Heroes on film : The hunt

[Ves]

(( As Cy's been busy recently hunting for stolen footage of a small group of heroes (you know who you are), and since I've not written anything for a while (prolly a good thing, I do tend to create grammatical nightmares through sleep deprivation) I decided that instead of just PMing a list of things Cy'd investigate, I'd not sleep and churn out more 'fiction' of sorts. Anyways, here goes... (PS, thankies Teh May!! as your recent story posts kinda encouraged me to post something) ))

Port Oakes : 9am : EA Head office

Max sighed resignedly, having just slumped onto the sofa to join Matt and Chris when the door swung open and Cy swept in with her coat-tails flapping in her wake and the usual barrage of early morning instructions hot on their heels…

“My office, five minutes. I want progress reports, a fresh pack of smokes, and a black coffee with four sugars and a triple Jack thrown in. Get on it guys, busy day ahead.”

***

Cy slurped noisily at her coffee, purring quietly as the added alcohol warmed her more thoroughly that the hot drink it was mixed with, while flipping carefully through the file of notes Max had handed her “So, what’ve we got to go on so far? From the look of these notes, pretty much nothing. Not gonna go ruining my entire day with bad news this early are ya boys?”

“Well, to be honest Cy, it’s not like we’ve had much to go on from the start really. I mean, everyone we’ve had words with is either totally clueless or they’re so freakin’ scared of whoever’s behind this that they’d really rather not even think about it.“ muttered Chris, paling slightly as he adds “Not even Narci’s been able to get anyone to talk and you know how persistent she is”

“I don’t want excuses, it’s not what I pay you for. Granted there’s not a lot to work with, but you’re supposed to be good, deal with it.”

Coughing to disrupt the souring mood and drag Cy’s attention from the twitchy pyre’ by the door, Max offered over another file “Apart from the manner they were killed the connections between any of the people on that list were nothing major really. Scattered around some of the local players, Longbow, Too and a couple of Archons members so nothing strange there if you assume whoever this is wants to keep up with the game around here. One thing that does turn up a few times though is that guy”

“This ‘Dr Syn’ guy y’mean?” muttered Cy as she lit herself a cig and took a slow pull as she scanned down the hastily gathered notes before her “Hold on… Am I reading this right? We’re up against some reprobate from nineteenth century literature? Do I look like I’m in the mood for jokes?”

“Or a copy-cat style head case. Not like they’d be the first.”

“Fair enough… So, I’m assuming you’ve got something to maybe back this theory up? Please note, saying no might not be the best course of action.”

“Well, kinda. We’ve not had chance to take too deep a look into the character yet, but so far we’ve got the assassinations suiting the source material pretty well. Seems this Syn dude liked to keep a bunch of pet ninja around, and they liked to stab things with either single or dual bladed weapons. And then there’s something me and Scarpa were discussing a few days ago.”

Arching an eyebrow slightly, Cy closed the file and listened carefully “Enlighten me…” shooting a mild glare over at Chris “Nice to see some of you using a little initiative and thinking about things yourself”

“Well, we kinda thought it was strange that whoever’s gotten that tape now ain’t made no demands or tried doing anything with it yet. The longer they leave it, the more chance the folks in the footage will have counter measures in place to deal with the media fallout or blackmail. Hell us working on this kinda proves that. Anyway, we got to thinking that maybe whatever the deal was with this guy is personal, like some kinda rivalry type thing. Once we came up with this Syn guy I thought that there might be a chance, slim as it may be, that the Dr Syn we’re looking for might be reproducing the methods in the books.”

“Not a bad point, and you’re right about the demands thing. That’s been bugging me a little to be honest but it does make it seem more of a personal matter than a business one.”

“And to cap it off, if you open that file and read it through it does say that the books are thought to contain at least an element of truth. Seems the hero of the books was either a real guy who’s adventures were exaggerated for entertainment or maybe the author heard rumours about him and wrote them down to pass off as his own work. This Sebastian Swashbuckle guy is actually said to have existed, and if that’s the case then maybe so did his real ‘Dr Syn’ and what we’re dealing with is an ancient family rivalry that’s been passed on through generations or something?”

“That’s a little off the wall, but it’s as good a direction as any we’ve got at the moment… Okay Max, I want you, Matt and Chris here to run with this. I don’t care what you have to do to get ‘em but find those stories, analyze the hell out of ‘em, and find me anywhere or anything that might help us nail this guy. If he uses a common hideout type, uniforms for his staff, transport system or whatever, I want to know about it and if there’s been any connected activity recently that might help.”

The men nodded, Matt smirking slightly due to the relative safety of their mission compared to the usual type, before all three spoke in chorus “On it Boss.” and filed out.

Lifting her feet up onto her desk and leaning back in her chair Cy lit another cigarette and grinned, giggling softly to herself “Never a dull moment… No place like home.”


(( And the last OOC bit for Swash...

Basically, any recurring themes through the books would be greatly appreciated. Uniform details of Dr Syn's typical henchmen and assassins. Commanly used hideout property types (waterfront places? Hidden, isolated lairs, that kinda thing) and a description of Syn himself.

Thankies in advance for any info provided matey ))

[Phoenix]

hey, I inspired something other than the usual apathy/annoyance/hate (delete as appropriate!). yay!

Also, good. very well-written and whatnot! write more. MOAR! *cracks whip*

[Josh Stormfall]

((Great bit of prose sir! ))
((In an attempt to give some clues and through your wonderful inspiration, here is an excerpt from one of the many Sebastian Swashbuckle novellas))

The Adventures of Sebastian Swashbuckle
The case of the broken pipe
Circa 1882

Sebastian kept to the shadows, his well placed steps barely noticeable over the gentle waves licking against the barnacled jetties and the salty rope creaking as they stretched and twisted as the cargo boats strained against their moorings. His instincts told him Dr Syn would be here. Close to the trafficking of mysterious trinkets from the Africas and the Far East, closer still to the opium dens, their poison rumoured to be the doctors only vice. With so many knotted passageways and vessels the rogue would have access to any number of escape routes.
His reactions, sharpened through years of fighting, saved his as Sebastian dived and rolled as the blade sliced through the air inches above him. He came up drawing his sword from his trusty cane, cursing himself for loosing himself in thought and not noticing the danger before. Some distance away stood the lady Myn Wei, the deadliest of the Doctors assassins.
“You will inconvenience the master no longer”, she spoke as she advanced.

[Josh Stormfall]

((It’s a lot to read, but hope it helps with the plottage. Let me know if anything is done to follow up on this and I’ll try to create a much briefer response))

Taken from “Villains of the Victorian age”
by Professor B Roberts
First published Oxford press 1989

Along with Sweeny Todd and Varney the Vampire the penny dreadful also brought us the character of Sebastian Swashbuckle. A precursor to Sherlock Holms (fp 1887) and a Sexton Blake (fp 1893) “The Adventures of Sebastian Swashbuckle” (fp 1879) began as an unsubtle, much less bohemian, boy’s adventure yarns following the exploits of the gentleman adventurer Sebastian Swashbuckle. Although early stories consisted of simple plots involving fisticuffs with “brutish thugs” and blackmailers, the series became more intricately plotted with more outlandish and memorable villains. The change was notable after 1881 when the publisher, Sangster press, promoted the idea of the stories being based on a real events and people, although this would have been pure make-believe to promote the stories the character did take on additional traits and his signature sword stick. Alongside the usual thugs new recurring villains began to appear; The Skull, a shady aristocrat who took to wearing a skull shaped mask to hide his identity, and was later revealed to be Sebastian’s younger brother Silas; Madam Lorenzo, the seductive blackmailer; and Dr Syn, and Oriental master criminal and a forerunner to Sax Rohmer’s Fu Manchu (fp 1913).

Not to be confused with the Doctor Christopher Syn aka the scarecrow of Romney Marsh (fp 1915) from the novels of Russell Thornd**e, Swashbuckle’s Dr Syn was most definitely a reaction to the public’s fear and love of the unknown. Mysteries from the Orient and Africa were rife, described in many popular tales of the time as untamed mystical countries, a prime example being W. W. Jacobs “The Monkeys Paw” (fp 1902). Popular entertainment called for 'spectacles' where paranormal events, such as hypnotism, communication with the dead (by way of mediumship or channelling), ghost conjuring and the like, were carried out to the delight of crowds and participants. This would have no doubt been the influence of Doctor Syn’s “piercing gaze no mortal man nor woman could resist, the frozen victim falling unto his unholy thrall” and his uncanny ability to predict the near future and see into the hearts of men through “communion most unsavory”.

This Ability to hold people in thrall was the explanation for the unswerving loyalty of his Thuggee, ninja and harem in his first appearance “The discolored earth”. Although Fu Manchu would later use these minions to greater effect, Dr Syn was notable for his use of deadly female assassins. In “The discolored earth” it was his control over Lady Elizabeth that turned her into the unknowing killer. By his second appearance in “The golden smoke” he employed the lady Myn Wei to handle many brutal killings, ending in her death in “The case of the broken pipe“. Syn returned in his fourth outing “The missing harbinger” with a new chief assassin in the form of Lyn Chang Yen. Both Lyn Chang Yen and Myn Wei were young women he had plucked from the streets and trained them to become masters of the blade, his manner with them bringing a kinship similar to a father and daughter relationship. Interestingly for the period, these women stood out as literary villains as being skilled warriors rather than the usual female role of seductress. Unlike the male employees of Dr Syn, these women had their own free will, Lyn Chang Yen even freelancing for the chief villain in “The rogue warlord”, Sergeant-Major Wells.

Popular stories of the day also linked the opium trade with the Chinese, although unfairly so. Victorian London's reputation as a center of opium smoking is quite unjustified, and testifies to the power of literary fiction over historical fact. The London press, along with popular British authors of the day, were fond of portraying London's Limehouse district as an opium-drenched pit of danger and mystery. In fact, London's Chinese population never exceeded the low hundreds, yet upon this tiny community was heaped notoriety for opium-induced sordidness and debauchery, the sole intent of which was to titillate and shock British readers.
Doctor Syn was no exception to this literary precedent and was documented to run a number of opium dens and was considered an addict of the substance. In “The case of the waxwork head” it was suggested that opium was the source from where Doctor Syn drew his mystical powers. It was in “The case of the broken pipe” that the smoke from the opium den allowed Dr Syn to escape capture as Sebastian Swashbuckle fell to the “nightmarish visions”. However it was also Dr Syn’s weakness as Sebastian would regularly trace Syn’s hideout by following the supply of the drug. In “The missing harbinger” Syn was almost defeated when his opium was mixed with poisons.

The final Sebastian Swashbuckle story “The man with a thousand faces” finds the hero on the trail of a killer not dissimilar in method to the notorious Jack the Ripper, first published in 1889 one year after the famous killings, this was most likely a reaction to the real life events. In an unusual twist for a popular series the hero was defeated when his two arch nemesis’ Doctor Syn and The Skull join forces to trap Sebastian between two magic mirrors, binding him in a magical stasis for eternity. The defeat of an established hero and an escape without punishment for the villains was not only a very downbeat ending it was very uncommon throughout literature of the time and even now. This was no doubt a reaction to the notoriety of the unsolved Ripper murders.

Even at the time of publication, there were objections to the "negative stereotyping" involved in the Dr Syn character. More recent admirers of the stories have claimed that Dr Syn should not in fact be seen as specifically Chinese but as a pure creation, with no real world referents at all. Scholars however, contend that the character is built upon a well known structure of "racist and imperialist assumptions" about Chinese, and "catered to the racist and sensationalistic proclivities of his intended audience", though perhaps he should be viewed as a more nuanced portrayal than simply a soulless stereotype.

The character of Doctor Syn and later the much more regarded Fu Manchu which we explore later in this chapter became stereotypes often associated with the Yellow Peril. Inspiring numerous other characters, becoming the model for most villains in later "Yellow Peril" thrillers. Examples include Pao Tcheou, Dr. Azimn, , Ming the Merciless from Flash Gordon, James Bond adversary Dr. No, Dr. Yen-Lo from The Manchurian Candidate, Marvel comics foes the Mandarin and the Yellow Claw, DC Comics' Râ's al Ghûl, and Wo Fat from the CBS tv series Hawaii Five-O.

[Josh Stormfall]

Tuesday 21st October 2008

Josh took a deep breath and started to clear his mind, if his sister sensed his plan to rescue her from the creature she shared a mind with he was dead, not sent to hospital dead, just plain old dead. He replaced the thoughts with images that came to easily to mind; Britney’s latest video, Sam just after she took flight, Ty, Chlorr, Ty and Chlorr, for that matter Ty and Sam and Chlorr and Britney, the show ratings were dropping, focus, focus, you’re in danger you jerk, your friends or family might be in danger.
Today he had a different need, he needed to protect his sister.

He pulled his arm back ready to knock on the door, before he could, it opened without a sound.

“Brother, do come in”, Riktau’s voice whispered from within the darkened room, the only light emanating from her eyes and golden carapace like armour, “You seem frightened, should you be?”

Josh stepped through the door, it closed behind him, leaving him surrounded by darkness, he resisted the urge to flare up and light the place, “Sonia, someone may want to kill us.”

The whispered reply came back, “Sonia isn’t here, give me my proper name.”

“Someone may want to kill us.”

“Nothing is new in this.”

“No, I mean someone may want to kill Josh and Sonia, not the Riktus, do you have access to Sonia’s memories?”

“Of course, though I’ve been playing with them, so they are a little… confused”

Josh felt his jaw tighten as he focused on the two flaming eyes of his sister in front of him, “I don’t remember much about our,” he corrected himself, “Josh and Sonia’s family. I know Mother and Father and Grandfather Fall, but I need to know more.”

“Why”

“Someone thinks there may be a family grudge, someone called Doctor Syn, dating back to England in the 1880’s, some kind of vendetta against a victorian gentleman hero or something”

Riktau’s eyes dimmed for a moment, Josh knew she was focusing her attentions away from him and into Sonia’s mind, or at least what was left of it, how could he have let her down like that, another screw up of his, another thing he had to put right. Her eyes lit up once more staring right back into his. Was she in his head, reading his mind?

“Nothing”, she whispered, “as far as Sonia knows, there is no history of any great uncle, great grandfather or anyone else that fits the description. She thinks the family dates back to Canada until the early 1800’s.” Riktau gave a broad smile showing her teeth “I guess you’re safe for now.”

Josh absorbed the information, it looked like Cy was wrong, at least about him, he should check with the others though. The door opened behind him and light seeped into the room, he chose not to look at the walls or floor as he left.

“Thank you sister”

“Goodbye brother, do come again”, his sisters voice whispered after him.