Traitor Game L: Existential Crisis

[The Purple Skull]

"Tony?" Mary Jane asked.

"Any relation to...?" she blurted out, before stopping herself. "Wait a minute, you know my real name. I didn't know I was THAT famous. I mean, I've had the occasional gigs here and there, but I was fired from my soap opera role and my roles on the stage ... not much to write home about."

"So, you're an artificial intelligence interface?" Mary Jane asked. "How did you come to power this Iron Man suit? Or whatever?"

"Boss man installed my programming into this suit...Next generation of artificial intelligence...Yada-yada-yada-yada...Hopefully I don't get overridden by Ultron or Skynet. You know, the usual. I mean, its no dying alien picking a random name out of a hat to carry on their legacy, but I think it worked out for the best."

[Anodyne]

"My guess is things like the Starro Swarm, the Suicide Squad, and the Anti-Monitor are what he was talking about. And now ... here I am."

She turned to the others. "So what are your stories?"

"I come from a family tradition of exposing frauds--people who falsely claim to have magical powers," Dr. Thirteen told her. "For a long time I believed that all apparently supernatural phenomena could be exposed as trickery. Then I met a man who could do things I couldn't explain, no matter how I tried. It drove me nuts. Then he saved my wife's life. After that, it didn't seem to matter quite so much how he did these things--only that he could do them. Now I spend my time trying to figure out which magic is genuine and which is phony."

"A scientist friend gave me some good advice: He said he figured that, if something happens, the laws of nature must allow it to happen, even if we can't explain how. He liked to quote Arthur Clark's statement that any sufficiently advanced science would be indistinguishable from magic."

[Chris Lang]

"Boss man installed my programming into this suit...Next generation of artificial intelligence...Yada-yada-yada-yada...Hopefully I don't turn overridden by Ultron or Skynet. You know, the usual. I mean, its no dying alien picking a random name out of a hat to carry on their legacy, but I think it worked out for the best."

"He DID claim that the ring chose me because it sensed the right qualities." Mary Jane said. "It's not as if he just met me in an alley and said 'You will have to do', and that was that."

"I come from a family tradition of exposing frauds--people who falsely claim to have magical powers," Dr. Thirteen told her. "For a long time I believed that all apparently supernatural phenomena could be exposed as trickery. Then I met a man who could do things I couldn't explain, no matter how I tried. It drove me nuts. Then he saved my wife's life. After that, it didn't seem to matter quite so much how he did these things--only that he could do them. Now I spend my time trying to figure out which magic is genuine and which is phony."

"A scientist friend gave me some good advice: He said he figured that, if something happens, the laws of nature must allow it to happen,, even if we can't explain how. He liked to quote Arthur Clark's statement that any sufficiently advanced science would be indistinguishable from magic."

"That's the Power Ring." Mary Jane said. "It's advanced alien science, apparently. But I don't know how it works. It might as well be magical."

"Anyway, my husband and I have seen false magic users. Mysterio and Jack O'Lantern. They created these intimidating and scary alter-egos, but everything they did was just special effects and illusions created with fancy equipment. I remember that one time Jack O'Lantern passed by my window. I couldn't believe I'd seen a man with a pumpkin head. And it turned out ... that was all just a special effect. He was just another costumed crazy supervillain."

"We've seen plenty of frauds, though. Not just the 'phony spiritualist' or 'phony sorcerer' types, too. Plenty of other scam artists, too, trying to make quick money off of gullible people. Even those of us without powers can do our part in putting a stop to them."

She paused. "But this situation ... Dr. Thirteen, I'm kind of worried about you. You're a non-powered detective type, and here we are going against alien starfish and genuine powered supervillains. Maybe you'll be useful at Arkham, exposing some of the crazy people's attempts to fool people. But against the real big villains ... I don't know. I think you'd better stay back during the really big battles."

[Jeremi]

"This is all well and nice." The Cat replied annoyed at the small talk. "But there's still a killer on the loose among us and we aren't any closer to catching it."

[Chris Lang]

"This is all well and nice." The Cat replied annoyed at the small talk. "But there's still a killer on the loose among us and we aren't any closer to catching it."

"The problem is, we don't really have anything to go on. This isn't like one of those whodunnits that plays fair and gives enough clues so that anyone who's paying attention has a chance to figure it out." Mary Jane replied. "This Hound keeps jumping from person to person, so we've got nothing. No strange behavior, no odd voting choices ... nothing to give us any sort of clue."

[Jeremi]

"The problem is, we don't really have anything to go on. This isn't like one of those whodunnits that plays fair and gives enough clues so that anyone who's paying attention has a chance to figure it out." Mary Jane replied. "This Hound keeps jumping from person to person, so we've got nothing. No strange behavior, no odd voting choices ... nothing to give us any sort of clue."

"That may be, but I wont lay down and roll my thumbs to just let the murder in our midst do as it please." She turned to face the rest of the group. "While the last murder was a botch there has to have been something, anything."

[The Purple Skull]

"That may be, but I wont lay down and roll my thumbs to just let the murder in our midst do as it please." She turned to face the rest of the group. "While the last murder was a botch there has to have been something, anything."

"Cat Girl's right (That's your name right?). Coming from an A.I. who's been in update mode for far too long, I'd love nothing more than to get the Superior Iron Man into some action.

Perhaps there's a way to draw out the Hound? Maybe get it exorcised from its host?"

[Wolvie616]

After the fight against the Kryptonian and the battle against Starro, Thor was on his last legs. He needed to rest so he could be of use. Even in the battle against Starro, his powers were merely a fraction of what they should have been.

Harbinger goes on to explain, "We must again travel to a Gotham City. However, instead of wandering the city, we will be inside Arkham Asylum, a building for the criminally insane. Like Xanadu's shop, this, too, served as the location for a Traitor Game. A few years have passed since then. Within its halls are a few artifacts leftover from that game, as well as numerous items the occupants once employed."

The Monitor chimes in, "Due to the increasing danger, we insist you use the next few hours to rest. We need you at the peak of your performance. We cannot afford a failure like we achieved in the previous Gotham."

"You have my thanks, Harbinger. Truthfully, my stamina was beginning to ebb. This rest is much needed!
Thor sat down next to Ultra Rogue, offering her a smile and a glass of mead.

"So, what happened at the previous Gotham? I wasn't there." Mary Jane asked.

"I don't really know much about you, so I'll say a few things about me. I'm a struggling actress trying to make ends meet. My husband was what they call a superhero, even if some people didn't see him that way."

"He didn't have long to explain, but he said the Green Lanterns were a group of intergalactic agents appointed by the Guardians, each patrolling a sector of space to help defend against things worlds couldn't defend themselves against. After he died, I took on the ring and this costume. But I've mostly stuck to the street-level threats my husband fought against. Until now."

"My guess is things like the Starro Swarm, the Suicide Squad, and the Anti-Monitor are what he was talking about. And now ... here I am."[/COLOR]

Thor lit up in recognition.

"Ah, yes! I know of your husband. In my world, the two of you are good friends, though not wed. He is one of the most valiant and noble men that I have met in Midgard. You do him well by your being here, friend."

[SCANN-----]

Suddenly, a rather familiar sound starts coming from the Superior Iron Man's arc reactor. His chest then displays a hologram...

"Hello? This thing on? Oh good. My programming's finally running. About freakin' time if you ask me. Sorry about that with bucket head over here giving everyone the silent treatment. While my own programming was getting up to speed with things, the suit went into "safe mode" for a lack of a better term, hence the overly boring default computer voice. Don't mind what you may have heard coming from this thing before. Personally MJ (can I call you MJ?), I thought the highly illogical way you received your ring was not convoluted at all.

Anyway, I'm just babbling on. Let me introduce myself. I'm the main A.I. interface within this Iron Man suit. I do have a name, but it is some overly complicated computer mumbo jumbo, so we'll just stick with the acronym. My name's Tony."

Thor looked on in amazement.

"I cannot tell whether it is hubris or genius for Anthony to choose you as his AI...."

She paused. "But this situation ... Dr. Thirteen, I'm kind of worried about you. You're a non-powered detective type, and here we are going against alien starfish and genuine powered supervillains. Maybe you'll be useful at Arkham, exposing some of the crazy people's attempts to fool people. But against the real big villains ... I don't know. I think you'd better stay back during the really big battles."

Thor addressed Green Lantern.

"You might find yourself suprised. The greatest warrior I ever knew, Steven Rogers, was but a mortal. He had little to no power to speak of. I have faith in the Good Doctor to prove himself in the upcoming trials!:

"This is all well and nice." The Cat replied annoyed at the small talk. "But there's still a killer on the loose among us and we aren't any closer to catching it."

Thor turned grim. "Indeed, and it's a trying task. Each round a new one of us is possessed. That makes deduction all the more difficult. I have had little luck guessing our final hound's host..."

[Cthulhudrew]

"That may be, but I wont lay down and roll my thumbs to just let the murder in our midst do as it please." She turned to face the rest of the group. "While the last murder was a botch there has to have been something, anything."

"Ain't you been listenin'? Killer tried ta use some kinda sword but it got deflected by th' Guardian." Ragestorm had been silently fuming in the corner, growing increasingly upset with nothing to pummel. As his voice rose, so too did the temperature as his nuclear core heated up.

"That aside, I'm votin' fer the damn Bug, 'cuz he tried ta vote me out last time!"

OOC: Vote for the Weaver

[Masterbasset]

Ragestorm had been silently fuming in the corner, growing increasingly upset with nothing to pummel. As his voice rose, so too did the temperature as his nuclear core heated up.

"That aside, I'm votin' fer the damn Bug, 'cuz he tried ta vote me out last time!"

...THE IRRADIATED ERUDITE ERODES MY CONFIDENCE IN THIS REBELLION TO RAGNAROK DEVOLVING INTO REVOLVING REACTIONARY REACTIONS MUST YOU SHAKE THIS WEAVING WITH YOUR PATCHWORK GUESSWORK...

...BUT THE SERGENT DOES NOT ADMONISH THE RECRUIT FOR LONG YOU ARE YET IN YOUR INFANCY AS AN ATOM-RIDDLED WEAVER ALLOW ME TO ENLIGHTEN TO HELP TO PICK YOU UP FROM A STUMBLE...

Skittering toward the sight of the failed kill, The Weaver called out:

...ROY ROY ROY OR OR OR HARBINGER HARBINGER HARBINGER I NAME THEE THRICE KINDLY WOULD YOU EXPAND ON THIS FAILED HOUND POUNCE?

[Anodyne]

"The problem is, we don't really have anything to go on. This isn't like one of those whodunnits that plays fair and gives enough clues so that anyone who's paying attention has a chance to figure it out." Mary Jane replied. "This Hound keeps jumping from person to person, so we've got nothing. No strange behavior, no odd voting choices ... nothing to give us any sort of clue."

"And every time we guess wrong, we lose one of our group," Dr. Thirteen added.

Thor addressed Green Lantern.

"You might find yourself suprised. The greatest warrior I ever knew, Steven Rogers, was but a mortal. He had little to no power to speak of. I have faith in the Good Doctor to prove himself in the upcoming trials!:

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Thor," Dr. Thirteen replied. Since I was chosen for this mission, I can only assume that my skills will be needed sometime."

Thor turned grim. "Indeed, and it's a trying task. Each round a new one of us is possessed. That makes deduction all the more difficult. I have had little luck guessing our final hound's host..."

"Logic doesn't seem to be very useful here. I just wish I could discern a pattern in the Hound's choices.["

[Joe Acro]

...ROY ROY ROY OR OR OR HARBINGER HARBINGER HARBINGER I NAME THEE THRICE KINDLY WOULD YOU EXPAND ON THIS FAILED HOUND POUNCE?

Roy re-emerges just in time to answer The Weaver's question.

"If any of you were to examine the blade, you'll find it was one of high quality--something only someone of wealth could afford," he explains.

"Logic doesn't seem to be very useful here. I just wish I could discern a pattern in the Hound's choices."

"Their logic does seem... difficult," he says to Dr. Thirteen. "Keep those thoughts in mind as we push forward. Don't lose them, and don't lose sight of trying to remove the Hounds. As it stands, we must go to the next Earth. Remember, we're headed into an asylum full of criminally insane individuals. They are absolutely dangerous, but I'm sure each of you can handle them. Just be on guard. Monitor?"

The Monitor nods and activates the switch. The group is sent inside Arkham Asylum, Dr. Zoom now with them.

[Masterbasset]

Roy re-emerges just in time to answer The Weaver's question.

"If any of you were to examine the blade, you'll find it was one of high quality--something only someone of wealth could afford," he explains.

...HM HM HM YES YES YES WAS THIS BLADE SOMETHING FOUND IN THIS SKYSHIP OR POSSESSED BY THE POSSESSED?

"Their logic does seem... difficult," he says to Dr. Thirteen. "Keep those thoughts in mind as we push forward. Don't lose them, and don't lose sight of trying to remove the Hounds. As it stands, we must go to the next Earth. Remember, we're headed into an asylum full of criminally insane individuals. They are absolutely dangerous, but I'm sure each of you can handle them. Just be on guard. Monitor?"

The Monitor nods and activates the switch. The group is sent inside Arkham Asylum, Dr. Zoom now with them.

The mad god looks around this home for the criminally insane, sees patterns and etchings.

...I AM SURE I WILL LIKE IT HERE SUCH FASCINATING BOBBINS THIS BOX HOLDS...

He peers into a nearby padded cell, housing one of Gotham's nightmares, the window small enough to make it awkward for him to bend to.

Spake Weaver:

...SALUTATIONS SCHIZOPHRENIC HOW DO YOU DO HOMICIDAL HOMONID WE'VE COME FOR YOUR LIFE YOURS AND EVERYONES YOU ARE SAFE IN MY HANDS...

...HUSH HUSH NO NEED TO SCREAM I AND WE WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU...

[Froggy]

As the group arrived in Arkham Asylum, Harbinger materialized in front of them.



"I am here to inform you that the Agent's guess was correct and they have found the last Hound" she told the group. People would notice none of the inmates saw her apparently

[Anodyne]

Dr. Thirteen stared in horror at the conditions in which Arkham's inmates were kept. "Even if they were sane when they were brought here, this place would drive them mad." He shuddered, remembering. "I was confined in a place like this once. They said I was having a psychotic breakdown. It was months before someone realized I was suffering from a misdiagnosed brain tumor."

As the group arrived in Arkham Asylum, Harbinger materialized in front of them.

"I am here to inform you that the Agent's guess was correct and they have found the last Hound"[/COLOR] she told the group. People would notice none of the inmates saw her apparently

"Finally! Some good news. Who was it?"