ATOMIC HIGHWAY DARK FUTURE

broken Hearts
A Little History
Broken Hearts is a non-campaign scenario set in the Wisconsin City of Milwaukee, for starting PCs.

Optional Encounter
Before starting their raid on to Junglemans, The PCs may decide to investigate the Vulture TV telecast, by checking up with the Station who made it. MKTV operate out of a small office in Milwaukees downtown, under the protection of the government PolicedZone. The features editor, an overweight Hispanic male calling himself Gezro, can offer a few details about Junglemans and Jason, although nothing that the PCs could not gain through gossip. However, if the PCs let him know of their intent to kill Jason, he will offer $5,000 if they take a video camera along and film the fight for him. The Maniax bar Junglemans stands in the Wanderers Rest Cemetery, and has been converted over the years in a veritable stronghold. At night, cykegangers from all over the region gather here to drink and listen to Christian Heavy Metal, while during the day fifty or so local Maniax lounge around the building, watching chips, shooting pool and sleeping. At the back of the bar is a courtyard, walled of by a reinforced steel fence. Within the courtyard is a toxic pool of pollution they built to contain Jason, who the local Grand Warthog shipped in from Florida. Of course, the Maniax are not going to just allow a bunch of Sanctioned Operatives to waltz into their Bar and kill their pet killer-cyborg, so stealth or subtlety must be employed. Sneaking: One simple, if dangerous way to get access to the pool which holds Jason, is simply to try and sneak into the compound, past any Maniax present. This is best done around midmorning, when most Maniax are still sleeping off the night before. While Junglemans stands at the front of the pool, a reinforced steel barrier erected in the graveyard protects the other three sides. The steep sides and barbed wire topping require an Extreme Muscle/Athletics roll to climb over. Of course, this option does mean they will have to kill Jason either quickly or quietly, before the Maniax wake up and open fire from the building. Impersonation: The Maniax are the largest Gangcult in America, with over eighteen chapters in the Milwaukee region alone, and pretending to be a bunch of Maniax or another Maniax affiliated gang is

In Milwaukee, a group of Maniax have come up with a new and interesting way of disposing of their victims, throwing them into a large pool of pollution within lurks a psychopathic monster named Jason. This multi-limbed terror then rips the sacrifice to bits, in a celebration of torture that can last for hours. Recently, the Maniax caught a MarrCo businessman named Hugo Dundulis on his way between Milwaukee and Chicago, and sacrificed him to Jason as part of a Vulture TV telecast. Hugos widow watched his execution, and now she is after Jasons blood. The PCs are asked to meet Ms Dundulis at the Pilgrim Baptist Church of South Chicago, located in the MarrCo PolicedZone. This PolicedZone lies on the Interstate 90 as it passes through the city, overlooking the Michigan Salt Flats. Ms Dundulis is a woman in her 40s, dressed in a white suit that does not flatter her figure. Her manner is businesslike but brittle, as she strives to contain her grief. She will show the PCs a recording of the Vulture TV broadcast on chip, and explain that she wants the creature that killed her husband dead. She is prepared to offer a $20,000 bounty. Jason is a Donovan, a human brain inserted into a cyborg body, in Jasons case this takes the form of a vaguely squid like robot, which was designed for undersea warfare against the Central American Confederation. Donovan cyborgs once were a popular part of many military forces, as it was believed that a human brain would be quicker and easier to train to any computer. However, there were multiple cases of psychological problems caused by the treatment, and even the Israelis, the most enthusiastic uses of Donovan treatment, stopped created Donovan cyborgs in 1993. In Jasons case, the lack of sensory stimulus and years traversing the polluted waters of the Gulf of Mexico have sent him utterly insane and even the Maniax at Junglemans regard him as dangerously unpredictable. Any character watching the Vulture TV telecast of Hugo Dundulis death can make an Understanding/Lore roll to identify Jasons nature.

Vulture TV

Setup

Act One

Jason and his Multi-legged Dream Suit

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Atomic Highway - Broken Hearts

possible with the right clothing. The Criminal skill will allow the PCs to make the correct signs, while the Persuade or Intimidate skill may mean they do not have too. Distraction: PCs with contacts in a gang opposed to the Maniax, such as the Knights of Illinois, Voodoo Brotherhood or Spiders from Mars, may want them to lure the Maniax away for a gang fight so that the PCs can find Jason undisturbed. While this will work, the gang they hire is sure to ask a high barter price in exchange for taking on a Gangcult that clearly outnumbers them. More risky, they could try to get the Maniax to leave making Junglemans seems dangerous, perhaps ringing in a bomb threat or setting it on fire. Accusation: Really savvy PCs might try and convinces the Maniax to do their job for them, perhaps by persuading the local Grand Warthog that Jason has somehow betrayed him. The likelihood of success would depend on what evidence the PCs could fabricate, but if done convincingly, this would be a safe and sneaky way to complete the contract. Overkill: There is always the possibility of simply hitting the pool with some heavy ordinance, as it is in an open location. Some sort of mortar or trebuchet probably would make the most sense. The pool will increase the difficulty of such attacks by two unless the PCs get hold appropriate depth charges, which will function normally. However, the cost of such a setup should be well in excess of the bounty offered. Assuming the PCs get rid past the Maniax, then beating Jason in combat is hardly an easy task; with a protection rating of 14, he is immune to anything lighter than heavy ordinance or explosives. Even if the PCs are packing Rocket Launchers, the fact that he makes his lair at the bottom of a tank of polluted water makes getting a clear shot unlikely. While the Maniax avoid Jasons pool when there not sacrificing people to him, they are still going to respond if they hear sounds of fighting. Assuming the PCs did not get them to evacuate the building. Ms Dundulis will authorise the $20,000 bounty payment as soon as the PCs report that they have killed Jason. She will not ask for proof, but if she finds out the PCs have double-crossed her (by saying they have killed Jason when they have not) then she will post a $6,000 Bounty on each PC. If the PCs film themselves killing Jason for MKTV, they can sell the film for the payment offered, they will also gain a point of Kudos each when the MKTV broadcasts the film. However, this film of the PCs exploits will anger the Maniax, who will undoubtedly seek revenge. Jason looks somewhat like a 4-foot long robotic squid, with six flexible arms trailing from a streamlined body, which contains his brain and propulsion system. Each arm ends in a multipurpose claw, strong enough to rip through a ships hull. As a Donovan, Jason has more in common with an android than a human. He does not need to eat or drink, as his cyborg body creates nutrients from sunlight. He does need oxygen however, and must sleep as a human. Further, Jasons body is not designed to operate out of water, and he is almost immobile when floundered. Muscle 6 Understanding 3 Tenacity 2 Appeal 2 Nimbleness 3 Toughness 5 Senses 4 Skills: Athletics 1/6 (Swimming), Boat 2, Brawl 4, Intimidate 4, Lore 2, Melee 4, Notice 2, Stealth 2, Tech 2 Attacks: Claws (7L) / Armour: 14 / Health: 39 Mutations/Abilities: Amphibious, Echolocation, Elongate*, Enduring, Hard Gill*, Hypermobile, Natural Weapon *Denotes an Ability or Flaw from Irradiated Freaks

Jason the Donovan

Act Two

Conclusion

Written by Alexander J Bateman Atomic Highway by Colin Chapman Dark Future by Richard Halliwell and Mark Gascoigne Based on ideas by Jack Yeovil Playtested by James Day, Sarah McClennan, Dave Perry and Ian Wilson Atomic Highway Copyright Radioactive Ape Designs. Dark Future Copyright Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2011, variably registered in the UK and other countries around the world. Atomic Highway and Dark Future used without permission. No challenge to their status intended. All Rights Reserved to their respective owners.

Credits

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