November 12th

## New Pigs on the Block

After the dust had settled and Kinetic had pocketed the mysterious canister believed to be a viral bioweapon, the authorities arrived in force. But it was not the friendly, familiar faces of UNTIL-- the armored vehicles and helicopters belonged to PRIMUS, the US's private military police force. The heavily-armed group of soldiers was led by Stardust, a well-known hero from the nationally active super-team the Justice Squadron. Stardust informed the Contenders that, due to executive order from the President himself, all mutants arrested for violent crimes would be held in military prisons rather than UNTIL facilities as they await trial.

This order was technically a violation of the UNTIL operating charter, as was made plain when UNTIL agents arrived to dispute the arrest. Stardust sent the heroes on their way while they wrangled over the legalities, but first he floated an offer to the Contenders to become agents of PRIMUS. The idea appealed most to Justicarius, who considered how useful it would be to gain police powers in this world, but otherwise the team was lukewarm on the idea.

Returning to Champions Plaza, Hardback left to research a blood sample taken from the oddly identical mutants. He found that there was a strange chemical impurity in the man's blood, as well as a bizarre, patternless mutation in his genes that defied description and seemed to be actively changing under the microscope. It was unlike any mutation Hardback had ever encountered and he could only guess as to the explanation, but he thought that the answer might lie in the bioweapon canister. Unfortunately, he could not convince Dr. Nano to open the weapon for study, as the doctor felt it was too unwise until they knew what they were dealing with.

Before they left for their own base, Cort was talking to Defender about how well the operation had gone and how the Contenders and the Champions could continue to work together in that capacity. Defender surprised him by renewing an offer to see the Contenders granted state-sponsorship, with funding, resources, and oversight similar to what the Champions enjoyed. With two offers in the same day, the team had a lot to think about, and left to discuss their options.

## The Gilded Scarab

Before they made any commitments, the team had another matter to attend to: finalizing the sale of their Saturnite. As they prepared to make their way to the Federal Reserve Bank where the transaction was to take place, Cort and Hardback were startled by a voice from the shadows of their base. This figure, who remained unseen, made a few snarky comments and then issued a warning: the Contenders must avoid getting involved in "foreign affairs" and in particular, avoid getting wrapped up in the Plutonian's business. The figure warned that "events are coming to a head in the East" and that soon the Plutonian would "bite off more than he could chew." After issuing these cryptic warnings, the figure snuck out through the base's aquatic tunnel and was gone.

After discussing these bizarre foretellings for a few minutes, the gang decided to focus on the present and made their way to the bank. They found that the Temeraire Club's security was out in full force, with dozens of agents and the entire Midnight Crew ensuring the safety of the transaction. John Wolf was there in person to oversee the transaction's success.

Hardback was introduced to the buyer, legendary criminal weaponsmith Waylon Talos. Dr. Talos, surrounded by a bodyguard of fearsome robotic soldiers, exchanged a few pleasantries before examining the Saturnite with an atomic spectrometer. He was shocked that the alloy was 100% pure Saturnite; he claimed that such purity was not possible by even the best manufacturing methods. He asked how the Contenders had come by such pure metal but they remained (mostly) quiet on the subject. Despite this small irregularity, Talos was pleased and agreed to finish the transaction. Soon he was departing with his newly bought Saturnite and Hardback was the new owner of roughly eleven billion dollars.

## A Flight to China

After the money had been safely deposited, and the team was reeling with their new fiscal potential, they received a not-so-unexpected visitor: the Plutonian, clad in the red uniform given to him by the Tiger Force, had come to discuss the events of the weeks following the Time Wizard's defeat. He had joined the state-run super team because he loved China and wanted to withhold his judgement of the country's failings until he better understood this world (having come from a Time Wizard-controlled alternate history, he had much to learn). But what he had seen had confirmed his worst fears: human rights abuses ran rampant and in particular the plight of the mutants was truly terrible. He had vowed to do something about it, and was calling the assistance that Hardback had promised him weeks prior.

With little hesitation, the team agreed to his bold plan to free a mutant internment camp and draw international attention to the crimes taking place there. They recruited Slab to join them, providing him with a disguise devised by Hardback's bugs. The group travelled to China via Cort's travel montage, and after a brief rest they spied the camp: a fortified compound of barbed wire and concrete where miserable mutants were held prisoner for labor and experimentation.

The team struck quickly, destroying communications and disabling the heavily-armed guards. But they hadn't been there long before a Tiger Squad cell, led by Equilibrium, appeared to thwart them. The Chinese hero exchanged some sharp words with the Plutonian before a pitched battle broke out between the two groups.

While the Plutonain and Equilibrium fought hand-to-hand in the air above, Hardback engaged in a furious battle atop the nearest guard tower with Snapping Turtle, whose furious martial arts quickly strained Harback's defenses to the limit. Meanwhile Justicar took the brunt of the attack from several other attackers, and Cort attempted to aid the Plutonian by shooting Equilibrium, though to little effect. Slab brought down the nearest power junction, deactivating the electric fences, and Ghost Dance dealt with the remaining guards.

The fight went poorly at first, but the team rallied and began to push back the Tiger Force. As the fight grew even, the Plutonian managed to overpower Equilibrium with the surprising use of Chroniton energy, paralyzing Equilibrium's arms with temporal stasis. Unable to defend himself, Equilibrium was quickly dispatched by the Plutonian's furious blows. Seeing that her leaders had been defeated, Summer Gale signaled the retreat, turning her entire team into watery vapor and quickly disappearing underground.

After licking their wounds, the Contenders quickly left to return to America, leaving the Plutonian to finish the next phase of his plan.

## Table Talk

"Don't tell my feelings to have logic!"

*- Hardback*

"Alright bugman, go get a whole mouth."

"Ouch."

*- Hellion and Hardback quibbling*

"The Contenders are nothing if not showmen."

*- Ghost Dance*

"You will know us by our Silverados."

*- Hardback contemplates how best to spend his money to aid the mutants*

"I think you're playing with half a deck there buddy." -Will

"That's a 25 card argument if I ever heard one." -Eric

*-Argument in question unknown, but was probably one of Brian's*

"I will educate."

*-Justicarus plans to enlighten the mases.*

"The nations security necessitated that I bug myself."-Nick

"And now I'm bugging you!" -Brian

-*The group plots how Hardback might come out of the cocoon to his parents*