#259 – Fade to Black – An assailant attacks Infiltrator and absorbs power from him.  The Vai'Kesh attempt to frame the Guardians over a period of several days; Paradigm is alleged to have gunned down a drug dealer in N.Y.C., Majestic and Neutron are accused of killing a Tong leader at a club in L.A., and Typhon and Kubera are blamed for downing a charter plane in Miami and killing the terrorists aboard.  Even though evidence absolves the heroes in each case, Senators Robert Kinsey and Jim Webb call for paranormal oversight by the National Investigations Department (N.I.D.), a civilian-run watchdog group.  Moonfang, Compass, and Infiltrator are made full-time Guardians.  Intel from A.R.T. confirms that three systems have fallen to the Vai'Kesh.  An imposter of Infiltrator drives Geoffrey Wills to a lunch meeting with Nick Black, CEO of Obsidian Enterprises (a.k.a. Mr. Black of the N.I.D.), who reveals a flaw in one of Lockheed's aircraft.  Black wants a partnership between Obsidian and Wills Aerospace to exploit the defect and gain a government contract; he also invites Wills to join 'the Trust' (the board of the N.I.D.).  The false Infiltrator touches Wills, absorbing Neutron's knowledge and memories.  In the early morning, the entire northeastern U.S. loses all power and communications, including all back-ups and batteries.  The fake Infiltrator enters the Guardians' base and disables the Leech-monitoring device, while lower in the facility Compass, Araneae, Moonfang, and Titan fumble about in the darkness; simultaneously across town mayor Adrian Fenty is abducted from his home.  Dreamer, Paradigm, Neutron, and Kubera race to the base, and a short time later the Infiltrator duplicate and a black robed figure kidnap Coral Snake from Neutron's residence; clues from both locations reveal that it was not the real Infiltrator.  After 15 minutes of darkness, all power is restored, and it is discovered that the Chaos Scourge escaped from the Elderess during the blackout.

#261 – Downfall – Paradigm and Kubera study Leech's former implant by hooking it up to a laptop, but quickly disable everything when nanites multiply and take over all systems!  Dreamer and Compass meet with the imprisoned Lynx; she claims to be an unwitting agent of the Vai'Kesh who permanently exchanged superpowers with Infiltrator.  She doesn't trust her C.H.E.S.S. captors, and convinces the Guardians to lessen surveillance in order to share sensitive data with them.  The heroes work with C.H.E.S.S and acquiesce to Lynx's requests, and she shares that many high ranking U.S. officials have been replaced by Vai'Kesh doppelgangers; these include C.I.A. boss Michael Hayden, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine General Peter Pace, and N.I.D. leader Nick Black.  The champions strategize with the Queen, then take Lynx into their own custody.  Compass hypnotizes Leech, and they learn that the Vai'Kesh plot is being coordinated by the Melding, the merged combination of Brainmelt and an alien Nemesis droid.  Suspicions fall on a blackout area surrounding a mountain range in northeast Iraq, so the group decides to thwart the Vai'Kesh with a multi-pronged approach.  The Star Guardian sends a global dampening signal, as well as an electronic broadcast essentially shutting down all implants; A.R.T., Neutron, and other interstellar heroes tackle the far away systems controlled by the aliens; C.H.E.S.S. forces discreetly round up the impersonators; Kubera, Compass, Dreamer, Paradigm, and Leech invade 'the Ship' (the mountain stronghold).  Overwhelmed on many fronts, the Vai'Kesh forces are battered and confused, and most of the Leech clones, which make up the bulk of their forces, turn on each other.  Inside the mountain, the heroes take down three of the four-headed beast from Compass' dream: Shadowfist (William Jensen), Doc (Adam Snyder), and Devoted (Javed Ahmed Ghamidi), as well as Jensen's crony, Commando.  The real officials are rescued, but the Melding (the mysterious fourth head) gets away.  In a distant system, the Vai'Kesh fleet collapses a planet to create a black hole/supergate, which they then flee through and collapse behind them.

#263 – Larcenous Rumors – One after another Guardians Compass, Paradigm, Dreamer, Leech, Mischief, Kubera, and Scion are called to bank robberies in progress around the D.C. area involving paranormals.  Each occurs at a different bank, the color scheme of the matching bandits is changed, and their weaponry is continually more potent.  Dreamer is injured in an early skirmish, but the remaining heroes take down the robbers and rescue hostages at each location, then are immediately called to the next attack before they can catch their breath.  Eventually Paradigm follows one group of thieves into Virginia, while the others, joined by Neutron, take down the final band of thugs.  From a secret location, Dr. Destroyer gloats about his manipulation of the team and expresses interest in being joined by his daughter, Mischief.

#265 – Dinosaurs - Obsidian Enterprises and General Dynamics close major deals in the U.S. and abroad, and money is funneled to Swiss bank accounts.  The C.I.A. removes Lynx from custody for national security reasons.  Neutron discovers business concerns at Wills Aerospace, and the Guardians' attempt to claim a European island falls through.  Mischief learns that she is pregnant.  Following an incredible discovery, geologist Carl Spielman contacts his old friend Peregrine, who in turn alerts the Guardians.  Scion, Leech, Phase, and Peregrine journey to Montana, where they learn that dinosaurs seem to have remarkably emerged after a cave-in.  One of Spielman's students was gutted by the predators, which archaeology major Lance Trainer identifies as Deinonychus from the early Cretaceous.  The four heroes stop some of the beasts at a nearby farm, then rescue victims in the woods and dispatch more of the prehistoric creatures with the assistance of Trainer, instructor Alexander Patterson, and local crackpot Abner Lill.  Patterson and Lill accompany the team in the Guardian Angel to Bozeman, where the Lizard King utilizes more of the reptiles to assist him in robbing First National Bank.  The assembled vigilantes go on the offensive, neutralize the threat, and rescue many hostages, but the villain momentarily mesmerizes Leech and slips away.

#267 – Setup Message – Kubera wisely recognizes that the Guardians' enemies have been keeping them busy with distractions; he also points out recent dangers with Leech and the need for tactics and strategy.  Neutron calls a team meeting and is joined by Compass, Phase, Kubera, and Scion.  They discuss Leech, review their enemies, and assign Delphi to do research on criminal groups.  Afterwards Leech is encouraged to be a team player and follow instructions.  With an emergency session, Congress passes a law declaring Jurisdictional Privilege, granting U.S. law enforcement authority on American soil over all foreign or international agencies (including C.H.E.S.S. and the Guardians).  It is alleged that $2.5 million paid to Snowstorm came from the Palladium Corporation, a company owned by team attorney Andrew Thornton.  The lawyer is taken in by the C.I.A., who wishes to speak to Geoffrey Wills as well due to implications against Wills Aerospace.  The heroes learn that Antarctica has been scanned frequently over the last several months, and that the blockage on their purchase of a European island was illegal.  C.H.E.S.S. files an injunction to suspend the new law, but the Guardians begin unloading secure items from their base into the Guardian Angel anyway.  Following clues, Neutron flies the team to Europe, confronting Leech en route about the new armor and technology he bears.  After hacking a Palladium office computer in Carlisle, England, the trail leads back to New York, but the group stops at Leech's D.C. apartment first after he reveals that Nemo recently contacted him via email.  Leech denies knowledge of a softball-sized mechanical ball found there, but the others don't believe him.  After further confrontation, the team takes the ball and cuts ties with him again.  They travel to an office in Brooklyn and confront Jovia and three thugs, who are remotely killed by Nemo after a message via a different silver ball.  Four satchels with $1 million each are recovered, and Neutron uses his vast intellect to deduce that Nemo might be Mindbender.

#269 – Blind Spot – Mischief steps in to lead the investigation.  Scion spies on Gantry's sister Deborah McDonald in Ohio.  Vampire's lieutenant Viper and ghost-like agents ambush and knock out Compass before he can corral the man he'd dropped.  The other heroes track Compass' cell phone to a false location outside the city; nearby, undercover F.B.I. agent NaPali witnesses the captive hero brought in by Viper and his gang.  The order is given to execute Compass, so NaPali breaks cover and calls for backup.  The Guardians intercept the transmission and Mischief and Battletron rush in to help the agent take down many ordinary criminals and an undead foreman; Viper flees.  The team studies files on the Alliance, who seem to be using large Caucasian males for their augmented subjects.  The trail of Gantry leads from Buffalo veterinarian Jim Strong to a city library to Metro Transit in D.C., where the fugitive seems to move past enemy forces unobserved.  Clues indicate he will be meeting with I.R.S. fraud division head Marge Smith, so the Guardians set up in advance.  Outside the I.R.S. building Mischief faces off with a disguised Sting, who seems content to neutralize her and keep her from the fight.  Simultaneously, three heightened brutes attack Gantry in the underground parking garage as he goes to meet with Smith.  Gantry is seriously wounded, but Mischief leaves Sting to police and races Gantry to safety behind a security door while Scion, Battletron, and Compass pulverize the villains in battle.  Viper observes and then escapes, as does Sting upstairs.  Battletron surgically removes Gantry's infected hand, and the group learns that the man has the psionic ability to deflect attention and hide in plain sight.

#271 – The Land Behind the Curtain – Neutron turns temporary leadership of the group over to Quiasar.  The team discusses expanding to multiple units, encompassing many nations, and having an interstellar presence.  A simultaneous cosmic event and lightning strike miniaturizes the entire town of Century City in southeastern Minnesota.  A recipient of abilities from the event, ozone researcher Thorian Stormgarde, wonders if he is to blame, and local mentalist Marion Henderson capitalizes on it and stirs up accusations from his colleagues.  The government places a force field bubble over the area and begins monitoring the situation.  When a miniaturized C.H.E.S.S. team disappears, Archbishop Zhi Ling (formerly Lin Pei) calls in the Guardians; Micron shrinks Quiasar, Mischief, Scion, Phase, and Battletron down to an inch tall with the Electrochemical Expotentializer for a rescue and investigation mission.  They check out the location of the lightning strike, Century City University, then rush to stop emergencies around town.  First they restrain strangely behaving youth rioting at a Wal-Mart, where they chase and meet Stormgarde.  He joins the group as it races to an aircraft hanger, rescues innocent civilians, and takes down a deadly gigantic cat that made it into the township before the bubble went up.  The missing agents are found and change back to regular size.  Clues lead to swanky condominiums, where the heroes easily defeat Henderson and her criminal assistant Marlon Grachiowski.  The team reverts to normal, but all inhabitants of the town, including their new ally and the criminals, appear to be permanently changed on a quantum level.  Stormgarde decides to use the moniker Oz, while the captured Henderson chooses the name Marionette.

#273 – Encroachment – Precious gems and metals are stolen in raids all over the country; the Guardians suspect the Pentacle suite of the Tarot Masters and, based on the shape of a pentacle, ascertain the next strike will be in Alaska.  Kubera, Phase, Compass, Battletron, Quiasar, and Scion fly in the Guardian Angel to Barrow, where they find a Page, many soldiers, and three large, powerful saber-toothed cats raiding an unmarked warehouse of raw diamonds.  The team dispatches the thieves before they are able to escape through a dimensional gateway back to Viné.  During the skirmish, Phase commandeers and rides one of the felines, which she later decides to keep as a pet.  The Alyeska Pipeline Service Company (TAPS), owned by a consortium of oil companies, donates $50 million to the Guardians, but asks them to keep the location of the diamond strike secret.  Dr. Mercury is made King of C.H.E.S.S.

#275 – Vendetta – The Guardians are called to a hostage incident at the same Mormon temple in Boston.  Jerry Hammond flies Quiasar, Kubera, Scion, and Compass in the Guardian Angel to the scene, where police and S.W.A.T. are mobilized.  Brainwave kills hostages at regular intervals and demands $10 million.  Mindbender leads arriving C.H.E.S.S. forces as the heroes and law enforcement agencies make tactical entries from different points.  They take down multiple linked robots, but Brainwave is discovered to be a hologram and F.I.S.T. and Adamantron teleport away.  Only six are found dead and 73 civilians are rescued; Mindbender takes one of the robots into custody.  The team learns that simultaneously Shadow Knight has been attacked in his Colorado mansion, so C.H.E.S.S. teleports the four Guardians there.  They find the perimeter breached, murdered staff, and a vault with possible bodies within, and engage agents of the Future in combat.  After a fierce battle, they down one Acolyte, cause another to self-destruct, and force Robot 62417 to flee.  Brainwave, bathing in blood in the crypt, delivers a puzzle they must solve to rescue the inhabitants.  The vigilantes quickly find the answer (the word "vendetta") which opens the vault, rescuing Shadow Knight.  Brainwave teleports away, and White Leopard is found dead inside.

#277 – The Dragon of Juompur – A prophetic poem found in the late Stargazer's home suggests danger to Mischief's unborn child.  Senator Kinsey drops from the Presidential race but begins considering a run for Vice President.  Scion's ally Senator Falcon informs him of paranormals seeking a magical statue in the South China Sea.  The Guardians stealth via the Guardian Angel to the small island nation of Juompur, where they split into three teams.  Scion questions locals in the capital city of Hakur.  Battletron and Oz discover an Apache Longbow helicopter hidden in the rainforest.  Phase and her cat find a trail leading to a small temple, where Occult is performing a ceremony with a small, iron statue to open a dimensional portal.  The group reunites and invades, quickly taking down Chainsaw and Occult and disrupting her ritual.  As Oz flees the shrine with the artifact, the Huntsman briefly emerges from the jungle and destroys the relic with small rockets.  Inside, the heroes face a counterattack, but they dispatch Oblivia and force Albatross to flee.  Scion and Battletron give chase and prevent his escape using the helicopter, but he is able to elude capture by flying away.

#279 – Innocence Lost – Agent Zero operative Dr. Antiquity is given a magical necklace by a friend at the Smithsonian.  Nearby, at a Guardians anti-drug speech in Folger Park, an explosion collapses a grandstand full of people.  Oz, Kubera, and Battletron rush to aid the wounded, Scion dispatches suspect Chance Peters, and Mischief spots Annihilator observing the scene.  Silent Thunder, Scythe, and Kak respond from around the city and Dr. Antiquity arrives with Ratman in tow, using the necklace to question the other spying villain.  Kubera has a lively exchange with Annihilator before the two Destroyers depart.  Later, with Scion, Oz, and Dr. Antiquity accompanying Mischief at her doctor's appointment, four elementals: Professor Fathom, Sylph, Inferno, and Granite, come for the child.  Their allies respond from across the street and together the heroes beat back the attackers and capture Sylph.  They set up a makeshift hospital room in a nearby safehouse, but the Destroyers head straight toward them as Mischief goes into labor.  Her doctor morphs into Shapeshifter as Annihilator, Behemoth, Ratman, Iron Maiden, and Electrocutioner siege the building.  The Guardians engage the enemy and fly Mischief to safety as Doctor Apocalypse watches the raging battle from afar.  Eventually the vigilantes begin to get the upper hand, and the villains decide to flee; only Iron Maiden is captured.  In C.H.E.S.S. custody, Mischief gives birth to a baby girl.

#281 – Discovery – C.H.E.S.S. intercepts a message suggesting that a number of major U.S. cities might be in danger from powerful biological weapons.  Archbishop Mindbender briefs Compass, Battletron, and Kubera, along with paranormal Special Forces operatives Dead-Eye and Tin Soldier, and analysis and discussion points towards T.O.T.E.M.  Joined by allies Mirage and Scythe, the team travels to a T.O.T.E.M. base in Honduras, where they find an invisible stealth aircraft.  Unable to gain access to the vehicle and believing that a raid by another group is already underway, they venture into the underground facility and take out many extremely tough Prime Squadron soldiers.  In the heart of the complex they defeat T.O.T.E.M. leader Psi-Prime and his consort, White Heron.  Before they can depart, they are confronted by Black Talon, Shadow Company Agents W (Hans Wagner) and Z (Timothy Roberts), and a mysterious person clad in black.  They learn that Black Talon is Nemo, and the dark agent unmasks to reveal Leech.  Nemo discloses that he is actually Mindbender (working for the N.I.D.), and they demand that the two supervillains be turned over to them.  The exhausted heroes realize that they are outgunned, so Compass negotiates, getting their adversaries to spare White Heron in exchange for Psi-Prime.  The N.I.D. team executes Psi-Prime and exits, leaving the bewildered Guardians and their allies to gather up the remaining captives.

These last five adventures were played two years ago (2008) at GuardianCon 7.  That year had a lot more Guardians adventures (five modules with five GMs) than we'll have this year (which is much lighter than usual).

This year it's only three, and only one that players can take active characters on.  The other two will probably be fit into the campaign, but are for new PCs or will have pre-generated ones that aren't part of the normal team(s).

#284 – A New Beginning – Fugitive Jim Henderson is tailed by the F.B.I., who learns he is meeting with a cultist in a diner outside Las Vegas.  Guardians Compass, Scion, Quiasar, Kubera, and allies Oz and Amber fly there in the Guardian Angel and stake out the eatery before an unusual looking Henderson arrives with motorcycle riding thugs.  Soon after a police car shows up bearing an elegantly dressed cultist flanked by zombie-like police officers.  Inside, Henderson and the cultist negotiate details on a large purchase of linked robots; the cultist fears Robot 62417 and speaks of a sacrificial ceremony that night where a new leader will be appointed until their King (Brainwave) can return.  That evening, a massive convoy of vehicles including police cars, limousines, and large vans, drives to an abandoned mansion south of the city.  Scion receives a flashback from Fourarm's memories that reveals it to be Brainwave's base of operations and the place where the Future met Robot 62417.  Hordes of linked robots pile from the vans while superpowered clowns climb out of the limos; many criminals and zombie-like police emerge from vehicles as well, and the heroes realize that they are hopelessly outnumbered.  Scion sneaks inside, where at least 20 hostages are held, but is spotted.  Thugs begin shoving captives into tubs of acid called "streams of twilight", so the vigilantes burst in, Kubera and Quiasar using force fields to protect the innocent.  The champions fight against many opponents and take down the skeletal new leader, but become overwhelmed by the sheer numbers against them.  Robot 62417 arrives and joins the battle, further skewing the odds against them and forcing the team to retreat with the hostages.

#286 – Divide and Conquer – Oz arrives in his new dirigible, Bilskirnir, and joins the fight.  One by one the heroes under Force's psionic sway recover, and the mastermind is blasted until he is completely destroyed.  The android's consciousness transfers from his body, leading the team to a warehouse in Tappahannock, Virginia, where the signal appears to be scrambled and split into multiple directions.  At this location the vigilantes also notice recent signs of military-like activity.  Later, Kubera and Quiasar engage in battle exercises with the U.S. Armed Forces at Fort A.P. Hill, an installation in Virginia, and learn about powerful new M10 GS Patton tanks used to neutralize paranormals.  They also hear that many European soldiers have been deserting recently.  Oz, Battletron, Phase, and Quiasar visit a local elementary school and learn that Adalwolf, several supervillains, and military types have been seen in the D.C. area.  Compass does a television interview and slams Senator Kinsey.  Very early the next morning, Phase, Oz, Compass, and Battletron respond in the Guardian Angel to Fort A.P. Hill, where along with Quiasar and Kubera they stop T.O.T.E.M. paranormals Bjorn, Sable, and Panthera, as well as many soldiers.  The champions disable many helicopters, but are informed of a hostage situation back in D.C.  The villains all flee in a number of heisted M10 GS Patton tanks.

#288 – Black Chamber – President Bush presents Quiasar and Kubera with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, for their years of service and recent bravery at Fort A.P. Hill.  Battletron, Scion, Compass, and Quiasar fly in the Guardian Angel to Seattle, where at a briefing they meet many law enforcement leaders and acquire new information about the Tong and Alliance.  While there, they meet representatives of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, who alert them to a current problem.  A recent explosion on the Alaska Peninsula by illegal fisherman exposed an underground facility named Black Chamber, a hidden headquarters for a secret spy organization called MI8 (a precursor to O.S.S. and the C.I.A. from World War II).  Members of Fish and Game had investigated, and three appear to be trapped and missing inside.  The team flies their ship to the site, where they aid three other injured people.  They cautiously venture into the structure, investigating a building that was evacuated in the 1940's, and disable numerous robotic sentries.  Eventually they find and rescue the men and evacuate them to safety.

#290 – Night of Suffering – Aboard the Star Guardian, an impenetrable carapace surrounds Typhon's deceased body; Crocodile has it moved to the cargo hold, where it is monitored continuously.  As the starship enters the Gwai'ir system, it is suddenly flung deeper into the far reaches of space, and astronaut (and recent ally) Hank Sutton unexpectedly appears aboard.  The crew determines that they are two months from their destination and begins heading back to the Gwai'ir homeworld.  One evening a month and a half later, all aboard are incapacitated.  When the crew awakes, they find that all systems and equipment have no power and are completely inoperable, and that dark strands of energy coruscate around Typhon's shell-like cocoon.  Titan, Araneae, Crocodile, Kodiak, Paradigm, and Sutton struggle to ascertain what is going on as a wall of energy blocks engineering and a strange vessel is detected outside, attached to their craft; an unusual darkness seems to be growing and draining power from the ship.  When Titan strikes a shadowy cloud a man falls to the ground, and the group is shocked when they discover it is Karl Benner, Typhon's human form before his original transformation!