The Overrider machination : the end justifies the means ?

• On a otherwise somewhat uneventful day, a massive power failure cut all power in the Independence Port, Kings Row and Founders Falls districts.
  
  Nadia Forester, also known as Light of Truth, was in her office, dutifully working on a legal case. Hearing the "justice call", she goes out, costumed and armed, straight to Kings Row, intuitively led.
  
  
  Kate Muller, a student of the Paragon City University, sees her computer and all lights turned off in the building she is in, Founders Falls campus.
  Having a link to anything electromagnetic, she perceive the big disturbance in the electromagnetic waves, in the Kings Row direction.
  The student turns into light (literally) and flies over the city to the right direction (after taking care being not seen !).
  
  Light of Truth, running through the Row streets, spots a ruined power station under repairs. She stops and starts asking the workers about what is happening.
  In her lightform, Kate who is naming herself Marvel Girl to conceal her true identity, hovers to Light of Truth.
  Marvel Girl happens to be more or less learning under Light of Truth guidance, if not her newest and revealed sidekick !
  
  Both heroines observe the scene. It is noted that pieces of burnt, broken Clockworks can be found, that the power station is heavily damaged. But nothing more.
  
  Until Light, again guided by her judicial intuition, goes a bit farther, to find a swarm of Clockworks trying to disassemble the cybernetic parts of a Freakshow member.
  Marvel Girl tries to shut down all the Clockworks by influencing the local magnetic field but just succeed getting their attention and a split second hold of their activity.
  Which doesn't matter much since all Clockworks decide to flee, leaving the Freakshow guy behind them.
  
  Light comes closer to the body and realize the Freak isn't dead nor even unconscious.
  The Freak slowly raises but his big cybernetic right arm is limp, having been partially "recovered" by Clockworks.
  The discussion is short as Marvel Girl decides to shoot a tight ray of photons at the Freak, piercing the chest cyberplating and sending him backward into a brick wall.
  Partially stunned, the Freak comes back and tries to hit Light with his cyberarm. Light merely commented that the Freak hadn't attack yet when Marvel shot him.
  But since the Freak attacked her, she felt free to retaliate and with a solid blow of her energy blade, put him to unconsciousness.
  
  Light calls for Longbow to come and put the Freak into detainment.
  Marvel Girl noticesd sirens from cop cars, farther in the district.
  Indeed, Marvel hears them but isn't very familiar with the place. Light is familiar but has trouble to hear the sirens clearly enough to estimate where the cops are.
  Light decides to wait for Longbow, call Sword of Truth at the Tempest base, inquiring about troubles close. Sword confirms there is trouble at the Kings Row bank.
  The heroines stay by the Freak until Longbow arrive, about 20mn later.
  
  Both then go to the Kings Row bank, where everything is now finished.
  They discover a band of Freakshow gangers, said to have appeared out of nowhere, rushed to the bank and simply torn away the whole front wall.
  They then headed to the bank vaults (money is in ATMs nowadays). They then left the ruined bank. The police confirmed they had call for an helicopter to follow the criminals but the helicopter never arrived.
  
  The heroines decide to look around... or even under.
  Light goes to the nearest sewer crate and descend under the district, into the smellier places.
  Marvel flies over, trying to spot Freaks and to focus on electromagnetic disturbance they could generate (even if she would have very hard time to notice such small perturbation).
  
  Light finally acquires the conviction the Freaks didn't go down.
  Marvel simply notices a disturbance in the magnetic field, yet a gentle one, one she can't explain (despite her learning in Physics, not it was necessarily beyond her knowledge but she wasn't exactly in the good mood to think physics).
  
  Marvel goes down, ending by an Irish pub and starts looking. She realizes that papers and small items on the ground are slowly and gently pulled, curiously and without reason, to a very ordinary and mundane direction (heading to nowhere in particular but all the same direction, still).
  She calls Light (and we discover she can't use a phone when she's in her lightform, since the cellphone is as immaterial as her).
  Light arrives and notices marks and scraps on the wall, as if someone inadvertently hit the wall while carrying a large metallic object. Or someone having cyber shoulders maybe...
  
  It looks the band of Freaks that robbed the bank ran to that otherwise ordinary place and... poof... vanished into thin air since the trail stops suddenly.
  
  
• Darksparrow emerges from her underground lair, attracted by all the mess above, head to Kings Row but doesn't really understand what happened.
  She still collects electronic parts on the ground.
  
  Light of Truth and Marvel Girl go to the Longbow HQ where the Freak arrested by Light is now detained.
  Nadia Forester runs into a semi-collaborative Longbow personnel, agreeing to let her talk to the prisoner but turning down the proposal to run intensive testing on him (still accepting to run tests not requiring the prisoner explicit acceptance).
  The iscussion with the Freak isn't very conclusive, the later stubborningly saying semi-coherent and generally non useful words.
  
  The arrival of Darksparrow, who came to the "Reds and Whites" for analysis of the recovered electronics triggers a cautious (but healthy !) reaction of security activation by the Longbow personnel.
  With the favorable intervention of Light, Darksparrow can participate to tests done on the recovered electronics.
  The results are difficult to interpret, simply revealing they are from robotic or cybernetic processes and are from a relatively advanced tech.
  The later looks to be interesting enough for Darksparrow who decides it's "enough" and quickly recover the parts for herself.
  
  The same Darksparrow will later have a discussion with the Freak prisoner, who, for some cybernetic reason, seems to regard her more favorably.
  Light and Marvel Girl leaves Darksparrow in a sort of private chat with the Freak, both leaving to head back to the Kings Row bank.
  The bank, which was seriously attacked and damaged, but which wasn't investigated by our heroines until now.
  
  
• Investigation at the Kings Row bank !
  Arriving relatively late on the scene, our three heroines start looking for clues, each of them having her own special ways (Light tried a rather analytical approach, called the "CSI method", Darksparrow looked for something to scavenge, while Marvel Girl went behind a car to turn into her lightform discreetly but only succeeding at vastly illuminating the whole street with a flash, getting the unwanted attention she was afraid of).
  
  Light noticed the Freak apparently didn't lose time in the bank, heading straight to the vault room and breaking a particular safe.
  Marvel Girl chatted with a policeman who gave no really useful info but gave her sound advices and comments instead (that looked to have been unfairly ignored by the young heroine).
  
  After interrogating a bank clerk whose point of view about ethics and customer confidentiality didn't seem to have moved Light resolution, it appeared that someone named "Creamans" was paying the bank yearly since almost two decades, for holding a metal box inside the safe. The only record the bank teller had about the box was it was supposed to contain an "item of archaeological interest".
  Sword of Truth, contacted by her original, couldn't find any trace of a "Creamans" family or anything, in any record available.
  Darksparrow could have more or less confirmed the info since she was breaking in the more or less working computer system of the bank during that time (but, friendly, she advised the bank personnel to improve their security measures).
  
  More details about the box content was out of question, from the bank staff, simply because they weren't paid to look inside.
  It was hinted that probing the insurance company about it could be a good idea (our heroines actually missed the insurance guy talking about compensation with the bank manager, even if they overheared the conversation. Missed opportunity).
  
  To that point, no immediate lead was available and the heroines decided to get some rest, Darksparrow announcing her intent to inform the others, should she find something about Freaks she described as being different than the regular breed (or model ?).
  
  
• Days later, Kate Muller overhears fellow students commenting the trouble ongoing with Freaks assaulting a shelter for the homeless.
  At the same moment, Darksparrow on a scavenge hunt arrives in Atgosy Industrial Park and witness the event.
  
  The cyborg takes time to check the condition of wounded policemen lying by their destroyed car, even reporting to the main Atlas police station (using the radio of the fallen officers).
  Arriving at the speed of light and in lightform, Marvel Girl arrive on the scene, greeting Darksparrow.
  
  Worried by gunshot sounds inside, they finally enter the shelter and, advancing among the debris, they uncover one of the men benefitting from the social help there... the homeless confirms Freaks suddenly broke in but also they are after "Bernie".
  
  Both heroines are ready to continue but since the police recommand they leave this to the SWAT, an obedient Darksparrow agrees and perform a 180° turn, moving away from the scene. followed by Marvel Girl (who apparently is still looking for someone to guide her).
  
  Yet, more gunshots coming from the other side of the building get their attention. And both see policemen returning fire to four Freaks who are "buying time for their boss".
  Darksparrow flanks the Freaks, approcahing hidden by a truck, then she charges, stunning quickly one of the Freaks. The second, while hit by Marvel Girl ray of focused light, shoots... in vain...
  
  Misguided by the Freaks comments, the heroines rush among crates to a warehouse, looking for the said "boss", and ignoring the two last Freaks.
  Confusion is realized when the warehouse proved to be empty but a sewer entrance close might be a tentative option for the boss to go in.
  During that time, Marvel Girl flew at the speed of light inside the sewers... ran into a curious figure wearing a silver jumpsuit, flared boots and gloves, some computerized circuitry on the left forearm and goggles. And fell asleep.
  Follow another short combat during which Darksparrow will use one of the Freak as a meatshield to get cover from the other one and his SMG, while Marvel Girl recovers from her short nap.
  The cyborg girl is nonetheless hit by a bullet but her force field absorb most of the impact, leaving her with a flesh wound.
  
  Time to run after that mysterious boss and Bernie ?
  
  
• Light of Truth joined Darksparrow and Marvel Girl, arriving flying one of the Pegasus Chaser of Tempest fame.
  The now trio entered the sewers to find a group of Freakshow busy at enlarging a hole in a brick wall and making a hurry to catch someone or something.
  As warnings and formal procedures were issued by the heroines, with zero effect on the metalheads, a battle started.
  The trio crashed with ease into the Freak line, sending several of them unconscious but as one of them apparently found his way through the aforementioned hole, their leader struck Light of Truth mightily, sending her flying backward over 15m to crash into the sewers collector.
  
  The heroines were mustering their force to finish that uncooperative (but strong ?) Freak when more entered the sewers behind the heroines and the voice of the infamous Clamor could be heard.
  
  
• The fight against the Freaks came to its conclusion in the sewers.
  While the heroines were about to defeat the first group of Freaks, their leader decided to flee, jumping over Light and running to the exit.
  In the meantime, Clamor expressed her displeasure about someone messing with her guys. Darksparrow offered a of non belligerence stance, underlining the lack of necessity to start a battle.
  Clamor and Light of Truth dismissed the idea of staying on more neutral and distant behavior.
  The newest Freaks opened fire, spraying bullets everywhere but missing both Light and Angie.
  It was also when the Freak boss the heroines were about to catch... just disappeared, vanishing into thin air without explanation.
  
  On her side, Marvel Girl had entered the hole in the wall one of the Freak was enlarging, hearing a muffled sound and a cry of pain from the said Freak.
  Beyond the wall, Marvel entered a forgotten maintenance room that was used to pile junk... or maybe as a home... or both. Meeting the Freak inside, who displayed burns on the left side, she blinded him, releasing intense light.
  
  In the collector, the fight against Clamor and her grunts didn't look well going. Darksparrow was more interested by analyzing the implants of the fallen Freaks than fighting by Light side.
  The justice heroine, alone, faced bursts of electrons and radiation infection from Clamor, slowly sapping her strength.
  Clamor, not really keen at keeping her own men safe from her radiation powers, blasted two of them to catch Light. But the heroine moved out of harm in a well timed fashion.
  
  Foreseeing an unfavorable outcome to the fight if alone, Light ran past by Clamor to Darksparrow who was in her technical analysis mode (Angelique, hearing Light might need help, reminded she had adviced against starting the battle at first).
  
  Followed maneuvers and strikes and, while suffering from the sapping radiations, despite the difficulty to hit a combat skilled Clamor, Light of Truth delivered several blows strong enough to make the female Freak to reconsider if her presence was truly needed there.
  And Clamor fled (with the last standing Freak, since she had blasted herself two of her men).
  
  During the fight, Marvel Girl also had spot someone hiding behind a pile of clothes, inside the maintenance room.
  After the (apparently) owner of the room shouted at her to leave, Marvel now joined by Light and Angie, went back inside.
  
  Hiding was a one meter tall man, clad in heavy clothing, wearing a large hat (even for a normal person), his face hidden by wraps. But his eyes were visible, large big deep sea blue eyes without pupils.
  The man, finally calmed, didn't or couldn't offer an explanation to all of this (but moaned after being obliged to move again once it was told to him Freaks would come back).
  Darksparrow, interested by the possibility of barter after seeing all the tech junk piled there, made the man claims he was an engineer and he was ready to barter a "bat wing harness" of dubious aerodynamic quality but which structure was made of a strange lightly golden metal. A metal the man identified as being "orichalcum".
  It also appeared that the man was mumbling in an odd and unidentified language, a language he said to not bother which since the land it comes from no longer exists.
  
  Is another mystery going to unfold ? Or simply more unanswered questions ?
  
  
• At the Tempest base, while Darksparrow went on her side to heal, Light and Marvel Girl made a research about the mysterious man that... put Marvel to sleep ?
  Browsing various databases looking for a matching description, two entries were returned. It appeared a similarly looking man was found by the military police on a Manhattan Project site in late 1944, talking with one of the scientists. The man simply vanished into thin air when the MPs tried to arrest him. It was reported the man pointed at a couple of subtle mistakes which, when corrected, allowed a better understanding and control of the atomic bomb testings.
  Another entry mentions again a similarly described man being related to Amelia Earhart disappearance in the 30s. It is reported, but not detailed, the man was seen discussing with a journalist covering the story of Earhart and looking for details about the area now known as the Bermuda triangle.
  
  A couple of days later, Darksparrow, joined by Light and Marvel, went into the Skyway underground to meet the man called Bernie, in order to proceed to the barter.
  There, as Angelique was giving info about the location of a power generator she previously hid, Bernie, apparently more trusting, revealed his strange looking face.
  A face with only a small protusion as the nose, big round deep blue pupil less eyes, a small round mouth full
  Light tried to learn more about the mysterious man from Bernie. But the small hobo didn't know a single thing (so he claimed) about this man, much to the chagrin of Light who departed.
  Marvel started to discuss with Bernie and finally discovered the man claimed to be from Lemuria, an ancient sunken land dating back from the fabled days of Atlantis.
  Bernie also started to negociate his "piscireme", a sort of underwater vehicle, made of Corusca and powered by Ignaetium (according to Bernie) for several hundreds of beer cans. Darksparrow, interested, decided to strike another deal with the strange man.
  Marvel tried to convince Bernie he might be in danger (since Freaks still tried to... catch him ?), that he should be protected or hide as she suspected he had or knew something of value to Freaks. But Bernie determination, waving his curious metal staff (which actually shot a bolt of fire ! Ignaetium again, it seemed) supported by Angie views on the right of self-defense, didn't make the attempt successful.
  The two heroines, the heads full of barter opportunities or tales about the sorcerer-scientists of Lemuria, then left the curious man who went to get his trade prize, a power generator...
  
  
• Now the three heroines are left with various clues. They engage in an attempt to collect, compare and organize the different elements of this puzzle...
  - Frakshows, "upgraded" coming from nowhere, vanishing into thin air, robbing a mysterious bank vault (which content was owned by a as mysterious "Cremeans") and then chasing an amazing Lemurian engineer.
  - a captured "upgraded" Freak speaking of the Hive and the missing chance for Darksparrow to have learnt more, someone with strange new implants
  - Clamor, a leader the Freakshow, joining the fray and, curiously, who might as puzzled as our heroines
  - An enigmatic man in a silver jumpsuit and goggles, who appeared, probably putting Marvel Girl to sleep while she was in her wavenlength form. The same man,, reported to have talked to the female aviator Amelia Earhart but also to have been seen discussing with Carlo Scemerna, one of the scientists working on project Manhattan
  - the same enigmatic man who have sent Amelia Earhart over the Indian Ovean, over the Bermuda Triangle, an impossibility reported without contradiction by Wilbur Colleridge, 92 years old and wary of communist spies, direct witness of Earhart discussing with the jumpsuit man.
  - a bank vault which finally reveal its content after the insurance company share a picture of good inside : a strange metallic tablet displaying what look like to be a circuit diagram, a tablet registered as being 500 000 years old, fouind in Norway. A tablet that Bernie says to be some sort of device plans to build a flux controller. Something to be used in a "Grand Furnace" or maybe a nuclear generator.
  
  Where all of this does it lead ? Is the enigmatic man in a silver jumpsuit a friend or a foe ? Are Wilbur Colleridge comments about Amelia place of disappearance just one more weird theories about a socialist conspiracy based in Canada to overthrow rightful americans ?
  What is the Hive ? What's the heck is all of this ? ...
  
  
• Darksparrow and Marvel Girl finally went to the Longbow offices, to inquiry about the (now fabled) scans of the captured Freak. And learn, much to their disappointment (but confirming Angie suspicion about the Longbow quality of service) that the said prisoner had escaped. Simply disappearing without a sound from his cell.
  
  Using Marvel Girl as a facade, Darksparrow was able to still get the scans performed by Longbow before the mysterious escape.
  Yet, it appeared the Freak was more or less in communication but the beacon broadcasting the signal was completely concealed, as if the signal came from nowhere.
  
  Following the technical trail, Angie led Marvel Girl to a quick raid into Kings Row where, after a quick fight, the cyboirg girl disabled and struck a deal with a half broken Clockwork (!!).
  The Clockwork drone led the two heroines to a fully automated factory in Kings Row, wher it was stated the "control matrix" was located. Darksparrow had apparently convinced the drone that the "upgraded" Freaks (also occasionally called "hivebound Freaks"). were a common enemy.
  Marvel Girl didn't look to fully support the principle of the deal....
  
  At the factory, a confrontation happened between the "voice" (of the factory ?) and Darksparrow. Angie tried to show the mutual benefit at cooperating, even remotely, fighting the Hivebound Freaks.
  The "voice" disdaining Angie offer, considering her as an obsolete failure of an hybrid of flesh and metal. The same "voice" neglected the Clockwork King of fame as a corruption of a subroutine and a failed experiment.
  
  A bunch of taunts and witty remarks later, the whole factory was shaken as the production robotic arms and various automated parts were animated and assembled quickly to form a man-size robot.
  The metal figure presented itself as Mechanon and unleashed a hail of explosive bullets at Marvel Girl and Darksparrow.
  The cyborg ducked behind cover as shrapnels ricoheted against her armor while Marvel Girl, intangible in her lightform, was unharmed.
  
  Marvel Girl tried to shut down the robot by shooting an electromagnetic wave but under the stress, she missed her mark, only disabling various factory parts instead.
  Mchanon riposte against Marvel Girl kept being uesless and Darksparrow jumped from behind her cover on the robot, slashing at the optics.
  
  But the fight turned bad for the cyborg girl as Mechanon quickly seized herand smashed its metal fist in her head, slowly but methodically shattering her imlants.
  Cool under the pressure and despite the danger, Angie realized the robot, made of assembld part, had vulnerable (and reachable) communication port and she interfaced herself with Mechanon.
  Marvel Girl, a bit desesperate, shot at the robot, only scratching the plating with her light ray.
  
  As Darksparrow downloaded logs from individual parts making the whole called Mechanon, the robot destroyed her computerized brain network, her neural interface and her tactical positioning cybernetic system, by crushing slowly her skull.
  Marvel Girl succeeded getting the attention of Mechanon and was rewarded by a blast of meson particle that teared her lightform into shreds, forcing her back to full human form, irradiated, bleeding and dying.
  Darksparrow, her implants being detroyed slowly, decided to play dead. Marvel Girl was actually truly dying.
  
  Mechanon, satisfied, left the factory to set in motion its grandiose plans to wipe out all organic life from Earth surface...
  

(missing are the last games played, including another apparition from Captain Chronos, Darksparrow connecting to the Overrider and the conclusion at the Terra Volta reactor)