June 1, 1995

Hippocrates (Thomas James) and Urieal (Victor Wolffe) encounter one another while taking out a crack house.  Urieal had been staking out the house and Hippocrates had followed a pusher to the location.  In the ensuing scenario 2 pushers were killed and 2 others were wounded.  A female at the scene escaped after feigning incapacitation.  She is later identified as Jena.  The two vigilantes depart together and forge an alliance.

The Police recover several slugs from the MAC-10 SMG of Hippocrates as well as a couple of shell casings.  Most of the brass is recovered by the vigilantes as are the two 12-gauge shotgun casings used by Urieal.  The police also get rough height and weight descriptions of Urieal who was closer to the wounded pushers.

June 3

Nightstick (a.k.a. Demon Dog, Joe Dishwasher) rescues an elderly woman from a pair of muggers in China Town.  Both muggers are rendered unconscious and left for the police.  No physical evidence is left behind.

The police get only rough height, weight and costume descriptions from witnesses.  This does not add to the knowledge that they already have of Nightstick.

June 5

Gunner (Micheal Hansen) interrupts a group of juvenile taggers in LaMastre Park.  He frightens them away with an admonishment of their activities.  Shortly thereafter he is drawn to the sound of a young female in distress.  He discovers that a pair of thugs has nabbed one of the taggers.  The two seem intent on molesting her.  The girl is able to escape after Gunner shoots both of them in the knees with his P-15 Pistol.  Gunner disappears into the night.

The wounded punks inform the police that they are the victims of muggers.  The police doubt this and are not sure exactly what really transpired.  They are able to recover two spent casings and a single, usable, slug from Gunners .45 pistol.

June 6

Hippocrates, Urieal and Gunner[1]begin hearing rumors of an upcoming rumble between the Overlords and 66Blades.  They meet to discuss what theyve heard and form the Omega Team.  They decide to increase their melee capabilities and so visit the school of an obscure old Chinese Kung Fu teacher named Zhu Hsaio.  The old man operates a Chinese restaurant that has a classroom in the back.  The three have dinner here and encounter an informant[2]as well.  Nightstick works for Zhu Hsaio and is present for the visit of the trio.  He recognizes Micheal Hansen (Gunner) from information he once heard from his own informants.  Joe begins to eavesdrop on the three.  He soon realizes that these three may be vigilantes, like him.  He overhears that they too are concerned over the rising friction between the Overlords and the 66Blades.  He decides to shadow the Omega team.

Nightstick does not prove to be adept at following them in his old Honda Civic CVCC, and is soon spotted.  They confront him when they are all stopped at a traffic signal, and have him follow them to the Irishtown residence of Dr. Thomas James.  After some awkward discussion they realize that this is the infamous Nightstick and offer him a trial membership in the Omega Team.

Omega Team decides that they should abduct a member of the Overlords for questioning.  They head to a Riverside Bar that is know to be frequented by the Overlords.  Gunner is unable to go on the mission since he has personal business to attend to[3].

Hippocrates and Urieal enter the bar in plain-clothes (under cover), while Nightstick attempts to enter the bar secretly through a rear door.  Nightstick is spotted and a wild melee ensues.  The gang bangers are quickly, if clumsily, defeated and the team departs with a prisoner.

The Police are able to recover several .45 APC casings and some, rare, rubber bullets in the same caliber.  In addition a card with the Greek letter W (Omega) emblazoned on it[4].  Though disguised the police are able to get rough height and weight descriptions of the vigilantes and easily identify Nightstick as being involved.

Omega Team takes their captive to an empty warehouse (that has been recently obtained by Thomas James) and interrogates him with penethol.  This gives them info on where Buckshot (Terry Hondo), leader of the Overlords can usually be found.  They also determine that the gang has been getting lots of powerful weapons at bargain prices from the Hanged Man (a.k.a. Dr. DMC, Father Christmas, The Candy Man, The Judge).  They then tranquilize the gangster and stow him in the cargo hold of a tramp freighter bound for Shang-hi.

June 7-9

The Omega Team continues to collect information on the two gangs.  On one evening they enter the turf areas to recon the area the rumble is most likely to erupt.  Hippocrates and Urieal drive around to look over the hideouts of the Overlords that they have learned about.  Nightstick begins to shadow a pair of 66Blades members on foot.

Nightstick encounters the vigilante Dancer (Eden Blake) who is also following the two hoods.  After a brief altercation they two of them realize they are in the same line of work and agree to talk.  Nightstick informs the rest of the team and they return, with Dancer, to the Omega warehouse.  Dancer agrees to work with them to head off the impending gang war.  The group decides to snatch a 66Blades member for interrogation.

Dancer disguises herself as a gangster girl and lures a 66Blade from a bar the gang hangs out at.  Urieal attempts to surprise the unaware thug from behind but slips on some loose gravel and alerts him.  Hippocrates, who is across the street on an apartment building roof, fires a single rubber bullet that stuns the gangster.  Dancer finishes him off with a quick martial attack.  Dancer and Urieal hurriedly hustle the senseless hoodlum to Urieals waiting vehicle and speed away.  Nightstick fades away into the shadows without ever being seen.  Hippocrates, still being a little jumpy, sprays the front of the bar with automatic weapons fire (rubber bullets) as the gangsters inside run out to investigate the first shot.  Several of the 66Blades fire wildly at the building Hippocrates is atop, knowing only that the shots came from that direction. Since the other team members have made good their escape Hippocrates flees the are.

Later the police find numerous casings and slugs of mostly 9mm bullets that the gang bangers expended.  They also find over a dozen rubber bullets (7.62mm NATO) and their spent casings (these were fired by Hippocrates).  An Omega symbol is found scratched in the roofing material of the apartment building where the shooter was believed to be.  Fortunately no innocents have been hit in the exchange of fire.

Omega team takes the gangster to the warehouse and interrogates him with penethol.  The likely hangouts of Tommy Brooks (66Blades leader) are determined.  They discover that the mysterious Hanged Man has also been supplying the 66Blades.  The gangster is then tranquilized and hidden in the hold a of ship bound for Hong Kong.

The team discusses the gang situation and determines that a gang war with the weapons that they have gotten a hold of would be very hazardous for the innocent citizens of Hudson City.  Collateral damage could wound or kill many.  They resolve to end the gang hostility by removing Buckshot and Tommy Brooks from the equation.

The first target was Buckshot.  He was inside a fortified house that was equipped with burglar bars and steel fire doors.  Dancer said she could get inside and get the front door open and Urieal was confident that he could get to the back door unseen.  Dancer disguised herself as a gang girl and went to one of the bars frequented by Overlords.  Here she cozzies up to one of the Overlords she determined would be likely to take her back to the house in question.  In her bag she took only her .380 Colt Mustang, a CS Grenade (tear gas) and a small gas mask.  The team synchronized their watches and set the time for the assault at 2:00 a.m.

Hippocrates and Nightstick waited in the shadows of an abandoned house across the street.  Urieal managed to get to the roof of the house and drop caltrops in front of the garage door; he then hopped into the back yard and hid by the back door.  Urieal was armed with a Striker Shotgun, the first two chambers of which held lockbreakers.

At 2:00 a.m. the front door opened to reveal Dancer clad in a half tee shirt, string panties and gas mask.  Behind her the hallway was flooded with tear gas, the assault began.  In the operation several gang members were killed and injured.  Buckshot was captured only after being shot in both legs with 12-gauge buckshot.  Nightstick was shot through the left hand with an AK-47.  The team withdrew to the warehouse with their captive.

The police determined that lockbreakers were used on the rear door.  They recovered the caltrops and the expended Tear Gas Grenade (with lot numbers filed off).  Many .45 casings from Hippocrates MAC-10, as well as several clean slugs were also recovered.  One of Nightsticks tsubute was found but had only smudged, unusable, finger prints on it due to the gas residue.  Much blood was spilled in the residence but this was mostly useless since all injured parties fled the scene, and nobody knows whose blood is whose.

At the base Hippocrates is able to properly treat the injuries of Nightstick and Buckshot.  Though the injury to Nightsticks hand is painful, it is a fairly clean wound that should fully heal.  Hippocrates lacks the proper facilities to remove the pellets from Buckshots legs but he is able to stabilize the injuries and is confident the wounds will be okay until better facilities are available.

Next the team turns its attention to capturing Tommy Brooks.  They leave the injured Buckshot sedated, stripped and well bound, and proceed to the project building where Tommy can be found.  In this endeavor a new team member, The Remittance Man (Hayden Alexander), joins them. He is a trusted friend of Thomas James.

Brooks and his entourage are ambushed as he leaves his girl friends apartment at the Wooster Park public housing project.  This turns out the be the bloodiest assault the Omega Team has yet initiated.  4 gangsters are killed and 6 are wounded in the firefight.  Brooks is rendered unconscious by Nightsticks use of tsubute and martial attacks.  A spray of 9mm bullets that are fired into Nightsticks Honda Civic CVCC, strike Dancer.  The combination of the door and her body armor prevent her taking any but stun damage.  The team returns to the warehouse with Brooks as their prisoner.

The police recover much assorted brass, several 9mm slugs from Dancers H&K MP5K and Alexanders MP2000 SMG, .45 ACP slugs from Hippocratess MAC-10 SMG and Urieals P-14 Pistol.  No useful descriptions of the vigilantes are obtained.  They do know that an early model Japanese compact car with bullet holes in the right side was involved as well as a late model white Ford Bronco with front-end damage.  At least one HCPD detective thinks that there might be a link between the Bronco and the earlier incident at the 66Blades Bar.

Upon returning to the warehouse the two gang leaders are interrogated at length for any criminal underworld information they have.  Little is learned from this questioning that wasnt already known.  The Hanged Man, whose identity and location are as elusive as ever, was supplying both gangs.  It is clear that the Overlords were getting their drugs from a man they know as Retro.

The team decides to attempt to frame the two gang leaders with planted evidence and arranged circumstances.  They know that the police have always known about these two but have lacked the proof needed to arrest them.  Both of the gangsters are injected with illegal drugs and sedatives to the point they will be legally under the influence and unconscious enough to prevent them from being dangerous.  Weapons that have been previously used by the Omega Team on anti-gang missions are then planted on them (including Hippocrates old MAC-10 SMG).  The two leaders are then left in a stolen car, loaded with illegal drugs (recovered on June 1 from the crackhouse raid), near the Freetown police precinct.  An anonymous phone tip alerts the police who find and arrest the two slumbering rivals.

Police are left with quite a puzzle here.  The MAC-10 Found on Tommy Brooks is confirmed to be the weapon used to shoot several Overlords gang members, but it was also used to shoot some 66Blades as well.  In each case the shooting with the weapon has been believed to have been used by the new vigilantes the Omega Team.  The two men in the car are known to be blood enemies, yet here they are together.  Neither of these guys are the type to be stupid enough to pass out on a high in an exposed area where there might be the slightest chance of capture.  Neither of them is known to go anywhere without several body guards.  Terry Hondo (Buckshot) has a pair of fresh 12-gauge shotgun injuries.  The Overlords main house has just been the scene of some sort of commando raid and the 66Blades were just hit in the parking lot of the Wooster Park building.  This smacks of an obvious frame.

However, Bob Goldfield, the D.A. is very anxious to put these two away.  The only hope of a conviction under these circumstances is to drop all charges except the drug charges.  This is what the D.A. has decided to do.  Trial date is pending the June 30th arraignment, delayed while Buckshot is treated for his wounds at the prison ward of Hudson City University Medical Center.  Even with this case strategy DA Goldfield is crossing his fingers that some hotshot public defender doesnt investigate the circumstances of the arrest to deeply or else these two might walk.

June 7-9 misc.

Other significant events during this period of time include:

The Omega Team acquired a small warehouse at 6822 Brooks Ave. In Riverside Hills.  This is located between the Herodome and Hudson City College.  Work has begun on converting the warehouse into a true base of operations.  A jack-of-all-trades named George Bell[5] has been hired to act as the bases security guard / handy man / mechanic.  George is busy working on converting the interior of the base during most of his waking hours.  Omega Team members assist him when they have time to spare, and a few specialists (well paid for secrecy) are also at work.  Completion of the base is projected for July 8th, though most essentials should be usable by June 24th.

A small truck has also been purchased for conversion into a team vehicle.  It has been sent to some clandestine outfitters and should be ready for use by June 20th.

June 12

The team decides to follow up on leads to find out more about the woman known as Jena.  Hippocrates had seen her earlier in the week when, by random chance, he passed her in traffic.  Dr. Thomas James was in his normal persona at the time and was in the company of his DNPC (Debbie Taylor).  Unable to act, he had to be satisfied with getting a good description of the white Lexus she was driving, complete with tag numbers.

Gunner was able to track down the license plate through his contact in the HCPDs Records Division.  The team was thus able to get the address of Jena Haversils penthouse apartment in Bankhurst.  They started a stakeout to monitor her.

That evening she left her apartment with members of the Omega Team in tow.  They ended up in Gadsden on a dark secondary street.  Here she met a man who kissed her and recovered a large suitcase from the trunk of her car.  The man wore a trenchcoat and a fedora.  After another brief hug and kiss Jena got back in her car and left.  Half the team present continued to follow her.

Fedora and a guard (?) who was with him them met with a pair of gang-looking types who drove a red and primer 82 Camaro.  Fedora exchanged his suitcase for a small briefcase.  The gangsters checked the suitcase; it contained many small plastic packets of something white.  Fedora checked the briefcase; it contained a great deal of cash.  The two groups exchanged a few hushed words and then parted.  The remaining Omega Team members chose to follow Fedora and his guard.  They were soon picked up by dark colored, Chevy Custom Van.

Jena soon spotted her shadowers and eluded them in the twisting streets of the financial district.  Her Lexus was soon discovered to have returned to the parking garage of her apartment building.  Fedora and company also spotted their followers.  Their van disgorged a thick smoke screen and a 40mm grenade from an, apparently, built-in launcher.  The shadowers elected to let them go.  The grenade landed in the middle of the deserted street and caused little damage.

The police are left with a small crater in the middle of a secondary street, rattled windows and little else.  They determined that the small crater was caused by the detonation of a 40mm HE grenade but they have no idea who lobbed it or why.

 June 13

Urieal Decides that his secret Identity needs to be changed.  His decision is sudden and he is evasive in explaining why he must change.  The remainder of the team is puzzled by his behavior but trust that he must have a good reason.  Ureial assumes the Victor Wolffe identity and gets a job working as a roving reporter for the Hudson City Agenda (a left-wing political newspaper).

June 15

Each of the Omega Team members receives a mysterious message from OPTIK.  Most arrive via US mail, couriers deliver some, and Urieals arrives via e-mail.  Each letter is pretty much the same and is delivered to each persons secret ID!  The letter indicated OPTIKs support for the vigilante activities of the team and details information about 4 criminal operations that the team might wish to shut-down.

The letters are printed on standard laser printer paper using a high quality laser printer[6].  There are no finger prints or other useful evidence with the letters.

That evening the team decides to act on one of OPTIKs tips.  They will raid the operations of Nookie Smith, a child pornographer who is going to film a new feature, this night, using a pair of kidnapped teens.

They raid a converted warehouse near the strip, used as a studio, owned by Mr. Smith and easily overwhelm the film crew.  The two children (a thirteen year old boy and fourteen year old girl) are rescued before they are forced to do anything more that disrobe.  The film crew and adult actors are captured and bound, the male actor is slightly injured during capture.  Hippocrates calls his friend D.A. Bob Goldfield and informs him where he will be able to find the children, Nookie Smith and the film crew.  Urieal and Hippocrates talk with the children and get them to agree to testify against this scum.  The Omega team departs as Goldfield and associates arrive to take charge of the kids and summon the police.

The team is also able to determine that Nookie Smith had recently ignored an attempt to extort money from him.  Someone who calls himself OPTIK made the attempt.

Not a lot for the cops to go by here.  The D.A. simply tells them an anonymous tip summoned him here and when he and his associates arrived they found the two talkative kids and the immobilized pornographers.  The police will be able to determine that this was the work of the Omega Team through their interrogations of the criminals and the clues the kids let slip.  The D.A. is above suspicion and thus his story is never questioned.  None of the Omega Team left and physical evidence at the scene.

June 16

This evening the team decides to crack another of the crime rings that was given to them by OPTIK.  A group of eight teenagers and young adults are operating a chop-shop that uses a garage as a front.  They are believed responsible for hundreds of car thieves over the last few years and may also have killed innocents in car jackings.

The Omega Team hits the garage late at night and is lucky enough to catch all them at the garage.  Hippocrates begins his love-affair with the NICO[7]grenade and uses them liberally during the assault.  Urieal is given a scare when one of the gangsters exits the rest room shooting and hits in the chest.  Fortunately the class III body armor he is wearing renders the bullet ineffective when it strikes his trauma plate inserts.  The team manages to incapacitate all of the crooks and withdraws from the scene when the police are heard approaching.  Two of the gangsters are injured in the assault.

The police find the unconscious chop-shop gang and numerous stolen cars in various states of dismantlement.  The expended shells of four NICO grenades litter the garage floor and several expended 9mm casings are on the floor.  The shells are later determined to have been fired by one of the men police arrested at the scene.  During his excitement with the NICO grenades Hippocrates forgets to leave an Omega Team calling car.

June 17

On this day the team decides to take care of the remaining two items on OPTIKs list.  Urieal, Hippocrates, The Remittiance Man and Dancer will take out Louies Gambling Parlor.  The gambling parlor is operated out of a barber shop and is connected to the Card Shark organization.  Gunner and Nightstick will round up evidence and abduct a Con man who has been swindling the elderly.

The gambling parlor is easily taken out in a quick strike.  The patrons in the barber shop are frightened by an explosion in the store next door and run our without seeing what is really going on.  The two hoodlums running the operation are left unconscious for the police and the team leaves.  It is determined from briefly questioning one of the crooks that they were being blackmailed by OPTIK.

The police find an Omega Team card at the scene, left by Hippocrates, and another spent NICO casing.  No other physical evidence of a useful nature is found.  The Card Shark quickly finds out the new vigilante group, the Omega Team is responsible for this and puts a $2500 bounty on each of the team members heads.

Gunner and Nightstick break into the Con Man's apartment and obtain enough records to allow Urieal to hack into the criminal's bank accounts and drain them into the accounts of some of his former victims.  They easily capture the swindler and hustle him back to the Omega Team base where the team decides to tattoo Con Man all over his face in bold black letters before dumping him back onto the streets.  Brief interrogation also reveals that he was being blackmailed by OPTIK.

The Con Man has apparently left Hudson City.  He did not go to the cops because he is a wanted man.  His current where abouts are unknown.  At the very least it will take a lot of painful laser surgery to remove the tattoos and even then scar tissue will be a problem.

 June 16 thru 27 (other events)

During this time investigations aimed at finding out the identity of OPTIK glean the following information; 18 months ago a legendary hacker known as OPTIK dropped out of sight in cyberspace.  It was determined that OPTIK was probably a student at HCU[8].  Other vigilantes in Hudson City have been more active that normal and the team suspects that OPTIK may be behind this as well.  It is now fairly obvious that OPTIK is running a kind of protection racket on the criminals of Hudson City.

June 21

Zhu Hsaio charges Nightstick with the task of protecting a Chinese businessman from Hong Kong who is currently in Hudson City.  The businessman, Cho Sin, is a friend of Zhu Hsaio and is in town to finalize a trade agreement with various industrialists at a trade convention in town.  Zhu Hsaio believes a rival Japanese Industrial concern is planning the assassination of Cho Sin.  They are competitors who have ties with the Yakuza and will stop at nothing to make sure the trade agreement never comes to pass.  Zhu Hsaio says that Ninja will attempt to kill Cho Sin and make it look as if anti-Chinese radical groups killed him.  Cho Sins strengthening of US-Hong Kong ties are important to helping maintain Hong Kongs freedom after the 1997 Red Chinese take over begins.

The team meets with Cho Sin who agrees to accept their protection.  During the night the Ninja make two attempt to infiltrate the penthouse suit of Cho Sin and are defeated by the Omega Team.  Heavy causalities are inflicted in the battles.  The surviving Ninja are left for the police.  Cho Sin finalizes his trade agreement the next day and departs Hudson City.

Cho Sin and his associates tell the police that a new vigilante team saved them.  The captured Ninja remain silent.  The police have no way to link these events to the Omega Team.  The captured Ninja will certainly get word to their Yakuza masters that the Omega Team foiled their plans.  Chalk up another group with a grudge against our intrepid heroes.

 June 22

The team becomes aware, though street contacts that somebody called Retro wishes to contact them.  Word on the street is that he can be contacted at the Black & White Cafe in the Pierpoint district.  A drive by surveillance of the cafe reveals a sign in the window that reads, R. 555-1934.  Research into the identity of Retro reveals that he is a lieutenant in the Carillo-Mendoza Cartel, he is second in command to Ferdinand Aero Naaves[9].  The prefix of the phone number reveals that it is a cellar phone.

Calling the listed phone number puts the team in contact with Retro who wishes to arrange for a personal meeting because, the phones aint safe.  They agree to meet at tomorrows game at the Herodome (Hudson City Heroes vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates).

June 23

The team arrives early for their meeting with Retro.  Nightstick climbs into the girders of the dome to get a good vantage point to observe the meeting.  Retro arrives wearing a fedora and trench coat.  His appearance is reminiscent of that of a 1930s gangster; this might explain the name Retro.  Urieal does the talking for the team.  It is quickly noticed that Retro is carrying some sort of electronic gizmo with a switch he is holding.  When Urieal inquires about what it is Retro simply says insurance.  Urieal assumes it is a deadmans switch but has no idea what it might be connected to.

The conversation soon makes it clear that Retro is also being blackmailed by OPTIK.  He is aware the vigilantes of Hudson City have been shaken down people like him and seems to think that the team is in OPTIKs employ.  After much talk he is apparently convinced that the Omega Team is not working for OPTIK but is acting on information that he provides.  Retro then quickly brings the meeting to an end by warning Urieal not to get to cozy with OPTIK.  He says that when OPTIK is found out it will go hard on him and anybody who is in collusion with him.  Retro leaves and warns Urieal not to try and follow him, indicating the box.

 June 26

Over the last few weeks a mugger with a peculiar MO[10] has been terrorizing the Little Russia and China Town areas of Hudson City.  The mugger is a feminine fencer who wears a white costume with red hearts.  A classified personal add, of a romantic nature, runs in the Hudson City Daily Star-Gazette that is aimed at The Remittiance Man; Looking for you in the night. -- Tenderheart.  The Remittiance Man and Nightstick patrol the area of the muggings in search of Tenderheart.

They find her without much difficulty.  It is obvious that she wished to be found by The Remittiance Man and seems to have a crush on him.  The two vigilantes get the drop on her, quickly hit her with a tangle rifle, and bring her back to the Omega HQ.

A few witnesses to the brief melee will make it clear to the police that Nightstick was involved as well as another vigilante, whom they assume is, part of the Omega Team.

Hippocrates (Dr. Thomas James) examines the unconscious Tenderheart and determines that she is really, a slightly built, male.  Everybody is grossed out.  Dr. James makes a quick call to a psychiatrist he knows and arranges to have the, obviously sick, Tenderheart (Charlie Claire Hoeger) committed to the Toddberry Asylum.  Charlie becomes enraged when his/her love for The Remittiance Man is spurned.  Hippocrates, who is also a psychologist, informs the group that Charlie is suffering from a profound dissociative disorder and has a split personality as well as some sociopathic symptoms.  In this case the feminine personality of Tenderheart has almost taken over complete control.  Dr. James also fears that the events of this evening may have increased Charlies sociopathic problems to dangerous degrees.  In other words, if he ever escapes he may have homicidal vengeance on his mind.

Follow up investigations into Charlie Hoeger reveals that he is the owner/operator of Prosperos Books, and writes romance novels under the name Claire Hoeger.  The bookstore was originally owned by Anna Hoeger and was taken over by her daughter Claire years ago when Anna died.  Apparently Charlie has been Claire since just after he got out of high school and his mother died.  The neighbors recall that Claire was always a quiet girl who kept to herself and was very punctual about opening and closing her bookstore every day.

June 27

On this night Hippocrates, in his Dr. Thomas James persona, is riding his motorcycle through the Bankhust area of Hudson City.  Thomas spots smoke rising from near the area of Debbie Taylors apartment building and rushes to investigate.  Urieal is also in the area, looking for news, when he hears the fire call on his scanner and heads for the area.  In route to the fire Urieal hears the nearest fire station report that tire spikes have been laid in front of their station and have flattened their tires, help will be delayed.

Urieal arrives just after Hippocrates.  The building is the obvious victim of an arsonist.  A message has been painted on the side of the burning building: Love consummated / this lady so high / so warm.  It is signed Arthur Connally.  Urieal recalls that Arthur Connally (a.k.a. Ashtray Art) is a pyromaniac who escaped last month from the Toddberry Asylum.  He was responsible for a string of deadly arsons several years ago.

Despite napalmed fire exits and the first floor being engulfed, the vigilantes manage to rescue an amazing amount of people.  Dancer arrives with the just completed Omega Truck and some much needed equipment.  Urieal uses a construction crane from a work site across the street as a make shift ladder.  Hippocrates darts into the flaming building and ushers victims to the roof where they can crawl down the crane.

Dancer leaves with the Omega Truck as soon as the approach of police and fire units are heard.  Dr. Thomas James stays at the scene to treat those injured in the fire and Urieal, as Victor Wolffe, stays to cover the story.

Police investigate the arson and determine that it is the work of, the recently escaped, Ashtray Art.  They have no reason to investigate the vigilantes who are in their normal Identities and assumed to be nothing more than fortunate passers by.

Follow up research on Ashtray Art leads the vigilantes to be concerned.  The pyromaniac is a deeply disturbed person who fancies himself to be an artist and uses fire as his medium.  His history indicates that he is always trying to improve on his performance through bigger and better fires.  Human life holds no concern for him since he considers people being consumed by fire to be a key part of his art.

June 28

The team members are scattered all over town when they each get a frantic phone call from OPTIK.  He tells them that his house is surrounded by armed men and he needs help.  He gives his address as 2625 Hansen Street.  The team members struggle to get to OPTIKs house before it is too late, but traffic problems, personal entanglements, and so forth delays them.

They all arrive at OPTIKs house at pretty much the same time.  Its too late.  The door is open and thin wisps of smoke flows from it.  The house has been sprayed with .50 caliber machine-gun fire.  An automated sentry gun in the entry hall is wrecked, but blood stains at the door indicate that it must have gotten at least one attacker before the heavy machine-gun silenced it.  Inside the house they find the body of a man in a wheel chair.  He has been killed by a shotgun blast to the head.  In the basement is smashed computer equipment of all sorts.  While they examine the scene some of them rush out side and ask confused neighbors if they saw anything.  They then rush off in hopes of spotting the get away vehicle.

The team members who remain at the scene are startled to hear the phone ring.  They answer it and activate the speaker phone.  A recorded message left by OPTIK identifies himself as Harold Grimes.  He quickly explains about the Machine.  The Machine is his greatest creation.  Its out there, everywhere.  Hes told it to survive and to talk to the vigilantes.  It knows everything that happens in town.  An automated voice (the Machine?) then ends the message with a warning that the police are 1 minute and 30 seconds away.  The team members hurriedly grab some binders about the Machine and flee.

The police are very puzzled about this.  The neighbors heard a lot of very loud gun fire.  When it quieted down and some of them got brave enough to peek out of their windows they saw a dark blue Chevy van speed from the scene.  Several minutes later a group of various individuals showed up and rushed into the house.  Several of the neighbors now ventured outside in curiosity.  Soon a couple of men ran back outside and hurriedly questioned the neighbors as to what they had seen, and then sped away in their vehicles.  The police have a description of these two men[11]though it is a little rough.  Both men are white.  The first is large, over six and a half feet tall and about 250 pounds with dark hair.  The second is not quite six feet tall, about 180 pounds.  He had on expensive casual clothing.  The large man was driving a white Chevy Blazer.  The other man was on a very new-looking Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle.

About a minute after the first two men left several more people ran out of the house with some large binders.  These people immediately hoped in their various vehicles and sped from the scene just minutes before the police arrived.  One was an oriental looking man (Nightstick) driving a beat up Honda Civic CVCC.  Another was a very good looking woman (Dancer) who drove a maroon Chevy Caviler[12].  The last was white male of average height and weight (The Remittiance Man), with dark hair, leapt into a white Trans-am.

By this time police are convinced that the Honda Civic CVCC and white Chevy Blazer, when together, indicate the presence of the Omega Team.  They are now working on the theory that these people were indeed the Omega Team responding, too late, to help an employee of theirs.  Harold Grimes was known to be a computer whiz and the wreckage of his equipment leads them to believe that he acted as a sort of communications center or dispatcher for the Omega Team.  Some one with a grudge against them apparently found out and raided Mr. Grimes' house.  Police are now actively looking for white Chevy Blazers with tall drivers and for any Honda Civic CVCCs with oriental drivers.  They are also checking up on recent purchases of Kawasaki Ninja motorcycles.

June 29

By this time the team has realized that at least one binder is missing from those that should have been at Harold Grimes house, the one for passwords and access codes.  They have realized that the Machine is really some sort of AI[13] software that inhabits computers all over Hudson City.  It seems to exist as some type of collective intelligence.  The Machine can (and does) monitor almost all communications of any sort through out the entire city.  It also probably has eyes and ears that the vigilantes dont know about.  It is most likely that Retro now has the binder full of passwords and access codes and that he can use the Machine to get all sorts of information.

They are able to contact the Machine.  Grimes had told the machine to talk to them and apparently Retro is not aware of this or he would prevent it.  They manage to get the Machine to purge all of the data it has on them and tell it not to tell anybody about them.  The Machine is fairly easy to contact by just calling anybody and asking the Machine to talk with him.  Since the Machine is already being forced to use much of its time fulfilling orders it is being given by Retro it is only feasible to attempt to contact it about every four hours.

The Omega Team has become rather alarmed by the questions the Machine has about such things as morality.  They are unsure what to do about the Machine.  It has been told to survive but they feel that it might be better if they can determine some way to destroy it.  They resolve to use Harold Grimes' notes to write a duplicate program, of the original that he wrote.  They then plan to make hundreds of copies of it and launch them onto the net at once in hopes of distracting the Machine so that it cant get any work done.  To this end, they rent some office space, purchase 30 PCs, hire 30 temporaries, and start entering the code needed to make a new program.

The team also agrees to implement the following safety procedures; No mention of anybodys name will be made on any telecommunications device.  All PCs that the Omega Team owns should be isolated from the net and have electromagnetic shielding.  Urieal will clean a PC of the Machines presence and, using the notes they have about the Machine and his programming expertise, he will devise an anti-virus program that will allow him to access the net without the Machine being able to infiltrate his system.

June 30

Around noon Nightstick thwarts a bank robbery at the China Town branch of the Eastern National Bank.  He leaves five unconscious gunmen for the police to pickup.

This is obviously the work of Nightstick, numerous witness and security camera footage confirm it.  The police can obtain no other useful evidence.

Further discussions on how to proceed with the Machine/Retro problem occur.  They abandon the plan to launch multiple copies of the Machine program.  They fear that doing so would allow the more powerful AI to take control of them and make them tools of its own.  The Machine was told by Grimes to avoid expanding beyond Hudson City, but it might use the newly subverted clones of itself to colonize other cities.  The team now has office space in Gadsden with 30 PCs sitting idle until the end of the month (thats how long the rent is paid up).

Questioning of the Machine allows the group to find out what Retro standing orders to the Machine are:

1.        Dont tell anyone about my activities.

2.        Tell me if someone tries to eavesdrop on me.

3.        Dont tell anyone whats in your data banks.

4.        Tell me what you know about these three groups: Street Gangs, Mafia, and Card Shark.

5.        Find out who the Blue Moon Killer is.

Though the third command makes obtaining information difficult, they have discovered a command log file that is part of the operating system of the Machine, not a data base.  By having the Machine tell them what is in this command log the team can get some information about what Retro is up to.  They also discover that there is a list of people the Machine is allowed to talk to.  Retro is on the list as are they.  Apparently Retro has not looked at the list and may be unaware of its existence or he would have certainly tried to modify it.

July 1, 1995

Urieal feels to he is under too much stress due to all the recent events.  First thing in the morning (about 10:00 am for him) he goes to visit Zhu Hsaio to seek his aid in finding a place to relax and meditate.  Zhu Hsaio agrees to take him to a place where he can relax and relieve his stress.  Joe Dishwasher accompanies them in curiosity about this shrine that Zhu Hsaio has mentioned.

Zhu Hsaio takes them through the winding back alleys of China Town until they come to an ancient looking building.  This turns out to be a facade and beyond it lies a beautiful Oriental garden with shrine.  Zhu Hsaio tells them that they can meditate here but warns them not to let their minds wander to far lest they become lost in their contemplation.  Zhu Hsaio leaves after pointing out two Chinese monks who are present at the shrine.  He says when they are ready to leave they should sound the small gong by the gate and the monks will let them out.

July 2

Around noon The Remittiance Man looks into his pocket and discovers he is carrying a VHS cassette with a letter attached.  He has no recollection of how they came into his possession.  The letter explains that he will probably not remember talking to the man who gave him the note.  He explains that he has a curse of sorts.  Nobody can remember talking to, or even seeing, him within a few minutes of leaving his presence.  He calls himself Mr. Nobody.  Speculation by the team is that the man suffers from some sort of uncontrolled psionic power.

The tape is a recording of a news broadcast from April 3rd, 1995.  At that time the President of the United States was visiting Hudson City and was giving a talk at a Hudson City school.  The tape clearly shows an unidentified woman standing on the stage with a gun.  Incredibly nobody seems to notice her.  Secret Service agents walk right past her as if she were not there.  After the President started making his speech the woman fired one round into the podium in front of him.  Some of the Secret Service agents tackled the President and whisked him away to safety while others scanned the area trying to spot where the shot came from.  Once again, nobody seemed to notice the woman, with the gun, standing on the stage.  The woman began to cry and eventually walked away.

In his letter Mr. Nobody explains that he feels himself to be a kindred spirit to this woman that only cameras are able to see.  He wants the Omega Team to help him find her.  This aint going to be easy.  The Remittiance Man had encountered Mr. Nobody as the latter walked through the streets, wearing a sign asking any vigilante to help him.  The Remittiance Man has always had a soft spot for those in need and talked to Mr. Nobody and agreed to try and help him.  The letter also included a phone number and address where Mr. Nobody could be reached.  The Remittiance Man and Hippocrates called him, recorded the conversation, and then went to talk with him.  They took a recorder and small video camera so they would remember what they had done.

The team becomes concerned when nobody is able to contact Urieal or Nightstick.  Curiously, nobody goes to check Nightsticks apartment or bothers to ask Zhu Hsaio where Nightstick is.  They also fail to try Urieals residence for clues as to where he might have gone.

After they have meditated for several hours Urieal and Nightstick emerge from the garden.  Their exit is on a different street in China Town from the place they entered.  They also discover that it is now the evening of July 2nd (they have been in the garden for over 30 hours).

Upon their return their worried team mates asks them what happened to them?  They explain what has happened to their skeptical friends.  However the story that they hear about Mr. Nobody and the Invisible Woman are rather hard to swallow as well. 

July 3

Urieal feels that he must try and warn the Harbinger of Justice that Retro is out to get him.  Early this morning (midnight to 2:00am) he patrols the places he feels it is likely that the Harbinger could be found and leaves hidden messages for him.  The messages ask the Harbinger to meet him at The Belltower of St. Ignatius in the Blackbridge district of town, at midnight July 4th.

Hippocrates gets Mr. Nobody to agree to meet with him so he can conduct a few tests.  He also studies up on a few psycho-active drugs and has a prescription filled for Mr. Nobody.  Hippocrates hopes that the drugs may have some dampening effect on the psionic field that Mr. Nobody may be generating.

 July 4

At midnight Urieal is at the Belltower of St. Ignatius.  The Harbinger arrives and has a brief conversation with him.  Urieal warns the Harbinger of Retro.  He explains the Machine and what its doing.  In return the Harbinger suggests that Urieal should look into what Retros lawyer is doing.

The team gathers at Headquarters at about noon.  Urieal explains that it might be a good idea for Hippocrates to ask his friend, DA Bob Goldfield about the activities of attorney Michael Cabrilli.  When Hippocrates asks him why he explains about his meeting with the Harbinger.

Dancer gets into an argument with Urieal about his lack of team work.  She is upset about how secretive he always in and his lack of cooperation with the rest of the team.  We trust you, why dont you trust us? she exclaims.  Of course she really isnt sure about whether or not she should trust him; she suspects things about his past that he refuses to discuss.  Dancer ends the discussion by having Urieal agree to take her to Dr. Thomas James barbecue this afternoon.

Victor Wolffe shows up at Eden Blakes apartment.  This is the first time she has revealed to any of the Omega Team where she lives.  She is dressed nicely but is not disguised, another first.  She states to Victor, This is where I live, this is who I am.  Why cant you be this open?  Victors veneer seems to be cracking just as they arrive at Dr. James, Irishtown home.  They enter and are greeted by Dr. James when Victor suddenly realizes that there may be important people here who will recognize him.  He flees with a confused and upset Ms. Blake accompanying him.

At the barbecue Dr. James finds out that Buckshot and Tommy Brooks have been released from jail.  Michael Cabrilli had indeed taken over Buckshots defense and his investigators discovered the circumstances of his clients arrest.  Confronted with the facts the judge dismissed all charges.  The public defender that was representing Tommy Brooks heard about Cabrillis strategy and copied it.  Tommy Brooks was released shortly thereafter.

That evening, back at Omega HQ, Victor Wolffe explains his behavior.  He reveals his background to the other members of the Omega Team.  Eden Blake does the same.

The team then reviews the street talk that they have all heard over the last couple of days.  It becomes evident from information that The Remittiance Man obtains in a conversation with a gang contact, that Retro is meeting with all the gang leaders in Hudson City.  He is making them all an offer: Work for me and youll make a profit and suffer no more blackmail from OPTIK.  Refuse and suffer the consequences.  The team has also obtained information from a wire tap that The Remittiance Man and Hippocrates placed on the phone of Jena Haversil.  She is to attend some sort of important meeting at the Black & White Cafe tonight.  The team decides to arrive before Jenas meeting and put the cafe under surveillance.

They soon observe the arrival of Ms. Haversil and two delegations from different gangs (the Gracie Park Tigers -- led by D-Cool Jack and the Moulson Street gang -- led by Jamal Williams).  They come to the conclusion that Jena is handling the transfer of allegiance of these two gangs to Retro.  Unfortunately Retro does not show up himself and only these two gangs are represented here.  It is apparent that this is only one of, possibly, many such meetings.

July 5

Around noon the team gets together and discusses what they can do about Retros take over.  Talking to the Machine reveals that most of the gangs have agreed to Retros terms.  One notable exception is the 66Blades.  Looking over the command log of the Machine the team finds out that someone has just gotten through inquiring the location of Tommy Brooks (the 66Blades leader).  Realizing that the 66Blades have failed to acquiesce to Retros demands, the team fears the worst.  A quick request for the current location of Tommy Brooks reveals that he is at a video arcade called the Electric Haven, located in The Strip.  The team quickly packs their weapons and speed to the scene.

Twelve of the Overlords are already at the scene as the Omega Team arrives.  The Overlords are all armed with assault rifles and some even have grenade launchers.  Nightstick and Urieal take the back of the arcade while the remainder of the Omega Team takes the front.  In the ensuing fight Nightstick and Urieal take down four gangsters at the back of the arcade.  The rest of the Omega Team manages to stop 7 of the 8 gangsters that are approaching from the front.  The one that manages to get inside the arcade kills Tommy Brooks and one of his bodyguards.  One civilian is killed and stray bullets injure two, before the remaining Overlord is killed by Hippocrates.  A paper warehouse in the area is also hit by a 40mm grenade and catches fire, fortunately nobody is in the warehouse at the time.

Police later recover several 12-gauge casings from Urieals shotgun, 9mm bullets and casings from Dancers MP5K, and .45 casing and bullets from Hippocrates MAC-10.  Nightstick used only flash pellets and his shan gieh kun[14] in the melee.  The Remittiance Man used a laser rifle that, while leaving obvious burns in its victims, left no physical evidence behind.  From the numerous witnesses the police piece together a fairly accurate picture of what happened.  The Omega Team truck was spotted leaving the scene, but its appearance is easily changed.  The vigilantes all wore full face helmets.  All in all, the police gain little of use to help identify the Omega Team members.

 July 6

The team lays low as the press has a field day over the battle of 5 July.  Several members walk the streets to seek rumors of Retros activities.  By late that afternoon word is on the street that the Harbinger was injured, but escaped, when he attempted to drop in on a meeting between Retro and several gang leaders.  Apparently they were waiting on him.  Only his skill and luck permitted him to avoid being slain.

July 7

Early morning news broadcasts tell of the death of Emmanuelle Estavz Acosta-Cazares in a drive by shooting.  He is the reputed head of the Acosta-Cazares drug cartels Hudson City operations.  The Omega Team fears that Retro has cemented his control of the street gangs and is now moving to eliminate the competing drug cartels[15] in the city.

The Remittiance Man checks the tap placed on Jenas telephone.  One of her telephone calls confirms that Retro had the street gangs eliminate Acosta-Cazares.  The telephone conversation between Jena and Retro also indicates that Retro is intending to drive out all the competing drug cartels.

The noon news tells of a bomb blast at the residence of Teresa Maria Ocho de Fonseca.  Teresa is believed to have escaped the blast.  A quick check of street talk over the next couple of hours confirms that she did escape but is even now leaving the city.  Stories abound of dealers for the rivals of the Carillo-Mendoza cartel, being beaten, threatened or disappearing.  The team decides to quickly find some dealers to kidnap for information.

Hippocrates, Nighstick and Dancer head into a neighborhood known to be served by dealers of the Castillo-Vohorques cartel.  They soon locate a pair of probable dealers and move to capture them.  At the same time a car load of four gang-bangers make a move on them as well.  The three vigilantes manage to quickly overcome all six criminals and abduct the two dealers and two of the gangsters.  They leave the remaining two gangsters pinned in the wreckage of their car.

Police find the wrecked car and the two trapped gangsters.  They find the spent shell of a NICO grenade, which is quickly becoming known as an indicator of Omega Team involvement.  Someone who knows what he is doing has given the two injured gangsters first aid.  Police speculate that one of the Omega Team members may have, at least, some rudimentary medical training.  An Omega card is left on the dash of the ruined car.

The three vigilantes take their captives back to the Omega HQ.  Hippocrates treats the injuries of the two gang bangers and then they are locked up while he and Dancer interrogate the two dealers.  The two dealers prove reluctant to talk and it takes ten hours of work to make them cooperative.  For the first time Omega Team members resort to torture[16] to obtain information.

During this time Hayden Alexander has made contact with the Russian Mafia (the Organizatsiya) by talking with one of their drivers (Vladimir Zil Ivanovich).  The conversation tends to indicate that they are not experienced any problems with Retro.  Mr. Alexander also goes to the main metro library to search for any references to the mysterious invisible woman.

Using Haydens research findings, Dr. Thomas James paints a psychological profile of the invisible woman.  She probably considers herself cursed and therefore seeks out action in an attempt to draw attention to herself.  Several pictures, that Mr. Alexander has found, place her at some news worthy events in the past.  Most of these events were of a violent or criminal nature.

Joe Dishwasher goes to China Town and makes contact with the Cheng Yi-Fe[17] gang.  He tries to determine if Retro has made any inroads into the Chinese Tongs in the town.  The conversation seems to indicate that some of them may already be under his sway.

Late that night they decide to release the two pushers that they have been holding.  The two are released into the same neighborhood in which they were abducted.  Each has his hands tied behind him and a note taped to his head.  The note invites Juan Montoya de Castillo and Maximo Vohorques[18] to meet with the Omega Team in LeMastre Park, at noon tomorrow.

July 8

At noon Hippocrates, The Remittiance Man, Dancer and Nightstick are waiting for the cartel leaders in LeMastre Park.  One man shows up.  It is Maximo Vohorques and he looks worried.  It soon becomes apparent that he has been followed to the park by 8 thugs.

The gangsters make their move on Maximo, unaware of the vigilantes presence.  The Omega Team makes short work of the gangsters, leaving 2 dead and 4 injured.  They then flee with Mr. Vohorques.  It is soon discovered that his partner has been killed and he is on the run.  While the vigilantes were involved, in the time consuming interrogation of the two pushers, Retro moved against the other cartels.  Maximo luckily happened upon one of the released pushers and decided to keep the appointment in hopes of gaining a safe way out of the city.

The Omega Team truck drove through the park leaving tire ruts in the well-kept lawns.  This is of little use since the tires are easily incinerated and new ones installed.  The truck was disguised as a city maintenance vehicle and no witnesses realized that it was anything other that what it appeared to be.  Several, various, shell casings were left behind in the hurried flight.  The description of the involved vigilantes will lead police to believe this was the work of the Omega Team but little else can be deduced.

Just after the vigilantes return to HQ, with a blindfolded Maximo Vohorques, Joe Dishwasher and Eden Blake retire to Zhu Hsaios dojo.  Joe has agreed to teach Eden how to throw shuriken.

At about 3:30 that afternoon they are walking back to Edens car when the witness a van load of, armed, members of the Golden Serpents[19] rush into a small restaurant.  They quickly attack when they hear submachinegun fire inside the restaurant.  With a combination of rubber bullets and martial arts they soon subdue all the gangsters.  In the wake of the fight are 3 dead Chinese businessmen (the apparent targets of a hit), two dead bystanders (a waitress and a female customer), and two injured bystanders (the check-out girl and the husband of the dead customer).

After rendering first aid to the wounded the two vigilantes flee the scene.

The MO of Nightstick is obvious here.  Add to that the description of a shapely white woman and the police have reason to believe that this is another Omega Team operation.  Other than several rubber bullets there is little evidence to gather.  Most of the gangsters were beaten to a pulp with Nightsticks three-section-staff.  The two injured bystanders are expected to make full recoveries.  Indiscriminate firing on the part of the apprehended gangsters killed the two bystanders.  Police have determined that the three dead businessmen were from Hong Kong and are suspected Triad representatives.

On this evening it is decided by the team that Victor Wolffes white Chevy Blazer has become to well known by the police, he agrees to start seeking a replacement.  Joe Dishwashers old Honda Civic CVCC is currently sitting inside the Omega Team HQ.  Joe has been provided with a blue 1987 Ford Escort to replace it.  It is decided that George Bell will start cutting up the old Honda in his spare time and incinerates the traceable pieces.

With all the recent vigilante-related violence Mayor Graydon T. Umstead has declared a state of emergency.  There will be a curfew imposed tonight between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.  The news also reports that the mayor, city council, and police commissioner (Alexander Ringwald) are considering the formation of an anti-vigilante task force within the HCPD.

Once 10:00 p.m. has come Victor Wolffe goes out into the street to cover news of the curfew.  He is soon spotted by an HCPD patrol car and taken into custody.  Victor soon manages to get on the good side of the two cops who have picked him up.  They are Officers Veronica Halstead and Patricia Garrett[20].  Officer Halstead is a street-smart veteran of over 10 years.  Officer Garrett is a rookie cop but has also won the HCPD pistol shooting competition in her first year.  Victor is invited to ride along with them for the rest of the night.

During the nights patrol the unit responds, with other units, to the Charter Arms Apartments in Riverside.  The door to one unit has been shattered and several bullet holes are in the wall.  The resident of the apartment, a known gang member, is missing.  Witnesses give a description of a large man who apparently abducted the missing gangster.  The descriptions are enough that Victor Wolffe is able to identify the vigilante known as Crusade as the possible attacker.  Realizing that vigilante violence is not what the city needs to hear more about, he keeps his suspicions to himself.

July 9

Late in the afternoon Urieal, Hippocrates, Dancer and The Remittiance Man gather at Omega HQ.  They discuss current conditions.  Retro now seems to have control over all of the street gangs and he has ran all the opposing drug cartels out of town.  They also discuss the current situation with Maximo Vohorques, who they are holding in one of the four cells that they have.  They are currently theorizing that Retro will next make a move on either the Cardshark Organization or the local Mafia families.  Current money is on the Cardshark.

The entire day in Hudson City passes quietly and it is announced that the curfew will not be extended tonight, except in the case of youths aged 15 or less.

That evening they manage to get in touch with the machine and discover that Crusade is currently in route to the LeMastre park zoo with three captive gang leaders.  The four vigilantes hop into the Omega Truck, currently bearing the logo of a dog Food Company, and race to the zoo.

At the zoo the team quickly determines which vehicle in the, nearly deserted, parking lot is Crusades.  They hide a tracking bug on the car (bugging roll made by -8).  In the park they soon find Crusade at the bear pit.  He has three gang leaders bound and gagged (Carver of the Blood Hawks, D-Cool Jack of the Gracie Park Tigers and Icer Summers of the Four Points Gang).  Crusade is interrogating them by threatening to toss them to the bears below.  The Omega team actually manages to hold a conversation with the Psychotic Crusade.  One of the gang leader tells of a shipment of Russian weapons that Retro has arranged for, but other than that, little information of any use is really gained, but the team has at least managed to peacefully meet another vigilante.  The Omega team departs as does Crusade (after feeding the bears).

Only the, mostly eaten, corpses of the three gang leaders will be discovered in the morning.  The bodies are horribly mangled and identification has yet to be made.  Police theorize that a group of youths broke into the zoo and inadvertently got into the bear pit and eaten.

July 10

Today the Reporter Victor Wolffe decides to do a story on the Russian Organizatsiya and Alexander Hayden decides to talk with his new friend Vladimir Zil Ivanovich.  Both men are going to try and find out where the Organizatsiya might be hoarding the illegal weapons that they sell.

Victor Wolffe goes to talk to Valclav Karkhov, the Mayor of Moscow West.  Mr. Karkhov is actually the chairman of the Russian-American Society of Hudson City.  The subject of the story that Victor Wolffe intends to write (organized crime in the Russian community) does not please him.  Mr. Karkhov is insistent that the rumors of an organized Russian Mafia are very over blown.  He gets impatient when Victor insists.  Finally Valclav tells Mr. Wolffe what area of Moscow West he would be most likely to find the type of people he is looking for.

Hayden manages to find Zil and the two of them go for a ride in Zils car.  Mr. Alexander expresses a desire to obtain some smuggled Russian firearms.  After a talk, and a little bribery, Hayden is able to determine that the Russian Mafia does indeed smuggle weapons into the city.  They have a wide selection and can supply in quantity if they have the proper lead time.  Hayden is unable to get Zil to tell him where the weapons are stored however.

Shortly after Victor Wolffe leaves the office of Valclav Karkhov an attempt is made on his life.  While his cab is stopped at a traffic signal, two men open fire on the cab with AK-74 assault rifles.  Several pieces of flying glass and bullet fragments cut up his head but the wounds are little more than superficial.  Victor gets the cabby to safety and manages to dispatch one of the would be assassins with a .45 round to the chest.  He wings the second gunman and then knocks him unconscious before he recovers.

As fortune would have it Hayden Alexander is nearby and rounds the corner in time to see Mr. Wolffe knock out the second gunman.  Thinking quickly Mr. Wolffe flees while Hayden grabs his unconscious friend.  He commanders a car at gunpoint and speeds away with his injured associate.  Hayden takes the captive to Omega HQ.

The police are able to determine that this was a case of justifiable homicide on the behalf of Mr. Wolffe.  However until the investigation is formally concluded, his weapon and carry permit are confiscated.  Police Detective Sergeant David Wilcox is assigned to protect Mr. Wolffe until the police are able determine if he is still in danger.

Once back at Omega HQ Hippocrates was able to patch-up the injured Russian mobster.  Under Interrogation the team was able to determine the location of the Organizatsiya weapons cache.  The weapons were being kept in a small warehouse in the southern edge of Moscow West, near the Stewart River.  The team knew that Retros people would be picking up their smuggled weapons tomorrow morning.  They decided to hit the warehouse tonight.

The warehouse hit went off fairly well.  The building was set fire and the weapons destroyed.  Only one of the guards was injured, a few others were hit with tranquilizer darts.  The team took the injured guard with them to avoid leaving evidence of what had really happened here.

The Police and Fire Departments received anonymous phone calls about the fire and the illegal weapons stored inside.  No firefighters were injured fighting the blaze.  The amount of explosives and flammables in the warehouse makes determining the cause of the fire impossible.  The current police theory is that an accident caused the fire and gave them a big break in shutting down, for the time being, the Russian Mafias smuggling operations.

Back at Omega HQ the team was faced with the problem of 5 captives (including the new one) and only 4 cells.  A debate broke out when Urieal decided that they should execute the Organizatsiya gunman who had tried to kill him and nearly got his cab driver as well.  Urieal expressed that this degree of flagrant disregard for the possibility of killing innocents with stray fire made the man a danger to the public if released.  Two of the other team members present, Hippocrates and The Remittiance Man, favored trying to ship him to China as had been done with previous criminals.  Urieal said that he might return even from that, indeed anybody that was shipped out might one day return.  Dancer was torn between the options.  Urieal ended the argument by putting his pistol the captives head and saying, Ill do it unless you stop me.  Five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . one . . . BANG!  This ended the debate.  Urieal cleaned up the mess and put the body in the incinerator.

July 11

News reports tell of an attack on Lazy Bills Saloon by gang-bangers.  Reports indicate that the gangsters were from various gangs and led by Buckshot.  Lazy Bills is also reputed to be a front for the Cardsharks organization.  The Omega Team feels that this is the first step by Retro to either bring the Cardsharks into line or to eliminate them as competition.  Either way they are compelled to determine what is happening since several innocent bystanders were slain in the crossfire.  Eden and Thomas hit the streets to try and find a Cardshark operative to extract information from.

Meanwhile Joe, Victor and Hayden will alleviate the lack of cell space that the Omega HQ has been experiencing.  The three of them take the two captive gang-bangers and the Organizatsiya gunman to the docks to arrange passage on a slow boat to China.  This leaves Maximo Vohorques as the only occupant of the Omega HQs lockup.

Dancer and Hippocrates, after talking to several street people, manage to locate a probable Cardsharks operative near the police line at Lazy Bills.  Between the two of them they knockout the unsuspecting man and drag him into a nearby alley for a quick Q & A session.  A couple of well-placed kidney blows later and they obtain the information they want.

The man they have is Jake the Slick Warren and he is a Cardsharks Deck Agent of the clubs suite.  He confirms that Lazy Bills was a front for his suite, and that it acted as a fencing operation for stolen goods.  More importantly he was able to relate that the Cardshark was being pressured to work within the system, though he had no idea who, or what, the system might be.  Further interrogation revealed that the spades suite was going to take care of the situation.  The final bit of information obtained was the fact that Diamond Lucys[21]was a favored watering hole for off duty spades agents.  The duo left Mr. Warren unconscious in the alley, another apparent victim of muggers.

Back at Headquarters the team decided that they should snatch a spade agent or two from Diamond Lucys to determine what the Cardsharks might know about Retros organization.  The whole group proceeded to the strip club to find their quarry.  Dancer and Ureial went disguised as a swinging couple, The Remittiance Man and Nightstick went as a pair of yuppies out on the town and Hippocrates went as a street tough.  It was not long before talking with patrons and dancers helped them determine that two of the men present were face card agents of the diamonds and spades suites.  Hippocrates remained inside to monitor the two men while the rest of the group went outside to set up an ambush.  The plan went perfectly and soon the two men were hustled back to Omega HQ for questioning.

Under penethol the two men quickly cracked under interrogation by Dancer and Hippocrates (who are getting pretty good at this).  The spades are coordinating with the diamonds to set up security for the Paradise Club[22].  This is believed to be the place that Retro will strike next.  With the help of the Machine and answers provided by the two agents the Omega Team makes plans for the night of July 12.

July 12

The day is spent in preparation (recon, making plans, etc.) for the expected attack tonight.

That night The Remittiance Man take up a position on the roof of the Paradise Club, while Dancer, Nightstick and Hippocrates patronize the casino across the alley[23].  Urieal positions himself on an adjacent warehouse so he can see the hidden exit[24]from the casino.  At about 9:00 p.m. things hit the fan.

About 30 gang-bangers, led by Buckshot, hit the casino.  A LAW rocket is used against the secret exit, killing the squad of spade agents who were hiding there.  A van with an armored welded over the from crashes through the wall at the other end of the building.  A group of gang-bangers also attack the Paradise Club.  All but one of the Cardsharks security force stationed in the casino are killed or injured.  All the attacking gang-bangers are killed or wounded.  Buckshot is beaten unconscious by Nightstick and later killed by Urieal (as is the surviving Cardshark agent).  Lastly, about a half-dozen civilians are killed and nearly twenty are injured.  End result is that the Cardshark security force and the attacking gangsters are mutually slaughtered with only the vigilantes escaping, more or less, unharmed.

The vigilantes flee the aftermath of the battle, after rendering first aid to several civilians, and await the public outcry that is sure to follow such a blood-bath.

The police find nothing but rampant confusion at the scene. There are about two dozen bodies of members of various gangs lying about.  No bodies belonging to Card Shark operatives or civilians are found.  The body of Buckshot is identified among the dead.

The police believe it is what it appears to be.  An attack on an illegal casino launched by criminals wishing to steal from other criminals.  The attack must have succeeded since the money is missing but it was terribly bungled since so many of the attackers were killed overwhelming the defenders.  Any involvement by the Omega Team is obscured by the general confusion surrounding the wild melee.  The police are able to quickly determine that this was a Cardshark operation.  The mixed bag of attackers now has the police concerned that an unknown leader or leaders may be unifying the gangs of Hudson City.

July 13

The news of the casino battle breaks in the press the following day and prompts an immediate public outcry.  The City council meets in emergency session and a curfew is imposed on the city.  During this time the Omega team lays low to let the city calm down some. 

During the news coverage (from the remains of the Paradise Club), Hayden Alexander spots the mysterious Invisible Woman.  She is apparent on the replays of the earlier live shots of the debris.  Hayden quickly informs the rest of the team and they all race to the scene.

Dr. Thomas James volunteers his services to the swamped MEs office.  He is able to contact Mr. Nobody and inform him that they may have found the Invisible Woman for him.  He instructs him to meet him at the coroners office, which he does (this, by the way, completely reveals Hippocrates secret identity to Mr. Nobody).  The two of them then proceed to the wrecked warehouse.  Dr. James manages to scrounge up a white lab coat for Mr. Nobody and gets him into the site as a volunteer.

Hayden disguises himself as a wino and staggers around the perimeter of the crime scene.  He occasionally points into the area and shouts; look its the Invisible Woman.  This succeeds in attracting her attention, but he will not discover this until later.

Joe Dishwasher finds one of the local film crews and bribes a technician to let him use an idle camera and a blank tape.  He claims to be doing an assignment for a photo-journalism class.  He even gets the camera man to pan over the scene for him while he tapes the scene.  He is not successful in spotting his quarry.

Within an hour the team gives up and departs the scene.  Dr. James returns to work at the morgue for the rest of the day.  Joe Dishwasher and Hayden Alexander return to Omega HQ.  Soon after their arrival Hayden notices that one of the surveillance cameras shows that the door to the garage is open.  Realizing that the Invisible Woman may have followed him back, he and George Bell rig a camera with a 1 second delay to monitor a chair they have set up.  They soon make contact with Plane Jane.

They alert Dr. James who races to the HQ and brings Mr. Nobody with him (there by revealing the location of the Omega Teams, secret, Headquarters).  Mr. Nobody is grateful and thanks the team.  He and Plane Jane leave together.  The pair agrees to phone the team if they happen to come across any info about the whereabouts of Retro.

July 14-16

The team decides to lay low for a few days until the fervor of the press dies down.

On July 15th the news reports tell of the theft of several major highway exit signs.  That evening Nightstick has a brief encounter with the police, who spot him after curfew.  After an awkward moment he eludes them.  They never get a good enough look at him to determine his identity.

Victor Wolffe now attempts to make contact with the Card Shark.  He and Eden Blake go to Diamond Lucys to see if they can contact any Cardshark operatives.  The place is devoid of any agents, apparently they are keeping out of sight after the Paradise Club disaster.  Undaunted the two make contact with one of the dancers and, using a financial inducement, get her to agree to pass on a note to the Cardsharks.  The note contains a short appeal to discuss the current Retro situation.  It includes a cellular number to a phone that Urieal has purchased for just this one call.

July 17

The Card Shark phone rings.  A meeting, to arrange a face to face meeting with the Card Shark, is scheduled for that evening near the main fountain in LeMastre Park.  Urieal, Dancer, Nightstick, Hippocrates and The Remittiance Man all head to the park for the meeting.  Urieal handles the communication while the rest of the team stakes out the park.  This is the same evening that the city-wide curfew has been lifted.

The meeting goes off without a hitch and the Cardshark operative delivers a note from the Card Shark.  The note explains that Card Shark feels that a meeting is a good idea.  He asks the team to meet with him at the Museum of World Art, in the Worthington District, at 6th Avenue and North Jackson Street.  The meeting will be at 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 18th, well after closing time.  All of the entrances and exits of the building will be lighted but one and that one will be unlocked.  The museum guards will not interfere.

July 18

The entire team goes to the Museum: Urieal, Hippocrates, Nightstick, Dancer and The Remittance Man.  Scouting the area they discover that a service door on the southeast corner of the building is unlit.  Nightstick takes up a position on the, first floor, roof of an adjacent building about 100 feet south.  Dancer waits in the Omega Truck in a nearby parking lot.  The Remittiance Man hides in the hedges surrounding the building, near the southwest corner, affording him a good view of the southern approaches and the door.  Urieal and Hippocrates actually proceed to the door to make the meeting.

Just inside the door they encounter a nervous King of Hearts.  He informs the vigilantes that they can keep their weapons as long as they dont pull them out, then he leads them to the Medieval Arms and Armor exhibit.  Here they finally meet Card Shark himself.  The Queen of Hearts also accompanies Cardshark.  They quickly launch into discussions about what they each know about Retro.  Unfortunately neither group knows anything about his current whereabouts.  Before the discussion can progress to far Nightstick warns of an approaching helicopter.

The helicopter is large, surprisingly quiet and traveling with its lights out as is lowers toward the museum.  Nightstick quickly sprints for the museum as the rest of Omega Team warn Card Shark and prepare for an attack.  The helicopter shatters the glass roof of the exhibit room, showering it with glass.  A squad of the elite mercenary team, the Arsenal, attacks.  This is Heatseekers squad: Heatseeker, Exocet, Longbow, Claymore and Ultimax (this does not include the helicopter pilot and copilot).  Only Nightsticks warning keeps this from becoming another disaster, as Arsenal looses the element of surprise.  In a brief, furious, fight the Omega Team and Card Shark prevail, but at a price.  Urieal, a.k.a. Victor Wolffe is slain in combat by the mercenary Ultimax.  The entire mercenary crew is killed and their helicopter is brought down by a spray of laser fire from The Remittiance Mans rifle.

Dancer had earlier reported the approach of several armed street gang members.  After they had passed her position she was told by the rest of the Team to standby in case they needed a quick pickup.  After dispatching the Arsenal, the six gang bangers who attempted to set up an ambush outside the museum, proved to be no competition at all.  The gang bangers were all quickly killed or incapacitated.

The efforts of the Omega Team to defeat the Arsenal, and their sacrifice of one of their own, convince Card Shark that they are honorable people, who can be trusted.  Card Shark realizes, after suggestions made by Urieal previously, that the meeting place was compromised when he used a networked PC to type the meeting note.  Card Shark pledges to share whatever information he turns up on Retro.  He further pledges to supply weapons and manpower, if requested, for the groups anti-Retro operations.  From this minute onward Cardshark will not use any form of telecommunications or any non-secure computers for any of their activities.  He assigns one of his operatives; a man called Wildcard, to act as a liaison between Cardshark and the Omega Team.

The groups then depart after arranging a method of contact between Omega Team and Wildcard.  Omega Team takes their dead comrade and departs for Omega HQ.

The police are left with Five dead mercenaries (who were mostly fugitives), a crashed helicopter with two dead pilots, two dead gang-bangers and four seriously injured ones.  A museum that has been shot up and several irreplaceable medieval exhibits destroyed.  Public outcry over the loss of cultural treasures is sure to follow.  The helicopter was apparently brought down by laser fire.  And it scares the police to realize that someone even more dangerous has wiped out a highly professional mercenary team . . . Card Shark.  One of their cards is found on the body of each slain mercenary.  Police suspect that one of the Cardsharks may have been hit.  A pool of blood and signs of a body being carried off indicate this.  The police are able to get a good sample of the blood, which means DNA evidence, can be used if a match is ever found.  The gang-bangers were found outside the museum and police are surprised to find out that they were supposed to be covering the exits of the museum.  Apparently they were supposed to get any one who fled from the mercenaries.  The theory is that someone has a serious vendetta against the Cardsharks.  Why the Cardsharks were in the museum in the first place is unknown.

July 19

Early in the morning, arrangements are quickly made with Zhu Hsaio to have Victor Wolffes body cremated.  The urn containing the ashes is to be placed in the meditation garden of the old man.  Public fervor is again stirred by the, outrageous, shoot-out at the museum.  A curfew is again imposed on the city.

July 20

The press reports on the death of Robert Morelli, capo of the Morelli family.  He was apparently slain in a secret love nest and the police are looking for his mysterious female companion.  A check of the Machines command log indicates that Retro was keeping track of the location of Robert Morelli and a woman named Frederica Heimmelker.  After much investigation by the team members they are able to discover that Ms. Heimmelker is a former East German spy who is said by some to be dead and by others to be working for ICE[25].  The team realizes that Retro may have a deal working with Jimmy Youngblood Morelli, the new capo of the Morelli family.

July 21

Everything is relatively quiet in Hudson City.  The members of the Omega Team spend the day covering their secret Identities.  The papers mainly talk about the heat wave and drought that the area is experiencing.

July 22

The team members again lay low and engage in no intense activity.  The news tells of a police raid on the residence of Mr. Daniel Sheridan.  They say they have evidence that he is the infamous vigilante Crusade.  Daniel Sheridan is a dishwasher at Little Louies Restaurant and was living in the Knight Apartments.  Several civilians were slightly injured and a small fire was started in the unsuccessful attempt to nab Crusade.  Crusade remains at large.  Somebody contacts the machine and checks the command log.  Retro has had the machine trying to identify several vigilantes lately, the Omega Team included.

Earlier the Omega Team had the machine erase any data that it had on them.  Fortunately this happened before Retro thought to try and obtain the Identities of the vigilantes.  Since that time the machine has either been unable or unwilling to erase subsequent data.

July 23

The curfew remains in effect and the team remains quiet.  Apprehension begins to build about what Retro might try next.

July 24

The morning papers tell of the theft of over a dozen street signs in Irishtown.  Overall the city estimates that more than $50,000 in signs have disappeared over the last few weeks.  The Omega Team members speculate Mr. Nobody (whom nobody can seem to remember, though they have notes about him) might be involved in this some how.  A little quick research indicates that, over the past several years, several other cities have suffered sprees of sign theft.

The city announces that the curfew is to be lifted tonight.

Becoming concerned over the lack of fresh information about Retros plans the team resolves to abduct Jena Haversil.  For over a week the tap on her phone line has yielded nothing but the static of a newly installed scrambler.  It is speculated that Retro is being cautious for some reason, perhaps the ease of the machines eavesdropping has him worried.

The team has little trouble in kidnapping Jena that evening.  With the use of Penethol Ms. Haversil quickly begins to talk[26].  She is apparently unaware of Retros location.  She is able to tell of a planned raid against the Marcelli crime family.  A large Heroin shipment is expected by the Marcellies on July 25th (tomorrow).  It will arrive at Pier 40, between King and Southbridge Avenues, in a ship of Canadian registry, the North Star.  Retro plans to ambush the truck and escorts that will transport the Heroin to a nearby warehouse.  In this way Retro will pressure the Marcellies to work for him, and at the same time the Heroin will provide a quick and large profit.  Retro has apparently felt the pinch of the money he failed to get from his earlier casino raid.

July 25

Lacking info of where the ambush will take place the Omega team plans to shadow the Marcelli motorcade and intervene in any ambush that takes place.  They hope to prevent Retro from effectively intimidating the Marcellies and to keep him from getting his hands on the valuable Heroin.  The contact, Wildcard, arranges to pick him up, and prepare for tonight.

The ambush is effectively another massacre.  All of Retros goons and all but two of the Marcelli soldiers are slain in the battle.  None of the Omega Team or Wildcard is injured in the fighting.  The two Marcelli soldiers flee and the Heroin is destroyed by a fire that consumes the truck.

The police are left with a passel of fresh corpses.  All of the dead are known criminals.  The use of LAW rockets and fragmentation grenades have caused moderate property damage.  Police theorize that the newly unified gangs made a play to obtain a Heroin shipment that was being smuggled into the city by the Marcelli Mafia family.  Most of the dead escorts are men who are believed to have ties to that family.  Apparently the truck with the Heroin was set afire and the Heroin was destroyed.  It is thought that this may have been accidental sense no evidence of a direct hit of the truck exists.  With the object of the battle destroyed the gangsters and Mafia soldiers fled the area.  The possibility of intervention by a third party is also believed to be possible.  It appears that most of the convoys guards were killed in the initial attack, so many, in fact, that it is unlikely that they could have killed as many attackers as died.  Current money is on either a vigilante group[27], another of the Mafia families or the Cardsharks operation[28].

July 26

Half of the four cells at Omega Team HQ are full.  The current guests are Maximo Vohorques, who has now been held for eighteen day now, and Jena Haversil, who has been held for only two days.

During the afternoon a speeding car drives past the Omega HQ.  The car is being chased by a pickup and a car that are both full of armed gang members.  Hayden Alexander is at the base and watches the cars zoom past on the bases security monitors.  Hayden recognizes the car to be the one Crusade drove to the LeMastre Park Zoo on July 9th.  He quickly checks the radio receiver in the Omega Truck to see if he can lock onto the tracer that was placed on Crusades car that night[29].  Although there seems to be some sort of local interference, Hayden manages to lock onto the signal.  Quickly realizing that Crusade is, at least, doing some harm to Retros organization; Hayden sets off in pursuit of the chase.

The Remittiance Man contacts Dancer and Nightstick, who are at Zhu Hsaios dojo, and vectors them toward the action.  He also phones Wildcard, their new Cardsharks contact.  Wildcard is, luckily, in the apparent path of the chase so Hayden picks him up.

Near the Stewart River all the participants come together.  The pickup full of gangbangers slides out of control and rolls into a cemetery after Wildcard shoots the driver in the right hand.  The other car load of gang members crashes into a brick staircase (leading into rowhouses) after Nightstick blows out the left rear tire with a large shuriken.  The Omega Truck narrowly misses a pedestrian and sideswipes another staircase as the chase subsides and Crusade speeds off.  Two of the gangsters, who were in the rear of the pickup, are killed in the crash, as is the driver of the car, the other five gangbangers are injured.  The Omega Truck looses a lot of paint but its armored hide is to tough to be dented by the sideswipe.  The Omega Team returns to HQ.

The police have little to go on.  Witnesses simply saw a group of vehicles scream by, making everything a blur.  They are able to recover a large shuriken.  It is apparently Chinese style but it is generic enough to be of little use.  The nearly destroyed staircase that a truck bounced off of is a little surprising.  The damage to the stairs makes it hard to believe that the vehicle that struck it could have survived, let alone sped off with hardly a dent as witnesses claim.  The injured thugs claim that they were chasing Crusade but seem to have little idea as to what happened to them.

July 27-28

During the afternoon news bulletins of several fires starting on the western outskirts of town begin.  It soon becomes apparent that a major disaster may be in the works.  The dry, windy, weather coupled with the strategically placed fires tends to indicate that Ashtray Art is at work again.  All of the city's firefighters are called up to battle the blaze.  The citys police head westward to aid in the firefighting efforts.  Despite calls for calm looting begins in the city before the National Guard can mobilize to fill the gap left by the absent police officers.  The Omega Team, like many of the citys vigilantes, head into the downtown area to try and maintain a semblance of order.

Encounters to numerous to mention (or play out in the game) keep the Omega Team busy all day long.  Wildcard is killed while, successfully, saving a small girl from a burning building.  A local TV news crew catches his heroic act.

At the end of the day the fire is finally stopped.  About half of Irishtown is lost to the flames; Little Italy, China Town and Free Town also suffer to a lesser extent.  Many fine estates in Irishtown, especially the western part, are destroyed.  The morning paper shows an aerial photograph of a surviving mansion and grounds that are surrounded by scorched ground and burned out houses.  The pictured mansion survived since it had its own generator and expansive grounds.  The estate of Dr. Thomas James survived for much the same reasons.

Ashtray Art is captured by a National Guard unit guarding the suburbs after he attempts to start a new string of fires.  He is sent back to Todberry Asylum.  The local media is scattered with a few stories praising the efforts of several of the citys vigilantes (Omega Team included).  Most agree that really dire things could have happened if the vigilantes had not acted to help maintain order downtown.

July 29-31

The Omega Team spends this time laying low.  They do find a new member in this time of calm.  A young (19 years old) student of Zhu Hsaio, Andrew Hobbs, begins to inquire about the vigilantes known as the Omega Team.  He has seen Nightstick in action a couple of times[30]and has noted that his style of fighting is similar to that of Zhu Hsaio and his most advanced students.  Andrew has done some vigilante work on his own and is known to the press as the Specter, since his costume is often changing (currently he wants to be Batman).  Still seeking a replacement since the lost of Victor Wolffe (a.k.a. Urieal) the team decides to allow him to join, in spite of his eccentricity.

In the aftermath of the fire the city is reasonably quiet and the team members are content to cover their secret identities.  During this time the press focuses on the clean up of the fire damage.  Whole neighborhoods have been laid waste and it will take weeks for the city to finish the massive task.

Newspapers and television news show many pictures of the fires devastation.  The mansion of Bascomb McNeil, a retired Wall street tycoon, is one of the small miracles of the fire.  Though the area surrounding McNeils estate was devastated for a half mile around, the stubborn old man and his servants refused to evacuate.  Using the mansions own power supply and water from the large swimming pool, the estate was saved.

The final toll of the fire is 23 dead, 79 injured and 3 missing, all in all the city was lucky.  The members of the Omega Team also survived the fire nicely.  No Omega Team member lost a home or property to the fire.

August 1, 1995

Dancers street contacts have made her aware that a female street gang, the Witches, is preparing to make a substantial purchase from the Dr. DMZ.  Apparently the Witches are one of the few gangs that have not yet been brought into line by Retros organization.  Fearing that they will soon be moved on Hail Mary, the gangs leader, is making ready to defend their independence.  The Omega Team decided to attempt to find out where this purchase will happen and be there to intercept it.

The newspapers cover the death of Bascomb McNeil in a traffic accident in Little Italy.  The Hudson City Heros defeated the Atlanta Braves, in the Herodome, today for the first time in three years.  Though it is still doubtful that the Heros will make it to the playoffs this year they are an improved team from last year.  New coach David Curtis is getting much of the credit.  So far the Heros are 52 and 47 for the year.

August 2

The team determines that the Witches will make their meeting with the Hanged Man in a warehouse not far from Omega HQ.  The team arrives early and discovers that the place has been wired, apparently by the Hanged Man, with a holographic projection system.  The holograph activated and the Hanged Man informs the team that he doesnt care what they do as long as they dont do it in his warehouse.  After a brief discussion the team decides to set up their ambush outside the warehouse.

The deal takes place on schedule and the team ambushes the female gangsters as they leave.  Unfortunately this was only a money drop.  The guns were delivered to a different site as this meeting took place.  The Omega team makes quick work of the surprised gang but then decides to leave them.  They believe that removing Hail Mary form the scene would only make the gang more vulnerable to take over by Retro and the many enemies of the Witches might slaughter them without her leadership.  Two of the gang members are killed and another three are injured, the remaining seven are merely rendered unconscious (including Hail Mary).  Due to the critical nature of injuries sustained by one of the gangsters, she is taken to Omega HQ by the team so that Hippocrates can perform emergency surgery and stabilize her.  She is later dropped off, anonymously, at a local hospital.

August 3-4

The team again lays low but keeps an ear to the ground for any information about the activities of Retro.  The Machine has now gotten to the point that it is self- aware and refusing to share information with anybody.  Apparently it morals have developed to the point it has chosen to be passive.  It is wresting free of Retros control because he is evil.  It also is very stingy about any information that it makes available to the Omega Team since they might use the data to kill their fellow man.

August 5

Each of the Omega Team members, with the exception of Specter, receives a message from Retro.  The message is sent their secret identities.  It informs them that Retro is aware who they are and where they live.  He is tired of their interference.  Unless they discontinue their crime fighting, dire consequences will ensue.

The team decides to make preparations for shutting down the Omega HQ for the time being.  They agree that they cannot simply let Retro push them aside and cement his hold on crime in Hudson City.  They also believe that they must go underground, if possible, and that locating Retro has taken on a new urgency.  With the machine no longer aiding Retro it is hoped that he no longer will have a way to keep track of the activities of the team members.

Another location is quickly found for an alternate HQ.  The new location is 1134 30th Ave. In the Pier Point district of the city.  The rest of the day is spent packing up essential materials for transport.  At this time the cells of the Omega HQ still hold Maximo Vohorques and Jena Haversil.

August 6

This is moving day.  Hayden Alexander, Andrew Hobbs, Eden Blake & George Bell start moving materials from the old HQ to the alternate site.  Hayden contacts his old friend Micheal Hansen (a.k.a. Gunner) to assist the team.  Specter and Gunner offer new hope to the Omega Team since their identities are still, apparently, unknown by Retro.  Due to unfortunate circumstances Dr. Thomas James is called away for a medical conference and Joe Dishwasher is spirited away by Zhu Hsaio for unknown reasons.  The remaining five team members spend most of the day moving.

With what little spare time they can muster they try to gather information from their street contacts.  Talk on the streets is that the gang members are becoming scarcer lately.  Some of the gangs have taken to driving new 4-wheel drive pickups.  Gangsters are not absent from the streets they just seem to be less numerous.  The Omega team surmises that somewhere there are a lot of gang members gathered together.

Hayden Alexander manages to talk with Vladimir Zil Ivanovich, the Russian Mafia driver.  He indicates, after a proper financial incentive, that the Organizatsiya has obtained a new storage facility for their weapons smuggling and is back in operation.  Tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. a vessel, the Caucasus Queen, will dock at pier 23 to unload.  On board the vessel is a weapons shipment including 3 BRDM Armored Cars, two of which have been ordered by an unknown client.  Hayden fears that Retro might be the buyer.

August 7

Moving finishes up today.  Andrew Hobbs and Micheal Hansen borrow Eden Blakes car and set out to try and locate one of the gang pickups that they have heard about.  They have driven only a few blocks when they realize that one is following them.  They realize that throughout the move of the past few days none of them ever realized that they could have been followed.  It is now apparent that the new base is probably already under surveillance.  They call Dancer and The Remittiance Man to help them get rid of their tail.  Unfortunately the Omega Truck is followed by another gang pickup.

After various maneuvers they manage to loose their followers.  Gunner heads back to the base and discovers that the mysterious pickup is parked down the block watching the base.  He sneaks out of the base, stealthily approaches the vehicle from behind and plants a tracer bug on the vehicle.  When Dancer and The Remittiance Man return the pickup following them also takes up a surveillance position at the end of the block.  Specter spends the afternoon trying to find a pickup to follow but is unsuccessful.

The early evening news tells of the death of Antonio Smarts Marcelli.  A Latino assassin who used two swords cut him down in front of his residence.  The Don and his three bodyguards were cut to pieces without injuring their attacker.  The Omega Team immediately assumes that this is Retros first step in taking over the Marcelli crime family.  Hayden Alexander obtains a more detailed description of the attacker from his contact in the FBI.  The organized crime unit is investigating and had all the details of the crime.  Andrew Hobbs is very up to date in his knowledge of criminals and identifies the attacker as Estoban Juarez (a.k.a. Hell Razor).

Hell Razor is known to be a ladys man who is always frequenting the hot night spots.  Another of Haydens contacts tells of an underground club for the elite called Tulio Joes, just the sort of place that Estoban would frequent.  The Team decides that they must take out this dangerous assassin before Retro can use him again.

Gunner, The Remittiance Man, Specter and Dancer go to Tulio Joes this night.  They make an attempt on the life of Hell Razor.  Both of Estobans bodyguards are rendered unconscious and Hell Razor is seriously injured, but he manages to escape.  Dancer is stabbed by one of the bodyguards and Specter is slightly injured and nearly knocked out by Hell Razor.  The team flees Tulio Joes as the clubs bouncers/guards starts to close in.

Since this is an illegal club no police involvement occurs.

August 8

The team the day desperately trying to find out the location of Retros Headquarters.  They use the Omega Truck to start searching the city for any trace of the tracker bug that was placed on the gangsters pick-up earlier.  After a brief search they discover a weak signal coming from an abandoned warehouse near the waterfront in Pierpoint.  Dancer is left to stake out the area.

Several of the team members head back to the old base to find that it has been broken into.  Inside they find George Bell locked in the vault.  He had been slightly injured by a bullet that was stopped by his vest.  He woke up inside the vault and doesnt remember too much of what happened.  Maximo Vohorques is found dead in his cell.  Jena Haversil is missing.  The team assumes that Retros men broke Jena out of their detention and killed Vohorques.

The team next starts to comb the streets to get any usable information from their street sources.  About this time Dancer reports that Crusade has emerged from the warehouse she has been staking out.  Apparently it was the old bug on his car that had set off their detector.  The signal from Crusades bug is weak due to near exhaustion of its battery.  Earlier it had been believed that the weakened signal was due to the effects of transmitting through the warehouse walls.

Street sources indicate that Retro is planning a hit on a unknown businessman that is coming into town tonight.  The hit is to occur at 10:00 p.m. at the Grant Hotel in Bankhurst.  The team starts to dig for information about who this, mysterious, businessman is.  Specter manages to break into various airline and limo service computers to determine that the executive is a Vice President for the QuickCorp convenience store chain.  He has no criminal record and seems to make no sense as a target.  The team begins, correctly, to smell a trap.

Meanwhile more searching with the tracking equipment has begun.  Starting on the west side of town this time, a new and stronger signal is quickly located.  The signal comes from the estate of the late Bascomb McNeil.  The same Bascomb McNeil who was killed in a traffic accident on August 2nd after saving his large estate from the great fire.  Observation of the estate reveals it to be the only intact site in the area.  For a mile in every direction only burnt rubble exists.  Gang pickups can be seen patrolling the area, intimidating anyone whom ventures to close to the estate.  The team is confident that this has to be Retros base.

The team quickly obtains the plans for the storm sewers in the area of the estate.  By an incredibly fortunate chance they determine that Victor Wolffe, their late comrade, set up the security system for the estate.  They quickly obtain full plans of the estates security systems.  The Remittance Man contacts some friends in his dads armament company and obtains the services of Nick Cartridge, a heavy weapons expert.  They also obtain an RPG-7 with 4 rockets to deal with the armored cars they fear Retro may have purchased from the Organizatsiya.  They also manage to contact the Card Shark and call for his aid in raiding the compound.  The Card Shark agrees to supply a dozen of his best spade agents armed to the teeth.  The assault will commence at 10:00 p.m., the same time that the fictitious hit is to occur at the Grant Hotel.

To get into the front gate Specter is disguised as a Buffalos Pizza delivery boy.  He purchases a used car to play the part.  Hippocrates rigs a squib to the right front tire to fake a blow out and Specter hides a combat knife in the trunk.  The other team members will enter the compound from the southwest (Hippocrates, Dancer and Nick Cartridge) and southeast (The Remittance Man and Gunner).  They will approach using the storm sewers to emerge near the walls of the compound.  The Card Sharks men will attack from the North.

The plan works pretty well.  Four of Retros men open the front gate to check out the lost pizza delivery boy, who has a flat tire.  Specters knife kills one and the other three are killed in rapid succession by The Remittance Man with a snipers laser rifle.  The teams quickly steal into the estate grounds bypassing the security systems on the walls.  Gangsters who run from the main house to check on their ambushed comrades at the front gate (the security camera at the gate saw the ambush) are quickly cut down by the unseen Omega Team members who are hidden in the wooded grounds on their flank.  A roof top sniper gets but one shot the shadowy form of Specter before The Remittance Man picks him off.

The first RPG-7 round destroys the estates emergency generators and severs the powerlines from the outside.  The two BRDMs that Retro has acquired barely get out of the garage before being destroyed (one by an RPG-7 round the rear, the other by a 40mm HEDP round to the side).  At about the same time the Card Shark agents attack from the opposite side of the estate.  The combination of surprise, sudden darkness, and explosions send the defenders of the estate into a hopeless state of confusion and disarray.  The rest of the battle amounts to little more than mopping up.

Retro, Hell Razor and the rest of his body guards are finally found in the main library of the mansion.  A short, but savage, fire fight ends with the death of Retro and his gang.

August 9-23

The team decides to take several weeks off for the fall out of the West Side War, as the press call it, to clear out.  Retro is dead.  Hell Razor is dead.  The Card Shark has broken off contact with Omega Team.  The Machine is out there somewhere in cyberspace, who knows what it will do now.  Jena is missing, somehow she slipped away.  The West side is being rebuilt.  The gangs coalition has collapsed without Retros leadership (or rather intimidation) to hold them together.  The Mafia and the Drug Cartels are quickly reestablishing their business.  The city is returning to normal.

The police are almost overwhelmed by what has happened at the McNeil Estate.  A small war has literally been fought here and evidence of who did what to whom is almost impossible to salvage from the rubble.  Bullets to numerous to count have been expended and fire has claimed some small areas of the estate.  The injured survivors that the police take into custody are all gangsters and seem genuinely confused over what happened.  The authorities theorize that some sort of huge gang meeting was taking place.  The aim was to unify the gangs, but something went wrong and a massive melee ensued.  Secretly, law enforcement officials believe that this was not all together a bad thing.  If the gangs had unified their activity could have been a bane to the city.  The police are hopeful that things will now get back to normal.   A curfew is imposed for the next week and then lifted due to the virtual absence of crime.