Grip of the Mind Thieves, Chapter 10 : Riddles of Crime
GREETINGS TRUE BELIEVERS!
Welcome back!
The information from the Disco Boy, ZigZag, said the warehouse at Pier 99 was Dr. Overmind’s ‘workshop’. A staging location for his crimes. After leaving enough evidence for the police at the Bow Bridge in Central Park, the Knights Vigilant rushed to Pier 99.
At the warehouse, using disguise and stealth, they made their way inside.
However! With mind-controlled kidnap victims assembling a large model of New York and forklifts that transformed into Omni-drones … it seemed that events at Pier 99 were more than meets the eye!
The mind-controlled victims each brandished some sort of Hammer Empire like sonic blaster. Dr. Overmind's Omni-drones? They had learned from their last encounter with the Knights Vigilant and were now using the team’s own tactics against them. In some cases, they even mimicked some of the team’s abilities!
He’s a clever one, that Dr. Overmind!
But, really... just how clever is he?
Before they arrived, Moon Knight had dispatched one of his small drones to map the tunnels the Omni-drones had been using. Would Overmind be able to detect the device hard at work? If so, would he hijack it?
Also, the team knows the Disco Boys have been staking out Pier 99 to use Overmind’s plan as a way to easily rob places the Omni-drones hit. Are the Disco Boys around now? Are they actually in league with Overmind and was all this part of a setup?
This is a pretty deadly trap if it is! It also might mean the Knights Vigilant are onto an important part of Dr. Overmind’s plan!
Will our heroes defeat the Omni-drones, True Believers? Will they free the mind-controlled kidnap victims? Let's check in as the team unravels one of the most perplexing plots yet!
This is Not Stan Lee saying...
EXCELSIOR!
Components
Goals
The members of Mouse Force were mutated by a strange orange ooze. This is the same formula invented by Dr. Killian and almost used by the Clock King to contaminate the local water supply. Orange ooze known to the team to be made from the ultra rare and mysterious Crystal Jade Vine plant.
However, formula made from the orange blossoms of the vine are known to be unstable. Meta powers they grant are often temporary and harmful! Therefore, the Knights Vigilant have to...
... find where the remainder of Dr. Killian's nefarious formula wound up? Is it in the hands of Dr. Overmind? Or someone of an equal amoral and criminal mind?
... deduce the secret of the ooze, or at least a cure, for their old friends, Mouse Force. Time may be running out for them! Will our heroes, the Knights Vigilant, find a way to help them?
... last, if the technological hand of Dr. Overmind is behind this, our heroes have to deduce his nefarious scheme and put a stop to it, before innocents are hurt!
Show the Editor's Notes...
The situation is getting dire, True Believers!
'Nuff Said!
The members of Mouse Force are feeling the effects of the orange ooze! At least one member has developed out of control energy blasts out of his eyes! Another is losing control of a runaway phase or dispersal power! Then poor Donata is slowly transforming into a plasma being! While researching how to help the Knights Vigilant, Tesla Coil is working overtime to invent gadgets to stabilize Mouse Force until the other heroes find a cure!
'Nuff Said!
Currently...
What is the mysterious orange ooze that seems to be at the source of these troubles? Will Dr. Isley discover something no one else has?
The investigation at Pier I turned up a discovery that someone had been lying in wait in a closed down news stand. But who? Were they caught on camera? And how were the other people hit that ambushed our heroes?
Also! Our heroes have discovered Dr. Overmind is using the New York Times crossword puzzle as a guide to commit his crimes! But who is this "S. Sphinx" that submitted the puzzle to the newspaper?
Then there are the duplicates of the diorama. What were they for? What is Overmind's plan for them? And the latest puzzle... "A waxing or waning fortune or fame"... what does it mean?
The information from Detective Hirokoma Kozu of the Central Park Precinct was enlightening. Dr. Overmind is certainly creating a duplicate of New York City… specifically, the tunnel system! It’s certain this is key to his overall plans. But why? Is it trying to transport something? Or locate something to be transported?
What is Dr. Overmind’s interest in the Crystal Vine Powder the Golden Lotus use for their meta-powered tattoo? The very powder his drones were stealing from the Garden of the Heavens?
They know the Disco Boys, led by one named Brickhouse, is using Dr. Overmind’s plan as a “trojan horse”. Following his drones into locations and robbing them under the cover of Overmind’s crimes. Is there more to it than that? Does Overmind know?
And now there are more pressing matters!
At Pier 99, Dr. Overmind has mind-controlled city utility workers and two engineers assembling a very detailed model of New York City … both above and below ground!
But Why?
However! It must be important for so many of his Omni-drones to already be there. But was it just a trap for the Knights Vigilant all along?
Show the Editor's Notes...
A trap? True Believers, while using his Omni-drones might seem less than efficient for Dr. Overmind … make no mistake, this was all part of his plan! As our heroes suspect, Dr. Overmind is live streaming the fights with the Knights Vigilant in a “Pay-Per-View” event to select customers! What better way to fund his crimes?
'Nuff Said!
'Nuff Said!
Stakes
The heroes know the effects of the orange ooze is a ticking time bomb. Their allies, Mouse Force, have been contaminated... if this "timer" is counting down, the Knights Vigilant may see the end of Mouse Force!
Relations
Protagonists
Allies
Dr. Pamela Isley, "Poison Ivy" Infamous eco-terrorist and expert on botany and botanical science. Working to analyze the mysterious fluid ... will she find something for the team that can help them?
Detective Hirokoma Kozu Veteran detective of the NYPD Central Park Precinct and contact with the Knights Vigilant.
Danny Chang Now former "Ink Enforcer" of the Golden Lotus, turned student of "The Way" or the philosophies as espoused by Statesman and the Knights Vigilant! Convinced to follow the path of the hero, he struggles with a dark past and deeds done for the Golden Lotus criminal organization.
Neutrals/Bystanders
Detective Kato MacHale Seasoned Code Blue police detective temporarily working at the Central Park NYPD precinct. He helped the heroes during the fight at Manhattan's Pier I, and showed again at the Museum of New York. Is he a friend? or Foe? What is his connection to Taki?
Adversaries
Dr. Overmind! Brilliant inventor and mastermind. Expert at cybernetics and mental interface technology.
The Mysterious Black Scarab, possibly known as 'Set'! He seems to have a grudge against Moon Knight. What is it?
A mysterious ally of Dr. Overmind, the Silk Sphinx! Who is she? Does she hold Overmind in her sway? Or are they partners?
Mysterious Combat Droids that keep appearing! Based on the hologram in the museum heist, they belong to Dr. Overmind! Is he controlling them even now?
Backdrops
Locations
Pier 99! Otherwise known as New York City’s Harbor Sanitation Transfer Station! This neon-dressed building has been closed to the public during refurbishment.
Yet!
It doesn’t seem in need of repair… something seems off with that!
Plot type
Chapter
Parent Plot
Related Characters
Related Organizations
Related Locations
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