Death-Duel with the Destroyers! Issue #1: Apocalypse NOW!

[Jedaii]

February 6, 2023, Monday, 8:30 a.m. 

San Fran. Fog City. Bagdad by the Bay. The City of Love. Frisco. Or, as native locals prefer it to be called: The City.

Founded and established on the backs of a thousand gold-miners, San Francisco is one of the preeminent metropolises in the world. It's something of a historic municipality within an immense cybernetic arcology surrounded by a near pristine and picturesque natural habitat. Rolling hillside neighborhoods, uber-trendy restaurants and boutiques, renowned seaside architecture, state-of-the-art downtown superstructures, Chinatown, the Presidio, the Castro, Golden Gate Park, The Tenderloin, Alcatraz Island --- there was just too much for tourists to see even if they spent a month riding the many trolleys, monorails, autonomous taxicabs and ferries the city has to offer. The days start out foggy but by noon the sun is shining high above and even the fiercest earthquakes can never shake residents from the place they are happy to call home. 

Along with the thriving industries that have rooted themselves in the city comes the unwanted but not unexpected blight of crime. Despite all the progressive outreach programs and hi-tech security and hippy-parents holding hands with their hipster-kids singing Kumbaya, San Francisco has an ever-growing crime rate that would make some foreign banana-republics blush. Underfunded police departments don't protect as they should and only serve to indirectly encourage criminal activity. So it was no surprise when the first costumed vigilantes emerged to champion the public. Currently there's only a handful of them operating around the city each primarily dedicated to certain specific districts but their tireless efforts have managed to keep San Francisco from turning into 1920's Chicago. But it's only a matter of time before something - or someone - happens that brings down the entire house of cards the Bay Area calls civilization ---

--- that is, unless someone else rises in opposition ...

All Players

Players should open with a "day in the life" post describing how your hero/ine manages their secret identity, relationships, career, living in SF and crimefighting. Please keep in mind this is an alternate fictional SF so we won't be using any real people or including any real world news topics (much).

 

Edited March 1, 2023 by Jedaii (see edit history)

[Rudolf]

“Ok, be safe, Shalonda” added Valérie, giving her roommate a hug as she left for work. Poor thing. Nine am is a -far- more reasonable time to start the day. 

Valérie selected a dress and boots, and laid them on the bed, then turned on the shower. As she cleaned up she wondered how long she would have on the Chef Chu’s job. Probably another few days. While the restaurant books were easy enough, there was also merchandise and the cookbooks, which meant a interlocking network of taxes paid to different states. California had decent rules for neighboring states, but the farther you got, the more complicated it became. Not really difficult in the sense that it couldn’t be done. She’s done this kind of work before, but it required attention to detail to be done right. 

Valérie toweled off and got dressed, and filled her travel mug with coffee before heading out the door. Shalonda always had the first shower, then they had breakfast together, which Valérie enjoyed, especially because her family didn’t live nearby. They didn’t have the same schedule later, Valérie sometimes had to work late or have dinner with clients, while Shalonda was either grading papers or going to bed early on school nights. She got into her Audi and got ready to drive to Chef Chu’s. It was still a bit odd since her accident. Normally, a magical sense of danger was tres utile, but driving always involved a bit of risk. To quiet the voice of her Jinn, she turned on the radio. Maybe there was news? 
 

[Civit]

"Nikki, one grande, no fat peppermint mocha and one grande, extra shot caramel macchiato no whip."

 

"On it Kendall." It was the pre-class rush at the Bean Bag, an off-campus coffee shop where, yes, most of the furniture was bean bag chairs and sofas. There was also traditional seating, but it was rarely used except by professors or when all the bean bags were taken. Nikki was on partial scholarship. Her parents helped. But, they had already put her sister through school and still had to help her brother as well. He would probably also get a partial scholarship, athletic that is, for lacrosse. But that would also likely be out of state tuition. So, Nikki worked at the coffee shop to help. She was trying to graduate debt free.

"Order up for Mike and Dan!" she shouted out. She recognized Mike as he came to grab both coffees. He gave that "you know you want me" smirk that always made her skin crawl. He then placed a $10 in the tip jar, that would help with her car replacement fund. Insurance had paid fairly but inflation meant her used rattlebox of a car wasn't worth much. It wasn't going to improve his chance at a date with her though. He was just too cocky and full of himself.

"Ok, got materials science class in 20, you got this?"

"Yup, don't want you late again."

Nikki grabbed her backpack and crammed the notes she had been reviewing during the few slow downs between orders and headed across the street to campus. She made it all the way across before realizing she had forgotten her chai tea. Kendall was already at the front door waiting for Nikki... this obviously wasn't the first time she had to run back to get it. She didn't even look before crossing back. But, her expanded senses tingled in her head and she stopped just in time to avoid the now honking car. 

Edited March 1, 2023 by Civit (see edit history)

[AlexTGreat]

"I'm not in this world to live up to your expectations and you're not in this world to live up to mine." thinks Lee as he grabs the newest order off wheel order, quickly rolling his eyes, "great, another order of Sweet & Sour Kurobuta Pork."

Lee sighs grabbing some pre-prepped pork and throwing it into some hot oil to begin the deep fry process, then turns and grabs some peppers and onions and tosses them on the cutting board, "This is like the 15th order of Kurobuta Pork today, what gives?"

"Hey Pop, is the pork on special today?" shouts out Lee towards the front where is father tending the till. Lee then starts dicing up the assembled vegetables.

"No, why you ask?" his father shouts back as he gives a slight bow to a departing costumer.

"No Reason, Just curious!" shouts back Lee as he tosses the vegetables into a wok and throws it on the stove.

"That not bad idea though." his father shouts as he moved over to clear a table of dirty dishes.

"Oh great. More Kurobuta Pork" groans Lee himself as he starts frying up the vegetables in the wok, tossing and handling them with expert ease, "Take things as they are. Punch when you have to punch. Kick when you have to kick. Make Kurobuta Pork when you have to make Kurobuta Pork."

After a few moments he throws the now deep fried pork into the wok and throws in some sauce that he quickly stirs around with one hand, while scooping out some rice onto a plate with another. He then slides the cook dished onto the plate with the rice and moves the plate onto the counter.

"Order up!" shouts Lee just as his mother arrives to hand him another order sheet, she quickly grabs the plate and departs.

Lee eyes the order sheet with skeptical eyes before picking it up and reads it. His head droops down in defeat as he read the words Sweet & Sour Kurobuta Pork. With a groan he moves over to the stove to begin anew.

Edited March 1, 2023 by AlexTGreat (see edit history)

[eltorin]

Invulnerable

"Man, if Roger rejects this technical plan for third time, I don't know what I'm going to do to him..I know what the client rep said, but rotating the vectors does show the projected output, I even showed him the code!", James rubs his face tiredly. He arrives at his

office at Baxton Engineering usually a bit later but this deadline is killing him. He's been working on this plan and the related calculations for weeks now, and he was in the office at 7:30 in the morning.

 

"I better grab another coffee."

 

After turning in the new iteration of the plan right after the third coffee this morning, James is musing about his plans later.

"I never thought I'd rather walk into actual fire than having to deal with this. This new contract is pretty tough, too little time for planning something this thoroughly. Anyway, the weekend can't come too soon, if the weather permits, I'll take Casey hiking. We couldn't spend enough time, lately."

 

The rest of the morning after this is typically uneventful, until Roger's - James's boss - head appears in the doorframe.

"Nice work on the technical, J! Went through without a fuss, I've relayed it to prod for the prototypes, I'll think we'll be just fine.", giving a quick thumbs up, aaand, he's gone, just as suddenly as he appeared.

 

"Nice work indeed.", says James, now to himself. "One down for today, let's see what the rest of the day holds for Invulnerable! Maybe I'll skip lunch  to do a quick patrol instead." The day just starting looking up for both James and Invulnerable.

 

 

Edited March 1, 2023 by eltorin (see edit history)

[Llyarden]

At 8:30am, Mike was supposed to be getting ready for the latest announcement from Kenner Luminescent Technologies, which was schdeuled to begin at 9am.  He wasn't presenting the announcement, fortunately, but he did still need to be there on stage, as the company's 'brand ambassador' - PR-speak for 'mascot' - which in turn meant half an hour of ensuring that he had the right sort of makeup on and his hair was combed and generally avoiding whatever other faux pas the tabloids would've delighted in spotting.  This was why his sister allocated half an hour for him (and her for that matter) to make sure they were ready in plenty of time.  And Mike should have been at the tender mercies of the makeup people.

Instead, he was bustling through the inner depths of KLT's R&D building, trying his very best to hurry without outright breaking into a run.  (Ever since he was unmasked, people tended to get nervous when they saw him running places.)  Eventually, though, he found the lab he was looking for and barged in through the door without knocking.

"Rafi! My hand's stuck on neon green!"

The sole occupant of the lab took this otherwise-bewildering exclamation with a practiced ease, sighed, paused the simulation he was running on his computer, and swivelled around to face Mike.  "Let me guess.  Back of the left hand."

"Well, how the hell did you know that?!"

"You made the TV channels.  Again."  Mike groaned as Rafi continued.  "You backhanded a wall."

"I wasn't trying to hit the wall!  I just missed."

Rafi nodded, pulling a toolkit out of his desk drawer (Mike tried to ignore the fact that the drawer was helpfully labelled 'For when Mike breaks things') and skidding across the room on his wheeled chair.  "This is why I'm telling you, you need the actuators in those things improved."

The lack of precise control was a perpetual source of frustration for Mike. The cybernetic fingers were capable of precise control, but not at anything resembling human speed. It had taken him five minutes just to tie his tie. But that didn't mean that this wasn't an argument he had with Rafi every time they spoke. "I don't need the actuators improved. I just need to not be neon green, and to be up at the stage getting ready in..." Mike paused and peered past Rafi at the clock on the wall. "seven minutes ago."

Rafi raised an eyebrow as he peered at Mike's hand with a small microscope.  "Which of us is the one with a doctorate in engineering?"

"Which of us got you this lab for your private use?" Mike retorted.

Rafi sighed and tweaked a screw somewhere in the complicated circuitry of Mike's hand, and the hologram flashed from neon green to luminescent pink before finally settling on normal skin tone.  "One day, man, you're going to have to bring Disco into the modern day."

"If a robot dinosaur shark eats one of my arms, you can make me a new one with all the fancy toys you can fit in there.  But until that day, I'm going to keep the ones that have been working since I was a kid.  Now I gotta go, thanks for the fix."

"Yeah, see ya."  Rafi waited until Mike was gone and then went back to perfecting the design of his holographic emitter improvements.

[Harding]

Darktide

Francis awakens again, with half-empty booze bottles around him, dry mouth and a bit dazed.  Another glorious morning for the young newly bachelor, who drowned his pain and sorrows in cheap liquor after a night of vigilantism.  He doesn't know what time it is and doesn't even care.  He stubbles ungraciously toward the fridge like a zombie, and grab the last night meal he bought yesterday - some Sweet & Sour Kurobuta Porkwink wink to Lee 😉 from the Asian eatery 2 blocks from his apartment. He doesn't sit to eat, nor use utensils or nuke the damn thing in the microwave - he picks the goods with his fingers and shoves it in his mouth in a desperate attempt to shake off the bad taste and dryness of his tongue.  With the other hand, he grabs a cola and chugs it to half the can Man, this grub is so great. I need to grab one more for tonight...

 

After a minute of this lunch atrocity, he washes his hands and proceeds to look at himself in the mirror of the sink.  His eyes are sunken and he looks like a mess.  But it will not take long to feel better - his mutation gives him an insane amount of endurance and fast recovery.  He then goes on his couch, takes out the bong from the compartment under the furniture, and takes a couple hits lost in his thoughts So, that was a first.  A guy threw me a grenade last night.  It did me no damage - it stung only a little - but where is this city going?  Who the hell sells those things to these guys... I should have interrogated this bastard... Ugh... water under the bridge I guess...

 

Then, his cellphone starts vibrating, interrupting his ''meditation''.  He rapidly reach the pocket of his jeans that he slept in and check the device.

''Ah shit!  I told him to tell me 2 hours in advance if he required my services.''  he says with slight dismay in his voice as he read that his employer is requiring him to fly him to New York today for an urgent meeting ''F**K him. I just smoked weed.  What a piece of ...'' 

 

He stops before finishing the sentence, because he can't stop laughing.  Not because of the cannabis he smoked earlier (which doesn't help though), but because he remembered that it is not the first time he flew that guy under the influence.  But he and his employer are never meeting in person nor talking, and his men are only doing so to give him instruction - they never chat or care much about him.  Still, he should be more careful: This job gives him so much freedom and actually pays the bills, especially the extra one he gets from the attorney for his custody lawsuit.  He forces himself to be more serious, and changes his clothes in a rush and boards his Honda SRV to get to the airport. 

As he's driving to the airport, he can't stop giggling uncontrollably as he imagined himself saying to his boss You have an important meeting in New York, so important that you can't follow our terms of contract!  No problem: I'll get you there in a couple minutes.  Have a safe trip bud! and use his power to fling the damn plane in the general direction of N.Y.C.

 

 

 

Edited March 2, 2023 by Harding (see edit history)

[Jedaii]

8:44 a.m.

 

JINN:

As Valérie negotiated early morning traffic KBAY's music stream is interrupted by an emergency broadcast: "The National Weather Service in Northern California has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the counties of Napa, Solana, Marin, Alameda, Santa Clara, Contra Costa and San Francisco until 3:45 Pacific Standard Time. An intense weather front has been reported 10 miles due west of San Francisco headed east at approximately 100 miles per hour. This is a potentially life-threatening situation with high winds, heavy rain, intense lightning and the possibility of damaging hail. Those outdoors are encouraged to immediately seek shelter. This is an emergency situation ---" The announcement repeats as traffic seems to have come to a standstill! On the streets the area suddenly darkens as clouds begin to swiftly sail into the area above the city and angry horns begin to honk at the logjammed-vehicles! People begin to exit their vehicles and look up at the sky darkening sky as the wind suddenly picks up blowing light street debris into the air! Almost simultaneously, deep within herself, Valérie feels a growing sensation of grim danger ...!

 

STAR GIRL:

Nikki was just making her way through the campus when the sun fell behind a mass of clouds streaking across the sky at an unusual rate of speed! Her cell suddenly chimes with an emergency alert, as did all the cells of the various students making their way on foot or bike or skateboard across campus - most of which stopped to check their phones! The area grew darker as ominous dark clouds swept into the skies over the city and the gusts of wind started blowing dust and debris everywhere! A sudden and intense wave of danger fell over Nikki as nearby streetlights flickered on as the day was fast becoming as dark as night! As thunder rumbled in the distance most of the students hurriedly moved for any nearby shelter they could find ...!

 

GOLDEN DRAGON:

While wiping down tables, Li-Jun noticed the sky darkening outside the restaurant as emergency alerts chimed on every cellphone within earshot! Birds pecking away at food bits in the area swept up into the air as street traffic slowed to a semi-crawl. Dark clouds sailed across the sky faster than the jets descending for SFO which brought gasps and shouts from pedestrians watching the strange phenomenon! Some pedestrians holding their cells to their ears skipped into the restaurant while rambling about an approaching storm! Trash and street debris blew past the windows as a man chased after his ballcap also captured by the sudden winds! All the while the outside area grew darker and darker as thunder echoed in the distance ...!

 

INVULNERABLE:

Striding for the front entrance, James receives an emergency alert on his phone - as does everyone else in adjacent spaces - warning of an impending storm! Beyond the building windows the outside world went from sunny to cloudy in almost an instant and James could hear the anxious conversations of co-workers echoing from all directions! Another phone chime: a GroupText™ from Chad (of course) for Roger; World Ending. Can we go home, Bossman? The sound of horns blaring outside brought James back to the windows where street debris was shuffling across the sidewalk animated by sudden gales! GroupText™ chime: Roger It's just rain people. W.O.R.K. A food-delivery biker arrives dashing inside the doors, "Dude! I'm gettin totally bodied out there! This is Kansas!"

 

DISCO:

KLT's speaker had just got off her intro joke when everyone's cell went off with an emergency alert! Of course everyone checked - and that was the end of the event! Some people stood around chattering, others looked to the stage looking for guidance 'from above', while a growing trickle of attendees started walking for the exits. Through the windows available it was obvious the sun had been blotted out by dark-grey clouds as an event coordinator asked what to do with the after-event brunch staged in a nearby conference room. Already the volume on the quiet chatter was raising:

"Storm's coming"

"Are the schools closing? I have to get my kids"

"Well we needed the rain"

"Who's validating tickets?"

"Can we go home?"

"What about the share values?"

On-stage, Jodie wide-eyed Mike then went to the mic, tapping it to get audience attention, "Um --- there appears to be some rough weather that --- so -" She looked back at Mike with the expression of someone desperately clinging to the edge of a cliff - not good. Then thunder rumbled in the distance and the stragglers hanging around like real 'team-players' turned for the exits ---

 

DARKTIDE:

Cruising down the highway Francis started thinking he would make the airport in record time - then hit a literal wall of vehicles stopped less than a mile from his exit! Good old Bay Area gridlock. The THC was broadcasting the soft echo of his heartbeat while simultaneously reminding Francis of how ridiculously delicious Sweet & Sour Korobuta Pork™ is. Then he saw it: through his windshield, across the highway, beyond downtown skyscrapers and edging onto the coast was an enormous concentration of stormclouds unlike anything he'd even had nightmares about! In the distance out to sea repeated lightning strikes and an unbelievable dam of rainfall rushing towards San Francisco faster than weather should move! People were starting to get out of their vehicles and stare in frozen horror and only the faraway roar of wind-shear was heard over the still-running automobiles! It was as if the entire sky was eaten by billowing, unnatural darkness and even a Geologist could tell this was no normal rainstorm! Right then, an emergency alert sound on nearly a hundred nearby cellphones ...

[eltorin]

Invulnerable

As he looks out the nearest window, seeing the darkening clouds, James feels an usual chill. He's uncertain if he's seen anything like this before,

this quickly - "Not a fire to walk through, but it has to do..", already having thoughts almost as dark as the clouds themselves.

Now checking the GroupText messages half-heartedly, still mesmerized by the gathering storm, he quickly types a short message to Roger: "Stepping out for lunch a tad sooner, let's hope I'll beat the rain!". Then grabs his backpack containing his costume, neatly folded.

 

"If it takes longer, at least I'll have an excuse." The building Baxton Engineering rents its offices has a renovation on the uppermost level. "Handy", thinks James as he's taking the stairs, a bit quicker than usual, but not so quick as to draw any unwanted attention from lingering colleagues. Though almost everyone is staring out the windows, so this may not be that conspicuous at all. "There must be a window out-of-sight with all the work going on, probably even with the glass removed. No big deal.", he thinks, which - if said out loud would - seem more like a self-reassurance. If you believe it, you can do it, after all.

He typically walks out of the building when duty calls but this situation - as he currently perceives - may require faster response from both the heroes and the various rescue services that already must be around. "If nothing else, a severe panic is ensuing, I have to be there before someone gets hurt."

 

With that thought, James finds the window he's been looking for. The workers in the building are either staring out the ones in the opposite direction, or already left for lunch, so luck shines on Invulnerable - as he quickly changed into costume in the closest men's room on this level, conveniently "forgetting" his backpack in there.

 

"Here we go!", and Invulnerable shoots towards the empty window frame, fast as a bullet (utilizing his amazing speed) and flies out, in the general direction where the clouds seem to be gathering the most intensively.

 

Edited March 6, 2023 by eltorin (see edit history)

[AlexTGreat]

Lee looks out the restaurant front window as the storm grows and the sky gets darker.

"Hey ma, pa, i think every should head to the basement for shelter. This doesnt look good." comments Lee as he pushes his face up against the glass to try and get a better view, "i am going to go check this out." 

Lee tosses his apron behind the counter and heads out the door, closing it behind him, and wanders to the edge of the street to look up at the storm.

"I am pretty sure the news said sunny weather today." ponders Lee.

[Rudolf]

Be cool, Noor. We remember why fire and cars don’t mix, work?  

Valérie eased the Audi over to the shoulder and activated the hazard lights. Ok, I understand that a big storm is dangerous, but what am I supposed to -do- here? 
 

She settled for listening to the news on the radio. Maybe there would be a report of a fire or something she could actually help with. She was reminded of the Mark Twain quote “Everyone complains about the weather, but no one ever does anything”

 

She hoped Shalonda was ok. There would be a lot of scared children if this storm hit hard. 

[Civit]

Between her ability and the tingling in her head, Nikki knew this was not just global warming slapping the planet in the face. A quick look showed this was a larger area than she could handle, at least she could protect the school and immediate area. Standing somewhere discreet, Nikki reached out with her power and tried to calm the storm in the area. She could feel the pins and needles feeling over her body as the alien gland in her body went to work.

 

Result AM yellow

Edited March 3, 2023 by Civit (see edit history)

[Harding]

  

Darktide

 

Francis gets out of his car as the other, looking toward the sky like a deer about to get hit Well, at least, being late won't be an issue since no plane would be allowed to fly with that kind of weather.  No way this thing is natural...  His face changes with a very serious and determined expression as he convinces himself that it is probably created by something, might it be a super or something else causing the weather to go full chaos like this.

He makes sure that nobody looks at him as they are all looking in horror toward the storm, and gets to the other side of an 18 wheeler truck to change his form.  In a swirling burst of dark energy gathering from nowhere merging in his body, he sheets his being with dark matter and takes the form of his alter-ego, Darktide. 

Then, he gets to the open and uses his cavernous voice and pushes it to the maximum  ''GET TO SAFETY CITIZEN, IN AN ORDERLY MANNERS AND AS DRILLED FOR THESE SITUATIONS.  THIS IS NOT A REGULAR STORM!  GET TO SAFETY NOW, AND LISTEN TO THE INSTRUCTIONS ON YOUR PHONE AND FROM THE AUTHORITIES.  I, DARKTIDE, WILL SEEK THE DANGER AND ELIMINATE THE SOURCE IF I CAN!''

Afterward, he lower the gravity and leap far in the sky toward the strange phenomenon, his heart racing for the first time since he became a superhero This is going to be your real baptism Francis - this is not the regular rumble with thugs and puny super-villains...  Let show San Francisco what you are made off.

 

Voice volumeAs strong as a monstrous strength/endurance super can allow?

 

 

 

Edited March 3, 2023 by Harding (see edit history)

[Llyarden]

"Oh, come on!" Mike muttered to himself as the event was interrupted by the emergency alerts. "Every bloody time something important is happening..." He checked his phone as he was speaking, though, and his half-joking grumbling faded.

If there was one thing his few years as a hero had done for Mike, though, it was that he'd gotten used to dealing with dangerous situations that couldn't be solved by martial arts. The KLT building had its own emergency procedures that would be progressing just fine without intervention, but the Events Management team hadn't quite considered rogue mega-storms in their contingencies.  He put a hand on Jodie's shoulder and nudged her away from the microphone, enough that he could speak to her without the microphone picking it up.

"Get in touch with the people in Security and get the main doors -" he gestured back to the doors that led from the press room into the KLT building proper "- open and get the alarm on them turned off. It's not ideal either way, but even if we can only get them into the main building and not further down into the basement, this room was built later and isn't as sturdy as the main building." (Checking the structural setup of the KLT building was one of the first things he'd done after his hero identity had become public.) He stepped up to the microphone, raised a hand - thank God Rafi fixed these - and send a spiralling wave of golden light washing above the crowd to get their attention both visually and audibly as he spoke.

"If I could have your attention?" He liked to think of it as his 'hero voice' - a little more stentorian and formal than his usual tone. "The alert reports a storm ten miles away moving at one hundred miles per hour. That means you have six minutes before the main body of the storm hits. I would suggest not leaving unless you are confident you can get to shelter within the next minute or two. I have no doubt that schools will be ensuring the safety of their pupils as we speak," he added, with a nod to the person who'd spoken about picking their children up. "We will shortly be opening the side door to the main body of the building, to my right here, and you can all stay there until the storm passes. Please stay calm and don't rush."

Once the doors into the KLT building were open and disarmed, another flick of his hand would turn the shimmering golden wave that was still oscillating at the ceiling into a helpful arrow to indicate the path to the (slightly) safer part of the building for the attendees of the event to follow.

[Jedaii]

8:46 a.m.

 

INVULNERABLE:

Streaking through the turbulent skies over the city, the hero sees wave after wave of dark stormclouds rushing into the area from the Pacific! Try as he might, the only concentration of intense weather he could find was all over the city!

 

STAR GIRL:

Pushing past the growing unbelievable force of the storm, the heroine is able to diminish the powerful tempest just as it was building! Across a half-mile radius, clouds receded, strong winds turned into a breeze and sunshine illuminated a wide area centered on Star Girl! But on the edge of her atmospheric influence, the incredible storm magnified in intensity crushing against the heroine's power like a tsunami crashing into a shuddering dam! At the same time, students and other pedestrians started walking outside and exiting their vehicles, believing the worst was over ...!

 

DARKTIDE:

Some of them listened, abandoning their vehicles and running for the nearest freeway exit! But others waved the hero off and either watched the storm approach or sit back in their vehicles. As he leaped above the roads, Darktide saw miles of vehicles and people looking like sitting ducks for what was coming! Looking around the hero also saw what looked like a person in a blue outfit flying through the sky roughly a mile away!

 

 

8:49 a.m.!

 

EVERYONE:

Second by second, minute by minute the massive stormfront swarms San Francisco! Dark clouds streak and swirl across the sky!

Blinding lightning flashes repeatedly followed by deafening thunder! Then an immense wall of water crashes down on the city slowing traffic to a standstill all across the West Bay! Pedestrians caught outdoors struggle just to stand let alone walk as hurricane-level winds suddenly pound the area!

 

All over San Francisco citizens and transients caught in the storm hang onto vehicles, sign posts, fire hydrants, bus stops and anything else that can keep the horrendous winds from literally blowing them away!! Hundreds of people stuck in traffic huddle in their automobiles as flash-flooding waters begin to rise! Drivers caught on hills realize their vehicles beginning to slowly slide downward into adjacent autos! 

Then --- the power-grids fail and the entire city falls into a smoky, blurred semi-dark urban wilderness!! 

All Players

There are now people trapped outside in this super-storm that need help. The heroes can assist them however they can, or try to find the 'source' of this disaster.