Someone or something is upgrading low-end super criminals, and making them somewhat tougher to defeat. Thankfully, we have continued to defeat them and put them back in prison where they belong. The opposite of thankfully, we still have no idea who or what is modifying these people. We have a few enemies we've face recently who may be responsible, so we're going to investigate them more thoroughly.
On a more personal note, we here at the New Guard celebrated Christmas this week, some of us for the first time. I'm told there's some controversy in this country around this time of year, because some people celebrate one holiday and others celebrate different holidays. Even so, I think we can all agree that it's nice to have a time of year devoted to spending time with the people you love, no matter what you call it, and no matter which traditions you follow. So to you, the good citizens of Lakeport, I say Merry Christmas to all, except those for whom that phrase has unfortunate religious or cultural connotations. To them I say have a good day during December 25th and surrounding time periods, regardless of your personal religious or philosophical beliefs, which I respect and acknowledge in a totally non-judgmental way.
*Clarification* In case you aren't "down" with the "lingo" of the internet, "twinking" means that a more powerful character in an MMORPG gives weapons and items to a lower level character to help them progress more quickly. It's appropriate in this context because someone considerably more powerful than these criminals is helping them with technology they can't possibly be getting on their own in order to help them cause more mayhem than they could otherwise cause.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
The Battle with War Hamster
Having recently worked my way through many of the classic American films of the 1980s, I'm hoping to be able to use and understand more pop cultural references. Please let me know if I'm doing it wrong.
"Strange things are afoot at the Circle K." We have encountered several extra-planetary or extra-dimensional foes recently, some with exceptionally advanced technology. We were still able to do our job, but it's getting more and more difficult to know who we're really fighting and what we'll need to do to win. We can't very well incarcerate an entire dimension, so we may need to figure out how to get them back where they came from and keep them there. We're also going to have to find out who upgraded War Hog into War Master (or War Hamster, as I decided to call him). He had significant increases in power and weaponry, and that's the sort of thing we want to nip in the bud.
We're really trying to manage the influx of enemies into the Lakeport area, there just seem to be so many people attacking different targets for different reasons. We need to start capturing and containing some of these threats so we don't have to worry about them coming back to attack us again and again. We will prevail, of course, it will just be a difficult path to walk.
"Strange things are afoot at the Circle K." We have encountered several extra-planetary or extra-dimensional foes recently, some with exceptionally advanced technology. We were still able to do our job, but it's getting more and more difficult to know who we're really fighting and what we'll need to do to win. We can't very well incarcerate an entire dimension, so we may need to figure out how to get them back where they came from and keep them there. We're also going to have to find out who upgraded War Hog into War Master (or War Hamster, as I decided to call him). He had significant increases in power and weaponry, and that's the sort of thing we want to nip in the bud.
We're really trying to manage the influx of enemies into the Lakeport area, there just seem to be so many people attacking different targets for different reasons. We need to start capturing and containing some of these threats so we don't have to worry about them coming back to attack us again and again. We will prevail, of course, it will just be a difficult path to walk.
Monday, May 4, 2009
The Ultimate Prequel
Well, we've learned something very interesting. Lady Sinister, who I mentioned in my last entry, has returned, but in a much younger form. She appears to be stuck in our world or dimension or time, and looking to get back to her own. She was the leader of the group of pirates who were raiding our fair city this past week, and it seems that their technology is significantly advanced beyond our own. Thankfully, the New Guard were able to fend off the more advanced ships and arrest a large number of the men who were aboard them. Hopefully, through interviews and reading what we can gather from the ship we captured, we can get some more information on who these people are, where they come from and what exactly they're after.
In other news...really there is no other news. Fighting some inter-dimensional pirates took up a pretty fair amount of our time. In any case, thank you for reading!
In other news...really there is no other news. Fighting some inter-dimensional pirates took up a pretty fair amount of our time. In any case, thank you for reading!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Freakin' Time Ninjas?
As our recent fights have most likely been overshadowed by the recent severe weather, I'll be as open as I can here. We all attempted to help citizens stranded by the storm as much as possible. Shift was providing transport for people and vehicles, Pandora squelched an attempted robbery, Gemini helped a confused older gentleman to a shelter, Hierophant helped a pregnant woman to a hospital in time to deliver her baby and Black Raven assisted Shift and Pandora when needed. I dealt with a downed power line, but was pulled through some kind of warp portal into a different part of the city.
The "ninjas" as we're calling them, are dressed all in a creamy white color, with very pale skin and eyes without pupils or irises. Their hands are actually long, bony claws that are incredibly hard and sharp. They also generally wore small black devices on their upper left arms, which we later learned were particularly susceptible to attack. Their ability to leap from place to place seemed to be keyed to shadows, a theory supported by their use of bright lights in several of the engagements. The snow storm diffused the normal light, making shadows pale and ineffective, it seems. Their use of bright lights indicates that they can only warp through fairly deep shadows, something that will undoubtedly be useful knowledge in the future.
Hierophant got the sense from them that were displaced in time, leading us to believe they come from the future. After tracing one back to his source in this time, we saw a woman with a sword strikingly similar to my own who called herself "Lady Sinister." She insisted that I needed to die, a contention that the time ninjas seemed to take to heart. One of them referred to me as "The Usurper" which does seem a bit strange. I'm not aware of having usurped anything in my life. I really don't think I'm the usurping sort. I'm going to have to see what I can learn about my own future to see what causes this issue. Since I am one who believes in the concept of two-dimensional time, the fact that I survive long enough for them to be sent back to kill me doesn't really reassure me. I think I need to ensure that I am ready for attack at all times, and continue working on improving my personal defensive capabilities. I have been meditating much more than usual recently, forcing my body to take me to the edge of unconsciousness so I am more comfortable working in that realm. I am also experimenting with several techniques I read about involving rejecting death on a physical and spiritual level. We will have to see how my work progresses.
I do want to take this time to thank my teammates for all of their assistance with this issue. None of them were personally threatened by the attackers, but they all placed themselves in harm's way to help me. I could not have survived without their help, and they have my gratitude. Having grown up in a situation where I didn't feel quite like I had a real family, I can now say without hesitation that the New Guard is my family in every way that really matters. 友達、ありがとうございます。
The "ninjas" as we're calling them, are dressed all in a creamy white color, with very pale skin and eyes without pupils or irises. Their hands are actually long, bony claws that are incredibly hard and sharp. They also generally wore small black devices on their upper left arms, which we later learned were particularly susceptible to attack. Their ability to leap from place to place seemed to be keyed to shadows, a theory supported by their use of bright lights in several of the engagements. The snow storm diffused the normal light, making shadows pale and ineffective, it seems. Their use of bright lights indicates that they can only warp through fairly deep shadows, something that will undoubtedly be useful knowledge in the future.
Hierophant got the sense from them that were displaced in time, leading us to believe they come from the future. After tracing one back to his source in this time, we saw a woman with a sword strikingly similar to my own who called herself "Lady Sinister." She insisted that I needed to die, a contention that the time ninjas seemed to take to heart. One of them referred to me as "The Usurper" which does seem a bit strange. I'm not aware of having usurped anything in my life. I really don't think I'm the usurping sort. I'm going to have to see what I can learn about my own future to see what causes this issue. Since I am one who believes in the concept of two-dimensional time, the fact that I survive long enough for them to be sent back to kill me doesn't really reassure me. I think I need to ensure that I am ready for attack at all times, and continue working on improving my personal defensive capabilities. I have been meditating much more than usual recently, forcing my body to take me to the edge of unconsciousness so I am more comfortable working in that realm. I am also experimenting with several techniques I read about involving rejecting death on a physical and spiritual level. We will have to see how my work progresses.
I do want to take this time to thank my teammates for all of their assistance with this issue. None of them were personally threatened by the attackers, but they all placed themselves in harm's way to help me. I could not have survived without their help, and they have my gratitude. Having grown up in a situation where I didn't feel quite like I had a real family, I can now say without hesitation that the New Guard is my family in every way that really matters. 友達、ありがとうございます。
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Disturbing Revelations
We enjoyed meeting the Spicerton Knights this week, and are grateful for their assistance with a question we had. We are not grateful to the pair of time-traveling ninjas who attacked me while I was trying to help drivers stranded around the city by the storm. Thankfully, they didn't succeed in their attempt to assassinate me, but they got much closer than I would like. I'm going to have to work on my personal shield some more in case they have any friends.
We're still working on several investigations at the moment, so there isn't much more to tell, unfortunately. I would love to share the details with you all, but we can't risk our enemies knowing how much we know or which direction we intend to go. I hope you all understand.
I do want to give a shout-out to the Hiero-fan, as we've taken to calling her. She's a very nice lady, and we can use all the friends we can get these days.
We're still working on several investigations at the moment, so there isn't much more to tell, unfortunately. I would love to share the details with you all, but we can't risk our enemies knowing how much we know or which direction we intend to go. I hope you all understand.
I do want to give a shout-out to the Hiero-fan, as we've taken to calling her. She's a very nice lady, and we can use all the friends we can get these days.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Another One Rides the Bus
We had something of a feeling of deja vu here at the New Guard recently. Someone (or several someones) attempted to hijack the prisoner transfer vehicle taking several supers we had captured to a more secure facility for long term incarceration. The means of attack was something we are still investigating, but we have several leads on it. We also encountered a new super on the Lakeport scene while we were there. His name is Hellquin, and he seems to have a decidedly more lethal modus operandi than the New Guard. We obviously dislike crime, and seek to stop criminals from hurting people, but we don't think that it is necessary to use lethal force to do so. Killing, in the vast majority of instances, is wrong, even when the victim isn't a saint. Because we didn't want to sit by and watch Hellequin mete out his own brand of justice, we were forced to fight against him. We managed to hurt him badly, but he escaped before we could capture him.
Of the criminals who were attempting escape, several managed to get away but we defeated the majority and ensured that they would finish the trip they started. Those who did escape will likely be on the local news channels soon. If you see them, do not attempt to make any kind of contact with them. They are all extremely dangerous. If you can do so without drawing attention to yourself, contact the authorities immediately. The New Guard will also be on the lookout for them and we are confident in our ability to recapture them and send them on their way to the proper facilities.
Thank you for reading.
Of the criminals who were attempting escape, several managed to get away but we defeated the majority and ensured that they would finish the trip they started. Those who did escape will likely be on the local news channels soon. If you see them, do not attempt to make any kind of contact with them. They are all extremely dangerous. If you can do so without drawing attention to yourself, contact the authorities immediately. The New Guard will also be on the lookout for them and we are confident in our ability to recapture them and send them on their way to the proper facilities.
Thank you for reading.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
A note to those who need to get to us via e-mail
Good day; I am Dexter, and I am the one who runs things technical for the New Guard and I'm pleased to work with them. I'm also the one who operated the robot that defused one of the Giants of Industry during that great unpleasantness.
But now for the matter at hand: For those of you who have a pressing need to get a hold of the New Guard via e-mail, just use e-mail. I read each and every e-mail that comes into our server, and I know which ones are important and which ones are not.
That's not to say that we don't like all the e-mails we get; it's just that the ones asking where Shift got his ink done and ones from a government agency asking for assistance will be treated differently.
So, please stop using interesting programs to try to get your e-mail to the top of the list. If you need to be at the top of the list, you will already be there. If you use a program to move yourself up in the Queue of Attention, that will just make the New Guard wonder what is wrong with you.
And now to answer some of the more common questions that we have received:
1. Yes, they are just as pretty as they appear to be.
2. Yes, they are just as handsome as they appear to be.
3. Yes, it is all over his body.
4. No, he doesn't know where the Mona Lisa was taken or how it got back.
Thank you.
But now for the matter at hand: For those of you who have a pressing need to get a hold of the New Guard via e-mail, just use e-mail. I read each and every e-mail that comes into our server, and I know which ones are important and which ones are not.
That's not to say that we don't like all the e-mails we get; it's just that the ones asking where Shift got his ink done and ones from a government agency asking for assistance will be treated differently.
So, please stop using interesting programs to try to get your e-mail to the top of the list. If you need to be at the top of the list, you will already be there. If you use a program to move yourself up in the Queue of Attention, that will just make the New Guard wonder what is wrong with you.
And now to answer some of the more common questions that we have received:
1. Yes, they are just as pretty as they appear to be.
2. Yes, they are just as handsome as they appear to be.
3. Yes, it is all over his body.
4. No, he doesn't know where the Mona Lisa was taken or how it got back.
Thank you.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Invisible Island Lair?
Finally, we were able to take the fight to the Robber Baron, rather than continuing to play a reactive role. Anticipating his attack on the shipments coming into Lakeport to replace the commodities he had already stolen, we devised a plan to track him back to his lair, suspecting it was fairly close to the city. We were not disappointed. He had apparently built some kind of mobile island with a cloaking device on it, and had parked it out in the middle of Lake Michigan. From there, he had been launching his attacks on Lakeport without much fear of detection and without the need for long-range travel by his minions.
Thankfully, with the assistance of some of our more official crime-fighting counterparts, we found this lair and were able to storm it, recovering the stolen goods and rendering the base inoperable. By inoperable, of course, I mean full of water at about 900 feet down in a 22,000 square mile lake. We also faced some of his newest creations and showed them to be as inadequate as the prior versions, though they did show some interesting technological advancements I will need to study further. We also faced several supers he seems to have brought in specifically for base security, and were able to take them down as well. We weren't able to capture the Robber Baron himself, but I think it will likely be a long time before he attacks Lakeport again, seeing that the cost/benefit is certainly no longer in his favor.
Shai taishite haidoku.
Thankfully, with the assistance of some of our more official crime-fighting counterparts, we found this lair and were able to storm it, recovering the stolen goods and rendering the base inoperable. By inoperable, of course, I mean full of water at about 900 feet down in a 22,000 square mile lake. We also faced some of his newest creations and showed them to be as inadequate as the prior versions, though they did show some interesting technological advancements I will need to study further. We also faced several supers he seems to have brought in specifically for base security, and were able to take them down as well. We weren't able to capture the Robber Baron himself, but I think it will likely be a long time before he attacks Lakeport again, seeing that the cost/benefit is certainly no longer in his favor.
Shai taishite haidoku.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Robber Baron Back Again
The Robber Baron, Lakeport's most prolific villain, has come off of a period of relative inactivity it seems. he attacked a number of high-end banks and commodity trading bureaus this last week, using a very quick smash and grab MO. The vehicle being used was some kind of phantom steam engine that appeared to warp to and from the sites of the attacks. The speed of these attacks was the most difficult part of stopping him this time, since his henchmen were able to be done with the robbery almost before the victims had a chance to notify anyone. Utilizing no fewer than 47 different investigative techniques, Blackraven was able to anticipate the site of their next attack, giving the New Guard an opportunity to set up an ambush. The fight that resulted was almost pitifully one-sided, a fact that seemed to derail the Robber Baron's plans rather nicely.
Speaking of derailment, I was able to speak to the Robber Baron directly and he seemed none too happy about us knocking his plans off track. He also seems very fond of trains, for some reason. When I asked him whether he wasn't too old to be playing with them, he seemed pretty steamed. He must have put a lot of resources into this little engine that couldn't, so maybe that's why he was so upset. He's probably also worried about being run out of town on a rail, since Lakeport seems to be his target of choice. He's engineered a lot of trouble for this city, but the New Guard will continue to fight him, and I'll continue to rail against him here. Have a wonderful day, citizens.
Speaking of derailment, I was able to speak to the Robber Baron directly and he seemed none too happy about us knocking his plans off track. He also seems very fond of trains, for some reason. When I asked him whether he wasn't too old to be playing with them, he seemed pretty steamed. He must have put a lot of resources into this little engine that couldn't, so maybe that's why he was so upset. He's probably also worried about being run out of town on a rail, since Lakeport seems to be his target of choice. He's engineered a lot of trouble for this city, but the New Guard will continue to fight him, and I'll continue to rail against him here. Have a wonderful day, citizens.
Hired Guns
I also wanted to let everyone know that there was indeed a group of supers hired by a person or group to come to Lakeport to attack the New Guard around Halloween. We were initially caught off guard by their coordination and tactics, but were quickly able to devise a strategy that resulted in victory later in the evening. As this incident is still under investigation, we cannot release any further details at this time.
Friday, February 6, 2009
A few things you may have heard about
Ohayo gozaimasu! Kusunagi here, wanting to let everyone know about what really happened in some of the events you may have heard about recently.
First, we should probably step back to the biggest, most public fight we had recently, the recapture of Ravenous. There's still a lot we don't know about this one, unfortunately, but we are continuing to investigate and we will get to the bottom of it shortly, I'm sure. The basics are that someone broke Ravenous out of the Supermax prison in Wyoming and carted him all the way over to the Federal compound outside of town. When he was released, he began consuming everything in his path, causing huge amounts of destruction. He was attempting to break through the wall of a federal prison located on the compound. This is when we got the signal to come take him out.
Shift brought us into the area overlooking the compound so we could get a sense of what was going on. We had heard that Bon Vivant had defeated Ravenous previously by lifting him into orbit. None of us were up to that task, but I figured I might be able to levitate him high enough to keep him from absorbing anything else. Unfortunately, that didn't work out. The strain was too much for me or something and I passed out from exertion. When I came to, I didn't see most of my team, but Ravenous was still trying to break through the prison walls. I jumped down, focused my sword and tried to slice through his leg or something, to keep him from moving anywhere else. Thankfully, the energy of my sword seemed to harmonize with the energy of his body and I did a lot more damage than I was anticipating. Pandora was also working her way in to the person floating in the middle of the body, so she may have had something to do with it, too. In any case, he fell unconscious and collapsed to the ground, where the energy body slowly receded back into the physical body of the man. We asked Dr. Daring to help us contain the man so he wouldn't pose any further threat and he graciously agreed.
Really, that was more or less it. The team gathered again near where the man fell and talked a little with Dr. Daring before heading back to the city. Overall, it was a pretty successful day. The prison Ravenous was attacking stayed secure, and he didn't have a chance to get as big as he was the previous time.
First, we should probably step back to the biggest, most public fight we had recently, the recapture of Ravenous. There's still a lot we don't know about this one, unfortunately, but we are continuing to investigate and we will get to the bottom of it shortly, I'm sure. The basics are that someone broke Ravenous out of the Supermax prison in Wyoming and carted him all the way over to the Federal compound outside of town. When he was released, he began consuming everything in his path, causing huge amounts of destruction. He was attempting to break through the wall of a federal prison located on the compound. This is when we got the signal to come take him out.
Shift brought us into the area overlooking the compound so we could get a sense of what was going on. We had heard that Bon Vivant had defeated Ravenous previously by lifting him into orbit. None of us were up to that task, but I figured I might be able to levitate him high enough to keep him from absorbing anything else. Unfortunately, that didn't work out. The strain was too much for me or something and I passed out from exertion. When I came to, I didn't see most of my team, but Ravenous was still trying to break through the prison walls. I jumped down, focused my sword and tried to slice through his leg or something, to keep him from moving anywhere else. Thankfully, the energy of my sword seemed to harmonize with the energy of his body and I did a lot more damage than I was anticipating. Pandora was also working her way in to the person floating in the middle of the body, so she may have had something to do with it, too. In any case, he fell unconscious and collapsed to the ground, where the energy body slowly receded back into the physical body of the man. We asked Dr. Daring to help us contain the man so he wouldn't pose any further threat and he graciously agreed.
Really, that was more or less it. The team gathered again near where the man fell and talked a little with Dr. Daring before heading back to the city. Overall, it was a pretty successful day. The prison Ravenous was attacking stayed secure, and he didn't have a chance to get as big as he was the previous time.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Welcome to the New Guard's Official Blog!
Hello everyone. This is the official blog of the New Guard of Lakeport. This will be where we post any information we want to share with the public, as well as some personal accounts of our adventures. We may even do some Q&A or something. Really, it's just a way for us to keep the public informed about what's going on with our team.
Thanks for reading!
Thanks for reading!
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