JLA: The Impossible War Part III: The Time Trapper


The Justice League of America: The Impossible War Part III: The Time Trapper

 

The GM: Jon

 

The Characters:

Damon Red Tornado John Smith
Link Aquaman King Arthur
Tim
Elongated Man Ralph Dibney
Ray Green Arrow
Oliver Queen
Player
Hawk Woman Shiera Sanders Hall
NPC Martian Manhunter J'ohn J'onzz
NPC Power Girl Kara Zor-L
NPC Firestorm Ronnie Raymond / Martin Stein

 

Game System: Champions 

 

Game Type:

 

Related Games:

 

Synopsis:

 

     A year and a half ago, core members of the League crossed the Kepler Verge to join an Alliance of systems to ward off a Psion invasion. By all accounts, the Psion Monarchy and it's Axis of Power, were successfully repelled but strange reports started filtering back to the Tower - cloned Earth villains have been causing trouble on planets on the other side of the Verge for many months before the JLA arrived.  Eclipso was somehow involved, as was Brainiac but neither were confirmed as "the one" behind everything.  It's been confirmed that Carter Hall, The Hawkman, has been killed in action. The last few reports the Tower received from Bruce suggested, "time anomalies", and that, "Wonder Woman has joined the Red Lanterns", and "Magic or, perhaps, Brainiac tech simulating magic effects" are causing confusion and havoc. 

     The last report from Bruce was almost a year ago. Nothing since.  Doctor Fate has attempted multiple astral connections with Zatanna but can't seem to find her or even "feel her presence in the known Planecape".  Whatever technology allowed the Psion's to cross the Kepler Verge in two days seems to have been destroyed or shut down.  With that technology gone, navigation through the Verge takes several months, at best.  The Green Lantern Corp is unable to offer assistance after suffering so many loses in The Blackest Night.  

     Black Adam emerged to arrogantly gloat in the League's naivete, finishing his broadcast with, "They did not heed the wisdom of Black Adam and went forth to battle time.  They did not know they did battle time, until it was too late.  And now they are lost".

 

     But the League must go on. J'onn changed up the roster, released a few members, called up a few more. The enemies of the League crawled out from whatever rock that spawns them and the League was there to do battle. If the core of the League is lost ... perhaps lost in time ... for now, they are on their own. There is just too much for the League to do ... as Morgaine le Fey recently tried to destroy the League by Mass Summoning mythological creatures of lore. The Key returned to cause havoc, he wired an entire city block of St.Louis, Missouri, with bombs, forcing the League to pass through a series of traps to reach the device which will stop the detonation, and Doctor Destiny returned with the "Materioptikon", a device which allowed him to create reality from the fabric of dreams .  

     And now reports that a new Injustice Gang is forming, led by Luthor, who may, or may not, actually be the Ultra-Humanite. Or perhaps Luthor and the Ultra-Humanite are working together.  

    J'onn, Arthur and Hawk Woman, the current leading rule of three, all vote that the original core members are on their own as the League doesn't have the man power, or time, to launch a rescue mission.  

 

     But there is a sudden arrival within the Tower, a time sphere from the 31st Century!  The Legion of Super Heroes!  No ... wait ... only one of the Legion has arrived. Brainiac Five, a very distant relative of Brainiac.

 

     There is some confusion.  Brainiac Five refuses to leave the time sphere.  The time sphere is transparent so the Legionnaire is able to use a hand device and beam information into Red Tornado's retina, who, in turn, translates to the League.

 

     Red Tornado,  "He's sending me information - he says - I am Querl Dox, known as Brainiac Five. I belong to a Legion of Super Heroes that police the galaxy in the 31st Century.  I am unsure if we have met because I believe there are anomalies in your time stream that have breached the continuum and you may not recognize me.  Have we ever met?"

 

     J'onn assures Querl that you all know who Brainiac Five and the Legion are. This seems to relieve the Legionnaire. "Excellent.  You see, I came back to this time stretch to conduct a few temporal experiments.  Beyond the Kepler Verge there is a probability sink hole created by the Time Trapper that makes time travel into that region virtually impassible for a several month period. Not two hours ago, in my 31st Century lab, I found a mathematical way through the sink hole and came back to investigate, for purely scientific research. 

     Upon arrival on the Citadel I must have missed, within milliseconds of my arrival, the event that started the anomalies.  I startled some of the Citadel's finest and left before they did harm to themselves.  I followed the temporal tracks ... here.   It began here several months ago, before the event, which began everything, occurred."

 

     Firestorm groans, "Ohhh, that's two beginnings. I hate time travel."

 

     Brainiac Five continues, "And so I am unable to leave my time sphere least I am caught up in your stream, eliminating who I am and should be. We must close the probability sink holes and the stream will repair itself.  The probability sink holes have only affected, perhaps sixty years of time, relatively nothing in the over all stream. When we close the sink holes time will .... snap back, like a rubber band, and the continuum will revert to the way it should, and always has been. I've detected two probability holes, one across the Kepler Verge, the second here on Earth. We should split into two teams."

 

     Aquaman,."Hold on!  IF we believe you and IF we decide to repair this sink hole it will be after the League investigates and determines the best course of action!"

 

     Brainiac Five, "I assure you, you have no reason to distrust me.  If you recognize me, which you claim too, you know I am the only twelveth level intelligence in my century.  I've already factored in all possibilities and a two team mission is our best course of action".

 

     Hawk Woman whispers to the Manhunter, "Telepathy?"

 

     The Martian responds, "I can't read his mind while he's in the time sphere but I see no harm in further discussion."  The Martian says to Brainiac Five, "You must understand our hesitation.  If you have recorded history on your side, you know we lost several members of the League on a mission across the Verge.  We had reports from them, of time anomalies."

 

     Aquaman, "Yes, we had been warned of the time anomalies so Flash brought the quantum tunneler, in case they had to battle a time traveler". 

 

     A look of confusion crosses Brainiac Five's face, "Flash?"

 

     Power Girl, "Yes. Flash. Along with Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Zatanna, Atom, my cousin, well, Superman and ... Hawkman."

 

     Brainiac is focused on his hand device for a moment.  He seems to be computing something, lost in thought.

 

     Aquaman, "Tornado?  Is he sending anything?"

 

     Red Tornado, "Nothing at the moment".

 

     J'onn, "Ralph?  Ollie?  Anything to add?"

 

     Ralph, "Just watching". 

 

     Green Arrow, "Waiting for the horror show to start."

 

     Power Girl, "What horror show?"

 

     Green Arrow, "It's time travel.  And someone named Brainiac is talking to us.  Horror. Show."

 

     Power Girl, "Don't be an ass, he's a Legionnaire".

 

     Red Tornado, "He's sending again - he says - As I suspected. History records that Hawkman led the Thangarians across the Kepler Verge to join the Turian alliance and repel the Psion Axis of Power.  The Turian Alliance was partially successful, but Hawkman was killed in action. The Green Lanterns were not involved. I see no mention of a ... Zatanna or Flash or ... Bat .. Man or Superman or Wonder Woman.  History has no recording of them. I did find "The Atom" but he was part of the Justice Society in World War II.  He is probably not who you are referring too.  I suspect the probability sink hole affected your time stream in such a way that the metahumans you refer to were accidentally created and you, in turn, have always lived with them.  But in my time line, the actual continuum, these metahumans do not exist and I'm sure for good reason.  Who knows what other damage has been done.  We must close the probability sink holes and set things right and bury these false Justice Leaguer's outside of time".

     

     Firestorm, "Wait.  What?"

 

     Green Arrow draws and fires. The arrow shatters across the time sphere and covers a portion of the bubble in green liquid, but the liquid quickly evaporates. The rest of the League is about to react but Brainiac Five is equally as quick on the draw.  He activates something on his belt, actives something on his device and activates the time sphere all in one swift motion. 

 

     The time sphere vanishes. 

 

     Power Girl, "What the hell, Ollie!"

 

     Elongated Man's head stretches through the others, until it's next Power Girl.  "We know the Ultra Humanite is active and it could be controlling or impersonating anyone. And there was something strange about that entire exchange.  What possible benefit do you gain by saying Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman don't exist?"

 

     J'onn.  "Maybe he wasn't lying.  Maybe he was traveling through time and in his continuum, they didn't exist."

 

    Hawk Woman, "He had a four milometer symbol on his belt and his hand device that looked similar to the Lexcorp logo."

 

     J'onn, "Hmm, so in his time line Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman don't exist and Lexcorp takes over the world. I am unsurprised".

 

     Firestorm, "I'm confused.  Was he from the future?  Or was he the Ultra Humanite.  Or is the Ultra Humanite from the future?  Am I from the future?  Someone's from the damn future, right?  - Oh, sure Professor, I'll shut up." 

 

     Elongated Man, "Too many questions right now Firestorm. I propose we find this probability sink hole and see what we see."

 

     Aquaman, "It's not under the water".

 

     Power Girl, "How do you know?"

 

     Aquaman, "I know." 

 

     J'onn, "Then our search parameters have narrowed. Land exploration only. Three teams".

 

     J'onn gives orders, the League moves to obey and heads out to the teleportation chamber.  Elongated Man holds back for a moment but then rapid stretches and taps Red Tornado on the shoulder.  Tornado turns, "Ralph?"

 

     "Hey," Ralph says, "At the end, Brainiac Five activated three things.  He belt, which seemed to be a personal defense generator, some kind of force field.  The time sphere, which had an obvious effect.  But, also, his hand device.  It flashed one last time.  Did he send you anything?"

 

     Tornado, "No.  Nothing.  Should I run a diagnostic?"

 

     Ralph, "Yes, let's make sure he didn't send you any hidden code."

 

    Tornado, "I'll report to the lab." 

 

     Red Tornado continues walking through the tower.  He disappears around a corner.

 

     Ralph Dibney stretches back to his body. Green Arrow is waiting for him.

 

     Ralph, "Your arrow wasn't supposed to do damage was it?"

 

     Green Arrow, "It's a liquid carbon based isotope, Bruce and Palmer worked it up.  Clark can track it across space.  J'onn can probably do it too.  Maybe Kara. Probably can't follow it through time though".

 

     Ralph, "Nicely done".

 

     Green Arrow, "What do you think?"

 

     Ralph, "I think Brainiace Five is who he says he is, but perhaps he's being controlled by the Ultra-Humanite.  And right before he vanished he definitely sent a signal to Tornado".

 

     Green Arrow, "I'll keep an eye on him." 

 

     Ralph, "Fine, but don't get paranoid. It might be nothing."

 

     Green Arrow, "Ralph?  When has it ever, ever, ever ... been nothing?"

 

     Ralph, "True. He mentioned the Time Trapper.   Is that a name you know?"

 

     Green Arrow.  "I do street crime.  Not galaxy wars. You're lucky I'm even here."

 

     Ralph, "Come on, Ollie.  I value your input.  What do you think is happening?"

 

     Green Arrow, "I already told you.  Get ready for the horror show."

 

 

Brainiac Five's Thoughts on "The Impossible War" and the Time Continuum Breach (code sent to the android)

 

Time Trapper