Why Was There No Truck?! 19-23
Added 2026-01-09 00:10:20 +0000 UTCBehold! The new release of Why Was There No Truck?! is here! Just over 15,000 words of new, hopefully awesome, story!
Honestly, this release might be a little slow for some readers, as they spend most of the time recruiting and base building. There is one fairly large fight that takes up a solid 2,000 words of the release, but otherwise there is a fair bit of talking as the various new characters get introduced and interact with the team a bit. Don't worry too much if that's not your speed, as Overwatch won't be doing anymore recruiting for a while after this. Nor will they really need to make additions to the base again for quite some time.
A special thanks to all of you who suggested male characters I could include in Alyssa's list of dossiers! You'll see who ended up recruited, and several more suggestions at least made it onto their list of potentials. Despite their being some people who seemed to really want the story to turn into a Hero Team Harem, I don't think too many people will be disappointed by the additions :-). Of course, only one of the three newbies is male, so he's going to be badly outnumbered...though one of the individuals they grabbed as a sort of 'affiliate' is male as well.
As for my reasoning for who got added, check the author's notes I'll put up in a bit for that, as I don't want to spoil it in the main post ;-).
As usual, the new chapters are attached here in various formats, and the new Master Files, containing the entire story, will be up in the Pinned Post shortly. I'll also be doing some Author's Notes for the chapters after I get that done. You'll be able to find them in the comments, also as usual, though give it a bit so I can actually write them. Enjoy more of 'Why Was There No Truck?!'!
Comments
Alright, this team is building up nicely! Edit 1: …and ATF all “three” approached you… …and ATF all approached you… Edit 2: …rather than continuing “Tomas” Wayne’s… …rather than continuing “Thomas” Wayne’s… Edit 3: …through to “him” Cyborg… …through to Cyborg… Edit 4: …a “munch” longer… …a “much” longer… Edit 5: …screw him while attempting to get ahold of his technology. screw him “over” while attempting to get ahold of his technology.
The Foreign Traveler
2026-01-27 20:50:37 +0000 UTCThx for the chapters! Nice of you to include overwatch caracters. I really like Winston as a character, especially his need to use glasses and still wearing the ones his father gave him. Although I didn't really play him in Overwatch due to his style beong a little bit too jumpy for my preference in tanks, his technology and knowledge will definetly form a good foundation for a science wing in the future. Probably in a seperate base than the one they use now, since that seems to be more of a active combat base. Maybe on the moon eventually? I also like your inclusion of Mercy. Especially the mass ressurection ability she possessed in the earlier iterations of Overwatch would be a game changer for rescuing civilians in disasters and turning team fights. I like her character too and, while playing as her in Overwatch, came to love her voicelines too. Especially "Heroes never die!". Looking forward to the continuation of this story.
Tsorov
2026-01-21 13:23:55 +0000 UTCMost likely, yes. Force Light will absolutely be on her list of 'to learn' with a high priority, now that she had confirmation that the curses are real in this reality. Along with more Force Healing since she feels a bit responsible for those two deaths, even if she couldn't have prevented them in any way but completely avoiding the ambush. Plosion Ivy has already been established as rehabilitated. With Stark Industries having removed her from Gotham and offered her funding to do work in environmental repair. Almost exactly right on Selena. I made her a crossover, where she stole the pieces to form the the White Tiger Amulet (Marvel) when they were in villain hands, becoming the White Tiger as a result. Instead of Ava Ayala. I've only made indirect references to that, but you pretty much guessed it :-p. With actual powers, instead of just being a thief with occasional tendencies to do good, she became a full vigilante. Little bit of column A, little bit of column B. Mostly, it's Batman's Neurosis, since Zantana has cleared out any active curses on him (She's the one that would have put up the wards for the batcave that Nico theorized must exist. Most versions of them know each other, and that's the case here too.) Yet they almost certainly affected his formation of Batman in the first place, creating some of the Neurosis. It's very possible some of the weirder ones will get throw away mentions, or comedic appearances. Probably not major mentions, though, since I've structured this story with a relatively serious tone. Most of the really odd ball ones appeared in the earlier, more campy versions of Batman. Like the Adam West era.
Novus Peregrine
2026-01-11 01:33:38 +0000 UTCSo, will Alyssa learn "force light" in an effort to deal with the curses? Its the primary force power that jumps to mind for how she could make a direct contribution to dealing with them. (Plus it just seems like it would have a good synergy with the starbolts from starfish, especially if she can learn to infuse the bolts with her version of force light). Also, has Poison Ivy been established as existing/being part of the Bats Rogues Gallery? If not (and possibly even if she has been, but isn't too major a name yet/in this Amalgam) then Pamela Isley could be a good possible recruit to help Winston and/or become a member of the scientist side of Overwatch. (If she's already an established villain, then perhaps it will be better to wait until Overwatch is Official/more established, and she can be part of a work-release/rehabilitation program at first. Also, I haven't yet, but I kind of want to read back through everything paying more attention to White Tiger. I don't know if catwoman has been mentioned otherwise but I am slightly getting a vibe of Selina having stolen the Jade Tiger amulet and gaining powers from it. Giving a whole new dimension to the batman/catwoman dance and reflecting in the way White Tiger imposes/helps Batman similar to how catwoman occasionally helps Batman, even if not often overtly/directly. I may just be overanalyzing that. All the talk about curses and how the big ones are more subtle, that just makes me wonder if Batman's subjected to some curses. That whole bit from his viewpoint where he goes on about understanding that his own issues are part of the problem? That just made me wonder if there might be a mystical influence/there is more to the story or if thats just all "Batman's neurosis". Also, will any of the Patrols run into some of the more minor/wacky members of the Gotham rogues gallery? (Condiment man? Kieran? Etc) even just as throw-away mentions in passing "dealt with _x_ while out on patrol" kind of name drop/off-camera events.
Keht Jelicho
2026-01-10 01:25:28 +0000 UTCIn a way, they already have reached across borders, at least in who they are funding, as Mercy is Swiss. But yes, when/if they expand again, they might do that. Alyssa will learn about tech eventually, sure. But she's got too many things to juggle to make it a priority. Remember, she's gotten all of this set up in just a few months. There are practical limits to how many things you can focus on, and she has a LOT of things to focus on. Alyssa already has the information she needs to learn pretty much anything her version of the Force can do, as the phone she was provided as an app with instructional material on it. She's just lacking the TIME to learn all of it. If she's been willing to just sit still and train for a few years, she'd have been a lot more powerful/dangerous. But she wasn't content with that. She definitely CAN'T use Order or Chaos Magic, and either one would have difficulty working on her. Her powers are specifically fueled by the violent repulsion of the two forces. If she put on the Helmet of Fate, both she and the helmet would likely explode violently.
Novus Peregrine
2026-01-10 00:39:43 +0000 UTCI believe Winston was the one who designed Tracer's gear, right? Not sure how that will work out, if he's based on the US instead of wherever he was...
Novus Peregrine
2026-01-10 00:31:45 +0000 UTCSo I finally finished the new chapters ....... As I decided to binge read the whole thing from the beginning again..... Now I do like the additions..... I would also mention that specifically reaching out to potential members living or being from other countries later would likely be good for that PR inclusiveness Crystal mentioned...... Also yes I damm well wanted the yuri harem team dammit....... Next thing I want to mention is that Alyssa should definitely go and learn more about all the tech she can and not just outsource it to others..... Also with an actually learned magic user present our mc could finally learn more about her energy sources and how to apply that in more esoteric ways..... Considering what the force could theoretically already accomplish it could be quite interesting to see ... Also as the energy comes from the border between order and chaos she could potentially use both chaos and order magic and with the mystical significance both have in DC and likely in this almalgam as well it could be both a significant boost to power and versatility...... Mh as for the base expansion well it was likely needed.... Also you mentioned tunnels those could be used for moving around you know if connected to probably..... If I think about of how deep those seem to be there are likely part of old Gotham which is also where most vocal points for most of the curses should be ..... Mh I think that is all I wanted to mention (my brain insisted on) Oh wonderful chapters as usual (almost forgot)
Dominique Brassel
2026-01-09 13:11:55 +0000 UTCWinston! Love how you worked him in. Would love to see Tracer as well, she'd be a great Alt Speedster. Winston's shield tech, if such tech doesn't already exist, would be a fantastic first Overwatch product. It'd save so many lives during fights. Excited to see all the Big Pharma funded villains they attract. A Super Hero backed mega corp is going to make waves.
White Neko Knight
2026-01-09 07:55:10 +0000 UTCRight! First thought was a Mega corp is going to do a smash and grab through the tunnels.
White Neko Knight
2026-01-09 07:50:24 +0000 UTC* sees mention of tunnels too close the the second secure sublevel* “this is chekovs gun, now that I have shown you the gun it means I have to use the gun”
Matthew Robar
2026-01-09 07:15:59 +0000 UTC*snort* I used Fate's Medusa as a base for her, so that's an understandable reaction.
Novus Peregrine
2026-01-09 03:25:04 +0000 UTCYep. Standard Gotham does have a few heavy weights, like Clayface, Killer Croc, and Solomon Grundy. But normally its power level is a little lower unless you start messing with the magical side. Here, though, in a universe were metas and augmented people are more common? Obviously the wealthy crime families would shell out to bring in at least a few enforcers just to keep up.
Novus Peregrine
2026-01-09 03:24:14 +0000 UTC*nod* *nod* And Nico likely weighs less than a duck. So she can help!
Novus Peregrine
2026-01-09 03:20:37 +0000 UTCDon't worry, Victor. Even if you get turned into a newt I'm sure you'll get better (eventually).
Artemis
2026-01-09 02:47:02 +0000 UTCHappy to see more Truck. I like the core team established here, it feels OP for standard Gotham, but probably just right for Amalgam-Gotham. (sidenote, on top of the discussed issues, the presence of heavier metas like Hookwolf likely contributed to Batman's lack of progress cleaning up Gotham) I was a huge fan of the Runaways under Vaughan, so it's wonderful to see Nico in particular.
twilightwanderer
2026-01-09 02:05:25 +0000 UTCAfter seeing that picture of Alyssa I must say.... Step on me mommy~❤️
Orchamus
2026-01-09 02:00:31 +0000 UTCIt might actually be that they have already their own power source and I just forgot about it. It's been a while since I read the previous chapters
Mercury313
2026-01-09 01:48:42 +0000 UTCLooks loke they got most of their stuff figured out. In terms of Base planning/expansion the only thing missing that jumps out at me is some more security and self-sufficiency e.g. maybe some kind of Power source and general hardening of the base so that it becomes even more unassailable. But that is stuff that they can work on in the future ;-)
Mercury313
2026-01-09 01:44:01 +0000 UTC
