"Alright, let's see..." Christopher said, yawing slightly as he tried to focus on the computer screen in front of him. "From what we've learned, Mr. Greed can ONLY be staying in one of these... 23... retreats that he owns..." Christopher groaned and slammed his head down on the keyboard. "Well, at least we've narrowed it down from the total 462 retreats that he owns around the world..."
"And it only took us 16 hours..." Christina sighed deeply, stretching her arms above her head. "You want some coffee?"
"Sure..." Christopher said, unsteadily placing his hands back on his keyboard.
"Decaf?" Christina asked. Her brother shot her one of "those" looks, and she laughed nervously. "Right. Forget I asked."
What do I do now? Clover thought to herself, looking at the buisness cards in her hand as she walked back towards her "home". I could have a new life in this place... Clover narrowed her eyes as she observed the card for the "Whitmoore Apartments" in her hand. But... She sighed, turning her gaze towards the sky. But I STILL want to know about the life I had BEFORE...
"Well, it's been quite awhile since we've seen YOU." A voice came from one of the side-alleys, causing Clover to jump in fright. Turning to the source of the voice, Clover saw a young man wearing a red trenchcoat and a black beret walk out of th alleyway, his eyes narrowed on her.
"Who... who are you?" Clover asked, fear in her voice as she backed up slightly.
"Don't you remember me?" Mr. Wrath asked, his eyes widening in surprise. "I get it... you don't remember anything, do you?" Mr. Wrath sighed and shook his head. "Well, that explains alot."
Mr. Wrath rushed forward with his signature speed, grabbing Clover by the arm. "You're coming with me. NOW."
"NO!" Clover yelled, her tank top changing into a red trenchcoat. She grabbed some dirt and debris on the ground and threw it into Mr. Wrath's face.
"AAGH!" Mr. Wrath yelled in surprise, letting go of Clover as he shielded his face. Clover seized her oppurtunity, running at a much faster speed than she would normally be capable of running.
Kashaye... Kashaye, I need your help! Clover thought frantically, rumaging through her pockets in haste until she finally found the card with Soul Train's cell phone number. Looking around the back alleys of Pargon City frantically, she finally found a row of pay phones (only one of which worked).
Clover jammed the required amount of influence into the pay phone and quickly punched in Kashaye's number, all the time frantically looking about for any signs of Mr. Wrath. After several rings, she finally got a response.
"Kashaye, help me!" Clover said frantically, her words jumbling together because she was speaking so quickly. "I'm being-" Before she could finish, ball bearing hit the side of the booths, blowing up all the pay phones and knocking Clover back, her hand still grasping the (now disconnected and useless) receiver to the pay phone.
"I've got her." Mr. Wrath said into some type of communicator as he scooped up Clover in his arms. "Ready for Global Recall." In the next instant, both Mr. Wrath and Clover were gone in a flash of white light.
Supplemental Galactic Protectorate Fanfic
Kashaye and Gwen were getting caught up to speed on the project, and assisting Mallory with the layout of the file system, when her cellphone rang.
"Hello, this is Kashaye Park..."
[ QUOTE ]
"Kashaye, help me!" Clover said frantically, her words jumbling together because she was speaking so quickly. "I'm being-"
[/ QUOTE ]
The line went dead.
"Shay, who was that?"
"I don't know." She looked at the caller ID panel on the phone. "It's a payphone... who would call me from a payphone?"
A look of shock crossed her face as she realized who it was. "CLOVER!"
Quickly accessing a database link to City Hall (one that Physiks had set up as part and parcel of the "Hero PR" program), Kashaye typed in "Clover" as a search term.
NO HEROES MATCHING SPECIFIED SEARCH STRING. EXPAND TO WILDCARD?
"DAMN! She didn't make it to City Hall."
Kashaye scrolled down to another listing: "Metacriminal Profiles, Paragon City Police Department" Again, she tried the same search:
RESULTS:
CLOVER (alias) - real name unknown
FEM JUV, 5'4", ~85#, GREEN, HZL
WTD F QUEST RE: PURSESNATCH IN SKYWAY CITY
WTD F QUEST RE: PURSESNATCH IN STEEL CYN
WTD F QUEST RE: PURSESNATCH IN GALAXY CITY
ARRSTD, TRSPASS/BRK&NTR, KINGS ROW
NO KNOWN ADDRESS ON FILE
NO CONTACT INFO ON FILE
"Damn! She's a cipher, no records, no medical transponder, all we can do is fan out from the phone and hope we get lucky."
"Shay..." Gwen put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "You tried. But we don't have enough to go on, and you're needed here."
"I know Gwen. I shouldn't have cut her loose! If I'd have followed procedure, she'd have been sent to the Zig, they would have put her in the juevile section, maybe even got her some real help. But instead I convinced her to call me, and now I'm as helpless as she was with those binders on..."
An odd look crossed Kashaye's face. "MARTEL! Hey, you... yes, Piccini, is it? Get Agent Martel in here. And tell him to bring those sapper cuffs we had on the girl!" She started to pace, finger tapping aginst her chin. "They're probably still keyed to her, which means... yes, this might work." She sat down at the computer and looked through the inventory of diagnostic equipment and sendsors the lab had available. "YES! Energy signature scanner. We can use that to find her!" She quickly typed up a checkout/requisition order for the scanner, and just as Martel arrived with the binders, a lab tech showed up with the scanner.
"Martel, finally, you guys get to be useful. Those binders.. they have a diagnostic port on them, right? USB, firewire? Great. I need the program."
Martel started to protest.
"DAMMIT, don't argue. Those binders have an energy signature encoded on them. They have to, that's how the things work. I need to cross-load that signature to THIS." She pointed to the scanner array."
"What is this about?"
"It's about that girl we apprehended this afternoon, the one I... The one I let go. Riddle me this, Commando. Why would a common criminal call me a mere hour after I and you arrested her on the street? Listen to this."
She played back a digital recording of the call.
[ QUOTE ]
"Kashaye, help me!" Clover said frantically, her words jumbling together because she was speaking so quickly. "I'm being-"
[/ QUOTE ]
"Now... tell me what you think happened."
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
Mr. Greed smiled to himself as Clover and Mr. Wrath appeared in the private office of his island retreat. On Mr. Greeds command, Mr. Wrath let go of Clover. Clover quickly jumped back, ready to attack her assailants, but stopped short when she saw Mr. Greed.
You... Clover said, a look of shock on her face as she studied Mr. Greeds face. I... I know you! Clover shook her head, her mind stirring, images flashing in her head quickly. You were... you...
I was watching your conversation with that Hero via one of my Observation Satellites. Mr. Greed said, placing his wine glass down on the desk in front of him and narrowed his eyes. So, youve lost your memory... that explains why youve failed to contact me all this time.
You are... Clover whispered, shaking her head as she tried to make sense of the images flashing in her mind.
Luckily, that Hero saw you as an innocent, one that she felt she needed to protect. Mr. Greed chuckled slightly. Leave it to Heroes to assume the best in people. Mr. Greed sighed and clasped his hands together. If she had been thinking rationally, she might have asked herself why an unwilling lab subject wasnt strapped down in their bed; why there werent any guards watching over you. Mr. Greed chuckled once more, shaking his head. Why the DOOR to your prison cell wasnt even LOCKED.
I am... Clover whispered. She then cried out, grabbing her head as the images continued to flood her mind. I dont remember! Who am I?!
Mr. Greed sighed and rose to his feet, walking quickly and quietly over to Clover and embracing her in his arms.
Its OK... Mr. Greed said quietly as Clover buried her face in his chest, crying. You dont have to be afraid anymore... Mr. Greed patted her lightly on the back.
I just want... Clover looked up, her face wet with tears. I just want to know who I am... WHAT I am.
Mr. Greed looked down into Clovers eyes and smiled. Then Ill tell you... EVERYTHING.
Your real name is Erika Green. Mr. Greed began. You were born into a considerably rich family... though nowhere near as rich as myself. Mr. Greed chuckled slightly at his quip, but quickly composed himself. From the day you were born, your parents provided you with everything a child could want: toys and games as a child; and, when you became a teenager, the best jewelry and electronics money could buy. You were praised by others, had an entire entourage of friends, and NEVER had to steal or beg for anything. Mr. Greed embraced Erika closer. But... for all your money, for all your friends, for everything you had... there was ONE thing you desired more than anything else... something you thought youd NEVER be able to attain...
I want to be a Hero. Erika said one evening during dinner. Naturally, this caught her parents by surprise, so much so that they spit up the soup they were in the middle of enjoying.
Well, Erika, dear... Erikas mother looked to her husband for help, but raised his hand and shook his head quickly. She turned to back her daughter. We cant just... you see, youre not... Erikas mother sighed deeply. Honey, the people in Paragon City who dress up in capes and fight crime... well, they put their life in danger every single day. Plus, many of them have powers that help them do... what they do.
So, all I need to do is get powers and youll let me become a Hero? Erika asked curiously.
Well... its not that simple... Erikas mother once again turned to her husband, who sighed and faced Erika.
Well talk about this later, Erika. Finish your soup. Erikas father said in a tone of finality.
Of course, like most teenagers, you didnt let your parents limitations stop you from doing what you wanted to do. Mr. Greed smiled and shook his head. So, you began searching for ways in which to attain powers, or at least get the proper gadgets and equipment to fight crime without them. Mr. Greed sighed. Fortunately, your parents and I were... acquaintances, of a sort, and when I learned of your little conversation with them, I arranged for you to have a special appointment with one of my doctors. Mr. Greed smiled inwardly. Your parents thought you were getting a normal checkup, and I wasnt expecting much, honestly. But the results that came back from my testing... Mr. Greed reveled in the memory. Who would have thought that someone with such an incredible dormant power would be right under my nose? Mr. Greed scoffed slightly before continuing. In order to awaken your dormant powers, so to speak, I would need to perform extensive procedures on your body. The problem, however, was that even if I could successfully perform these procedures without your parents knowledge, I wouldnt be able to properly utilize your skills without your parents finding out about your power. Mr. Greed patted Erika once more. I informed you of my intentions, and you seemed very enthusiastic about it. You told me you were going to tell you parents about your dormant power, and hopefully everything would work out. Mr. Greed shook his head. The very next day, you came back to me, crying. Your parents had forbade you from having any such procedure, and were ready to press charges against me if I so much as touched you. Mr. Greed smiled. I didnt know what to do at that point; and so, I let YOU decide where to go from there.
Listen, Erika... Mr. Greed said, handing the young girl another tissue. I can understand your parents position. Theyre looking out for your best interests-
NO theyre NOT! Erika yelled. All my life, theyve made sure that I had everything I wanted... Mommy, can I get that doll? Sure honey!; Daddy, can I have that purse? Of course, sweety! And my friends would always tell me, Oh Erika, youre so lucky to have parents like that! But when it comes to the ONE THING Ive wanted ever since I was a kid... Erika paused for a moment to blow her nose. She looked into Mr. Greeds eyes, her tone becoming softer. Its just that... my parents always told me I was special, you know? And with everything Ive had, I thought I was... Erika sighed. But then, one day, I saw a Hero stop an entire gang of thugs single-handedly... and everyone around him praised him for it, more so than anyone EVER praised me... Erika clenched her fists tightly. I knew then... that I wasnt as special as I thought I was... as my parents had TOLD me I was... Erikas tone became harsher. But... but if I had powers like that... I really WOULD be special. People would look up to ME just like they look up to ALL the Heroes... no... I want them to look up to me MOST, MORE than all the other Heroes! Id rather have that... Erikas tone became soft once more. Id rather have that than money, Id rather that than a family, Id rather that than ANYTHING else!
Mr. Greed folded clasped his hands together, looking straight into Erikas eyes. Do you REALLY mean that? Youd sacrifice EVERYTHING else to be the greatest Hero in the world? He smiled as Erika nodded. Then listen to me carefully...
And so we worked everything out. Mr. Greed explained. The next day, you poured paint all over your parents bed, as payback for what they did to you. Naturally, your punishment was severe... not that it would matter. Mr. Greed chuckled slightly. Like most people as rich as your parents, they had a special guest bedroom in your house; it was small, barely able to fit two people, and had no windows to speak of. While they made plans to get a new bed, your parents were forced to spend at least one night in this guest bedroom. But thats all the time you needed. Erika shook slightly as the memory flashed in her head vividly as Mr. Greed recalled it. So, in the middle of the night, you quickly and quietly barricaded the door to the guest bedroom, the only way out of the room. You cut all the phone lines in the house and disabled all the smoke alarms... all the while your parents slept, having no idea about what was about to happen. You then lightly sprinkled gasoline all around your house... and then, just before making your escape... Erikas eyes shrank slightly Mr. Greed said the next words. You burned your house to the ground.
You were standing right on the grassy hill just outside your parents property when my helicopter picked you up. Mr. Greed said. At first, I thought you were crying, but when you stepped into the chopper, there was a smile on your face. Mr. Greed smiled and shook his head. Like a huge weight had been lifted off your shoulders.
The rest is pretty self-explanatory. Mr. Greed said. You were placed into one of my private laboratories, where you underwent the procedures necessary to unlock your dormant power. Mr. Greed sighed. After every single procedure, I or one of my other agents checked up on you; I wanted to make sure you were alright, since there was a slight chance of complications. Mr. Greed rubbed Erikas shoulder as he prepared to conclude her life story. After the final procedure, you were put into recovery, and I was informed by my doctors that you would have the power you always dreamed of when you awakened. Unfortunately, when you woke up, you lost your memory and... well, you know the rest, dont you?
Ive been searching for you for so long, and now here you are. Mr. Greed said, disengaging from Erikas body and stepping back. Now you know everything. So... what are you going to do now... Ms. Envy?
The girl was silent for a long time. And then, finally, a smile spread across her face.
What do you think Im going to do? Ms. Envy asked, raising her right hand and clenching it into a fist. Ive sacrificed everything to get this incredible power; it would be a shame if I let all that go to waste.
Supplemental Galactic Protectorate Fanfic
(( This is just a lead in for another person who would like to join us. She'll take over after this post. ))
Agent Martel had just gotten back to the Physiks building. He was still more than a little angry about Ms. Parker running away like that, but he was cooling off. As he marched through the Lobby, one of his ranking officers strode up to him purposefully.
"Sir, we've checked out the apartment of Mallory Swanson." His voice faltered a moment. "And we've encountered some... resistance."
"What, Crey is there? Already?" Martel asked, almost incredulously. " How could they have gotten there before we did?"
"No sir, it isn't Crey. We couldn't figure out who it was at first, but it seems that Ms. Swanson's roomate, Katie Larson, may actually be powered. Or at least very well trained."
"Trained? What is she doing?" Martel asked, his voice rising.
"Well sir, it seems that she's had a few Martial Arts lessons. When the three men arrived at the apartment, they unlocked the door and went in. She was in her room reading, but as soon as she knew we were there, she came out kicking. She knocked two of them unconscious and the third barely got out of the room. The girl is also fairly strong. She was able to drag the dazed bodies of those men to the door. Now she's barricaded herself in the apartment and is holding the two men hostage."
"WHAT?" Martel yelled. "How the hell was she able to do that? Those men are trained in Martial Arts too!"
"Well sir, she snuck up on them, and she was very fast. That is why we think she may be powered. Honestly, the one man was lucky to get out. He tried to reason with the girl, but she refused and has called the police."
"Call off those policemen. The last thing we need is that interaction. Then get Mallory and tell her to call her roommate and tell her what is going on. I want that apartment swept and put under surveillance today." Martel was fuming.
The soldier hurried off to find Mallory and to complete his orders.
Kate (Katie Larson) was sitting calmly on the couch in the apartment that she shared with her longtime friend Mallory Swanson. She had been intently reading one of her new novels when she heard a loud noise coming from the living room. She thought it was Mallory coming home from job hunting. She put down the book and made her way into the living room to ask how it went. Just before she opened the bedroom door, she heard male voices, so she stopped. She cracked her door and saw three men rummaging throught the appartment. When they had entered Mallory's room, she snuck up behind them and after a flurry of kicks and punches, two were on the ground, and the third was running out the front door.
After she had dragged the two unconscious men onto the living room rug and boud their hands, she called the police and retrieved her book. She was sitting on the couch reading and awaiting the police when the apartment phone rang.
"Hello?" she asked, surprisingly calm.
"Hey, it's me." the voice belonged to Mallory. "Um... did some people wearing military clothes come by there?"
"Yeah, there were going through your stuff, so I stopped them. Why?"
"You didn't... hurt anyone, did you?"
"Well, they're not bleeding..." She said with a smile on her face. "Why, who are they?"
"Oh no... they were sent by my new job. They were making sure the apartment was safe."
"What kind of job did you get yourself into that people come to your apartment when you aren't home?"
"I'll explain when I get there."
"Well, I called the cops on your friends here, but I don't know what is taking so long. The police in this town suck."
"If I know Martel, the police are probably not coming. Let those guys do what they need to."
"If you say so... who's Martel?"
"Like I said, I'll explain it when I get home. Just trust me."
"Alright, but do me a favor. Just be careful, okay?" Kate said sincerely and hung up the phone.
Kate got up from the couch and removed the power cords she had used to bind the hands of the men. When they were clear, she slapped one of them, almost lightly and said, "Hey, get up. You'd better finish what you were doing, and fast. We don't have enough food for you guys to stay for dinner"
The men slowly roused and finished sweeping the apartment for bugs while Kate continued reading in the living room, occasionally checking up suspiciously on what they were doing. When they finished about a half an hour later, she held the door open for them, and as they left she said, "Next time, you might want to knock." and closed the door, locking it behind them.
Deep beneath the secret confines beneath the Legion complex, all was silent. Two cloaked men spoke as they looked over a crippled Spaniard lying unconscious in a hospital bed, an oxygen mask strapped to his face, a myriad of IV's attached to his body.
"As you can see, he will live. His condition is still horrendous however. I do not think our warrior will be able to enter another battle for the rest of his life. He has sustained..." the white cloaked man was cut off by a man in crimson.
"No, we cannot afford to lose another elite. I also seriously doubt he will allow you to simply 'retire' him like that. You will find a way to not only return him to his prime, but make him better."
"Yes, I will use my God-like powers and he will be reborn." the man in white sarcastically replied.
The crimson-cloaked man remained silent for a moment, then continued. "We have acquired much technology over the years. Everything from biological enhancements to cybernetics that can interact with the body as if it was an organ in it's own right. I task you will collecting the technology we have gathered and make sure he is back on his feet with all possible speed. In short, you will have access to all of our resources. Do what you deem necessary to restore him."
The man in white did not immediately respond. After a moment of silence, he changed the topic completely. "How is Martel doing? Does he substitute for Matamoros well? I hope all this covert action doesn't drive him insane."
"He does well, but I assure you, he isn't being very covert. Nothing can change that man. I've heard reports that a few girls have given him trouble, but nothing The Hammer cannot handle. I've allocated more soldiers to him. Perhaps this will bring our enemy out into the open where we can crush them." He paused a moment. "Do what you will, doctor. See to it that he fights again." The crimson-cloaked man exited the room, the white-cloaked doctor remained, looking over his patient, wondering how he would pull of this miracle.
Martel had his hands full. First he had to chase down a superheroine, capture a mimic or whatever that girl was, retrieve the restraining cuffs used on her, and now it appeared that someone had kidnapped her. He had spent much of his time sending out couriers to contact headquarters and gather the necessary intelligence he needed to find the girl. Martel then received reports that three of his men, TRAINED men, were defeated handily by a mere teen girl. Then there were the reports that Trolls, Hellions, and Outcasts were harrassing his convoys for weapons and just plain "fun."
To put it simply, he went into an uncontrollable rage. "More soldiers! More choppers! Bring me the artillery!" He assembled his elite platoon and gave them orders to gather up Kashaye, Mallory, and this new 'Gwenivere' woman and keep them in the lab. "Make sure she works on...whatever the hell she's supposed to be working on!" he screamed to his men as he climbed aboard a chopper that had landed on the rooftop.
Then came the news reports. Apparently tanks and artillery were being dropped in The Hollows, accompanied by Legion's...'Death Legion'...an elite heavy assault force usually seen on the nightly news crushing 3rd world nations for 'refusing to pay debts owed'...to Legion, of course, for the weapons and mercenaries provided.
News reporters rushed to the Hollows and began to jockey for a position to interview Lt. Wincott.
"What's going on Lieutenant? Did you request Legion's assistance?" A reporter screamed.
"No, no, no," Wincott replied to the throng of reporters, "some guy in a beret came, flashed several papers from City Hall and Legion or WHATEVER and claimed he was taking control of the operation...said something about 'never having to worry about this scum ever again.'"
A soldier appeared in front of a news camera. "People of Paragon, we at Legion know that our image isn't exactly one of nobility or righteousness, but we do care for you and your safety. That is why we are putting our lives on the line, in cooperation with your police force, to stamp out this criminal menace from your fair city, starting with the once pristine zone of Paragon now known as 'The Hollows.' That is all." The soldier waved his hands, suggesting 'no more questions' as he backed away.
What the people didn't know is that they weren't necessarily going to arrest any of the criminals.
Citizens in the safe zones surrounding the Hollows all seemed to pause simultaneously. Everyone from those stuck in traffic to pedestrians stopped as a distant thumping noise echoed across the city. As everyone silence, they realized it was actually a distant 'boom-boom boom-boom-boom' echoing their way.
The police force stood idley by as the artillery crews did their job as several tanks and infantry units moved forward towards the 'abandoned' buildings and Grendel's Gulch, which were now being battered into dust by the artillery barrage.
"Fire! Reload! Fire! Reload!" was all the reporters and police heard...albeit in various languages, everything other THAN English.
Further out, in the Gulch and in the abandoned city zone, a fierce fire-fight was occuring between the various gangs and Legion. In many places it was hand-to-hand fighting, both sides taking casualties. The gangs fought with unsual ferocity, now realizing this force hadn't come to merely arrest them...
[ QUOTE ]
" Ms.Feynman, Hello! Sorry to bother you any more, But I also forget to tell you earlier I am an inventor...of sorts, and have something I made you may find interesting.
[/ QUOTE ]
Clarisa was about to step onto the elevator when Eddy found her.
"Mr. Ramirez, I am very interested in promoting innovation, so an inventor like yourself is welcome here at Physiks. " She touched his arm lightly. "Please walk with me, I'm on my way to visit another bright star, Kashaye Parker. You two should meet, she may need help in her lab."
Walking and talking, she said "Are you any good at re-engineering? You know, ...in case we found any technology that we hadn't developed? All on the up-and-up, of course." The practiced smile of a business person spread across her face.
Just then a Legion agent text messaged her about some information going to Soulll Trainnn on a person named Clover. Clarisa quicked her pace and Eddy kept up with her. When she arrived at the door to the lab and entered, she asked, "How can I help?"
[url="http://celestialguardians.guildportal.com"]Celestial Guardians SG[/url]: Chris Mas Snow 50 Ice/Storm Ctl, Li Zhou 42 MA/Rgn Scrp, Dui Zhou 32 Ice/FF Ctl, TinyTaxi 35 Emp/Psi Def
[url="http://tinyurl.com/y66drr"]UnAlliance VG[/url]: Shar Chi 37 Nin/Drk MM, La Vida Loca 16 Pl/Psi Dom
"YES!!!"
Kashaye was working with what looked like a crash test rig in a bunker under the building. There were two vehicles, and a ram that was driven by cables.
The only thing different from a Highway Safety testing facility was the large and rather interesting pair of emitters placed close by the target area.
One of the vehicles was smashed. The ram had crumpled it into a twisted wreck of metal from the front all the way to the driver side door.
The other...was pristine. The calibration markings stenciled onto its sides weren't even scratched.
Which was unusual, considering the ram had been driven into it at a carefully calibrated speed of 75 miles per hour.
Kashaye, removing a set of blackout goggles to protect her vision from the awesome flare of light energy that had burst off at the ram's impact, opened the driver side door of the vehicle, and removed a cage containing two rats. They were also unharmed, aside from being flash-disoriented.
"Mallory, how's the log look?"
"Well... according to this.... we just set off a bomb in here... but it was all visible light. Nothing in either high or low energy range."
"Then... it's safe. The field is SAFE! WE DID IT!!!"
--------------------------------
Lady Gwen perused the printout of the file she'd somehow convinced one of Martel's men to run.
"Energy Signature Not On File"
Damn. Kashaye was not going to like this. Unless Clover made another attempt to contact her, she was essentially gone.
Oh well. Time to see what she could do to cause more havok and mayhem with Legion's troops.
She entered the bathroom, started the shower running... and then phased out of view. Carefully making her way to the balcony, she then teleported her way to the tram station.
She wanted to call Shay, but knew the conversation would be monitored. It was too bad Kashaye had given up her hash code. The woman was just too trusting sometimes. That's why she needed someone to watch her back, keep her healthy and happy and most of all, SANE.
Gwen wanted all of that to be her job. You didn't need an army to protect one woman. You just needed a few good friends with the proper skills.
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
((Oops sorry I thought you were going to have Kashaye go to help Clover. I must have gotten confused. 
))
[url="http://celestialguardians.guildportal.com"]Celestial Guardians SG[/url]: Chris Mas Snow 50 Ice/Storm Ctl, Li Zhou 42 MA/Rgn Scrp, Dui Zhou 32 Ice/FF Ctl, TinyTaxi 35 Emp/Psi Def
[url="http://tinyurl.com/y66drr"]UnAlliance VG[/url]: Shar Chi 37 Nin/Drk MM, La Vida Loca 16 Pl/Psi Dom
Kashaye turned from her work with the testing to see Clarisa and a young man enter the lab/bunker.
"Help? Well... I haven't tested this with a human occupant, so perhaps... no, that's OK, I'll get one of the lab techs to do it, if I don't do it myself."
She shook her head. "Wait... you've been really busy, and probably haven't had time to read much of the reports what with Legion running all over the place. So I'll show you."
She pressed a large green button on a control by the door, and the ram trundled to the other end of the bunker.
"Observe the car. Not a scratch, right? Showroom clean.. although actually this is a used vehicle we picked up at auction. Now... normally when you hit something with it at highway speeds, it ends up like the other one. Totalled."
She motioned for Clarisa and the young man to stand back. "Mallory, run charge sequence delta-omicron-two."
The two emitters powered up, and then with a reverbrating hum, a field sprang up between them, seeming to collapse into the metal of the car. It sparkled, almost like a diamond.
Kashaye handed Clarisa a pair of blackout goggles, and a large ball-peen hammer. She handed another set of goggles to the young man, as Mallory caused the glass of the observation booth to darken to near-opacity.
"OK, Clarisa. Cave the hood in."
When Clarisa, intrigued, bashed the hood of the car with the hammer, it... stopped, and an actinic-white flash erupted from the impact point. There was no recoil, and she lost her balance for a second, because inconsciously she was braced for something that inexplicably failed to happen. She lifted the goggles.
The lustrous gleaming look was gone... but the hood showed no sign at all that it had just been whacked with a hammer.
She raised her eyebrows and looked at the scientist. "What just happened?"
"The kinetic shield is an energy converter. It takes incoming kinetic force, from the hammer, or the ram, or whatever... and instantaneously converts it to light. We've tuned it so that it doesn't emit anywhere in the EM spectrum that could be harmful, but the flash is bright enough to blind someone for several minutes, hours if you happen to be looking directly at it. The field itself collapses in the process. However... between the time we've set it and when we collapse it... there seems to be no degradation whatsoever. So theoretically one could set an emitter array at the exit to, say, a parking garage, and zap every vehicle that leaves. It's too bulky to mount on the car, as you can see."
Clarisa ran her hand over the finish of the vehicle.
"What level of impact will set it off?"
"That's proving to be tricky to fine tune. I've got it so that peanut shells or bird droppings won't trigger it, but a tossed pebble hitting the windshield or the grill will. I hope to tune it so that impacts that wouldn't be strong enough to damage an uunshielded car aren't enough to trigger the shield."
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
" Amazing..."
Eddy's words rolled off his tongue when the demonstration was over.
"Ms.Parker? My name is Eddy Ramirez, I'm a student at Paragon Univerity. I have a knack for science..so to say..I have a few nifty inventions Physiks Technologies may find interesting. If you ladies would wait one moment..."
Eddy quickly exited the room and took the elevator back down to the lobby. Next to a couch in the lobby area, Eddy had left a small leather suitcase. He grabbed it and jogged back to the elevator not wanting to keep the ladies waiting.
He briskly walked back into the room with the suitcase.
"This is my first and most promising invention. A suit of armor made of a combination of steel-mesh technology and highly resistant Adamantium."
He opened the suitcase and began to take out silver and gold pieces of a high quality looking armor. He first slipped on the bottom half, boots first, pant leggings, and belt. He then put on the breastplate, engraved with a small round jewel. He slipped on the sleeves and gloves. And finally he put on the helmet.
Makavell
" May I present, Makavell. Named because of my interest in the Italian politician Niccolo Machiavelli."
He stood up standing 6'2 armor-clad in silver and gold.
" Would you ladies care to see some of what Makavell can do?"
A sly smirk showed beneath the helmet.
Kashaye was nonplussed. She'd just finished demonstrating the next big thing in auto safety, and here this... kid.. wanted to show off a powersuit.
"Er... Mr. Ramirez... you're standing next to the emitter array. PLease don't trigger anything that could..."
Too late. Eddie, in his enthusiasm, bumped the delicate array. It shorted out, sending the control computers into fits of what could only be called digital panic. Alarms sounded, and a shimmering force field dropped over the doorway.
<< WARNING! CONTAINMENT PROTOCOL IS IN EFFECT. MESSAGE REPEATS. CONTAINMENT PROTOCOL IS IN EFFECT. >>
"Oh for the luvva Pete... Mallory! Do like I showed you. Command prompt, type 'ENERGY SCAN' and then if it doesn't come back with a threat, shut off the containment field."
Mallory attempted to do so. But somewhere along the line, she hit up-arrow, where her earlier command to run the shield charge was typed. Flustered, she hit Enter.
The arrays, now no longer calibrated, popped a kinetic shield around Makavell's armor... which then glistened like diamond.
Mallory was able to follow Kashaye's commands the second time through... but still, Makavell now had a shield on his armor that hadn't been there before.
"Well, at least we know how to disperse it. Shield your eyes, everyone."
She bashed Makavell's armor with the hammer. No flash. The effect stayed in place. And the armor was undamaged.
"Uh oh....."
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
Aparrently Eddy had triggered some kind of energy field that surrounded him completely. Nothing could get through it. He was a bit frustrated Miss Parker hadn't told him of the dangers of triggering anything in her lab. But he tryed not to show it.
" Well, this is odd. How can we get this "field" off of the suit?
The elite platoon left to guard the lab and, more specifically, Kashaye and Mallory, marched down the hall towards the laboratory. Their jackboots created a loud marching sound, especially since the group was moving in unison, which echoed down into the lab. The officer in charge saw that all lights were green, no one was panicking, and there were no isolation fields up. Everything seemed fine.
"Better safe that sorry," he told himself as he and his men went to check up on things.
No sooner do they walk into the entryway of the lab do they see a man clad in silver and gold armor standing in the middle of the room. Immediately they dart into the lab, jumping, tucking and rolling, and various other action movie-esque maneuvers. They take positions behind desks, containers, and anything else that offered protection, taking aim at the armored man.
The officer, pistol aimed, screamed out. "You, tin-man, down on your knees, now! I will not hesitate to put a bullet between your eyes!" The sounds of assault rifles locking and loading was heard around the room. All was tense...all depended on the action of this armored-man...
[ QUOTE ]
Aparrently Eddy had triggered some kind of energy field that surrounded him completely. Nothing could get through it. He was a bit frustrated Miss Parker hadn't told him of the dangers of triggering anything in her lab. But he tryed not to show it.
" Well, this is odd. How can we get this "field" off of the suit?
[/ QUOTE ]
"That's a good question... "
Kashaye was interrupted by the arrival of the Legion.
"Whoa whoa whoa! STAND DOWN! You guys take subtlety lessons from Martel, don't you? We just had a little malfunction, everything's fine, no one is in danger!"
She turned back to Makavell. "Our previous tests showed that the field bonded to metal parts. However... I didn't try and disassemble a car while it was so protected."
The Legion team leader wasn't taking Kashaye's word for anything. "I SAID... remove the helmet, and assume the position!"
One of his men, already on edge because of the alarm, brushed his trigger finger a little harder against the trigger than intended...
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
Eddy was skeptical. Did the soldiers think that smalls arms fire would damage the suit? But he didn't want any conflicts starting so he begun to comply. But before he was able to speak one soldier fired a few shots at him, but they simply bounced off the field.
"Seems like that won't work.."
"CEASE FIRE! We have expensive delicate equipment in here! Perhaps you'd like to blow us all up?"
Kashaye was starting to get really really angry at having to deal with soldiers at every turn. They'd messed up her home life, they'd made shopping impossible, her missions as a superheroine were now one big pick-up team, and now they were interfering with her work. And worst of all, they all had that insufferable "We're men, so we are in charge" mindset.
"ALRIGHT!! You, you, you, all of you, put your weapons on SAFE, and then walk out of here. Your lab clearances have been revoked as of right now. Mallory, please come down and help Mr. Ramirez with his suit." Kashaye opened the door to get into the booth, and prepared to put the isolation field back up.
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
One shot led to another...and another...and another. Soon everyone was carelessly pouring lead into the armor, to no effect. The rounds ricocheted, hitting several important looking machines. The officer was screaming "Cease fire! Cease fire!" but could not be heard over the din of gunfire. He smacked several of his mean in the back of the head, again telling them to cease fire. Slowly, but surely, the fire came to a halt.
The floor was now littered with empty shells, bullet holes from the ricocheted rounds were everywhere. It also appeared that several, rather expensive and important looking machines, were basically shot to bits. Little did any of them know, Legion HQ had the lab bugged, so an alarm arose at headquarters.
"We have reports of shots fired at Physiks labs. Send reinforcements, surround the building. Possible hostage situation." An officer called out at the Legion compound. Soldiers were rushing around, hopping into Jeeps and Hummers, making their way to the Physiks building.
Everyone and everything went completely crazy at Legion. The alarms at the Paragon compound caused alarms at several central Legion offices across the world to go into a state of alarm. Blame was already being attached to a name: Crey.
All across the world, Legion forces were placed on full alert and made combat ready as preliminary 'skirmisher' forces were deployed near just about every major Crey facility. The world was on the verge of a super-Corporate war, all over a lab accident.
Eddy was shocked at how careless these "Legion" men were. All the bullets were richoceting and destroying equipment. He tried to shout to Ms.Parker over the gunfire.
" Where'd you find these trigger-happy guys?"
Kashaye took cover behind a blast shield, while Mallory dived back into the observation booth. Clarisa somersaulted herself over and behind a large set of cabinets.
"What? I dunno, they just showed up!! Clarisa!! This has gone WAY too far!!!"
Kashaye activated her commlink. "Gwen! Come in! I think we're going to need an extraction, Martel's goons have gone trigger-happy! They might be here to protect us, but right now I wanna know who's protecting us from them!!"
----
Lady Gwenivere was in the midst of busting up an arms deal with Crey written all over it, when her targets started getting antsy. Cloaking herself, she snuck close to see what was going on.
"Bug out, bug out, our deal is blown, there's military strike units right outside the building. Send in Protectors and Revenants STAT!"
What the... ?? She scooted to a window. Sure enough. Legion was descending upon the operation. In force. This was going to get real messy real fast. She cracked the window open, stepped out onto the roof of the building, and started jumping over buildings. Half way to the tram her commlink beeped. She thumbed it off of 'mute' to hear:
[ QUOTE ]
"...an extraction, Martel's goons have gone trigger-happy! They might be here to protect us, but right now I wanna know who's protecting us from them!!"
[/ QUOTE ]
Oh no! Kashaye and Mallory! She called up her S.H.E. issued locator beacon. Steel Canyon. She'd have to narrow it down closer once she got there. She activated the commlink, not caring if Legion overheard. "Received and understood and en route."
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
The lab was being destroyed. It must have pained Ms.Parker to see all her equipment being destroyed. He overheard her say something about extraction. He then shouted to her again.
" Is someone coming to get us out of here? We stay here much longer and we may end up like this equipment!
"I THINK S...."
The gunfire stopped, as did the sound of spent shell casings rattling around on the floor.
She took one look at the carnage. Her prototype field emitters... destroyed. The test vehicles.. destroyed. Even the crash ram was riddled with pockmarks and bullet holes. The observation booth window was starred, and the tool cabinets, telemetry gear and other needed equipment was all shredded. Off in a corner, a computer bank, tasked with monitoring and regulating the field harmonics, gave one last gasp, spit sparks and then went completely offline.
Kashaye regarded the officer, a furious look on her face. Her hands, held out to her sides, began to show a buildup of blue kinetic energy.
"Get...... Me........ MARTELLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
Martel stood atop a hill in Eastgate Heights overlooking all of the Hollows. He surveyed the zone using a pair of binoculars, a cigar in his mouth, a grin stretching aross his face. His clothes were caked with bits of dried blood, stained by superdine, covered in melting ice shards and bits of earth, and were even slightly singed from fire. Around him laid dozens of bodies of various groups, mostly trolls and outcasts, as well as casualties from his own units. Several of the trolls and outcasts were decapitated or had massive lacerations across them. Martel's sword hilt also had bits of blood on it...All was silent now in the Hollows.
A dusty, exhausted soldier approached Martel, radio in hand. "Sir, it's Lieutenant Sanchez. We have a problem."
The soldier handed Martel the radio and walked a few yards away, knowing it would not be a pleasant scene. He heard Martel screaming and cussing into the radio in basically every latin language ever to exist, including latin itself!
There was a pause. Apparently he had been cut off. Perhaps the radio was taken by someone else? The soldier heard screaming and yelling coming FROM the radio...someone was not happy back at Physiks...
[ QUOTE ]
He heard Martel screaming and cussing into the radio in basically every latin language ever to exist, including latin itself!
There was a pause. Apparently he had been cut off. Perhaps the radio was taken by someone else? The soldier heard screaming and yelling coming FROM the radio...someone was not happy back at Physiks...
[/ QUOTE ]
"YOU TESTOSTERONE-POISONED IDIOTS!!! MY LAB AND PROTOTYPES ARE RUINED! BY YOUR MEN!!! IS THIS WHAT YOU CALL 'PROTECTION'??? BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE CREY HIRED YOU BONEHEADS TO ENSURE MY CONTINUED FAILURE!! YOU COULDN'T HAVE DONE A BETTER JOB HAD YOU TRIED!!!"
Kashaye only stopped yelling because she ran out of breath. She then tossed the radio to Clarisa. "Clarisa... Ms. Feynman... I know this Legion deal is something that can pull us out of the red... but right now, these gun-happy jerks put us several million influence INTO the red! So I think we should go it alone. We'll live longer!!!"
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
Another report was spit back as a result of the query.
[ QUOTE ]
SURVEILLANCE REPORT : SURV TEAM FIVE-ALPHA
---------------------------
UNK F HUM, 5'9", BRN, BLU, ~140#, CAUC
ARMED: BOW AND ARROWS
HERO MEDICAL TRANSPONDER IDENT PING
PING IDENT REPLY: LADY GWENIVERE, SL 30, EMP/ARCH DEF
SBJCT OBSRVD NTRNG SURV LOC BETA (APARTMENT, MS. KASHAYE PARKER) USING KEY TO FR DR. SBJCT OBSRVD USING SPARE BDRM TO CHANGE FRM UNIF, PREP SHWR, PREP MEAL, OCC LVNG RM TO WTCH TV/LSTN 2 JAZZ MUSC. PTRN SUG LONG-TERM OCCPNT. UPDATING SURV ROSTER.
[/ QUOTE ]
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."