Grip of the Mind Thieves, Chapter 9: Hot on the Trail!
GREETINGS TRUE BELIEVERS!
Welcome back!
Events had taken a dire turn for our heroes!
The Golden Lotus was on one side, Omni-drones on the other, and the Disco Boys were stirring things up in the middle! It was trouble on a triple scale, forcing our heroes to divide their attention between their problems.
However, in the middle of the conflict came a surprising twist!
A cry of pain from the chamber below caught the team's attention in mid-fight. In the deeper level of the garden, one of the Golden Lotus troopers had been caught in a burst of energy from the strange crystals! Confused, unstable meta-powers raging, the young man staggered out of the room toward the stairs, drawn to the sounds of people and activity.
Before he could reach the main room, he was intercepted by Statesman! Thinking fast, the hero offered the Golden Lotus trooper an alternative to a senseless fight... abandon the Golden Lotus and take up a life of being a hero. Saving, instead of destroying. Haunted by his past deeds, the young man agreed, but only if Statesman would take him on as a student of the hero's mysterious martial art!
The extra help came at the right time. Caught by surprise, Omni-drones, Golden Lotus and the Disco Boys were unprepared for the hero's reinforcement. After Statesman's new student pitched in, Tesla Coil, Donata, and Poison Ivy arrived to bring things to a quick halt.
Now, with the collected criminals corralled, our heroes have time to regroup and recover. Not to mention ask some questions and hopefully get some answers!
All things point to a break in the case, True Believers! Let's hope our heroes find the answers they have been looking for!
This is Not Stan Lee saying...
EXCELSIOR!
Components
Goals
The members of Mouse Force were mutated by a strange orange ooze. This is the same formula invented by Dr. Killian and almost used by the Clock King to contaminate the local water supply. Orange ooze known to the team to be made from the ultra rare and mysterious Crystal Jade Vine plant.
However, formula made from the orange blossoms of the vine are known to be unstable. Meta powers they grant are often temporary and harmful! Therefore, the Knights Vigilant have to...
... find where the remainder of Dr. Killian's nefarious formula wound up? Is it in the hands of Dr. Overmind? Or someone of an equal amoral and criminal mind?
... deduce the secret of the ooze, or at least a cure, for their old friends, Mouse Force. Time may be running out for them! Will our heroes, the Knights Vigilant, find a way to help them?
... last, if the technological hand of Dr. Overmind is behind this, our heroes have to deduce his nefarious scheme and put a stop to it, before innocents are hurt!
Show the Editor's Notes...
The situation is getting dire, True Believers!
'Nuff Said!
The members of Mouse Force are feeling the effects of the orange ooze! At least one member has developed out of control energy blasts out of his eyes! Another is losing control of a runaway phase or dispersal power! Then poor Donata is slowly transforming into a plasma being! While researching how to help the Knights Vigilant, Tesla Coil is working overtime to invent gadgets to stabilize Mouse Force until the other heroes find a cure!
'Nuff Said!
Currently...
What is the mysterious orange ooze that seems to be at the source of these troubles? Will Dr. Isley discover something no one else has?
The investigation at Pier I turned up a discovery that someone had been lying in wait in a closed down news stand. But who? Were they caught on camera? And how were the other people hit that ambushed our heroes?
Also! Our heroes have discovered Dr. Overmind is using the New York Times crossword puzzle as a guide to commit his crimes! But who is this "S. Sphinx" that submitted the puzzle to the newspaper?
Then there are the duplicates of the diorama. What were they for? What is Overmind's plan for them? And the latest puzzle... "A waxing or waning fortune or fame"... what does it mean?
The information from Detective Hirokoma Kozu of the Central Park Precinct was enlightening. Dr. Overmind is certainly creating a duplicate of New York City… specifically, the tunnel system! It’s certain this is key to his overall plans. But why? Is it trying to transport something? Or locate something to be transported?
And now!
So many questions that need answers!
What were Dr. Overmind's drones after in the Garden of the Heavens?
In mid-fight, Kara - Taki's other half - had a vision of a neon-trimmed warehouse where Dr. Overmind's mind-controlled city workers were hard at work assembling a diorama! A warehouse she saw was being spied on by the Disco Boys! What do the Disco Boys know? In her vision she heard the name of one of their members: "Brickhouse". Just who is he?
Show the Editor's Notes...
Ah the Disco Boys! Colorful, brash, and hard to take seriously. But, they have a deeper side below the garish colors and shared love of Disco. Among the thieving world, the Disco Boys and Disco Girls are considered criminal entrepreneurs, inventive and quick to try new ideas! Using Overmind, his drones, and his master plan for their own goals, is certainly not beyond them!
'Nuff Said!
'Nuff Said!
What is the Golden Lotus up to in the Garden of the Heavens chamber? Is it a crime? How does this connect to the trickster god of Sutekh, also known as Set?
Show the Editor's Notes...
It may not be as simple as that, True Believers! the Garden of the Heavens vanished from New York City's records, and memories, decades ago save for a few like the Golden Lotus. So its legal status is a super-sized question mark! Does it legally belong to the Golden Lotus? New York City itself? Or... a mysterious third party?
'Nuff Said!
'Nuff Said!
Our heroes did peek through the secret door in the back. It leads to modern looking stairs and a tunnel! Perhaps one of the famous New York transit tunnels used to transport cargo across the city? Or one of the more mysterious tunnels that honeycomb New York City's literal underground?
Stakes
The heroes know the effects of the orange ooze is a ticking time bomb. Their allies, Mouse Force, have been contaminated... if this "timer" is counting down, the Knights Vigilant may see the end of Mouse Force!
Relations
Protagonists
Allies
Dr. Pamela Isley, "Poison Ivy" Infamous eco-terrorist and expert on botany and botanical science. Working to analyze the mysterious fluid ... will she find something for the team that can help them?
Detective Hirokoma Kozu Veteran detective of the NYPD Central Park Precinct and contact with the Knights Vigilant.
Danny Chang Now former "Ink Enforcer" of the Golden Lotus, turned student of "The Way" or the philosophies as espoused by Statesman and the Knights Vigilant! Convinced to follow the path of the hero, he struggles with a dark past and deeds done for the Golden Lotus criminal organization.
Neutrals/Bystanders
Detective Kato MacHale Seasoned Code Blue police detective temporarily working at the Central Park NYPD precinct. He helped the heroes during the fight at Manhattan's Pier I, and showed again at the Museum of New York. Is he a friend? or Foe? What is his connection to Taki?
Adversaries
Dr. Overmind! Brilliant inventor and mastermind. Expert at cybernetics and mental interface technology.
The Mysterious Black Scarab He seems to have a grudge against Moon Knight. What is it?
An unknown ally of Overmind going by the name 'Sphinx' Who is she? Does she hold Overmind in her sway? Or are they partners?
Mysterious Combat Droids that keep appearing! Based on the hologram in the museum heist, they belong to Dr. Overmind! Is he controlling them even now?
Plot type
Chapter
Parent Plot
Related Characters
Related Organizations
Related Locations
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