of the Jes'sus Maria Gabriela and 15 of her men turned up dead all of their thoats cut. What the hell is going on here! If it's not the Jes'suses behind the murder who is?! My head is throbbing and I need a drink. Who ever is behind the murder I don't want to them.
Brazillian C.I.B.
Feb. 9 2002
11:00 PM
Case closed today for me at least. SHEILD agents arrived and are taking over. Good riddences I say. This whole case has been nothing but trouble. I have better thing to do other then chase ghosts.
Buddha73 on
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dresdenphileWatch out for snakes!Registered Userregular
edited April 2014
Sadly, I'll have to bow out for this one. I'm not sure when I'll be seeing Cap 2, but it won't be before the weekend. I'll be following along with great interest (once I've seen the movie), though!
To anyone walking by, Maria Hill was another pretty face in Los Angeles. She sat at a cafe with her tablet, watching everyone behind her dark shades. To anyone passing, she was a producer reading a script or just enjoy her ice coffee. But a quick look at her table showed the traffic cams around the city, one watched a woman in a taxi, another was following an asian man with a long package, one more following what was at one point a man, then a woman, then a policeman, then again a man. Two of her targets had been watching her too. One man sat in the bar across the street. Maria knew he had been there before she had, like her, he had been watching everyone until she arrived. Now he sat, watching her through the bar's window. The last man was sitting two tables away. He was flirting with a waitress, but his attention never really swadded from her. As the taxi rolled up, Hill stood up and gave each person a nod then walked into an alleyway beside the cafe.
Each agent followed, but not a word was said. As Hill took backstreets and alleyways, everyone gave each other strange glances. Was this a HYDRA trap? Could they trust Hill? Could they trust the other agents? And of course, the big question, where were they going?
Finally Hill entered a building. Nothing outside the building made it look any different from the others. No signs, just a simple street number on the front door. Inside, the building looked anything but the same. It was an office, but very modern. There was no one in the room, but the group couldn't help but have the feeling of being watched.
"So I've asked each of you here for a reason." Hill begins. "Do not think I trust you, nor that you should fully trust each other. But this isn't the SHIELD we all started with. We are broken. HYDRA has ripped out of heart and soul. And worst, they did it by gaining our trust."
"SHIELD is gone. The UN is declairing it a terrorist organization since we can't perfectly identify a SHIELD agent or a HYDRA agent. So working for me is going to be highly illegal. We have lost most of our bases of operations to either HYDRA or world governments who are "confiscating" them. All those weapons you may have helped built or stopped others from abusing are now falling into the hands of armies who are a bit more trigger happy then us. And of course, the agents who were in deep cover." Hill is quiet for a second before she starts again. "We have many agents who now are without covers and backup. Before we can really strike at HYDRA, we have to clean ourselves off and lick our wounds."
"So before we begin, if you want to back out, let me know now. Otherwise, let's get started."
Clifford looks around the room for cameras, or people hiding in the shadows. While he can't shake the feeling that he's being watched, he decides to focus his attention on Hill herself. Staring at her for a few seconds, he catalogs every detail, and cross-references it with what he knows about her; her brand of lipstick, where she keeps her gun on her person, how she folds her clothes, what brand of shampoo she uses, and a myriad of other small cosmetic effects that add up. Satisfied she's the genuine article, he nods his head.
"Back out? Why? Because people are trying to kill me?" Jeanette shrugged. "Must be Tuesday." She sat down, and picked up a coffee mug. "No point in going backwards, we've been there already. Forward is better."
"You're right, I don't trust anybody here and you have no reason to trust me. But I'll work with you as long as we have the same goal."
Marco reaches out and shakes Maria's hand. Without letting go, he morphs right before her eyes. Agent hill is completely unfazed by her own face staring back at her.
"Besides, the real question is can you trust yourself..." The corner of his(?) mouth lifts into a smirk as he(?) lets her hand go.
Jimmy can't help but snort a bit of laughter at 'So working for me is going to be highly illegal.' Man, if he only he could go back to the days when he was just doing plain ol' illegal things. Not like he can go back to the simple life now. He's on the SHIELD roster, so even a cursory internet search would reveal his identity.
Ah well. One day, perhaps.
In the meantime, Jimmy answers, "Yeah, sure. No man left behind and all."
Jimmy raises his eyebrows at the shapeshifting going on in front of him, eyes darting back and forth between the two Hills. He gives an impressed whistle and says, "Man, I bet you were popular with the ladies. Anyone ask you to pull a Thor impression?"
"Interesting," Jeanette murmured as she stood and walked to the unnamed shapeshifter. "Who are you? Where were you stationed?" Her fingers twitched, itching to more closely examine the subject. "How did this happen? Were you born with it? What are the limits to what you can do? Can you change into something very small? Is your resilience effected? What about moving parts? No, that's silly, of course not." She paused to take a breath and fish a PDA out of her pocket for notes.
Minion, roll 1d6;3#1d8; for Solo, "Super" Obsessive, Enhanced Senses, and Science
Attempting to establish a "Closely Examined" Asset for further Science! use on Marco
"Forgive me for not wanting to expound every detail about who and what I am at the moment. You're starting to sound dangerously similar to the HYDRA scientists who had me locked up the last few years."
He shifts back to who he was before, smiles, and adds "Maybe if you bought me a drink or six first."
"Ah, so you weren't born with it? It was caused by a HYDRA experiment - interesting, I see." At the suggestion of social interaction, she stopped taking notes and made eye contact while considering the invitation. "That's not a bad idea, actually. Foster a sense of camaraderie. Build team spirit, if a team is what we are to be."
Minion, roll 1d6;3#1d8 for Solo, "Super" Obsessive, Enhanced Senses, and Science
Attempting to establish a "Closely Examined" Asset for further Science! use on Marco (take 2)
Solo, "Super" Obsessive, Enhanced Senses, and Science:
Doom Pool is 2d6 but I'll buy that one so it's 3d6.
Geth roll 3#1d6 for Science!
Jeanette goes through all she knows about the theories of shapeshifting, coming up with an idea it's a genetic condition. Could he copy genetic abilities, such as telepathic abilities? Keeping her distance for the moment might be wise, if only to hide her own unique abilities from him.
Steel doesn't say word. Just listens to Hill's speech closely. Most of what she said he had already heard threw rumors. The only question on his mind was why was he here. looking around he saw mostly nerds. None seemed to have any real combat training behind basic SHIELD training. Each had their gifts to be sure, some even useful if they needed to steal something but when it came to a real firefight....Well he just hopes it doesn't come to that.
The others one by one accepted the mission almost blindly in his opinon but when Hill looked his way He just nodded yes like all the rest.
"Good." Hill turns around and clicks on a projector screen behind her. "This team was assembled as a Jack of All Trades Team. The idea is that everyone here is gifted in a unique fashion and can handle any mission, be it collecting of an 084, taking out a HYDRA cell, or extracting a prized agent out of a war zone. The team is more stealth oriented but you could work well in a fire fight. I suggest you avoid them."
The projector showed a satellite map of Hong Kong. "Before HYDRA opened up, one of our top agents, Clint Barton, AKA Hawkeye, was on a mission in Afghanistan." The projector shows an image of a smoking wreak. "Details are slim but some time after HYDRA sent out their beacon message, The plane Hawkeye was on when down. His last mission was to retrieve an arc reactor from Al Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan who seemed to have their hands on Stark's Mark I designs. He was able to sent out a distress signal with his personal code so we know he's alive."
The projector shows a still image of men in Hong Kong wearing HYDRA logos on their jackets. "It didn't take HYDRA long to get there."
"We don't know he's current location, but if anyone would, it would be one of our informants, a local crime lord, Feng Wu. He's small time so we don't worry about him going international but he's big enough to know everything going on in the area. We need you to find Barton and locate the arc reactor if it is still working. It's the kind of technology we can't afford to fall in the wrong hands."
This is a transition scene so you can spend a PP to create an ASSET based on one of your Specialties if you think you might need it. Or you can keep asking questions. Everyone has 1 PP.
"If you'd be so kind, Miss Hill, I'd like everything we have on Feng Wu. Files from previous missions he's assisted on, his biography, financial history, whatever I can get. I want to get a read on him before we land in Hong Kong."
So that would be me spending 1 pp on a d6 resource die under my Psych specialization, if I understand it correctly.
Yeah, you can either roll to create a brief asset you can use once (maybe you remember one of his enemies) or you can spend 1PP that will last longer You remember all the infomation given to you until the end of the scene, but since this is asking for infomation about someone, I'll let it be up-to-date until the end of the Act/Episode.)
"Sure. I'll make sure you have that before you leave." Hill says as she grabs her tablet and starts tabbing on the screen. Seconds later, the printer starts up and prints out the dossier.
So I'll take one of the d8s that rolled 5 and make that my effect die, leaving me with a d8 Asset, correct?
Yes, Basically what happen was you rolled 12 with a d8 effect die. The doom pool only got a 8 d6 so you gained an asset from the effect die. You can use it once, narrative wise it means you took at quick look over and can recall something later that stood out. Spending a PP means that you really read it, so you remember most or all the dossier and call back any info at any time. I'll let you make up what information you remember since that's the point of the storytelling part of roleplaying!
So I'll take one of the d8s that rolled 5 and make that my effect die, leaving me with a d8 Asset, correct?
Yes, Basically what happen was you rolled 12 with a d8 effect die. The doom pool only got a 8 d6 so you gained an asset from the effect die. You can use it once, narrative wise it means you took at quick look over and can recall something later that stood out. Spending a PP means that you really read it, so you remember most or all the dossier and call back any info at any time. I'll let you make up what information you remember since that's the point of the storytelling part of roleplaying!
Cool! Just wanted to make sure I had that right, since obviously the manual's written assuming that the dice rolls are happening concurrently.
And I think I'll go ahead and spend the PP to extend it through the act/episode.
Jimmy doesn't ask for anything information. Instead, while they're waiting for transport, he finds a terminal and goes to work. He hasn't done any work in warzones, but money talks wherever you go. And what with SHIELD's recent shortfalls, he won't feel feel too bad about some credit card fraud.
It's for a good cause, after all.
Geth roll "1d10 1d8 1d8 1d8 1d6" for Solo, Crook gone strait...ish, Questionably Legal Hacking Gizmo, Crime specialty, and Criminal Contacts
Attempting to generate a Filthy Bribe asset.
EDIT:...Wow, that's pretty bad. So, I end up with a 10 and a d8 stepped up to a D10.
Steel was a little surprised that someone has high up and skilled like Hawkeye would just disappear at the same time SHIELD falls. More likely he went black to get out of dodge. With HYDRA everwhere it would make more sense. But he had learned long ago SHIELD tells what you need to know, nothing else. Steel grip the handle of his long package and sighs.
"The soon we move the better. What type of transport do we have available?" Steel ask Hill.
Hill clicked on her tablet and a picture of a cargo hydroplane appeared on the screen. "With this plane you'll blend in with all the other drug smuggling planes. You'll land in this abandoned dockyard and make your way to Wu."
I think one per since creating an Asset takes time to make normally in a Transition Scene. The kinds you make in Action Scenes are normally the ones that are temporary and are made on the fly, like breaking a bottle to create a Sharp Shank asset.
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dresdenphileWatch out for snakes!Registered Userregular
Adelaide Clarke
Background:
The Pride was a domestic terrorist organization who got their hands on Chitauri tech after the Battle of New York. Adelaide Clarke was a SHIELD agent deep undercover as a test pilot for the Pride, who planned on using the tech to create their own country without SHIELD or the US ruling them.
After HYDRA when live, Clarke was forced to run as it became known she was an SHIELD agent. She, in her escape, destroyed Pride's lab and stole the Kingfisher, a Hydroplane equipped with Chitauri tech.
Affiliations
Solo d10 / Buddy d6 / Team d8
Distinctions
The Belle of the Garage
Impulsive
Getaway Gal
Power Set: Kingfisher Attack and Transport
Pride? More like 'hubris'. Dead terrorists tell no tales...or have a use for their high-tech vehicles.
SFX: Boost. Shutdown your highest-rated Kingfisher power to step up another Kingfisher power. Activate an opportunity or participate in a Transition Scene to recover the power.
SFX: Room for Everybody! Spend 1 PP point to remove you and one other character from the Scene. Other characters may tag along for 1 PP from each of them.
Limit: Gear – Shutdown the Kingfisher and gain 1 PP. Take an action vs. the doom pool to recover gear.
Agent's Gear
d6 Guns
d8 Kevlar Vest
Limit: Gear. Shutdown an Agent's Gear power and gain 1 PP. Take an action vs. the doom pool to recover.
Agent of HYDRA
Hail HYDRA!
1XP: When you accuse an ally or teammate of being an HYDRA agent
3XP: When you help HYDRA gain a valuable secret or piece of Technology.
10XP: When you reveal yourself to be a HYDRA Agent or you decide to be a SHIELD Agent.
The Driver
What's the use of having a badass ship if you can't do cool stuff in it?
1 XP when you talk about cool places you’ve been or or cool maneuvers you’ve piloted in the Kingfisher.
3 XP when deal out stress piloting the Kingfisher in an aerial battle.
10 XP when you either pilot the Kingfisher to its own destruction once and for all and get a new ship, or make a technical change to the Kingfisher's specs that changes the way it works forever.
dresdenphile will be joining us shortly. Since it seems we are done, we are moving on.
The group left the building, questions anwsers and dossiers gathered. They took an ummarked car to a lake where a beat up looking hydroplane awaited for them. Standing outside was a blonde woman working on one of the engines, which once anyone took a look at it they could tell it was no normal engine. Lights and strange wiring seem to mix with normal parts. And it seemed even the pilot looked a bit befuddled by all the ins and outs of it.
"This is your pilot, Agent Clarke. And her own private plane, The Kingfisher."
dresdenphileWatch out for snakes!Registered Userregular
Agent Adelaide Clarke
The woman bent over the engine curses under her breath at the machine and bangs a wrench against the side of the engine. A bank of lights comes to life, and she claps her hands together delightedly with a giggle. She looks up when she hears her name, "Sorry 'bout that. Too much to ask the Chitauri to leave behind a manual or a link to an FAQ, I guess," she says sheepishly in a thick Australian accent, gesturing at the engine with the tool in her hand. You notice that, despite smudges of grease on her forehead, her makeup is basically flawless, and her fingernails are meticulously painted dark green. She closes the engine compartment with a clang, wipes her hands off with a cloth hanging off her belt, and turns to address the group.
"As Agent Hill said, I'm Agent Adelaide Clarke, and I'll be your pilot and all-around gearhead for the foreseeable future. As long as you all don't want to talk about where you want to put shrimp or compare definitions of knives, I'm sure we'll get along great." Her smile is warm, but you get the unshakeable feeling that you might end up on the business end of the wrench if you decided to follow those two particular paths of conversation.
"It's times like these I wish I'd gotten to shake Paul Hogan's hand. Just so I'm crystal clear... I can't say anything about throwing another shrimp on my large barbecue knife? I think we'll g'day along, I mean... GET along just fine."
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dresdenphileWatch out for snakes!Registered Userregular
edited April 2014
Agent Clarke's smile widens, as she smacks her hand against the side of the ship. "This is the Kingfisher; finest bird this side of the Pacific. My last assignment with SHIELD was to infiltrate the ranks of its previous owners, the Pride. When the stuff with Hydra and Fury went down, I figured I'd get out while the gettin' was good and bring the old girl along for the ride."
Looking up at ship, she remarks, "It's got a bit of everything: military hardware, black market stuff, Chitauri tech, even some of my own designs."
Adelaide runs a well-manicured hand across the engine before resting it at the compartment where she started and narrows her eyes at Marco. "There's always one in the group, isn't there, Hill? All a girl wants in life is a fair go."
As the words "fair go", a turret pops out of the rear of the Kingfisher and fires a volley of purple lasers toward Agent Marco. He leaps backwards as the lasers etch into the ground in front of the shapeshifter. As the smoke clears, the word "Didgeri-don't" is burnt into the ground in front of where he was standing.
"Points for hustle, Agent Marco, but I'm gonna to have to dock you for the light-hearted racism," Clarke says, the smile returning to her face. "I don't want to get into a pissing contest with you, mate, but fair warning: mine's bigger," she adds, rapping on the side of the plane.
Posts
As for Black Widow, it's mostly based on a tall tale he tries to tell about the few times he's run into her on a job or the helicarrier and the "near intimate" nature of those encounters (all false). He looks up to her as a superagent, and if shes in any kind of trouble after all this he'll want to find her and help her. However, I would happily change that to Rat out of the Cage to represent his several years in captivity, and inability to reintegrate into society or trust anyone new.
I chose a variation on Growing Dread to represent the idea that maybe HYDRA actually has some control over this device, or is able to use it to foil his plans, thus making things more difficult for anybody whenever he uses it (activating opportunities to turn him into the wrong person and grow the doom pool).
(note that while I'll be using an interviewer-interviewee format, I obviously don't expect this to count as part of the "Agents of Buh-WUH?" milestone)
C: "My name is Clifford Ware, I'm an Agent of...well, former Agent of SHIELD."
V: "And how long were you with SHIELD, Cliff? Can I call you Cliff?"
C: "Clifford's just fine. Let's see...I guess it would have been about two years? It was shortly after the Battle of New York that I joined. I wonder if I'm alone in that? I mean, SHIELD's trained attack dogs, Romanov and Barton, fighting alongside Captain America? Must've been a hell of a publicity push for them. I guess I could probably look up those figures now, huh?"
V: "You could look up a lot more than that."
C: "No kidding."
V: "So, Clifford, what drew you to SHIELD."
C: "It was my neighbor, actually. His name was Walter, I think."
V: "You think?"
C: "Well, it was probably a cover, right? It seems like everyone and their brother had a cover, if not a nickname."
V: "If our sources are correct, you were a nickname guy. Am I right?"
C: *sighs* "Yup. They called me 'Detective.'"
V: "And why was that your nickname?"
C: "Because I was really good at finding things. Pretty much anything, actually. Things that were lost, things that people wanted me to discover, occasionally things people didn't...it basically became my job for SHIELD, outside of missions with my team."
V: "That's an interesting role to play for such a shadowy group."
C: "You know, they didn't seem that shadowy from the inside. Obviously, it was all just a facade, but for a long time..."
(Clifford stares into space, his mouth open like he's about to speak)
V: "Clifford? Mr. Ware?"
C: "Right, sorry. You'll have to forgive me. It's just...SHIELD was the closest I've ever come to trusting an entity that doesn't have a face, you know?"
V: "Ah, yes, that's right. Your belief in conspiracy theories is well-noted in your file. It looks like it almost got you in trouble a few times?"
C: "Oh, yeah. Hehe, yeah, it did. It's funny, in retrospect. No one really liked it when I told them about the New World Order, when in reality I was closer to the truth than even I thought. Maybe they were in on it. Like Walter."
V: "That's of interest to us, actually. Tell us about Walter and HYRDA."
C: "HYDRA...I'm not sure the shock of that will ever get old. So, like I told you, SHIELD was the closest I've come to trusting something so big, and Walter was a big part of that. He gained my trust in a way no one could. It was like...it was like every conversation with him was him baring some small part of his soul to you, you know? He was one of the most genuinely honest people I'd ever met, even after I discovered he was with SHIELD. And then, and then I joined up, and suddenly the whole organization felt a little like that! For the first time in my life, my talents were going to something that wasn't examining every passerby for a gun. I appreciate that you didn't bring yours today, by the way."
V, flustered: "My-I'm sorry, what?"
C: "Your piece. Handgun, you usually wear it under that jacket on your left side, because you shoot right handed...9 or 10 millimeters? I always get them confused."
V, bewildered: "9-it's 9 millimeters-how did you do that?"
C: "Sister, it's all I can do. Anyway. Where was I? Right, purpose. I had purpose. I saw that the work I was doing was genuinely helping people, you know? Whenever we took a dangerous artifact, it was blasted off into space. The guys we captured were sent to prison, and the guys we buried deserved it. For the first time, it was a world of black and white, good and evil.
"So of course it was all a big lie.
"I found out around the same time as everyone else, barring maybe a few seconds. I had noticed the last few days that half of the team was on edge. Not much, but they were definitely not their usually selves. It was really subtle at first, but then they started disobeying the CO's orders, talking back. They were sullen. I thought maybe it was the stress, until one day the CO didn't turn up to a rendezvous. 'It's cool," Walter told me, 'he called me up, said he's stuck in traffic.' And I knew right then he was dead."
V: "How did you know?"
C: "Because the last few days, he hadn't had a phone. I noticed it was missing from his pockets, and when I asked about it, he made up some nonsense excuse about having to send it in for a replacement. I think he could smell a few rats and wanted to be as hard to find as possible, but it didn't work. They got him. And now, they were going to get me."
V: "So what did you do?"
C: "I ran. I ran like hell."
V: "From who? Was your entire team compromised?"
C: "I still don't know. And to be honest? I didn't care. Still don't. I grabbed my bugout bag and made a run for the fire escape. I heard gunshots, roughly a dozen, and they were probably all aimed at me."
V: "Probably?"
C: "I'm good, but I don't know if anyone's that good. It was chaotic, maybe they had just put a few through the loyal guy's skulls. Maybe there were no loyal guys. All I knew was, I had to leave. Had to get on the run, and fast. I didn't know it was HYDRA, and I didn't know it was happening to anyone else. But old instincts die hard, and I knew not to trust anyone. I didn't even take a cab."
V: "And now you're here."
C: "That's right. I spent a couple of days to lay low, and then thought I should come to you."
V: "You know the people I work for will want to hear this."
C: "And you remember the terms of our agreement."
V: "Right. *sighs* This only gets out if you die."
C: "That's right. I want my story told, but in the right way. Preferably by me, alive, once HYDRA is wiped out."
V: "And what would you do after that?"
C: "I don't know. Go back to work, I guess?"
V: "For SHIELD?"
C: "SHIELD, yeah, or something like it."
V: "You know how crazy that sounds."
C: "Of course. But like I said, SHIELD was the closest I came to trusting anything that big. I don't think I'll ever come so close again. But if there's one thing I want in life, it's something to trust in. Something to believe in. I need that. I need SHIELD."
Taken from the case files of Detective Ramon Gomez dated Feb. 2002 Brazil
Igelsias Compound
Feb. 4 2002
9:45 AM
I wasn't surprised when I recieved a call of murder at the Igelsias Compound. The drug cartels familes in Brazilhave been a each other's thoats for years. The newspapers have even given the familes the clever name of the untoachables. What did surprise me was the bodycount. 38 dead including 5 high ranked officals of the Igelsias, 10 mid level street dealers, 22 armed to the teeth security guards, and the head of the family Juan Carlos Igelsias all killed by some kind of long blade. If it wasn't for the way which all of them were killed I might I have written this case off as one of the other families move up and still might.
Also worthy of noting two other guards in control of the video and audio surveillance some how where left alive and unharmed. When question on what happened inside all the interveiwers could get out of them was that nothing happened. one minute everyone was alive then the next the cameras went off for a few seconds and when they returned everyone was died. Impossible to tell if what they say is made up or just spinning the truth. Either way there was more here then meets the eye.
Javier Stables
Feb. 5 2002
1:09 PM
I have bearly wrapped my head around the massace of the Igelsias when I arrived at the scene. Two days in a row the heads of infamous cartel familesae been found dead. This time it was Roberto Javier, head of the Javiers who had been slained. He was found this morning hung by the neck with fishing lines in the family horse sables. Family members at the home said he went out to feed his prize stallion at 10:30 AM this morning. when he didn't return his grandson Diablo Javier went to stables around 12:15 PM, at which then he discover the crime. Many in the force believe that the familes are in the begins of a all out war and that the Jes'us are behind these attacks, since they are the family still standing. Other then rumors at this point nothing solid to pin on the Jes'us family at this time.
Jes'us Residence
Feb. 7 2002
6:30 AM
Just when I feel like I have a handle on what is going on here and start to focus my investigation in a postive direction, the case is blown apart from the sound of my phone ringing this morning. The head of the Jes'sus Maria Gabriela and 15 of her men turned up dead all of their thoats cut. What the hell is going on here! If it's not the Jes'suses behind the murder who is?! My head is throbbing and I need a drink. Who ever is behind the murder I don't want to them.
Brazillian C.I.B.
Feb. 9 2002
11:00 PM
Case closed today for me at least. SHEILD agents arrived and are taking over. Good riddences I say. This whole case has been nothing but trouble. I have better thing to do other then chase ghosts.
All OOC is in gray now!
To anyone walking by, Maria Hill was another pretty face in Los Angeles. She sat at a cafe with her tablet, watching everyone behind her dark shades. To anyone passing, she was a producer reading a script or just enjoy her ice coffee. But a quick look at her table showed the traffic cams around the city, one watched a woman in a taxi, another was following an asian man with a long package, one more following what was at one point a man, then a woman, then a policeman, then again a man. Two of her targets had been watching her too. One man sat in the bar across the street. Maria knew he had been there before she had, like her, he had been watching everyone until she arrived. Now he sat, watching her through the bar's window. The last man was sitting two tables away. He was flirting with a waitress, but his attention never really swadded from her. As the taxi rolled up, Hill stood up and gave each person a nod then walked into an alleyway beside the cafe.
Each agent followed, but not a word was said. As Hill took backstreets and alleyways, everyone gave each other strange glances. Was this a HYDRA trap? Could they trust Hill? Could they trust the other agents? And of course, the big question, where were they going?
Finally Hill entered a building. Nothing outside the building made it look any different from the others. No signs, just a simple street number on the front door. Inside, the building looked anything but the same. It was an office, but very modern. There was no one in the room, but the group couldn't help but have the feeling of being watched.
"So I've asked each of you here for a reason." Hill begins. "Do not think I trust you, nor that you should fully trust each other. But this isn't the SHIELD we all started with. We are broken. HYDRA has ripped out of heart and soul. And worst, they did it by gaining our trust."
"SHIELD is gone. The UN is declairing it a terrorist organization since we can't perfectly identify a SHIELD agent or a HYDRA agent. So working for me is going to be highly illegal. We have lost most of our bases of operations to either HYDRA or world governments who are "confiscating" them. All those weapons you may have helped built or stopped others from abusing are now falling into the hands of armies who are a bit more trigger happy then us. And of course, the agents who were in deep cover." Hill is quiet for a second before she starts again. "We have many agents who now are without covers and backup. Before we can really strike at HYDRA, we have to clean ourselves off and lick our wounds."
"So before we begin, if you want to back out, let me know now. Otherwise, let's get started."
"I'm in."
Penny Arcade Rockstar Social Club / This is why I despise cyclists
Marco reaches out and shakes Maria's hand. Without letting go, he morphs right before her eyes. Agent hill is completely unfazed by her own face staring back at her.
"Besides, the real question is can you trust yourself..." The corner of his(?) mouth lifts into a smirk as he(?) lets her hand go.
Damn it, just 30 seconds in and I'm already in way over my paygrade.
Jimmy can't help but snort a bit of laughter at 'So working for me is going to be highly illegal.' Man, if he only he could go back to the days when he was just doing plain ol' illegal things. Not like he can go back to the simple life now. He's on the SHIELD roster, so even a cursory internet search would reveal his identity.
Ah well. One day, perhaps.
In the meantime, Jimmy answers, "Yeah, sure. No man left behind and all."
Jimmy raises his eyebrows at the shapeshifting going on in front of him, eyes darting back and forth between the two Hills. He gives an impressed whistle and says, "Man, I bet you were popular with the ladies. Anyone ask you to pull a Thor impression?"
Twitch Stream
Attempting to establish a "Closely Examined" Asset for further Science! use on Marco
Penny Arcade Rockstar Social Club / This is why I despise cyclists
He shifts back to who he was before, smiles, and adds "Maybe if you bought me a drink or six first."
Attempting to establish a "Closely Examined" Asset for further Science! use on Marco (take 2)
Penny Arcade Rockstar Social Club / This is why I despise cyclists
Twitch Stream
Geth roll 3#1d6 for Science!
Jeanette goes through all she knows about the theories of shapeshifting, coming up with an idea it's a genetic condition. Could he copy genetic abilities, such as telepathic abilities? Keeping her distance for the moment might be wise, if only to hide her own unique abilities from him.
The others one by one accepted the mission almost blindly in his opinon but when Hill looked his way He just nodded yes like all the rest.
The projector showed a satellite map of Hong Kong. "Before HYDRA opened up, one of our top agents, Clint Barton, AKA Hawkeye, was on a mission in Afghanistan." The projector shows an image of a smoking wreak. "Details are slim but some time after HYDRA sent out their beacon message, The plane Hawkeye was on when down. His last mission was to retrieve an arc reactor from Al Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan who seemed to have their hands on Stark's Mark I designs. He was able to sent out a distress signal with his personal code so we know he's alive."
The projector shows a still image of men in Hong Kong wearing HYDRA logos on their jackets. "It didn't take HYDRA long to get there."
"We don't know he's current location, but if anyone would, it would be one of our informants, a local crime lord, Feng Wu. He's small time so we don't worry about him going international but he's big enough to know everything going on in the area. We need you to find Barton and locate the arc reactor if it is still working. It's the kind of technology we can't afford to fall in the wrong hands."
This is a transition scene so you can spend a PP to create an ASSET based on one of your Specialties if you think you might need it. Or you can keep asking questions. Everyone has 1 PP.
"Sure. I'll make sure you have that before you leave." Hill says as she grabs her tablet and starts tabbing on the screen. Seconds later, the printer starts up and prints out the dossier.
Geth, roll 1d6;3#1d8 for Solo, Elementary my dear Agent, Observational, and Psych.
Attempting to establish an asset based on information about Feng Wu
Geth roll 3d6 for Info on Feng Wu
And I think I'll go ahead and spend the PP to extend it through the act/episode.
Penny Arcade Rockstar Social Club / This is why I despise cyclists
Jimmy doesn't ask for anything information. Instead, while they're waiting for transport, he finds a terminal and goes to work. He hasn't done any work in warzones, but money talks wherever you go. And what with SHIELD's recent shortfalls, he won't feel feel too bad about some credit card fraud.
It's for a good cause, after all.
Attempting to generate a Filthy Bribe asset.
EDIT:...Wow, that's pretty bad. So, I end up with a 10 and a d8 stepped up to a D10.
Twitch Stream
I think that's a tie which goes to the attacker (away from my book so not 100% sure). You get a d10 Free Credit Card asset.
Geth roll 1d8;3#1d6 for IRS Alert
"The soon we move the better. What type of transport do we have available?" Steel ask Hill.
Anyone else what to make stuff?
The Pride was a domestic terrorist organization who got their hands on Chitauri tech after the Battle of New York. Adelaide Clarke was a SHIELD agent deep undercover as a test pilot for the Pride, who planned on using the tech to create their own country without SHIELD or the US ruling them.
After HYDRA when live, Clarke was forced to run as it became known she was an SHIELD agent. She, in her escape, destroyed Pride's lab and stole the Kingfisher, a Hydroplane equipped with Chitauri tech.
Affiliations
Solo d10 / Buddy d6 / Team d8
Distinctions
The Belle of the Garage
Impulsive
Getaway Gal
Power Set:
Kingfisher Attack and Transport
Pride? More like 'hubris'. Dead terrorists tell no tales...or have a use for their high-tech vehicles.
d8 Enhanced Durability
d8 Invisibility
d8 Lasers
d8 Flight
SFX: Boost. Shutdown your highest-rated Kingfisher power to step up another Kingfisher power. Activate an opportunity or participate in a Transition Scene to recover the power.
SFX: Room for Everybody! Spend 1 PP point to remove you and one other character from the Scene. Other characters may tag along for 1 PP from each of them.
Limit: Gear – Shutdown the Kingfisher and gain 1 PP. Take an action vs. the doom pool to recover gear.
Agent's Gear
d6 Guns
d8 Kevlar Vest
Limit: Gear. Shutdown an Agent's Gear power and gain 1 PP. Take an action vs. the doom pool to recover.
Specialties
d8 Combat Expert
d8 Covert Expert
d8 Tech Expert
d8 Vehicle Expert
Agent of HYDRA
Hail HYDRA!
1XP: When you accuse an ally or teammate of being an HYDRA agent
3XP: When you help HYDRA gain a valuable secret or piece of Technology.
10XP: When you reveal yourself to be a HYDRA Agent or you decide to be a SHIELD Agent.
The Driver
What's the use of having a badass ship if you can't do cool stuff in it?
1 XP when you talk about cool places you’ve been or or cool maneuvers you’ve piloted in the Kingfisher.
3 XP when deal out stress piloting the Kingfisher in an aerial battle.
10 XP when you either pilot the Kingfisher to its own destruction once and for all and get a new ship, or make a technical change to the Kingfisher's specs that changes the way it works forever.
The group left the building, questions anwsers and dossiers gathered. They took an ummarked car to a lake where a beat up looking hydroplane awaited for them. Standing outside was a blonde woman working on one of the engines, which once anyone took a look at it they could tell it was no normal engine. Lights and strange wiring seem to mix with normal parts. And it seemed even the pilot looked a bit befuddled by all the ins and outs of it.
"This is your pilot, Agent Clarke. And her own private plane, The Kingfisher."
@dresdenphile fill free to introduce yourself.
The woman bent over the engine curses under her breath at the machine and bangs a wrench against the side of the engine. A bank of lights comes to life, and she claps her hands together delightedly with a giggle. She looks up when she hears her name, "Sorry 'bout that. Too much to ask the Chitauri to leave behind a manual or a link to an FAQ, I guess," she says sheepishly in a thick Australian accent, gesturing at the engine with the tool in her hand. You notice that, despite smudges of grease on her forehead, her makeup is basically flawless, and her fingernails are meticulously painted dark green. She closes the engine compartment with a clang, wipes her hands off with a cloth hanging off her belt, and turns to address the group.
"As Agent Hill said, I'm Agent Adelaide Clarke, and I'll be your pilot and all-around gearhead for the foreseeable future. As long as you all don't want to talk about where you want to put shrimp or compare definitions of knives, I'm sure we'll get along great." Her smile is warm, but you get the unshakeable feeling that you might end up on the business end of the wrench if you decided to follow those two particular paths of conversation.
Looking up at ship, she remarks, "It's got a bit of everything: military hardware, black market stuff, Chitauri tech, even some of my own designs."
Adelaide runs a well-manicured hand across the engine before resting it at the compartment where she started and narrows her eyes at Marco. "There's always one in the group, isn't there, Hill? All a girl wants in life is a fair go."
As the words "fair go", a turret pops out of the rear of the Kingfisher and fires a volley of purple lasers toward Agent Marco. He leaps backwards as the lasers etch into the ground in front of the shapeshifter. As the smoke clears, the word "Didgeri-don't" is burnt into the ground in front of where he was standing.
"Points for hustle, Agent Marco, but I'm gonna to have to dock you for the light-hearted racism," Clarke says, the smile returning to her face. "I don't want to get into a pissing contest with you, mate, but fair warning: mine's bigger," she adds, rapping on the side of the plane.