Adventure: Recovering Balance 

Prelude 1: An Air Force veteran with certain special talents sits on his bunk reading a newspaper, and wondering if he'll ever get any more action like he used to get.  There was this one slinky - dressed bitch who offered him a job, but he checked and figured out she wasn't on the level.  Speaking of which, the paper says she just got trounced by the local heroes.  Maybe that's his kind of action.

Prelude 2: A long-haired Army vet with certain special talents sits in his shabby apartment.  He needs help: he's got these talents, but goddamn, he has handicaps.  And there's one guy on campus who might be able to help.  The only trouble is, he once fought this guy.  Probably tried to kill him too, the way his fights go.

Prelude 3: Johnny Peters goes to visit his uncle in Saginaw.  Uncle Pete does really weird scientific stuff for someone;the las t time Johnny was up there he got asked to pose inside a suit of armor- with a bunch of monitors hooked up.  This time his uncle is still tinkering with the armor, even though the delivery date is past.  When Johnny asks why, he says "Oh, well turns out the customer had no use for it after all, so I went and reclaimed it."  Uncle Pete winks.  ”By the way ...  you think you could stay out of trouble if I let you borrow the armor for some field testing?  You see, it's exactly your size.”

Prelude 4: Acting teacher Hal Donaldson is watching one of his Introductory Acting students play a bit part in a student production.  He can't explain why, but this guy is stealing the show every time he gets on the stage, the effect is like having your first daiquiri after a week on the wagon.  And his tryouts in class have been so damn lifeless!  It's as if he were in sync with the crowd somehow.

Prelude 5: Dominatra had a couple of armored battle suits in production.  In fact, one was ready for use on the night the Balance struck, but it never saw action.  The man it was fitted for, one of Dominatra's hired enforcers; feels like using it.  It'd make him a goddamned human tank!  It's supposed to be strong enough to take on the entire Balance.
--
Stephen Wolcott has an unusual idea about what Friday Night should be like.  To him, it is no different from any other night - except that he can rest somewhat, and not have to deal with any human until Monday morning.

Stephen's new roommate, Julie Moretti, has a more normal idea about Friday Night.  Stephen didn't feel line going to see the new movie that night: he said if he'd wanted to see the movie at all, he'd go next week, when the lines were shorter.  So, she got him to commit to the new movie next week - and an old movie that neither one had seen yet this week.

So, on their first Friday night as roommates, Stephen Wolcott walks Julie Moretti back to his apartment from the movie.  They have been rooming there together for almost a week.  (Earlier they had an argument about the files she lost when the arsonist torched her apartment, but Stephen convinced her that their lives were more valuable than the files - and that there was no way they could depend on having both.) 

They find a crowd outside his building; the door is smashed in ..  As they watch, Stephen's apartment explodes.  An armored figure jumps out the newly-made hole in his third-floor wall, landing beyond the crowd now gathered outside.

Stephen is angry.  He attacks mentally at full force: it has no effect.  In fact.  the armored figure turns and tracks the attack to its source.  (That's not supposed to happen! ) The crowd parts as the human tank advances on Stephen.  Stephen ducks around the corner as his opponent fires.  Julie can do nothing better than run to the pol ice station nearby and try to get help.

The man in the armor is having a gr-and time.  He calls out at his fleeing prey: “Tank's come for you, Wolcott !”

Tank chases Stephen down Grand River Avenue, through a building or two, across the avenue, and onto the campus.  Stephen, having mentally heightened his reflexes survives.  

As soon as Stephen makes it onto campus he tries to lose himself atop the Morrill Hall classroom building, but the villain chases him up the fire escape.  ("At least he can't fly," Stephen thinks.)

With his prey finally cornered Tank charges.

Stephen gains his footing and throws Tank off the top of the building behind him.

Tank yells up at him with an amplified voice, "YOU'RE A DEAD MAN! " Re gets up - and finds himself surrounded by c! pus and town police, whom he promptly blasts his way out from.

Stephen.  having finally gotten a break, urgently summons his teammates Morningstar and Mighty Tim.  He then makes his way down the other side of the building and is et at the bottom by two pol icemen.  They insist on detaining him for questioning abouy mayhem and trespass on university property, but h!  refuses and mentally makes them desist.

--
As Tank lands, a trained observer evaluates the situation.  He has encountered the defender before; he thinks the man needs help if he is to survive.  And the observer needs this man.

Tank recovers, and attacks the policemen around him.  Stephen comes down, and attracts the armored man's attention once more - apparently to draw the assailant away from the pol ice.  Nonstandard counter-terrorist tactics, but almost understandable under the circumstances.  The observer intervenes.

Stephhen, as he confronts the Tank, sees a man rush out from shadow and strike Tank at his various joints.  Tank is frozen, as the man strikes all his critical areas.  Stephen reflects: H ad I only thought of that - and been able to start to try it!

Stephen recognizes the unarmored man in the fight: FOAD, the so-called Forward Observer and Decimator!  This FOAD once tried to fight Ellipsis and his allies, and the powers of Ellipsis were of no use against him.  Luckily his allies were able to defeat FOAD, but only after great battle.  What does this man want now? 

(A certain Air Force vet sees the police under attack by something that looks like a human tank.  Having his new outfit handy, he quickly dons it and joins the battle as Caliber.) 

FOAD seems to have the advantage over Tank now - but suddenly, a blur of motion knocks Tank away!  Ellipsis can tell: this motion is a man who wants to join the fight.

The blundering fool!

Mike Roberts and Johnny Peters, taking a break from the MSU Tolkien Fellowship, are getting some munchies at the Student Union.  They hear huge numbers of sirens and go out to find what's happening.  As they go, Mike receives the mental summons from Ellipsis.

Seeing the battle in progress, Johnny says, 'Wish I had that armor handy." 'What armor'?" 

"Oh... my uncle loaned me a suit of battle armor." 

In a burst of flame they are suddenly at Johnny's house.  Mike says, "Why not go put it on now?" 

Caliber is fairly strong, agile and has the power to launch himself in a ballistic manner from the ground.  He does not have the power to hurt Tank, however, even when he grabs Tank, launches, and hurls him to the ground below.  Tank responds with his distance weapons and stuns Caliber.  Ellipsis (masked by now) is forced to draw Tank's attention to save Caliber's life, and FOAD follows his lead.

Laura is at the usual Maranatha Friday night session.  Receiving the mental summons, she tells her friends she has to go.  One asks if it is to go be Morningstar, and she admits it is.  She dons her costume in the bathroom and takes to the sky.  She called Stephen from a phone booth just a couple of hours ago; what could be wrong now? 

With Caliber recovered, the battle is roughly outside the campus theatre hall by the time the reinforcements arrive.

Johnny Peters, in his armor, proclaims himself to be Ghost Knight, the scourge of evildoers.  Tank takes a shot at him; it goes right through.  Mighty Tim, standing right behind him, barely escapes being hit.  Ghost Knight then disappears from plain view.

Morningstar makes her move; she strikes not at the armor, but at the man within.  Her attack squeezes him to prevent his breathing.

Caliber says "Now it's my turn - asshole!"  Before Ellipsis can stop him, he knocks Tank out from Morningstar's control and into the theatre.  Ghost Knight has turned invisible; Caliber barely misses him.

A performance is in progress.  The battle continues as the audience panics.  Morningstar shields the audience; Ellipsis tries to make them evacuate in an orderly manner.  Mighty Tim tries to get Tank the hell out of there.  It doesn't work; Tank has an energy discharge that reacts violently to teleportation attempts.  Caliber, still on Tank, is thus thrown away.

One of the players on stage was on a roll before these bozos crashed in.  He could feel it! here must be something he can do...

All the combatants suddenly feel drained.  The Balance and other heroes are thrown outside by a wave of force.  The actor advances on Tank.  who has resisted the force.

As the surprised heroes watch; the actor grapples with Tank and drives him to the floor.

The actor gloats, but Tank responds by sending electric shock through his body.  This doesn't hurt the actor that much, but he's surprised.  As Tank recovers, he throws the actor away.

Ellipsis thinks: It is chaos chaos and it cannot be controlled.  But he must control it.  One enemy, two allies, three others who need controlt and one more who cannot be controlled ••.  Be it all damned anyway.

At his command Morningstar shields Tank off from them.  He at Tacks her shields.

Ellipsis quickly scans the minds of Caliber, Ghost Knight, and the actor to determine their abilities.  Cal iber and Ghost Knight know theirs;   the actor thinks he has no special powers (!).  

With this in mind, Ellipsis tells them: We are the Balance! You follow our battle plan or get out - now!  As they ponder in consternation, Ellipsis - with his mind at several times normal speed - draws his plans, on the assumption that they'll join in.  The three finally acceed.

Morningstar's shields have fallen, and she must rest a moment.  At Ellipsis' command, Mighty Tim trips Tank up.  Ellipsis then enters the actor's mind, and they attempt to focus his unknown power upon Tank.  They succeed; Tank is slowed down - but not stopped.

As he rises to his feet, FOAD (as if he knew what he had to do - and perhaps he does) moves in and knocks him back down! Ellipsis directs Caliber in (on foot!) to hold him in place.  Tank almost escapes nonetheless, but as Morningstar recovers she also tries to hold him down.  As they are on the verge of yielding, Tank's helmet pops off.  Ghost Knight appears, triumphantly holding the helmet.

Tank, enraged, breaks free and slams Ghost Knight away.  He then turns upon the other heroes.  

To his surprise, he now sees Ellipsis as a being of power! Ellipsis removes his mask and proclaims, "ENOUGH of you!" 

As Tank steps back, Ellipsis strikes and mentally drives him to his knees.  Tank, without his helmet, is now susceptible to the mental power of Ellipsis.  

He struggles to raise his weapons, but Caliber and Mighty Tim (on their own initiative) go in and keep them down.  Tank finally succumbs.

--

Postlude 1: The man within the Tank armor, under mental compulsion, strips the armor.  Mighty Tim turns it into slag with flame bursts.

Caliber and Ghost Knight ask if they can continue with the Balance.  Mental consultation shows that Morningstar and Mighty Tim-are willing - but Ellipsis is not, yet.  He says, "We'll get back to you." 

FOAD just wants to talk with Ellipsis, for now.

The actor has no intention of signing up though.  Ellipsis reminds him that he has a power which he will be hard-pressed to control without aid, and offers aid without obligation.  The actor, in essence, responds Fuck You and stalks off.  (Ellipsis mutters, "Likewise.”) 

Postlude 2: It seems the secret of Ellipsis' identity might be out to the criminal world.  Mental examination showed that Tank found where he lived fairly easily, by paying people to shadow the man whose picture he saw as Ellipsis in the campus newspaper.  His motives were to silence an enemy to Dominatra, and humiliate the Balance.  His thoughts were no more clear than that.  

Stephen Wolcott is unsure haw to react.  For tonight, all he and Julie can do is crash at Mike Roberts' place.