[ QUOTE ]
((OOC: DHOT! Sorry to break the tension here folks but I have to give you all fair warning. Tomorrow will be the last day I can post until Teusday of next week. I'm taking a trip over Labor Day weekend and will be no where NEAR a computer. Also... I'm going to ask for the REAL Enid's hand in marriage. Wish me luck! --->Erik))
[/ QUOTE ]
((OOC: WOW! Good luck! And listen - you HAVE to tell us romantic types here on the forum how it went!
And... as I guess I should follow my own rules... 
Vincent proposed yesterday. I accepted. I am still on cloud 9. WOO!
Jen 8))
[ QUOTE ]
With out objection the control was pressed to open the lock on the straps. Jack fired a beam of energy at his comrades so powerful that if it had not been for healing it would have done them a lot of harm.
[/ QUOTE ]
Connor stepped from his chamber. Much to the surprise of Jack, Crystal, and Paul, the lanky man's hair had returned to it's natural, dirty blonde state. The pain that Syn had caused him now seemed like a distant memory. The de-powered superhero wasted no time getting to the pile of clothes. He rummaged through trying to find the case of syringes he'd put in his coat before earlier. He soon found the item he was looking for and scanned the room. There was only one Lost he was interested in right now. As he looked he was smiling Confident Grin #10 (the "I have a score to settle with someone in this room" grin that also looked sly, maliscious and slightly insane). "SYN!!! WHAT WAS IT YOU WERE SAYING ABOUT ME NO LONGER SMILING?!?!"
Foolish boy! What hope do you have against me with out your powers? Came the disembodied voice of the former human in Connor's head. He still couldn't see Dr. Syn among the new breed of Lost but he knew what was coming next. Instinctively, Connor pulled a syringe from the case and injected the smokey pink substance into his neck just as a mind bolt arched across the room at him. He still felt the pain from the attack, but he remained conscious as the following subduing attack failed to effect him. Connor rose from his crouching position and having now located his target, the grin never fading from his face.
"WHAT!?!?" This time Adelbert spoke out loud. "HOW CAN THIS BE!?!?"
Connor lifted the spent syringe to eye level and pocketed the case it had come from. "Psychic inhibiter. It helps me to fight off the more debilitating effects of mind attacks. OK, Syn, time for round two."
((OOC: Gratz to you too Jennier))
Harris:
Harris had thrown up. He was lying on the floor with his limbs sticking out in all directions. Blood dripped onto the floor from the cut on his fore head but he was other wise intact. He almost fell over twice while trying to get to his feet. The dust in the air from the crash made him cough. He staggered over to where Erik had been. He was only a few meters away under a few chairs which had dislodged themselves. He was still out like a light but looked ok.
With great effort Harris dragged him to the door of the train. When he got there he saw someone moving about.
"You," Harris recognized the man straight away.
((Tag Small Arms))
Jack:
[ QUOTE ]
Connor lifted the spent syringe to eye level and pocketed the case it had come from. "Psychic inhibiter. It helps me to fight off the more debilitating effects of mind attacks. OK, Syn, time for round two."
[/ QUOTE ]
Jack was still feeling the rush from the drug. He could feel the power in his veins but he was on the brink of losing control of it. It felt great; he had never felt a high like it. His head jerked over to look at Master Wonderful.
"Youre not pink anymore. What happened to the Pink?" Jack said speaking rather fast.
The Anomolous where still keeping there distance from Jack and now they had Master Wonderful to deal with too. It was turning into a Mexican Standoff but Jack and Master Wonderful had the upper hand for now.
Jacks right hand was rapidly tapping his leg. His drugged mind was starting to lose interest in what was going on. He made his way over to the other two chambers but still watched the Anomolous. Paul and Crystal were still out.
"Crystal, crystal, wake up." He didn't think how she would react if she did open her eyes and see the blood that covered him, the green burning in his eyes and the strange way he was acting. He didn't even think about the blood he was now smearing on her face as he reached out and tried to wake her.
((OOC: Holy Crap! Gratz Jen!))
A loud beeping noise began to be heard in the chamber. It was comming from Paul's belt and seemed to only get louder as time progressed.
As if out of no-where there came a hiss and then a pop, and a recorded voice began to come from the small pouches from the belt.
"Coooooonnnnn GRATULATIONS!! You have successfully incapacitated Wild-Card, that young hero that all ladies adore and men envy! Now you might be asking what your pize may be besides all this nifty nanotech the young genius has been working on for years? Well how about those mighty power bands that let him harness the power of the atom? Or how about his patented bio-degradable caltrops? But wait there's more!"
Paul began to groan in his cannister off to the side. The pain in his head finally began to subside as he tried to pull himself out of the darkness.
"Yes... you see you, you lucky villian you, have also activated Wild-Card's TRUMP! Ha ha, but seriously... You have about... well it looks like 25 seconds now, until the fusion reactors in Wild-Card's power bands switch from cold-fusion to hot and go into thermonuclear melt-down. Talk about a good-bye present!"
Paul began to shake his head and began to open his eyes. His ears were still ringing like crazy and he could not make out why the Lost were just staring at him, or what happened to Master Wonderful's awesome pink hair, or why the hell Jack was coated in blood, and why everyone seemed to be looking awfully scared...
"Want to avoid this horrible catastrophe? I'm sure you do! What villian wants their lair being turned into the next 3-mile island? All you have to do is return all the equipment you took from Wild-Card back onto his person and then speak the magic words out loud! Yes! Just put the equipment back onto this mighty young man, spin about three times, and yell "I WISH I WAS AN OSCAR MEYER WEINER!" It is JUST THAT EASY!! So come on! Before you become a pile of so much radioactive goo!"
The voice cut out as Paul's belt began to glow red. He looked about the room and snorted. Tilting his head to the side he looked at the group and asked...
"What?"
[ QUOTE ]
"Crystal, crystal, wake up." He didn't think how she would react if she did open her eyes and see the blood that covered him, the green burning in his eyes and the strange way he was acting. He didn't even think about the blood he was now smearing on her face as he reached out and tried to wake her.
[/ QUOTE ]
Crystal seemed to be thoroughly unconscious - and then he saw the empty Superdyne vial.
Even in his drugged state he realized that they must have given her as much as they had given him - but Crystal was half his weight, if that, and unlike him had never used drugs of any sort. Even unconscious he could tell she was deeply under its influence. But she was mumbling something. He leaned close to her head and caught a thought: teleport. She wanted to teleport.
Under the influence of the drug.... it was possible he might be able to teleport them out of here - all of them. Before things turned ugly.
[ QUOTE ]
The voice cut out as Paul's belt began to glow red. He looked about the room and snorted. Tilting his head to the side he looked at the group and asked...
"What?"
[/ QUOTE ]
Into this fairly chaotic scene was brought Experiment. He was unconscious, but his PDA read all the activity, and gave him a sharp shock, trying to wake him up.
(Three points: First, he was a Swordsman, not Blaster.
Second and Third: Congrats, Jennifer! Good luck, Palaquinn!)
When Small Arms had dove into the what was left of the manhole, he had no concept of what to expect. Granted, he had spent more than his fair share of time sloshing through the sewers, hunting down creations of the infamous Dr. Vahzilok, like the Abomination following him. Paragon's sewers were as llabyrinthine as any hedgerow maze he had ever seen pictures of. Those mazes did not possess undead being seeking either to kill you or add you to their army- by killing you.
The Abomination came through first, dropping to the floor, the sound of which reminded Small Arms of a wet sack. The Headman followed, his massive sword of Rikti manufacture held in both hands. Neither looked like it was in any mood to negotiate.
That's when Small Arms realized the sickening truth.
He had come down into the sewer looking for a way to lead them off the streets. Unfortunately, he had also come down into a dead end. The one passage was currently being blocked by both forms. And despite his size, he was not going to get around them without a lot of pain.
He briefly thought about turning invisible, but ignored the idea as quickly as it came. If he vanished now, it would give the two the perfect excuse to go ahead and take their fight back to the surface. There might have been more room up there, but there was also the chance for more casualties.
And that presumed that he could stop either of his opponents, much less both.
With a feral smile, Small Arms unslung his rifle and stood his ground. "If you want me, boys, you're going to be in for a fight. It might not last long, but you'll remember it. Well, at least you might," he added, pointing at the Headman.
The rumbling he began to feel reminded him of when the zombie and Swordsman had appeared from underground. And with a quick look around, he could see the amount of damage the two had done. But this was different somehow. There was a metallic ring in the background. It seemed to come from one of the walls of the tunnel, by the best of his knowledge.
Fearing another wave of zombies or Lost, he brace himself for an attack.
What he got instead was both a relief and a new fear.
[ QUOTE ]
The car barely made it through the fourth and final wall. Made of thick concrete, it exploded outwards in a shower of dust and rubble.
[/ QUOTE ]
"Holy Shi..." was about all Small Arms got out before he was force to duck. An old railcar had shattered the wall where Small Arms had felt the vibrations. Showering concrete and metal, it continued through the hole.
[ QUOTE ]
The small figure was quick enough to dive for cover. The headman wasn't. The car plowed into the next wall in a cacophony of noise and sparks and dust. The wall cracked in every direction, and pieces burst out of it, revealing its reinforced structure: but in spite of all of this, it held.
For a long moment the car hung suspended there by its own momentum, and then it crashed to the floor in a pile of rubble and steam.
[/ QUOTE ]
A great cloud of dust and debris was thrown into the air, blanketing the surrounding area in a thick, choking gray fog. The tunnel echoed the death cry of the railcar and parts of the wall still tumbled lazily to the floor.
If the Abomination survived, Small Arms was not looking foward to seeing its condition. He was not sure where the Headman was in the cloud, but this was the perfect opportunity to try to finish him off.
Or it would have been, had it not been for the fact that he heard coughing, then saw two figures trying to make their way out of the cloud. More accurately, one of the figures was dragging the other. And one of them he recognized. Any anger Remington Armstrong had felt toward the form evaporated when he saw the condition of the other man he was aiding.
"Harris, you and I are going to have a long talk later." He looked over the condition of the other man. "But first we get you two the hell outta here. Are you two the only ridin' that thing?"
The creak of metal being shifted put a chill in Small Arms' blood. If it wasn't another survivor, he knew it had to come from one of two sources. But only one had been buried by the car.
Metal tore like paper and despite its deafening volume, was somehow drowned out by the unearthly roar of the Abomination.
Looking heavenward, Small Arms frowned. "You really must have it in for me today."
Jack:
[ QUOTE ]
Even unconscious he could tell she was deeply under its influence. But she was mumbling something. He leaned close to her head and caught a thought: teleport. She wanted to teleport.
[/ QUOTE ]
"Teleport." He repeated. "Teleport. Have to get everyone out of here. Teleport."
Jack looked around quickly. He was listening to the rather alarming message coming from Pauls equipment but ignored it (normal he would have lisened). He saw Paul was starting to come around and ran over to him
"Paul, Paul, Paul. We have to get out of here. Wake up. I have to teleport us. Crystal wants me to teleport us. They gave her the drug too. I don't know if she can handle it. I'm only just holding on." He said as he tapped the side of his head with his fist. He was still talking fast.
"Master Wonderful," Jack shouted using his name for the first time. "We have to go. Time to teleport. We can come back later."
Jack grabbed his jacket and put it back on. The lost were already starting to leave for fear that a melt down might really happen but not before they had dumped Experiment on the floor.
"Everyone one ready? Hold still. I think I can control this now."
[ QUOTE ]
"Master Wonderful," Jack shouted using his name for the first time. "We have to go. Time to teleport. We can come back later."
[/ QUOTE ]
Master Wonderful snapped back to reality from his staredown with Syn. The former doctor was backing down the hall to join the other Lost in their retreat with a parting word. "Some other time, Connor MacBeth! Perhaps when we see each other in hell!"
Master Wonderful grabbed his shirt and coat. He also grabbed Paul's belt without thinking to much about what the flashing red light might mean before joining the rest of fellow escapees.
"OK, Jack, let's go."
Jack:
[ QUOTE ]
"OK, Jack, let's go."
[/ QUOTE ]
Jack held his arms out to his sides. His skin started to tingle again, as would the others as well. There were five flashes of light as each one of them phased out.
Everything was black and quite. There was a feeling of nothingness except for the four people with him. Jack had to concentrate to keep a hold of everyone. He started to lose his grip on one. They were slipping and for a terrifying second they were gone. Jack reached out with his mind and grabbed them again.
There were another five bright flashes of light and suddenly they were all in the upper levels of the sewer. They were almost thrown back into the world, Jack landed with a crash.
Harris:
[ QUOTE ]
"Harris, you and I are going to have a long talk later." He looked over the condition of the other man. "But first we get you two the hell outta here. Are you two the only ridin' that thing?"
[/ QUOTE ]
"No, no, we can't go. Penny she....." Harris spoke with urgency, panic and worry as he pointed back down the tunnel. He suddenly realized he did not know if he should be using Penny's real name in front of someone else....."Girl Genies. She was thrown of the train. She...... We have to get her."
He seemed to think for a second.
"My ear peace. We can still find her if......" He reached up to his ear but it was gone. "No, no, no."
He started to search around the train. He heard the sound of ripping metal but his mind was focused on finding the communication device.
"We have to find it. We have to find it." He was on his hands and knees franticly searching. Then, seeing the device under one of the chairs he quickly grabbing it he placed it in his ear with out thinking of cleaning it. His mind was racing. In his panic his fingers fumbled to place the device, he almost dropped it again.
"Penny! Penny! Can you........" He shouted franticly.
There was an sudden unearthly roar which made Harris's blood run cold. He completely froze.
[ QUOTE ]
Looking heavenward, Small Arms frowned. "You really must have it in for me today."
[/ QUOTE ]
((OOC: Credit for this post and the good writing should go to Jennifer8 
I only made a few small tweaks.))
Harris:
Harris was frozen with fear. Everything seemed to have gone quite but he did not think it would last. There was something outside the train with SmallArms. Slowly he raised a shacking hand to his ear and pressed the ear peace in to his ear more to hear better.
"Penny..." He whispered.
At first he thought he heard nothing - silence. Dead air. But then - if he listened very closely - he could detect faint noises. One of these noises - almost inaudible - seemed to have a regular rhythm. Breathing? Yes, perhaps it WAS breathing. If she was breathing but not talking to him... she was unconscious at the very least, which meant she should be teleported to the hospital, why-
Almost subconsciously, his hand crept to his pocket. There, still stuck in the place where she had put it, was Penny's hospital patch. Given to him while he was in the Vahzilok lab to ensure, no matter what, that he got out. If she had not given it him she would be safely in the hospital now. It was all his fault.
His train of thought was suddenly broken by another terrifying roar from out side the broken train.
Girl Genius. Small Arms had heard the name mentioned in passing. The staff of Armstrong Armaments was well aware of their boss' status as a literal card-carrying hero of Paragon, but that never stopped them from admiring other heroes as well. Only of them was Girl Genius, who's website had been one that had caught the attention of many of the younger workers. Small Arms had never actually gone to the site, much less encountered the woman before, but word of mouth had it was competent, if still a little inexperienced. Then again, Small Arms had never really considered being a hero until after the Rikti invasion, so other than life experience, he did not have as much on the heroine as he might have originally thought.
However, that was something to wait for later. Right now, he had to deal with a homicidal zombie who had survived a direct collision with a subway car and somehow getting two...no, three wounded individuals out of the line of fire. It didn't help that one of them was someone he was just as likely to shoot, if given half the chance.
[ QUOTE ]
His train of thought was suddenly broken by another terrifying roar from out side the broken train.
[/ QUOTE ]
"Oh, you've gotta be freakin' joking..."
The Headman Swordsman was nearly free of the debris that had covered him from the collapsed wall and metal torn free of the wreckage that had been a old subway railcar. Now, both of Small Arms' erstwhile opponents were more or less free of their improptu restraints. However, there was one thing in favor of Small Arms, which realized instantly.
"Stay here, Harris. I've got to make a couple of distractions before I can try to get to Pen...er, Girl Genius. And those two are going to be each other's distraction."
He activated his invisibility circuits and called the drone back to it's housing. Though there were still dust particles in the air, Small Arms counted on his diminutive size to get into position before either of them figured out what he was doing. And all he needed was one good shot...
By the time he had gotten behind the Swordsman, both had more or less freed themselves and were looking around for someone to attack.
Time to give them something to look at, he thought with a mental chuckle. He switched his rifle to sniper mode, and standing just behind the Swordsman, lined for the shot.
Can't rely on the drone for this one. The sound might give me away before I make the shot. But this one's gotta count more for accuracy than how much damage I do.
He held his breath and fired only when the Abomination looked away from both where Harris was and the Swordsman stood. Without bothering to wait, he activated his flight circuits, using them like a quick boost for a jump he made from behind the Swordsman toward where Harris was.
The shot struck the already nearly-destroyed face of the Abomination. Its body, already been twisted by Vahzilok, was almost unrecognizable as human by the collision with the car. Yet, Small Arms had already recognized the signs of its body's attempt to heal the damage when it had torn its way free of the concrete and metal covering it.
What he had also seen was that the Swordsman still held his gun out, rather than his Rikti weapon. In fact, the Swordsman was the only visible individual holding a weapon.
And the Abomination had no way to tell the difference between a rifle shot and a pistol. All it knew was that it came from the direction of the Swordsman, who had completely missed when Small Arms had behind him.
The Abomination narrowed what was left of its eyes as its death-addled mind recognized one thing: its temporary ally had betray it.
The Swordsman, though more intelligent, realized that arguing with the zombie was fruitless. Besides, he had planned on killing it later anyway.
And the combat that had apparently begun down in the sewers then spilled to the surface, had now returned to its former battleground.
With roars that echoed for miles, the two launched themselves at each other.
At Harris' incredulous look, Small Arms quipped "Bein' small doesn't mean being stupid, buddy. It just means you learn how to let the bigger lugs beat themselves for you. In every sense of the idea, in this case. Now, come on, if you can climb the ladder, I'll fly your friend here out then come down for the lady."
It became apparent very quickly that Harris was reluctant to leave without Girl Genius. "Damn it, man, I can't carry all of you, and I need to look through the wreck. I don't know how long those two meatheads will pound on each other before they either kill each other, kiss and make up or stumble on us or GG. The sooner I can get you out of here and come back to get her, the safer all of you will be."
And that's not considerin' that I need to still finish those two off before they destroy the sewers, much less the city , he thought but refuse to say aloud.
((OOC: Most the credit should go to Jennifer8 for this post as well ))
[ QUOTE ]
It became apparent very quickly that Harris was reluctant to leave without Girl Genius. "Damn it, man, I can't carry all of you, and I need to look through the wreck. I don't know how long those two meatheads will pound on each other before they either kill each other, kiss and make up or stumble on us or GG. The sooner I can get you out of here and come back to get her, the safer all of you will be."
[/ QUOTE ]
Harris was distracted by a sound. "Shut up, shut up," he quickly said to SmallArms as he tried to listen. He was shoure he had heard something else through the ear peace.
For long minutes there was only the sound of silence, and the very faintest sound of Penny's breath. SmallArms tried to object to Harris's rudeness but was quickly told to be quite again.
Then other sounds came, seeming to be shockingly loud compared to the sounds he had been listening to before. It was the sound of pebbles rubbing against each other - footsteps on a graveled surface. A lot of footsteps.
Then a shout - "Over there!" And the footsteps increased in pace.
A moment later another voice came, one to chill the blood. Even over the radio he could recognize it - the voice of an Eiledon. "Bring her to me."
"She must have fallen off the train," that sounded like a Mortificator.
"Is she alive?" That was, perhaps, a reaper.
"Hard to tell through the armor... maybe... yes, looks like it."
There was a silence.
"Take her to the Doctor," it was the voice of the Eiledon.
More sounds came through: not the sounds of voices but the sounds of footsteps, a lot of them, walking, shuffling. The vague, weird grunts of zombies in the background. Going somewhere....
"No." Harris shouted. "Its to late. They've found her. We have to do something." He couldn't believe these words were coming out of his mouth. A few hours ago he would have ran for the nearest exit and not give a dam if the others lived or died.
"I don't care what you say. I'm not going to leave her down here. Beside, who died and made you king. No one invited you to this party." He almost sounded like his old self. He shook it off.
"I'm sorry..... look........ I can't get her back by myself. I need your help. I've been stuck in this hell hole for hours, I know the layout. You need me if we are going to get her back." He looked over at Erik. "We can hide Erik somewhere he will be safe till he wakes up or we come back."
He looked at SmallArms, "The more time we spend arguing about it the more time we are losing."
[ QUOTE ]
"No." Harris shouted. "Its to late. They've found her. We have to do something."
[/ QUOTE ]
From the sound of things, Small Arms was about to right off Harris as having gone over the deep end. He was a reporter, not a warrior. At least, that was something the Small Arms would have thought about the Harris who had approached him several days ago for an interview. The Harris who cursed Remington Armstrong in very colorful terms when the small man all but threw the reporter out on his backside.
Now, he was not so sure about his interpretation.
[ QUOTE ]
"I don't care what you say. I'm not going to leave her down here. Beside, who died and made you king. No one invited you to this party."
[/ QUOTE ]
Small Arms nearly scooped the man up by his lapels. Instead, he gritted his teeth and waited.
[ QUOTE ]
"I'm sorry..... look........ I can't get her back by myself. I need your help. I've been stuck in this hell hole for hours, I know the layout. You need me if we are going to get her back." He looked over at Erik. "We can hide Erik somewhere he will be safe till he wakes up or we come back."
He looked at SmallArms, "The more time we spend arguing about it the more time we are losing."
[/ QUOTE ]
Letting out a heavy sigh, he still glared at Harris a moment before activating his radio.
"Terrie, darlin', you still there?"
"Yeah, boss. Mind telling me what the heck you're doing? The emergency frequencies are jammed with people taling about sewer explosions."
"I'll explain later, girl" - Assuming I'm alive and in any shape to do so - "But for now, I need a massive favor."
"What is it" The concern in her voice was pleasant to hear, given the horror around Remington at the moment.
"Prep the lab and medical center. And get my private limo down here with Dr. Morgan in it."
"What about the ambulance that's supposed to be getting to pick up those two Hellions?"
"They're going to have enough on their hands. I'd rather this one get handled personally. Mari's used to puttin' me together after a bad night."
He looked down at the bleeding form at Harris' side. "And this guy's looks worse than me on my most off night. Also, have her standby because she might need to take care of more than just one person, me included if this goes wrong."
"I'm already calling her up, Remington."
Small Arms looked at Harris looking at him. "Dr. Mari Morgan. She's a heroine in her own right, though she doesn't do much currently. She's been too busy patchin' up bodies to put the hurtin' on the baddies these days. She'll be able to take your...friend here to a fully stocked medical center I use. The hospitals here are good, but given his condition, I'd rather let Mari take a look at him. She's one of the best."
Small Arms stood up, though his cloaking device was still operational so there was not much Harris could see. "Terrie, how long from my location till the limo gets here?"
There was a pause as she checked something. "I'd say less than five. Mari's all set and the driver hustled her in."
"All right, let them know I'm going to leave the patient at this location." He described the spot on the surface, not far from the manhole, but hopefully out of the line of fire. "I won't be there. I've gotta damsel to rescue."
"Ever the white knight, boss," Terrie added with a nervous laugh.
"Don't you know it. I'll be in touch."
"Good luck"
"Thanks I'll need even more this time. Small Arms out."
He looked down at Harris, and took down his cloaking field. "Let me have him. He'll be okay, I promise," he said, trying to sound much calmer than he actually felt.
Harris:
[ QUOTE ]
Letting out a heavy sigh, he still glared at Harris a moment before activating his radio.
"Terrie, darlin', you still there?"
[/ QUOTE ]
Harris felt relief and was finally able to let go of the breath he was holding. It seemed like SmallArms was not going to force him to leave. He was sure the hero was not going to take an of this crap from him. The last time they met had not gone very well at all. Harris had found out at the time that SmallArms didn't much like being called, "A trigger happy midget."
SmallArms seemed to be giving instructions to someone on the other end of the radio incase things went bad. To say Harris was not scared would have been a lie. He was terrified but trying to do his best to hide it. He knew he was no hero but he could not just walk away from this. Not after everything he had been through, after everything that had led to this point. He had to know how it was all going to end. If he was truthful to himself he was also angry about someone walking into the situation and trying to take over. It felt like everything he had been through was being belittled.
[ QUOTE ]
"I won't be there. I've gotta damsel to rescue."
[/ QUOTE ]
"WE have a damsel to rescue." Harris thought to himself. It was so unlike him to think like this. He kept telling himself maybe he was simply in shock. He did still feel a little dizzy from the crash.
[ QUOTE ]
"Don't you know it. I'll be in touch."
[/ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
"Thanks I'll need even more this time. Small Arms out."
He looked down at Harris, and took down his cloaking field. "Let me have him. He'll be okay, I promise," he said, trying to sound much calmer than he actually felt.
[/ QUOTE ]
Harris paused for a second but nodded then moved out of the way.
[ QUOTE ]
"We can hide Erik somewhere he will be safe till he wakes up or we come back."
He looked at SmallArms, "The more time we spend arguing about it the more time we are losing."
[/ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
"All right, let them know I'm going to leave the patient at this location." He described the spot on the surface, not far from the manhole, but hopefully out of the line of fire. "I won't be there. I've gotta damsel to rescue."
[/ QUOTE ]
"Like... Like hell..." Erik began to cough and the rolled over and spat up a rather sizeable batch of blood.
"Like hell you're dropping me anywhere." He fought to get to his knees while he looked at the wreckage of the train. His arms shook with the exertion and suddenly
he began to laugh. It was a sad desperate laugh and lasted only for a moment before Erik almost reeled forward.
Im
Harris you O.K.? Did we
Did we make it?
Looking about, Erik could figure out most of it on his own. The area was a disaster, he could still feel the pain racking his body, and he could hear another fight going on close by.
I am so sick
I am so sick and tired of loosing people, of fighting to escape, of running about
A green glow began to surround Eriks body and spread outwards to Harris and the individual that had come to help them. They watched as their wounds began to knit closed at an amazing rate. But the glow continued
it seemed to be filling Erik with strength as well.
I made Penny a promise. We are getting her OUT of there. And I am going to personally hand Doctor Vahzliok his SORRY FRANKENSTEIN [censored]!
The glow intensified as the type of radiation surrounding Erik began to change. The world seemed to slow again, something that Harris by this time was becoming used to.
Without looking Erik wheeled and looked at the two monstrosities fighting each other. Glancing at Harris and the new Hero Erik whispered.
Im fine
just
Angry beyond belief. Remember that weaken field I cooked up Harris? Im going to use it again on these two. Lets see them try to heal with their bodies eating themselves from inside out.
He gestured at the two combatants and that same sickly red-green field engulfed both the Headman and the Abomination. They wheeled as one and looked at the one who had dared to interrupt them.
Fire
Erik growled at the gun-toting individual. Fire at them.
Without waiting himself, Erik pulled at the protons again
calling them to him and firing a massive wave at the foes. Both were knocked off their feet, both could feel their flesh being ripped open, but now
now the wounds inflicted did not heal
if anything they slowly opened more.
FIRE AT THEM! HARRIS, THROW SOMETHING!
__________________________________________________ _
Paul could feel the teleport, but it did not fully register. He could barely hear the others, and he still felt like an elephant thought it would be a good idea to tap dance on his head. He saw his belt blinking in Master Wonderfuls hands but he paid it no real mind. right now he was more concerned about why he could not hear anything, and what the hell happened.
It was when he saw Crystal that he snapped to.
Crystal? Good GOD! Is she O.K.? Jack what the hell happened? Speak up! I cant hear any of you!
And thats when Paul realized he could not hear
at all.
Oh God
Oh CRAP! Jack, Crystal, Master
Little dude! SAY SOMETHING!
He reeled forward and grabbed his ears. Soon a stream of curses came flowing out of his moth that would have put any longshoreman to shame. The combinations and creative uses of such phrases were worthy of citation if for nothing more than how each syllable contained SOMETHING offensive.
While Paul cradled his head he reeled forward and placed his hands behind his head, and began to weep. His fingers lightly brushed a small spot on the base of his neck where a needle
much like the ones that injected the drug into Jack and Crystal, had punctured him.
But that didnt matter right now. Paul could no longer hear.
But somewhere deep in his body, something began to work to fix that problem. Something small and mechanical, something that should have burned out when the fusion cells were drained, something that was never intended to be exposed to drugs or body altering chemicals.
The nanites within Paul began to evolve
((OOC: OK, trying to cover some way to explain why MW is not being effected by the Supradine.))
[ QUOTE ]
While Paul cradled his head he reeled forward and placed his hands behind his head, and began to weep. His fingers lightly brushed a small spot on the base of his neck where a needle
much like the ones that injected the drug into Jack and Crystal, had punctured him.
[/ QUOTE ]
Master Wonderful stumbled a little as he appeared from his flash of light. "Well now I think I know what the Highway to Hell feels like." He looked around at his fellow escapees. Whatever was effecting them hadn't seemed to work on him yet. He noticed the needle mark in the back of Paul's neck and decided to check his own. The first thing he noticed was the chip, which he determined to be the cause of his loss of power. However, he did not feel a place where a needle might have entered, save for the on he'd injected the inhibiter liquid into prior to their departure from the Rikti facility. He wasn't sure why he hadn't been injected with whatever was effecting Jack, Crystal, and Paul, but he figured it was for the best at the moment.
He looked at Jack, concern showing in his face and voice as he spoke, "Hey, think you can use that trick to get us to street level? Not sure how long those two or you can make it without getting some proffessional attention."
OOC: Everyone involved in this thread, please check your email before responding to this post. (And if I have only just written it, give me a few minutes to write the emails!) I will be sending an email to everyone who has put their email addresses up, as well as sending a PM to all involved. To make what will be a long email very short, I propose that the "underground/Vahzilok" portion of the thread be put on hold until the good Dr. Sanstad can return from his trip. This post is an attempt to bring the story to a good "hold until next Tuesday/Wednesday" point. It is also an attempt to make sure that all the characters have access to the radio, which I plan to make an important tool for future postings (my apologies for putting my thumb in the radio pie, but I really, REALLY wanted to be sure everyone could hear the radio, it will be important!)
++++++
[ QUOTE ]
Fire
Erik growled at the gun-toting individual. Fire at them.
Without waiting himself, Erik pulled at the protons again
calling them to him and firing a massive wave at the foes. Both were knocked off their feet, both could feel their flesh being ripped open, but now
now the wounds inflicted did not heal
if anything they slowly opened more.
FIRE AT THEM! HARRIS, THROW SOMETHING!
[/ QUOTE ]
+++
OVER THE RADIO
+++
A gleam of silver attracted Erik's attention briefly... when he looked, it was the communicator. It must have fallen off earlier, but it had become wedged into the fold of his rolled-up (and now rather ragged) shirt sleeve, and there it had stayed through all his sorrows. It soon became apparant why: during the course of the day, he had lost the button for that cuff, and the communicator had become snagged in the thread. However, it seemed to be in good working order when he put it in his ear: he could hear perfectly.
The transmission sounds were faint, but audible, in the ears of those who happened to be wearing the devices.
In Remington's ears, Terrie suddenly buzzed in with, "Hey boss, I am getting some transmissions right near you, might be relevant, I think I can add the channel - watch out though, there might be some feedback while I do it - " And sure enough, after an earpiercing SQUEAK, Small Arms could hear the new wavelength in addition to whatever others he was currently monitoring.
There were the sounds of footsteps - a lot of them, now, and the sounds of rushing liquid. Then metal noises: the sounds of very heavy doors being opened and shut. Finally...
"Dr. Vahzilok?" It sounded like a Mortificator. "We found one of the heroes that destroyed that level 7 Black Line car."
"Mmmm..." The voice seemed inhuman. "Let me see..." There was sort of a FLUMP noise, as if an unresisting body had been laid on a table. "Scalpel," came next, followed by the distinct PING sound of a breaking blade, and then "Saw... hypodermic... hmph." Both of these commands were followed by the sound of breaking metal. The voice of Dr. Vahzilok sounded both annoyed and mildly interested. "What is this that she is encased in?"
"Some sort of armor - and we haven't been able to get it off. Seems to resist cutting and penetration of all kinds."
"I noticed," Vahzilok said dryly. "That was my best scalpel, too."
"We thought of soaking the armor in acid," offered the Mortificator thoughtfully.
"Mmm. Not a bad idea, but there are several small points where the skin is exposed - here, for example, and there... no, the acid would likely dissolve the subject before the armor. Useless."
"Hypodermic needle would fit in those spots, easily."
"Yes, but to what point?"
"Microsurgery? Tubular needle would fit there too."
"Ah," Vahzilok sounded eerily wise, "But the point of this experiment is to see if the Eiledon can be created by non-surgical, purely radiological means. We have to be able to combat the Lost... before we are overrun. We simply cannot make them fast enough. Well... take the hero away for now, this will require some consideration."
"Shall I put her with Amy Harris and Enid Sanstad?"
"Yes - no... wait." Vahzilok sounded as if he had just gotten an idea. "It occurs to me that the presence of the armor may be irrelevant if it isn't heavily radiation shielded... bring me that isotope, and hang her up on that hook."
There were some grunts. "It won't go through."
"Just put it under this protrusion, like that.." There was a CLANG noise. Clearly the hook had been placed under some part of the armor, and not in anything made of flesh.
"Well - " The mortificator's voice was farther away, as if he had gone to get something, "if it is so resistant to cutting, wouldn't it logically be shielded against radiation?"
"Not necessarily... whatever this fabric is, it seems to be extremely thin. Didn't you mention to me that one of the heroes giving us such trouble could turn invisible? If it was this one, logic would dictate that the materials used in such a stealth suit would be as lightweight as possible. That certainly isn't conducive to radiation shielding."
"Ready, boss?"
"Wait, let me just finish putting this on - yes, go ahead, open it - good - hang it around her neck - let's see if the suit is shielded."
After a moment a chattering, machine-gun-like noise came through - the noise of a geiger counter going mad at the presence of hard radiation. "As I thought - you may put the isotope back now." After a moment, the chattering noise stopped.
"Well, whatever the armor is, it appears to be unshielded. It shouldn't have an effect on the experiment. Put her in the irradiation chamber, and be sure to bind her securely, we don't know what capabilities that armor has. Assume that it has super-strength and teleportation abilities and anything else you can think of. She must be secure!"
"Yes sir... what about Mrs. Sanstad?"
"Put her in the observation chamber. Let her watch. With any luck, it will finally put some sense of fear into her heart." And then in an undertone, "It's not like anything else has. Jee-ZUS." If the radio could have transmitted the sound of Dr. Vazhilok rolling his eyes, it certainly would have.
"And Amy Harris?"
"Let me see - "
A sound came, a very far away sound, a sound that Harris hadn't heard in six years - the sound of a moan, the sort of moan one might make when one was sound asleep, and heard someone speak your name from the other room. "Mmm?"
"Her progress is excellent. She should be awake presently. Keep her treatment as-is." He paused, and came closer to the mike. "Didn't you say there were three heroes that were together, when they attacked the Black Line?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then prepare for visitors.... just in case."
In the long silence following these words came Terrie's voice. "Um, Boss... maybe you should make a stop back here and get some heavier armament, hm?"
+++
OOC: OK off to write emails, they should be out in a few minutes. 
+++
Edit
+++
OK, all PMs and emails sent!
Harris:
[ QUOTE ]
"Shall I put her with Amy Harris and Enid Sanstad?"
[/ QUOTE ]
Harris froze. It couldn't be........ but he was sure he had heard them speak his wife's name. He tried to hold his breath, to be totally still so he could hear everything coming through the small ear peace. This was not made easy by the way his hart was pounding in his chest.
[ QUOTE ]
"And Amy Harris?"
"Let me see - "
A sound came, a very far away sound, a sound that Harris hadn't heard in six years - the sound of a moan, the sort of moan one might make when one was sound asleep, and heard someone speak your name from the other room. "Mmm?"
[/ QUOTE ]
"Oh my god," Harris put his hands to his mouth. His eyes started to water.
[ QUOTE ]
"Her progress is excellent. She should be awake presently. Keep her treatment as-is."
[/ QUOTE ]
Harris felt a strange mixture of happiness and horror. His wife was waking up, for the first time in six years she was waking up but she was being held captive.
He was starting to pace up and down as he tried to take it all in.
[ QUOTE ]
In the long silence following these words came Terrie's voice. "Um, Boss... maybe you should make a stop back here and get some heavier armament, hm?"
[/ QUOTE ]
"I have to get her, now." Harris shouted. He was not thinking of the danger. He was not thinking of his own life. He was not thinking of the stupidity of the act but he started to run down the tunnel. He had to get her, he had to see her.
He didn't get very far when he was grabbed from behind by one of the two heroes. He didn't see which one, he didn't care. He just tried to keep running but he was no match for them as he struggled to get free. He was acting like a mad man.
"NO, NO, LET ME GO. YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND. I HAVE TO GET HERE. LET ME GO." Tiers were starting to streaming down his face as he struggled to get free but he was slowly being dragged back to the train.
((OOC: I wanted to write something that would properly show Harris's reaction to hearing his wife is coming out of his comma but in danger with out interfering with the idea of putting the story on pause while Palaquinn is away. I hope this works. As much as Harris will object to the idea of leaving (and believe me, he will) he would be no match for either of the two heroes (feel free to just knock Harris out and drag him back).
Jack:
[ QUOTE ]
Crystal? Good GOD! Is she O.K.? Jack what the hell happened? Speak up! I cant hear any of you!
And thats when Paul realized he could not hear
at all.
Oh God
Oh CRAP! Jack, Crystal, Master
Little dude! SAY SOMETHING!
[/ QUOTE ]
"To bad it didn't make him mute." Jack said. He was feeling strangely detached from events. Like they didn't matter to him. Everything was insignificant......... apart from one thing, Crystal.
Jack had to concentrate hard to keep his mind focused. His mind would wonder and he would forget about Crystal as well then he would force I to focus again. The energy in his blood was screaming to get out. Screaming to hurt someone. He wanted them all dead, every single person who had ever hurt him or the people he cared about.
Jack was crouched next to Crystals body with his knees drawn close to his body as he gently rocked back and forth. The blood on his face and clothes had started to dry.
[ QUOTE ]
"Hey, think you can use that trick to get us to street level? Not sure how long those two or you can make it without getting some professional attention."
[/ QUOTE ]
Before Master Wonderful had finished talking they were all suddenly back on the University Campus grounds. Jack had teleported them all again. It was the only acknowledgment he gave of Master Wonderful's request.
[ QUOTE ]
Fire
Erik growled at the gun-toting individual. Fire at them.
Without waiting himself, Erik pulled at the protons again
calling them to him and firing a massive wave at the foes. Both were knocked off their feet, both could feel their flesh being ripped open, but now
now the wounds inflicted did not heal
if anything they slowly opened more.
FIRE AT THEM! HARRIS, THROW SOMETHING!
[/ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
"I have to get her, now." Harris shouted. He was not thinking of the danger. He was not thinking of his own life. He was not thinking of the stupidity of the act but he started to run down the tunnel. He had to get her, he had to see her.
[/ QUOTE ]
"Why can't life ever be simple?" Small Arms growled.
He flew after Harris, who had gotten a surprsing good lead, prompted on by whatever demons assailed him. And, although he probably could have caught him running, it would take more time. And time was not a luxury at the moment.
Using the rifle butt, he knocked Harris out. The man would have a large knot when he awoke, but at least he would awaken. Provided, of course, that Small Arms and the glowing hero managed to elude their pursuers. Or in this case, bury them.
Small Arms knew that all the fire power that they had right now was not going to make a difference if those two could heal as fast as it appeared. So the alternative was delaying tactics.
Why the controlled nuclear storm hammered the Abomination and the Headman, Small Arms aimed over their heads. He fired round after round of large caliber bullets into the roof above them. Then, when he hoped that he had weakened it enough, he lobbed a M30, so that it would pass directly under the weakened area.
The grenade exploded just about where he hoped. He was surprised to discover just how much the structure had been weakened, as a large section of the ceiling began to crumble, then with a deafening roar, collapsed on top of thw two. In fact, it broke through to the street, bringing over a hundred tons raining down in a lethal hailstorm of asphalt and concrete. Thankfully, though no cars or people.
Scooping up Harris, Small Arms did not bother to look back. The monstronsities either survived or they did not. However, for the moment, they were not coming out again - at least for a time. He flew back over to the other hero and did a literal flying tackle. This tackle, though, was aimed upward, launching the three of them back up onto the street.
And just in time, the limo, which had stopped when it saw the street collapse, came up near the hole. The driver and Dr. Mari Morgan, the latter a fiery redhead with round-framed glasses came out and without a word, helped Small Arms get the two inside. Though the other hero protested loudly, he had drained much of his strength into the fight, and could only struggle in vain as they three put him in the car, climbed in themselves and took off.
"Terrie, we're out. But as soon as we can get ready, we're going back."
His eyes narrowed as the looked at the two craters disappear in one of the rear view mirrors.
"There's a issue of some payback that needs to be handed out," he said, a low threatening growl in his voice.
(OOC: Sorry, Erik, if I stepped on your character's toes. It was the quickest way I could think of to get everyone out of there until you get back.)
[ QUOTE ]
Before Master Wonderful had finished talking they were all suddenly back on the University Campus grounds. Jack had teleported them all again. It was the only acknowledgment he gave of Master Wonderful's request.
[/ QUOTE ]
Master Wonderful was both relieved that Jack had heard his request, yet concerned that the mutant seemed to be suffering even more now than he was before. He pulled what looked like a small walky-talky or cellular phone from his pocket and spoke into it.
"Martin, it's me, we have a bit of a situation here. I need you to send the prototype father sent to have field tested. My friends need to be gotten to the MCT (Medical Chemical Technologies) division, pronto. You have a lock on my cordinates? Good. I'll see you shortly, old man."
With in a few minutes, what looked like a silver hovering car appeared near them. Master Wonderful shouted for Jack to he and Expirament into the vehical as he helped Paul and then went back for Crystal.
[ QUOTE ]
Before Master Wonderful had finished talking they were all suddenly back on the University Campus grounds. Jack had teleported them all again. It was the only acknowledgment he gave of Master Wonderful's request.
[/ QUOTE ]
The college was swarming with police and officials of every shape and description. Jack abruptly fell over: not unconscious, but momentarily stunned from the enormous amount of power he had used. It had burned most of the 'Dyne from his system at a shocking pace. Now his body was starting to go through the afteraffects - and stood in danger of falling into morbid shock.
Crystal was still out like a light; Paul, also, had stopped cursing and was showing signs of slipping into unconsciousness. Experiment 2.0 seemed to be as unconscious as the rest of them were. It looked like Master Wonderful, even with the chip that subdued his powers, was far and away the most able-bodied of the lot.
If the police spotted them, there could be legal issues, and in a big hurry. Jack's drug use was not unknown, and here he was covered in blood, pumped up on 'Dyne, and in the presence of two students also pumped up on 'Dyne. Arrests would be almost certain, and though eventually the mess would likely be straightened out in time, time was a luxury that none of them had at the moment. Perhaps it would be best to move to a location where medical attention was available, but official oversight would be at a minimum.....
[ QUOTE ]
"Martin, it's me, we have a bit of a situation here. I need you to send the prototype father sent to have field tested. My friends need to be gotten to the MCT (Medical Chemical Technologies) division, pronto. You have a lock on my cordinates? Good. I'll see you shortly, old man."
[/ QUOTE ]
In a few minutes Martin arrived. With the typical discretion of his staff, not a word was said about three unconscious students (one covered in blood) and an additional unconscious hero.
It was only once they were inside and well on their way to their destination that someone said, "Um... might I inquire as to how your morning went? It seems more... chaotic than usual."
+++
Edit: Oops, posted at the same time! Fixing my post Thought MW might like some posting time to extrapolate about his characters life, scientific setup, etc.,
[ QUOTE ]
)
"There are times like these I hate bein' right," their target said, just before he jumped into the hole He didn't need to turn around to see that they followed him. He could hear their thunderous footfalls as he activated his flying circuits.
Now that he had their attention, he just had to figure out what to do with it, though running away seemed like a damn good start.
[/ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The train moved on Smashing through several blocks of old rotted wood, past abandoned stations filled with warring Lost and Vahz, and past large signs saying END OF LINE.
[/ QUOTE ]
The car was still going at a furious speed when it hit the last of the END OF LINE signs. The stops at the ends of the tracks were old and rotten, and splintered under the force of the blow as the car struck them, full speed, sending within into the walls.
If the train had hit the stops full speed, it would have been the end of everyone inside. But because Harris had tried to stop the car, slowing it, the resulting collision was very different than it would have been otherwise.
One of the stops didn't splinter as badly as the second one had, and the car was thrown into a sharp spin. It did three complete three-hundred-and-sixty-degree turns before slamming into, and through, the next brick wall, causing a thunderous collapse in its wake.
The Vahz had been waiting there, at the end of the line. Those that weren't lucky enough to scramble out of the way were pulverized to mush. Many of the rest were buried in the avalanche that resulted from the destruction of the supporting wall that the car had hit.
The second and third brick walls shattered also, but with unequal violence. The car had been slowed by the first impact; it was slowed further by the second, and even further by the third.
The car barely made it through the fourth and final wall. Made of thick concrete, it exploded outwards in a shower of dust and rubble.
On the other side were two battling forms; one exceptionally large Abomination, and a very large Headman Blaster. They were chasing the small hero who had led them down here. The headman had the sense to try and get out of the way when the car suddenly burst from the wall like a bomb, spitting sparks, with the sound of shrieking metal. The hero also had to dive out of the way, for the car had come between them.
The small figure was quick enough to dive for cover. The headman wasn't. The car plowed into the next wall in a cacophony of noise and sparks and dust. The wall cracked in every direction, and pieces burst out of it, revealing its reinforced structure: but in spite of all of this, it held.
For a long moment the car hung suspended there by its own momentum, and then it crashed to the floor in a pile of rubble and steam.
Amazingly, the car was - for the most part - intact. Long ago a worker had lost his legs in an industrial accident: and after that all the cars had been redesigned for just such an emergency. Though all the windows had shattered, the reinforced frame had held up very well, its crumple zones thoroughly crumpled, but forming a tough safety shell which protected the passengers from the full devastation of the impact.
Nothing moved, in the moments that the car came to a rest. It just lay there, a great, ruined, steaming hulk.
The fight had just gotten a whole lot stranger than Small Arms had ever imagined.
(OOC TAG Small Arms! Woo hoo I have been DYING to get you connected to the plot! YEAH! BTW, while it is obviously up to you guys, I didn't figure anyone in the car was knocked out or dead or anything, probably just shook up. Have fun!