Game Date: 07.29.2002 - 08.04.2002

The Shockwave Solution

Warders' Team Members: Allyson Michelle (Blue Rose), Chris Hamilton (Brasidas), Eve Smith (Shadow Tiger), Frank Flaherty (Silver Star), Horatio Eon, Marina Forlon (Dawn), Tom Sawyer (Impulse)

Guests: Armstrong Moorland, Juana Lopez (Gato), Eduardo Delacruz (Leon), Maria Onoronto (Ocelot), Elba Alonzo (Pantera), Miguel Jimenez (Puma), Christian Vazquez (Tigre), Jaxton Gray (Mr. Gray)

Over the previous few weeks, Wardens patrols had been very active throughout the Bay Area. Cleaning up street criminals, stopping two bank robberies, helping with rescue efforts at a couple of apartment fires, it seemed like the Wardens were everywhere. The new members were garnering a lot of publicity for their actions while the older members kept to the background making sure that they were not in the spotlight.

The group had came close several times to encountering "Shockwave," but always seemed just a step behind him. But all was not lost a subtle pattern was discovered in his patrols. He tended to stay away from the area the Wardens were patrolling, as if he were able to monitor their communications and Tom planned to take advantage of it. The "new cats" and Dawn with Mr. Gray acting in his new role as tactical field commander were sent on a mission in Oakland to stop a street gang that had somehow acquired a couple of surplus Russian combat suits and were terrorizing the locals. If "Shockwave's" pattern held true, he would be operating in the Mission District a good ways away from the Wardens.

Brasidas, Impulse, Shadow Tiger and Silver Star patrolled the Mission District. They maintained visual contact and refrained from using their communicators.

Silver Star was on point as they patrolled and as luck would have it, he rounded a corner just in time to see "Shockwave" pouncing on a mugger who had been about to pounce upon a victim. Silver Star signaled the others and the plan was set into action. Impulse took to the air carrying Shadow Tiger in covert mode. Silver Star and Brasidas waited for "Shockwave" to handle the mugger before stepping out of the shadows and Brasidas spoke, "we'd like a word with you."

"Shockwave" was a man of habit and flew up to a nearby rooftop as expected from Brasidas' previous encounters with him. Once of the rooftop, he turned and looked back down as if he was looking for someone. Impulse landed on the roof behind him and asked, "looking for someone?"

The startled "Shockwave" spun to face Impulse.

"Where did you get the battlesuit?" queried Impulse.

"Why do you wish to know that?" responded "Shockwave."

"Because, you are not the first to wear it."

"As I told the others before, you are misinformed. I am the first and only Shockwave."

"You lie, because I was the first to wear that suit." Impulse said as he raised his arm to blast "Shockwave."

Shadow Tiger acting upon Impulse's signal rushed forward and delivered a flying kick with the intension of staggering "Shockwave" so that Impulse's blast missed. "Shockwave" stumbled backwards into the edge of the roof, which unexpectedly gave way sending him backwards head over heels into the alley below. As he tumbled from the roof, "Shockwave" called out, "Tom?" Falling, "Shockwave" activated the glider wings on his armor and tried to pull out before he hit the ground. A sharp blow from the haft of Brasidas' spear followed by a whack from a two by four that Silver Star has found conveniently lying in the alley, sent "Shockwave" flying into the wall before he came to rest in a heap on the floor of the alley.

Impulse grabbed Shadow Tiger and flew down to the alley floor. He leaned over and popped open a panel on the downed man's battlesuit and removed the two power coupler modules from it. Impulse then grabbed "Shockwave" and the group ducked into the storm drain system. After a few blocks, they entered one of the secret entrances to the warehouse headquarters.

Once at the headquarters, they revived "Shockwave."

"Shockwave" tries to move and finds that he can't. Looking up he sees Impulse holding the power coupler modules that he had removed from Shockwave's battlesuit.

"Ah, so it is you Tom," says "Shockwave" matter of factly.

"How do you know who I am," asked Tom.

"Shockwave" asks to have his helmet removed. Everyone is surprised at the resemblance between "Shockwave" and Tom.

"It's a long story but heck, it sure doesn't look like I am going anywhere, anytime soon," and with that "Shockwave" told his story.

"My name is Eldon Walker Sawyer and my father was Thomas Elias Sawyer. I am Tom's half brother. My mother, Joyce Hanratty, was a cultural anthropologist that my father met while on assignment in Brazil. After she found out that she was pregnant, the two of them married. A few months after I was born, my father was given a new assignment that took him back to the United States. I stayed with my mother in Brazil. The plan was for my mother to spend the rest of the year finishing her work studying Amazon tribes and then join my father back in the States. Unfortunately, this never came to pass because on our way to the airport, our jeep rolled off an embankment and into the river. By the time the authorities found the jeep, there was no sign of my mother or me. We were pronounced dead. Luckily, the Anji, one of the tribes that my mother had been studying, had found me. The Anji had very little contact with the outside world, so no one knew that I had survived. The Anji raised me until the age of 12. That was when Hosea Walker, an American missionary, discovered me while ministering to the tribe. Hosea spoke with the tribal elders and they agreed that it would be best for me to be with my own people. So I returned to the United States with Hosea. He tried to find my family but was unsuccessful. I spent the next 6 years living with Hosea and his wife, Mary Margaret in Trenton, New Jersey. I won a scholarship to Columbia University, where I studied history and criminology. After getting BS degrees in both subjects, I returned to Brazil and toured the Amazon Basin for ten years. After spending some time with the Anji and hearing stories of my mother, I decided I wanted to try and find my father. I returned to the United States and got a job with the FBI as a researcher. It only took me a few months of research to find my father. I found that he had remarried and that I also had a brother, Tom. Unfortunately, my father had passed away the year before I returned to the States. I found out that Tom was working for the FSS. I tried to get more information on Tom but I kept running into dead ends. Then I was contacted by Talon. He said that Tom was working undercover for the FSS and that was why no one would help me find him. I told Talon that I wanted to meet Tom and he started making arrangements for this to happen. But once again, I was too late. Talon told me that he had lost contact with Tom and was unsure if he would ever regain it. I kept pushing, I wanted to know what had happened to Tom but Talon didn't know. Then one day, I received a package from Talon. It contained the Shockwave battlesuit. He told me to start working out while wearing the suit; he said it was a test. Much to my surprise, I found that I was able to power the suit; it got its power from me. I was able to fly, energize the armor system and channel concussive blasts of force. Talon told me to study Shockwave and the Wardens and wait for him to get back with me, so that's what I did. I studied, practiced with the suit and waited. Six months later, Talon contacted me and told me to go to San Francisco and assume the identity of Shockwave. He said that this would probably be the only way to discover what had happened to Tom. It was then that it hit me; Tom was probably the original Shockwave. I moved to San Francisco and you pretty much know the rest."

The story was almost too good to be true, so the group questioned him and the story remained the same.

During the questioning, Silver Star via communicator asks Whitney to cross check Eldon story.

Why had he not told the Wardens who he was sooner? Eldon said he panicked, Tom had disappeared and the confrontation with the group had scared him. He didn't know what to do, so he asked Talon and was told to stay in San Francisco and help the people. Sooner or later, something would happen and tonight it had.

Tom asks some probing questions about Talon and Eldon provides answers that convince Tom that if nothing else, Eldon had been in contact with Talon. The group learns that Talon is a person or faction within the FSS that does not accept the current leadership's direction of the agency.

A few hours into the questioning, Whitney tells Silver Star that a lot that Eldon had said checks out. He has found records to substantiate seventy percent of the events in Eldon's story. He also tells Silver Star that it may have been Talon that altered the FSS database to show that Eldon was "Shockwave."

Eldon complains that his battlesuit is starting to get uncomfortable without the power coupler modules and Tom helps him remove the suit. Eldon is locked in the conference room, while the others go to the lounge to talk.

Silver Star has Whitney tell everyone what he had found and his theory about the FSS database tampering.

After much discussion amongst those present, it comes down to two questions, one of trust and one of science, to decide if Eldon's story is to be believed. The question of trust, how much does Tom trust Talon? The question of science, will Eldon submit to Shadow Tiger's suggestion of DNA testing?