http://gk1943.proboards86.com/ - Yes, that's a fucking forum!

 

Prelude

 

Joe Thompson, once known as Anvil, sat by the bed in the medical wing. Laying on the bed was a man... no, a form of a man, a black amorphous field. Once, Joe had been that form, and the body he was in now, his own body, had been the comatose one. It was all very convoluted, and involved things like time travel.

 

The short of it was, they found Joe's body on an island... well, found wasn't the right word. It was given to him, as a reward for his good behavior. By a sentient interdimensional portal. The very same portal that he'd been trapped inside for years, and ended up being transformed into that very same form of amorphous black energy by.

 

After getting his original body back to Gotham, the doctors had run a battery of tests, and determined that the body was indeed of one Joseph Delroy Thompson. Which led Anvil to question who he was - if that body was Joe, and all this while he'd believed that he was Joe...

 

The doctors kept running tests, as did scientists who were studying Anvil, trying to see if there was some link between the two - the only link they could detect was that the human Joe's body was being kept alive by the proximity of Anvil's form. When Anvil left on a mission, the body needed life support if too much time went by. When Anvil was on the island, brainwave activity increased... and at night, Joe dreamt, while Anvil slumbered peacefully.

 

It took the uncommon wisdom of the Amazonian, Atalanta, for things to change. She said, one day, in combat practice, "You should just accept him? You are Joseph, as he is Anvil. Two sides to the same coin, as people say."

 

And it really was just that simple. He sat down next to the body, took his hand in his black hand, and said, "I accept you. We are one," and though he felt stupid doing so, he didn't have time to get all uptight over it.

 

The next thing he knew, Shayne (aka Copy Cat) was gasping in surprise, and he was looking up at her from the bed. Sitting next to him was a black form, still and immobile.

 

Since that day, 'Anvil' had not moved from the bed they put him in. There were no biological signs of life, but there never had been when he was in Anvil's body... but there was no sentience behind the body this time.

 

"Joseph," came a voice over his shoulder, snapping him from his recollections. He didn't need to look to see who it was; it was Atalanta, of course. He smiled; she was the one person here who he respected... and even feared. Not counting PM Wayne, of course. Everyone was afraid of Wayne... except for Atalanta, perhaps.

 

Atalanta was tall, well over six feet in height, and impressive. She wasn't beautiful, but she was pretty in an exotic fashion. Her strong features were, as usual, hiding whatever she was feeling. Her eyes burned brightly, and he could tell she was upset he was leaving.

 

They were leaving. Shayne was coming with him, there was no way to stop that. Joe didn't have a place here, not any more - he couldn't be part of the team any more. As Anvil, he was the most physically powerful member of the team. As Joe, he was just a street-smart thug. No super-powers, no James Bond style skills. He wasn't about to go the Lucas Luthor route and undergo experiments to trigger his metagene, so he had to go.

 

Joseph smiled, and stood up. "Hey, 'lanta," he nodded, "thanks fer comin' by. I wanted ta show ya somethin'." The Amazonian's only response was a singular brow quirking slightly.

 

"See, dat girl Fayte... the witchy one? She's been workin' wit me, tryin' ta teach me how ta project my awareness inta.... him." He gestured feebly at the body - to this day he was still unsure how to address the form. He was Joe... but he had also been Anvil. To call that form, that energy Anvil... wasn't true.

 

Atalanta nodded, and waited for Joseph to continue, so he did. "So, anyhow, I remembered dat ya wuz pretty upset over dat whole thing wit yer mom... so I thought ya might wanna see dis."

 

Joe sat down again, and took the hand of 'Anvil' in his. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Time went by, and it seemed like forever, but nothing happened. Then, something rippled. In the middle of Anvil's chest, the black field moved. Shifted.

 

An image appeared. Galatea, the mother of Atalanta, stood there, noble and beautiful in her armour (the same armour Atalanta wore in battle).

 

And she wasn't alone...

 

*****

 

Gotham Knights: 1943

is a 'miniseries' adventure - a single story, set in the greater universe of the DC Comics Universe, and specifically, that of the GK:2043 storyline.

 

The DC Heroes RPG, 3rd Edition (with some tweaks and house rules, but not many) will be the System used for the game.

 

The Roster-1943 page lists the heroes who make up the team, as well as their support staff.