You put on Nightwatchman’s gauntlets and boots (which are way too big for you), followed by the utility belt, goggles, and cloak. You’re still wearing your jeans and an ironic 1970s beer t-shirt underneath, but the cape covers all that if you drape it right. You push the green button on the touchscreen and are treated to a high-pitched squeal. The gloves and boots start to compress, forming themselves to your extremities until the fit is quite comfortable. What just happened?

“Control reset complete,” the screen reads, as if responding to your thoughts. Wait a second — your thoughts? Situation report, you think, and text immediately starts spitting out onto the screen. You’re controlling it with your mind! You scan the information and discover that Nightwatchman had been investigating the murder of Brain Stem, a member of the Justice Squadron.

Whoa. This is big. If Brain Stem really is dead, somebody has taken pains to cover it up — that’s the sort of thing that would normally inspire round-the-clock cable news coverage and special commemorative editions of terrible magazines. Your notes also reveal a list of superhumans that are somehow tied to Crexidyne Megacorp, the theoretically legitimate business run by notorious criminal mastermind Reginald Thorpe. Brain Stem is second on this list, and the Ox is first. Is that what Nightwatchman was doing in Cleveland? Following up on a lead?

Well, you always wanted to be a superhero. Maybe you’ll just pick up where he left off.

The world’s foremost authority on Crexidyne and its misdeeds would be Nancy North, the legendary reporter who’s been hounding Thorpe since the 1970s. She’s famous for her dealings with the hero crowd, too — she’d  be a good place to start if you intend to continue Nightwatchman’s investigation. Or are you jumping the gun here? Maybe you should devote your resources to finding out what happened to the real Nightwatchman. And, you know, making sure he doesn’t beat your ass for taking his stuff.

If you contact Nancy for help with the Crexidyne connection,
turn to page 42.

If you concentrate your efforts on tracking down the Nightwatchman, turn to page 80.

Online Previews

Thrusts of Justice preview
Zombocalypse Now preview
Time Travel Dinosaur preview
Time Travel Dinosaur preview
https://www.youngmark.com/preview-conspiracy-friends/