The Chronicles of Sergeant Sticks

velis3

Greetings all,

Ok, over time I have made a multitude of alts. Some make it into the 20's, some reach the teens... and some stall right out of the tutorial. Why? Well, for me, it is mostly because nothing changes. The same missions performed in the same way, again and again. Yes, different abilities helps a little, but it's not enough. Recently, I made (yet again) a new alt, however I've decided to do something out of the ordinary. I'm going to write about it, tell the story of the hero's adventures... with a little flavor. This will be a story told over time: days, weeks, months. I'm in no rush to finish as I don't always have a lot of free time to play.

So read on and if you enjoy the ride, I must be doing ok. If you don't like the show then I shall disavow myself and deny any involvement.

---

My Friend, My Enemy (Nemesis Creation: Prelude)

Dark, the dead of night. Rain, heavy rain. Not a storm, just a steady downpour. High atop the roof of a Westside apartment complex, two men face each other. Both are wearing strange bodysuits; mechanical, technological, space-age. The only sound is that of the rain, but the tension is so strong the air practically vibrates. The taller of the two, wearing some sort of helmet or headcover, breaks the tension by turning around and starting to walk away.

"STOP!" yells the other man. "Tommy, stop. Please don't make me do this".

Tommy turns back around and looks at the second man. "You can't stop me, Jimmy. This city is in need of a cleansing, the corruption must be washed away."

"By killing people?" Jimmy asked. "It was bad enough when you were executing criminals but you killed a cop today. He was one of us, or at least what we used to be. How could you do this, Tommy?"

"Because he was an example of the injustice that plagues this city, every city," Tommy replies angrily. "He was accepting bribes from the gangs to look the other way. Now he'll never do it again. And you're right, I used to be a police officer. Now I'm free of the shackles of the law, free to do what needs to be done."

"Tommy, please, we were friends once. Let me take you in. Let it end now before things get worse," Jimmy pleads.

"Stop calling me 'Tommy'. The man who was your friend is no more. I stand before you, reborn as Brutal Justice. Thomas Ackerman is dead."

Jimmy, resignation evident upon his face, says softly "Fine, you want to change your name, well so can I. Remember what they used to call me back at the precinct in New York? Yeah, that's who I am now. Call me Sergeant Sticks."

---

Before The Beginning... aka, The Prologue

That's me, Sergeant Sticks. Oh sorry, proper introductions are in order. My name is James Von Statton, a former member of the NYPD. The other man was my partner back in the day. His name is, or was, Thomas Micheal Ackerman. We grew up together, side by side through everything. Tommy and Jimmy, best of pals. We saw the crime in our neighborhoods as kids and knew we would be police officers when the time came. As Tommy was a little older, he was able to join the Police Academy a year ahead of me. When I graduated, Tommy was somehow able to pick me as his partner.

It was a good partnership but eventually things went downhill. You see, Tommy became frustrated with the justice system. Arrest a criminal, send him to jail, lawyer steps in, criminal goes free. After awhile, he started to vent his frustration on the bad guys. A kick here, a slap there... oops, bad guy fell down and got hurt. This went on for some time, until the allegations of misconduct began to come in. Cries of police brutality, excessive use of force, conduct unbecoming of a uniformed officer. Tommy was placed on suspension, pending a formal investigation. As I was his partner, I was suspect as well and likewise suspended.

As you can imagine, this only made Tommy more hostile. The ongoing investigation continued to uncover evidence against him, but the final nail in the coffin was when they found him participating in an illegal underground fight ring. Apparently beating thugs half to death was his coping mechanism for his anger. Tommy was immediately fired for his actions and I was summarily dismissed for the inaction of not reporting his behavior. He was my friend, I thought he would get better, how could I turn him in?

After that, Tommy disappeared. He never even told me he was leaving, he was just.... gone. I would never be able to work in law enforcement again and no security agency would touch me, so I worked a series of odd jobs just to keep the lights on. Almost two years later, out of the blue, I recieve a message from Tommy. He tells me to come to Millenium City, that he has an opportunity for me. There is nothing left for me in New York so I pack my bags and head out to Mill City. It's Tommy, my pal... how could I refuse?

The opportunity turned out to be a job, working security for Starcore Labs, a research facility for advanced technologies. STARCORE LABS: The Technology Of The Future, Today. Yeah, that's their slogan. This place is filled with scientists so smart, it makes the boys and girls at NASA look like a kindergarten class and their inventions are straight out of the sci-fi world. Experts in many diverse field: astrophysics, chemistry, robotics, cybernetics... even nanotechnology. Tommy explained to me that our job is to keep the scientists safe from all threats, both without and within the labs. You see, there are many 'organizations' out there that would love to get their hands on these brainiacs. Not to mention that sometimes they lose control of their own inventions, some of which are extremely dangerous. Lots of government and military contracts can be found here. These geniuses will weaponize anything: a car, a briefcase, even a belt buckle.... don't ask.

velis3

And So It (Almost) Begins... aka, The Prologue: Part 2

Ok, so there are basically two people in charge of Starcore Labs. The first is Kilver Blackheart, Chief of Security. He makes sure everyone is safe and protects the facility from incursions by enemy forces. Yes, we do get attacked occasionally. Mostly Viper, Argent and the more organized minor groups. Hell, even the gangs of Westside tried to hit us once. They were less then happy with their results. Anyhow, Mr. Blackheart is an exceptional leader, tough but generally a nice guy. He certainly fits in around here due to the fact that he is a cyborg. The right half of his body is all cybernetics. I don't know what happened to him, he never talks about it, but maybe someday he'll tell his story.

That brings us to the man in charge of actually running Starcore, Dr. Abraham Sargenski. This man has more PhD's than a spider has legs. Ok, weird comparison. But seriously, the good Doctor is so smart it's like he has a superbrain. He oversees each and every project going on at the Labs and communicates with Mr. Blackheart when he feels extra security is needed. That's where me and Tommy come in, helping to keep the lab kids safe and sound.

By now you're probably wondering how I got the name Sergeant Sticks. Well, back at the academy I discovered that I had an aptitude for nightsticks, specifically dual wielding them. I preferred to subdue my opponents instead of shooting them and because I was so proficient with the sticks, my instructors didn't push the issue. After joining the force, department regulations required me to carry a gun, but I was still allowed to keep using my sticks. The veterans took to calling me 'Sergeant' Sticks, though at the time I had not yet achieved that rank. I don't know, maybe it just rolled off the tongue better than 'Officer Sticks'.

UP NEXT--MAN vs. INSECT: A SQUASHFEST?

velis3

My Friend, My Enemy: Part Two (Nemesis Creation: Stage One)

Back on the rooftop...

"HAHAHAHA!" Brutal Justice laughed, mockingly. "You want to fight me? You gonna hurt me with your little sticks?"

"I have my suit..." Sergeant Sticks began.

"Your suit? Did you forget that I have one of those, too? It seems you also forgot that mine is better," said Justice.

Sticks remained calm. "Oh, I remember that your suit has more weapons, but that doesn't make it better. As for my nightsticks, the material they are made out of combined with my speed allow me to deflect projectiles."

"Only if you can see them coming," Justice sneered. His suit instantly sprouted a variety of weapons from his chest, shoulders and hands. Then they fired---all at once...

---

Chapter One: Gearing Up For A Fight

I've been working at Starcore for about a year and everything is going well. I like my job, the pay is good, I help keep people safe and I get to see Tommy. Ok, not so much that last one. Our duties often keep us in different parts of the facility, and I almost never see him outside of work as he always seems to be busy. Still, when I do see him, he appears to be in good spirits. The move from New York to Mill City has been a good thing, for both of us. I'm happy and Tommy acts like his old self again, like our days before the NYPD. Everything was going great. Of course, moments like these have a way of attracting the attention of the gods---who proceed to crap all over us. Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the city...

*cue creepy alien invasion music*

...the Qularr attacked.

Starcore Labs was safe for the moment, as we were located in Uptown and the fighting seemed mostly contained in Downtown, near Champions HQ. Tommy and I wanted to go and lend our support. I'm not sure what we intended to do, seeing as we were just two humans. No superpowers, no mutant abilities and no genetic anomalies to use against a superior alien menace. But we were determined to help however we could, so we went looking for Chief of Security Blackheart to ask for permission to go. When we couldn't find him we sought out Dr. Sargenski. He told us that Mr. Blackheart was already out there, fighting. He understood our desire to assist but said we would be in great danger going out as we were. This is were things get interesting. He offered to loan us the use of some specific pieces of his technology and showed us two... well, they looked like metallic jumpsuits.

"What are these?" I asked.

"Nanosuits," Dr. Sargenski replied.

"They're--what?" I asked again.

"Nanosuits. They are composed entirely of nanites." Anticipating my next question, he continued. "Nanites are robots, Mr. Von Statton, very tiny self-replicating robots, and the suits are made up of millions of them."

"I'm not sure I understand..." Tommy started to say, sounding confused.

Speaking with a tone of mild frustration, the good Doctor said, "Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Von Statton, let me explain the basics to you both. Please remain silent and please don't interrupt as we are a bit pressed for time. The microscopic robots that make up these suits are programmed to maintain their shape. There are no sizes, the suit will mold itself to your body shape. They are lightweight and flexible, yet will turn a blade or stop a bullet, just like kevlar. Any damage to the suit will be repaired over time, just like a wound on a human body only faster."

He handed one suit to Tommy and the other to me. "The military and law enforcement agencies deemed the nanosuits to be cost prohibitive and terminated their contracts. These are prototypes, fully functional and ready for use. Thomas, this is the Combat Ready, Operationally Weaponized Nanosuit or C.R.O.W.N. Mk. 6. It is military-grade, extra armored and augmented for war-like situations. You will be linked to it through your neural pathways--think it and the suit responds. The nanites create the weapons when needed, directly from the suit, so they take up no extra space or weight."

Now the Doctor turned to me and said, "James, I understand you have a preference for non-lethal force. This suit was designed for non-military law enforcement. This is the Experimental Non-lethal Force and Ordinance Reduced Combat Enhancing Regenerative Nanosuit for Indivdually Neutralizing Enemies--the E.N.F.O.R.C.E.R.-N.I.N.E or simply Enforcer 9. It contains no weapons but instead enhances your attributes: strength, agility, speed--and to a lesser degree, your cognitive functions. It is environmentally adaptive which means the suit will reshape itself for survivability in any environment: hot, cold, wet--even outerspace. It has also been augmented for increased regeneration of both the host body--in this case, you--and itself. It's armor is not as strong as the suit I've given to Mr. Ackerman, but it should repair twice as fast."

We donned our new suits and Dr. Sargenski stepped back to look us over. "Excellent.. excellent," he gleefully crowed. "Now gentlemen, go out there and help save this city. The civilians are counting on you."

"Yes, Sir!" we saluted him together and turned to head out of the building. I was almost out the door when Dr. Sargenski called me back.

"I almost forgot, I have one more suprise for you. I've programmed the nanites of your suit to provide you with a pair of nightsticks. These are not your run-of-the-mill nightsticks. They are a nanite-created, non-metallic experimental alloy. Super dense yet lightweight, it is probably the strongest metal known to man. Plus, with the right timing and speed you should be able to deflect projectile objects and energy blasts--at least small ones. To access them, just flick your wrists back--like so--and they will form in your hands. Use the same motion to reabsorb them back into your suit." I tried it and it worked exactly as he said. "Good, you learn quick. Now go, save as many people as you can." There was nothing further for us to say so I ran out the door and headed for Downtown.

velis3

Chapter Two: Invasion... or Infestation?

As I made my way to Downtown I tried to test out the suit. The thing fit so well it was like a second skin. I did seem to be running a bit faster than normal, but if so it wasn't by much. I figured that it might need to acclimate itself to me, to my capabilities, to understand exactly what it needed to enhance. It better hurry up, I thought, I'm almost there.

A few minutes later I entered the Downtown area and not a moment too soon. I had gone about a city block when the entire area was surrounded by a strange energy barrier. I knew it was impenetrable when I saw a helicopter crash into it, like hitting a mountain. It was then that I realized I was no longer running faster than normal. Was my suit broken? Did it reject me? More likely the barrier was... I don't know, jamming it? If that was the case, I was soon going to be in a heap of trouble. Oops, jinxed myself...

Right then a Qularr rounded the corner of the nearest building. I was trapped, standing in the middle of the open street. The bug spotted me and pulled out an energy pistol. I had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide and with my nanosuit not working no way to defend myself. The scout raised its gun, pointed at me... and fired.

I'm a dead man...

When I opened my eyes, only seconds had passed. The Qularr, gun still in hand, had just turned away from me. I'm still alive, but how? I quickly surmised that the suit was still functioning. It must have absorbed or deflected the energy of the shot. The concussive blast as it hit me in the chest was a different story. It knocked me back a few feet and I landed on my "hurt pride", blacking out for a couple of seconds. I picked myself up, nothing seemed broken but my chest would be sore for a week. The suit saved me but I got the impression that it still wasn't fully functional. Well, half a suit was better than no suit, at least in this moment. If I could stand I could fight, and if the suit was working I believed I could win. I flicked my wrists and was suddenly holding the nightsticks.

The Qularr noticed my movements and turned back towards me, raising its gun to shoot me again. I brought my sticks up at the last moment and deflected the shot. It fired again and again I deflected it. Shot after shot came, some got passed my defense but the suit was getting stronger. While the blasts hurt, they weren't as bad as the first one. I also managed to keep my feet under me, although a few staggered me a little. The Qularr eventually stopped firing and it might have been confused, but who could tell--bugs don't have facial expressions. I decided it was time to end this fight; there were people to save.

My turn.

I ran toward the bug, shrugging off the next couple of shots, then I was on top of it. It started to back away--was that fear?--when I struck it down. It wasn't my intention to kill it, but if it died later I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. Insects invade my home, be thankful I still show mercy. I continued on and several blocks later I reached a barricade on the backlines of the battle. That was when I saw the extent of the damage done to the city.

Buildings heavily damaged, rubble littered the streets. Vehicles--some overturned, some burning wrecks--where everywhere. Screams, gunfire and explosions filled the distant air... this was a warzone. I hurried over to a tent that had been hastily erected and found Mayor Biselle. He told me that the Samson Building had been badly damaged and quickly evacuated, but in the chaos he left behind a briefcase and laptop. The computer contained the Emergency Response Plan and the briefcase held the codes to access it. He asked me to retrieve them and I agreed.

I returned with the items, leading a frightened young woman to safety, and gave them to the Mayor. I was informed that new intel had come in. The Qularr were massing for an assault on a forward position held by MCPD Chief Surhoff. Communications were still being jammed so someone needed to get word to him quickly. I got the information to the Chief and proceeded to help out anywhere I could; rescuing civilians, gathering medical supplies and even returning a lost cat. My nanosuit continued to show improvements. When the smoke began to irritate my eyes, a transparent shield appeared out of nowhere to cover them. The suit seemed to understand and fulfill my needs, like when I was attempting to thin out the ranks of enraged drones relentlessly attacking another forward barricade. Communications were partially restored and I found myself suddenly wearing a headset comm... and it was already broadcasting a new mission.

velis3

Chapter Three: Qularr, Phone Home

Some scientist named Dr. Silverback detected some kind of energy waves that seemed to be driving the Qularr crazy. The bugs had deployed several antenna arrays nearby, technology more advanced than ours. Someone needed to pick up a couple of scanner drones and use them to download data from two of the arrays to triangulate the source of the energy. So I ran by a barricade near Champions HQ, grabbed the scanners and did what I was supposed to do. I then went to Dr. Silverback's location. What I found was not quite what I expected. It was a hologram... of a gorilla... talking. A super-intelligent primate capable of human speech. An irrational thought passed through my mind and, for a moment, all I could think about was that movie where the apes ruled the humans. Did I mention it was a TALKING gorilla? Focus... concentrate... ok. Silverback said the signal was coming from inside Champions HQ but in order to really make the Qularr go away we had to destroy the Mothership hovering overhead. Ironclad had assembled an accelerator cannon but the bugs damaged it in a recent attack. We gathered spare parts and the engineers worked on fixing it. While that was happening, I and several other costumed individuals--with the help of Ironclad--fought the Qularr and kept them away from the cannon. Reinforcements arrived soon after and reestablished the defensive perimiter, thus freeing me up to get into the HQ building.

I met Witchcraft at the entrance and she filled me in on the current situation. She and Kinetik would keep the bugs at bay, but several groups had already gotten inside. Defender followed them in but might need some help so I went in after him. Once inside I realized things were worse than expected. Qularr were about and they were fighting robots. From descriptions I heard, they looked to be Dr. Destroyer's minions. Destroyer is dead, I thought to myself, so what are these things doing here? With the bugs and droids locked in combat, I snuck passed groups when I could and fought back when I needed to. I spotted Defender in an adjacent room, swarmed by robots. I proceeded to wade through them, determined to crush them between Defender and myself. When the last of the bots were nothing more than smoking pieces of metal, Defender told me the really bad news: Black Talon was behind it all.

The bug invasion was caused by Qularr homing beacons--recovered from the last time they attacked--and modified to drive them crazy. He was also the one responsible for the droids inside the HQ. If we wanted to send the Qularr packing we needed to shut down the beacons and launch Ironclad's defense from inside the Defense Control Room. All we had to do was stop the droids and defeat Black Talon. Sure, no problem... until Defender left me to fight Black Talon alone, while he pushed back the robo-minions. That Talon armor had some potent weapons but it wasn't very fast. I just kept moving and attacked from the flanks and rear, dodging what I could and hoping my suit would protect from the strikes that got through. Still, I found myself on the ground--usually flying through the air beforehand--nearly as much as I was on my feet, fighting.

Eventually I wore my opponent down and soon after he was crashing to the floor. With Black Talon out of the way and Defender mopping up the last of the droids, I shut down all of the beacons. We then proceeded to make our way to the Defense Control Room and launched Ironclad's defense. To be more precise, we launched Ironclad. He was inside the cannon shell that we fired at the Mothership. The shell pierced both the energy barrier and the ship's hull, allowing Ironclad to bring down the gigantic vessel and crashing it into the river. Thus the invasion was at an end, the Qularr were defeated and the remaining bugs quickly fled. Millenium City was ours once again!

Some civilians lost their lives that day but many more were saved by the efforts of the heroic few. And while some heroes were defeated, others would rise up to take their place and continue to defend the people of this city, of all cities, and anywhere evil threatened. For the moment, the danger has passed and the process of cleaning up has begun. We will work together to rebuild this city, just as was done after the destruction of Detroit. This city is a testament to the perseverance of its people: individually we are strong, together we are unstoppable.

UP NEXT--WESTSIDE...or...WHY DID I GET OUT OF BED THIS MORNING?

velis3

Chapter Four: Things We Lost In The Invasion

After the chaos of the Qularr attack I realized something--someone--was still missing: Tommy. Day after day I helped in cleaning up the city, all the while searching for any sign of my friend. I didn't see his face among the people working around me. The days became a week and I began to fear the worst. I kept expecting to find his body under every piece of rubble that was cleared away or behind each wrecked vehicle moved. His absence left me feeling like a black pit had opened up inside of me, that I was going to topple in and never stop falling. The week became two, then four and before I knew it several months had gone by. My boss, Mr. Blackheart, presented me with a horrifying possibility: the Qularr might have captured Tommy and fled the city with him as their prisoner. He was just being practical but if that was the truth, then I would probably never see my friend again. No, I would not abandon hope.

Dr. Sargenski allowed me to keep the nanosuit and we worked together to continue monitoring and improving it. He believed the Qularr energy barrier interfered with any form of enhanced travel abilities, most likely to prevent anyone from escaping during the invasion. With the barrier gone the suit returned to full functionality. My running speed was several times over my normal, I could jump twenty feet or more straight up and a running leap would catapult me a distance of at least forty feet. My strength was enhanced somewhat and my agility increased considerably. I could scale the side of a building simply by jumping up, grabbing a ledge and launching myself higher, all the way to the top. The incredible heights I could achieve should have caused a painful--even debilitating--landing, but the suit seemed to absorb most of the shock.

The Qularr invasion had created an influx of heroic types, many of them new to their abilities. As such, a facility was built that would allow for the testing of all kinds of powers and weapons in a safe and secure environment. This was a safety protocol designed to protect the city and its people from any and all errant superpowered mishaps. People started calling it the "Powerhouse" and the name stuck. It was here that the Dr. and I would test any suit modifications, both offensive and defensive.

Soon though, I began to feel restless, so I told Dr. Sargenski and Mr. Blackheart that I wanted to do something more than work security at Starcore Labs. I said I wanted--no, needed--to do my part helping to secure Millenium City. The MCPD was severely shorthanded after the bug attack and many criminal organizations were gaining increased footholds all around town. Both agreed that this would be good for me and the citizens of Mill City. They told me that Defender was looking for assitance so I decided to seek him out and offer whatever help I could.

velis3

Chapter Five: Applying The Broom Of Justice...

I found Defender over in Ren Center and he told me the some FBI guy named Kodiak was looking for some help. He could be found in front of the Westside Police Station, so that's where I went next. If I said he was not what I was expecting, well that would be an understatement. At first, I thought he might be part gorilla but with a name like Kodiak I realized he was more likely part bear. Anyhow, it seemed he had a little problem with one of the gangs in Westside. After the Qularr invasion, with the MCPD at diminished capacity, many of the gangs of Westside rose up and began to carve out larger chunks of territory for themselves. The Cult of the Red Banner was operating out of Chinatown. The Maniacs--a loony bunch--had taken over the dock district. The Cobra Lords were working the area just south of Uptown. The Black Aces may have spent too much time watching a certain movie but that didn't stop them from controling the western portion of Westside. That left the eastern territory to the New Purple Gang.

It was this group that was a particular thorn in Kodiak's side. It seems they vandalized his vehicle and left insulting messages about his mother, or something equally upsetting, plus they were getting a little too ambitious for their own good. Kodiak made it his mission to bring down the New Purple Gang and it's leader, Kevin Poe.

Kodiak sent me to Little Italy where the gang's thugs were giving the restaurant owners an old-fashioned shakedown. After putting a stop to that operation--and roughing up enough gangers to send them into hiding for awhile--I recieved word of a possible gang base nearby. It was in the sewers. My nice clean suit... ah well, at least it's waterproof. I traveled through the sewers, taking out Purple's along the way. The trail led me to a ladder and up into a warehouse. I recieved a radio transmission from Defender. He was also at the warehouse--on the other side--and needed me to disable the security controls. Once inside, his plan was to trap the gang between us. We made our way to the center of the building and found our biggest suprise yet: a meeting between all the leaders of the major Westside gangs. The meeting was being presided over by the leader of the Red Banner, Lo Pan, and his speech was a rally cry to bring the gangs together. Well that can't be good...