Campaign History 2007 - 2017 WiP

February 20, 2007, New York, NY – (New York Times) Avengers Avert Crime Wave: A second night of mass criminal activity was averted by the Avengers, an Avengers’ spokesperson said. The activities of a fanatical cult using a mystic artifact known as the Brazier of Tiamat caused the crime wave that had stretched NYPD officers to the limit the night before. While the Avengers’ spokesperson declined to go into details about the brazier, he did say that the magic item had been “permanently disposed”. Six suspects were taken into custody after the Avengers raided the offices the cult was using prior to their ceremony. The suspects, described only as altered humans, are currently being held without bond pending charges of conspiracy, breaking and entering and attempted murder.

  

 February 23, 2007, Houston, TX – (AP) Starship Team “Ready to Go”:  “We’re ready to go.” Major Star’s words to a crowd of reporters and fans sums up the attitude surrounding the imminent launch of the as-yet-unnamed starship in Earth orbit. There is a palpable energy as an international team of scientists and technicians make last minute adjustments and repairs in preparation for the ship’s maiden voyage. The ship, simply named ST-01 at present, has been undergoing scientific scrutiny and repair since appearing in our solar system several years ago. The mile-long ship “drifted” into the solar system as part of a planned sneak attack by Baloren warriors, but the Avengers thwarted their plans. The ship, plus two other smaller craft, was brought into Earth orbit where researchers from around the world, including such luminaries as Dr. Reed (Mr. Fantastic) Richards, Folter (White Dwarf) Grimwell and Dr. Elias McQuark, examined the ship from bow to stern in order to unlock its mysteries. “[the ship]” is a treasure trove of scientific knowledge,” Dr. Richards said, speaking to the enthusiastic crowd. “Great advances in our understanding of the physical universe will undoubtedly lead to new technologies and other developments that will aid mankind for centuries to come.” The debate concerning the “great advances” has been contentious since its discovery, creating a huge international crisis averted only by an agreement that the ship would fall under the jurisdiction of the United Nations and studied and crewed by technicians and scientists from around the globe. This unprecedented united effort by the countries of the world, with over 10,000 people involved, is represented by the Starfarers; a group of superheroes chosen to be part of the ship’s company. These heroes will be a vital piece in first contact situations and, if necessary, the ship’s defense. “We’re not crimefighters,” Major Star said, answering questions about the group’s purpose. “We’re diplomats first and foremost. The Starfarers are onboard to represent Earth’s best and brightest. I sincerely hope that is all we’ll be called on to be.” Major Star’s response addressed one of the key questions about the type and origin of ST-01. UNTIL researchers have theorized that the ship is some type of battleship heavily damaged by an unknown attacker; a fact born out by the bristling weaponry and the gaping breaches in the hull. The vast computer system, badly damaged in the attack, made it difficult to learn more about the species that constructed it. “We know very little about the race that constructed the vessel,” Dr. McQuark explained. “But we’re pretty sure they were humanoid.”

February 24, 2007, New York, NY – GRAB Gets the Goods: During the rampage of the wooly mammoths through mid-town Manhattan yesterday, members of the criminal group GRAB used the diversion to rob several jewelry shops in the area. Suspects include Cheshire Cat, Wraith and Hummingbird. No one was hurt and the value of the stolen jewels has not been disclosed.

February 25, 2007, New York, NY – (Superworld.com) Charities Perk Up With Avengers Coffee: In an extremely rare endorsement, the Avengers have licensed their likenesses to Harlick Brothers Coffee Co. to produce a line of coffee dubbed “World’s Mightiest Coffee”.  But fear not true believers, all proceeds from the sales of Avengers Coffee will be going to the charity chosen by the Avenger whose face will appear on the package. “The costs of production will be covered by the Donald Atwood Foundation,” an Avengers spokesperson said. “Harlick Brothers have been very enthusiastic about this project and will distribute the coffee across the country.” The line of products will also include teas as well. At press time the only blend announced has been “Captain America’s Dawn’s Early Light”; a reportedly bold, but smooth blend.

March 2, 2007, Los Angeles, CA – Magic of Love for Boost?: Once again, science is proven right! At least in matters of the heart. Opposites attract has never been truer when mysterious, reclusive mystic Nightveil was seen cozying up to flamboyant superstar superhero, Boost, in a trendy LA nightspot. The couple avoided the media by simply disappearing, but by then it was too late. A press release by Boost’s publicist said the two heroes were colleagues and just good friends.
 

 March 9, 2007, Brooklyn, NJ – Seven Killed in Gang Attack: Members of the People of Brass, a fringe cult group who deify the dragon Avenger known as Abraxis, were attacked in their place of worship last night by a rival cult known as the Bone Children. Seven members were killed and 9 severely wounded. No motive is known for the attack.
 

 March 15, 2007, United Nations, New York, NY – Speculation Builds as Contest Nears End: A spokesman for the United Earth Space Agency issued a statement that the agency has been flooded with entries for the “Name the Starcraft” contest and it may be some time before they will be able to choose a winner. Several Star Trek fan clubs from around the world have submitted multiple entries to name the ship “Enterprise”, but the spokesman for the UESA doubted that they would name the ship after Captain Kirk’s worthy vessel.
 

 March 19, 2007, New York, NY – Overnight Crime Wave Stumps Police: Manhattan’s finest found themselves stretched thin last night as a rash of crimes, ranging from petty theft to attempted murder, terrified New Yorkers. Several superheroes aided in maintaining order, but the cause of the outbreak is still under investigation. A similar but smaller outbreak last month, caught authorities by surprise, but motives for that two-night crime wave are still under investigation.

 

March 30, 2007, New York, NY – (TV Guide) Avenger Flies High on ESPN: The hyperactive Avenger, Boost, is remarkably calm as he sips on his frozen latte as he’s made up for today’s taping of “Extremely Extreme”, the show reporting on some of the more dangerous extreme sports in the world. Today, the show focuses on Boost’s particular favorite, extreme grav boarding. “EGB,” he politely corrects me. “EGB is so fast, the full name is too long.”

 April 3, 2007 - Vampirella requests the aid of the Avengers in investigating the disappearance of several vampires in New York. The Avengers come into conflict with the Scions of Caine, a group of vampire hunters. It is discovered that Alfred Cavanaugh has been working with another group of vampire hunters, the Dark Hunters, to kidnap vampires so his researchers could try to find a way to extend the life of his dying wife. The Avengers and the Scions of Caine disrupt his plans and free the kidnapped vampires. Technically, Cavanaugh cannot be charged with a crime since vampires are deceased in the eyes of the law. Cavanaugh's wife is placed under Rotwang's care.

 

 April 12, 2007 - Cavanaugh's wife "dies". Unknown to anyone, Rotwang has transferred her consciousness into a robotic shell he has dubbed Futura. It is revealed that Rotwang fell in love with the dying woman and could not let her go. Futura requests that Cavanaugh not be informed of this and be allowed to believe she has died.

April 13, 2007, Newark, NJ – (Wall Street Journal) Cavenaugh Mourns Wife’s Passing: After months of battling brain cancer Maureen Cavenaugh, wife of pharmaceutical magnate Alfred Cavenaugh, died peacefully in their home on Long Island. “Mr. Cavenaugh is devastated by her passing,” said a spokesperson for AC Pharmaceuticals. “Maureen Cavenaugh was a remarkable woman, and beloved by Mr. Cavenaugh. She will be missed.” Services will be held on April 16 at Peacelawn Cemetery. The services are closed to the public.

            Alfred Cavenaugh built AC Pharmaceuticals to the nation’s second largest pharmaceuticals company, worth over 150 billion dollars. No word on whether Alfred Cavenaugh will continue to run the company he founded or step down to retirement.

April 27, 2007, New York, NY – (New York Times) Avengers Re-Open Hydrobase: The Avengers’ floating island, Hydrobase, will re-open today during a grand ceremony attended by luminaries from the worlds of politics, science, art and the media. The ceremony is open to the public but sales of tickets, with proceeds going to various New York charities, have been sold out since the first day of sales. If you can find a scalper, you can expect to pay over $3,000 dollars each! The mile long facility will be used for training meta-humans in the use of their powers as well as scientific research.
 

  April 28, 2007, New York, NY – (New York Post) Avengers Sink VIPER At Hydrobase: Forgetting the second most popular event for villains to crash (the first being a superhero wedding), the re-idolized hero team, the Avengers, went ahead and threw the most sensational party for the New York hoi polloi and the members of the fourth estate. All to show off their latest addition to their super egos; Hydrobase, a floating mountain made out a publicity mole hill that’s supposed to make us all sleep a little better in our one-room apartments. Sure, like having a target floating in the Hudson River is going to cure the paranoid insomniacs of the Big Apple and allow them to catch up on those z’s.  If you have your doubts, just recall the events of last night’s soiree. A guest list of top shelf guests arrive by boat and are treated to such an opulent spread you would think Cleopatra was expected to float up on her barge for a light snack. However, just as the festivities are about to begin, the Hydro-barge is attacked (surprise surprise) by a flotilla of VIPER boats that vomit an army of agents intent on destruction and mayhem, led by #8 on UNTIL’s most-wanted list Serpent General Cliffe Warren himself. The Avengers did what they do best and protected their assets in the showiest way they could by plowing into the VIPER agents. Fortunately, with the arrival of the mysterious Nightveil, the guests were protected from harm; something all but one of the Avengers (Royal Canadian) seemed to have forgotten. Of course, the Avengers defeated the VIPER army with SG Warren perishing in the murky depths of the Hudson River. (Hey UNTIL, you need a new #8!) And, to add insult to injury, while the “heroes” were dealing with the party crashers, noted GRAB thief, Wraith, had a field day going through the guests’ jackets, and purses, making a clean getaway. This reporter must admit, the Avengers sure do know how to liven up a party. Next year’s trendy party-wear? Kevlar tuxes and force-field evening gowns. I hear that Dr. McQuark is already working on his spring line.

May 1, 2007, Sydney Australia – (Sydney Examiner) Avengers and Crusaders Shut Down Big Al: Just hours after being found not-guilty, the Avengers and Omniman brought Big All Corsini down to size by crashing his homecoming party aboard his private yacht and saving his life from an attempted murder by the vigilante known only as Killer Queen. During the battle between the heroes, Killer Queen and Corsini’s meta-powered bodyguards Anathema and Lam Kuei, a stash of illegal weapons was found. Corsini was charged, once again, with possession of illegal weapons and numerous other offenses. While Anathema was captured, Killer Queen and Lam Kuei escaped.

May 8 2007, Newark, NJ – (Wall Street Journal) Cavenaugh Steps Down, AC Pharmaceuticals Slide: Ending weeks of speculation, Alfred Cavenaugh announced his retirement from the day-to-day operations of AC Pharmaceuticals but will retain a majority stock share on the board of directors. Despite Cavenaugh’s majority holdings, shares of AC Phamaceuticals slide 2.1% during trading immediately after the announcement.

May 10, 2007, United Nations, NY – (New York Times) UESA Announces Ship Name, Launch Date: After all the entries were collected, the UESA finally announced the name of the ST-01: the UESA Nikola Tesla. “We felt the name of the unconventional scientist fit the feeling of the ship and its mission,” a UESA spokesperson stated. “He was far ahead of his time, and very unconventional in his thinking.” During the press conference, a launch date was finally confirmed. “The ship is, essentially, ready to go for the launch date of July 4, 2007. The crew is chomping at the bit, raring to go.”

May 12, 2007, Hilo, HI – (Honolulu Times) Noted Volcanologist Missing, Search Continues: Search parties continued into the long hours of the night searching for Dr. Keilani Pukui, noted volcanologist who has been missing for the past 48 hours after going to install additional seismic sensors to monitor recent activity on Mauna Loa. “Dr. Pukui has been doing research on this part of the volcano for several months now, and we have no doubt that if she became lost she would do the sensible thing and stay put until help arrives,” said spokesman Danny Kuhane. “We anticipate we’ll find her alive and well very soon.”

May 13, 2007 - The Avengers respond when unexplained volcanic eruptions threaten the town of Hilo, Hawaii. They discover that the lost volcanologist, Dr. Keilani Pukui, has somehow been transformed into a being that can control earthquakes and volcanic activity. Calling herself Pele, she is also able to summon or create "lava men" and sends them to destroy Hilo. The Avengers defeat Pele but she manages to escape by diving into the lava flow.

October 7, 2007 - Istvatha V'han attempts to invade Earth's dimension again, but Earth is more prepared this time. Project Citadel, a plan developed by UNTIL, went into action immediately with many of Earth's super-criminals volunteering their services. The war goes on for about a month when Dr. Wu, Rashindar and several other human mystics cast a ritual that stole the power of V'han's own mystics and then used that power to disrupt the functioning of V'han's ships, weapons and other technologies. Unable to get their technology to work, the Imperial Legion fell into disarray and were defeated by Humanity's hero army. The Legion retreated through the dimensional gateway, destroying it behind them.

August 8, 2008 - The summer Olympics opens in Beijing, China.

November, 2008 - In a landslide victory, Shanna Armbruster is officially elected President of the United States.

February 9, 2009 - Brush fires in Australia claim 181 lives. Captain Australia and Omni-man lead relief and rescue efforts.

May 24, 2009 - South Korea detected an “artificial earthquake” in North Korea, a sign that the nation may have conducted a test explosion of an atomic weapon. This was later confirmed by North Korea’s Central News Agency (KCNA), which confirmed that the nation conducted its second underground nuclear test at approximately 10:00 am Monday local time (roughly 9 pm Sunday EST). The seismic activity detected was similar to the October 2006 test.

January 12, 2010 - Haiti is hit by a magnitude 7 earthquake killing over 220,000 people. The Avengers lead other superheroes in a massive rescue and relief mission.

May, 2010 - UNTIL's orbital meta-human incarceration facility officially opens.

March 12, 2011 - Tokyo (CNN) -- The morning after Japan was struck by the most powerful earthquake to hit the island nation in recorded history and the tsunami it unleashed -- and even as the earth continued to twitch with aftershocks -- the disaster's massive impact was only beginning to be revealed. Rescue efforts began with the first light as military helicopters plucked survivors from roofs and carried them to safety. The 8.9-magnitude temblor, which was centered near the east coast of Japan, killed hundreds of people, caused the formation of 30-foot walls of water that swept across rice fields, engulfed entire towns, dragged houses onto highways, and tossed cars and boats like toys. Some waves reached six miles (10 kilometers) inland in Miyagi Prefecture on Japan's east coast.

June 2011 - Two groups that support becoming part of the V'hanian Empire begin to gain popularity and support. The V'hanian Unification Movement, a loose political coalition of organizations and voters who support surrendering to V'han and petitioning to join her Empire voluntarily. They are most vocal in the United States and Europe but have strong followings in Africa, Asian and Latin America. The other is a more militant group, the V'hanian Liberation Army, a terrorist group based somewhere in central Asia or northern Africa. Their activities center on government and military installations that might oppose another V'hanian invasion.

November, 2012 - President Shanna Armbruster is re-elected by overwhelming majority. She will, by the end of her term of office, become the longest sitting President since Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

April 15, 2013 - At least three people were killed and more than 100 injured in two explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

June 17, 2014 - Colonel Mayte Sanchez is appointed Director of PRIMUS.

August 17, 2014 - Premier General Lo Fa Laotsu, self-appointed leader for life of the country of Maitong, is assassinated. Maitong, and General Laotsu specifically, had a record of human rights violations since the General came to power. No one has claimed responsibility for the assassination and investigators have no suspects.

March 25, 2015 - ELM Studios holds the world premiere of Venus Lives Tomorrow in the town of Rock Island, IL as a charity event for the areas hit by devastating floods. While there, the Avengers uncover a VIPER operation designed to "legitimize" VIPER as a helpful, friendly organization. They discover VIPER is actually using their new image to create stockpiles of weapons and vehicles placed throughout the Mid-West. It is also revealed that Serpent General Warren Cliffe actually survived the attack on Hydrobase, but needed extensive cyborg implants. VIPER's plan is shut down, but a large shipment of vehicles that was on the way was re-routed and disappeared.

August 5, 2016 - The Olympic Games open in Rio De Janeiro, the first held in South America.