Oooh, a Laz story!
*Gets popcorn, gets ready for some good tellin'* 
Japancakes.
Art - Theme 005 - Seeking Solace
Without her usual display of clumsiness Cobalt cut through the plate glass of the window an opening large enough for her and Naga to slip through then gently laid the cut piece on the floor inside. She didnt care about leaving a trace of their entry or making a quiet escape later. Crey was going to know that something happened here tonight and most likely in a very spectacular fashion. While Cobalt was interested in stealing something, Naga was only here to destroy something else.
For some time since her recovery from the Earth, Naga had been assigned as an observer for this star system, as she called it in the English language, which she still used rather clumsily. One of her tasks was to find out what had happened to the remains of the ship she had originally crashed her in and either recover or destroy it. With Cobalts help she had found that Crey had run a quick salvage operation on the crash site while Longbow was busy trying to secure the sole survivor, Naga, from Arachnos. Lord Recluse hadnt the time to secure the wreckage and so it was Crey for the taking.
Now the wreckage was being housed in the basement laboratories of concealed within this building. If she could get it out then she would destroy it, even it if meant leveling the building as well. Hence another reason for doing this at night, when the normal office workers were gone. Neither girl had much sympathy for the agents and scientists who worked on the Countess secret projects.
While they were here, Cobalt was interested in securing some data. Not only whatever information she could find on the secret projects, but the personnel file of a certain member of the faculty at Montressor Academy who was rumored to have been rather high up in the organization. Of course that information would not be accessible from this office, they would have to gain access to the secure network for that and as far as Cobalt could tell from the building blueprints she had secured a good room for doing such was located a few floors below them. They made their way down there without incident, avoiding patrols and cameras along the way. Even the advanced security systems in use were trivial for Cobalt to bypass. She interfaced with the computer network and ran her careful queries while Naga kept watch.
*Sits down by Essex and takes some popcorn.*
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
*Sits with them and eats more than his share of the popcorn* Catchy title!
Kathode wasnt having such an easy time several floors down below. While her initial entry had been quick and unnoticed, eventually someone would either spot her or notice the absence of the unconscious guards, like this guy right ahead of her.
Command, we got an intruder in sector... he spoke into his radio before being cut off by her charged fist colliding with his face at a high velocity. Certainly enough the alarm klaxons began to sound and red lights started flashing. So far from her target and already this had happened. She swore at herself for messing up this early.
Meanwhile, the alarm was at a high enough level for Cobalt to notice it upstairs. She quickly patched through to various cameras until she found a feed on which the cause appeared. What the hell is Kathy doing here? she uttered aloud and then displayed the image to Naga on a nearby screen. Go get her out of there, Ill be fine here for now. The lizard-girl nodded before fading from sight, a moment later the door to the room opened and then closed apparently by itself.
Kathode was now on the move. A group of guards came at her from one corridor she was approaching, brandishing their clubs rather than their machine guns. Orders are to take her alive. One of them said to the rest as they all moved in to surround her.
I dont have time to play. She growled as she sped forward into the approaching crowd and knocked some of them down like bowling pins. Those who were standing tried to swing at her only to get electric shock as her aura of red lightning crackled to life. She made short work of the men, without taking a decent blow in return. One tried to fire his gun at close range; several of the bullets were deflected by her energy field while one made it through but was slowed enough not to pierce the skin. It still hurt when it hit and he received a broken arm for his effort.
However, it turned out to be mostly a diversion, for the real trouble had arrived. At one end of the corridor stood two Crey Power Tanks and at the other were several scientists armed with what she recognized to be Crey Cryo rifles.
Oh [censored]. She muttered as they aimed their rifles at her and prepared to fire.
Cobalts video feed was suddenly cut. She doubted that the camera had become damaged in the fight as she tried to connect to others and got nothing. It didnt take long for the meaning of it to dawn on her.
The server room she was in had two doors, two directions she could flee in but also two in which they could come in. The ceiling above was painted concrete instead of suspended tiles and the air ducts were too small even for her to crawl into. The raised floor of the room was too narrow as well and sealed around the walls anyway, an ultrasound scan revealed. A quick check revealed than a teleportation-inhibiting field was in effect. She cursed herself for being this careless.
They were going to come in and she could already detect motion in the hall outside both doors from the octospider bots clinging to them for that purpose. She sent them a mental command and they scampered on their flexible metal-wire legs out to the edges, proceeding to weld the steel doors to their frames. It wouldnt slow down Crey Security by much but would still buy some crucial seconds of time. She reached into her bottomless backpack and pulled out the tools of her trade. Quickly she inserted noise-dampening plugs into her ears; it was going to get loud.
The door that hadnt been barricaded in time tore open first with a Crey Guard stepping inside as it swung open. He scanned the room quickly and could not see her yet, likely hiding amongst the racks of equipment. He signaled with his hand to those in the hallway and several others came into the room behind him. One stepped on a loose floor tile and froze when he heard a click sound.
Suddenly a thick green gas was spraying out of the floor and the Guards, lacking gas masks, were quickly being overcome by the noxious vapors. As they tried to back out one was suddenly struck in the chest by an energy blast coming from the back of the room and was knocked to the floor. Those who were still in control of their stomachs for the moment started firing back in the direction from which the beam had come, their rubber bullets being easily deflected by Cobalts force field. She fired a few more shots then rolled back behind cover, tossing a grenade at them, which exploded and covered the men with sticky fibers.
The other men out in the hall were having difficulty entering with these incapacitated and immobilized guards blocking the doorway. However, on the other side of the room an explosive charge went off and took that door right off of its frame. Inward stepped two armored units, a Crey Protector and Crisis Unit. The Protector activated his force field to cover himself and the Crisis Unit, who brandished a grenade launcher, while he aimed his own Cryo Rifle around the room.
Around from behind a rack of servers came a small robot with a mortar on its back, which began launching globs of corrosive at the two armored units. The objects had enough mass to pass through the force field and landed on their armor, immediately burning away at it. The Crisis Unit quickly selected a concussive grenade and fired at the robot, sending it flying into the air as well as tearing the equipment rack from its floor and ceiling mountings. The poison gas was beginning to clear as the ventilation system attempted to cycle the air at full power.
Give it up little girl, youre not getting out of this room. Shouted the Agent who was taking over behind the first door. She was answered swiftly when the part of the door above her head was suddenly reduced to molten shrapnel by the energy of Cobalts particle beam. [censored]! Let her have it! The Agent screamed as she dove back into the corridor.
The two armored units began firing into the room, tearing down anything that could be used as cover. As the Protector took as step closer another loose floor tile clicked, this time being a trip mine. The man was sent straight up into the ceiling, surviving only because of his suit holding him in one piece. Another Crisis Unit arrived and the two began launching canister after canister of sleep gas into the room. A few more proton blasts fired out at them, then nothing more.
The containment team came in, this time equipped with gas masks and equipment for detecting traps. They found Cobalt unconscious from the gas at one of the back corners of the room, underneath a maintenance worktable.
Alright, take her down to the labs to join the kitty. The Agent in charge ordered them, then spoke into her radio. Did you find the lizard yet?
Negative, still searching. Replied the leader of a group of Riot Guards several floors below. They where sweeping the corridor using infrared goggles, which they believed would reveal the camouflaged creature. It may very well have worked if only they had the sense to look upwards.
Naga crouched on top of a setup of pipes and conduits that hung below the high ceiling of the corridor, directly above the search team. She waited for them to move on before leaving her hiding spot. While the team who had ambushed Cobalt tried to jam her communications abilities she had still managed to broadcast most of everything to the radio Naga possessed. Now she had to decide whom to rescue first, Cobalt or Kathode.
Dont open that. The Agent told the researcher who was examining Cobalts backpack. Someone got curious upstairs and stuck their hand in it while we were loading the girl onto the stretcher. They got him down in the infirmary right now, trying to get some kind of bear-trap device off of his wrist. He might lose the hand for all I could tell while they were hauling him away screaming.
The researcher set the backpack down gently under the scanning device and went to the nearby terminal. While he worked in vain to see into the object another researcher was looking over and inside an item of clothing. It was Cobalts bodysuit.
Interesting, definitely synthetic material and very strong. Doesnt look like Kevlar though, has a rather leathery outer texture. He dictated to the camera that was looking over him and the table he was working at. Flexible and elastic, forms to fit the body. You said this was skintight? He asked the Agent.
Yeah, like a second skin. She replied. Not surprising shed cover up so much, she was rather messed up underneath.
The researcher ignored that comment. Hed see for himself later when they finished the body scan they were running right now. He began examining the outfit with various instruments.
Interior of garment appears to contain a network of fibers not related to its structure. These may be part of a sensor system, as they connect to metallic structures on the interior that may be electrical connections. These connectors are located primarily on the back where they would be over the wearers spine.
Meanwhile, in another nearby lab a pair of scientists were watching over the terminals for the scanning equipment that hung over the table on which Cobalt was currently laid out. Before they tried to scan her with the suit on but found that it was absorbing much of the electromagnetic energy the scanners were emitting, necessitating it be removed and taken away for study. She was still deeply unconscious.
I have seen some extensive cyborgization before but this is nearly a work of art. One of them said to the other. Power and data cables running through much of the body and some small enough to run directly along the nerves. Her right eye is cybernetic along with much of her left arm. The machinery in the brain is extremely complex and looks most definitely to be nanotech.
We still cannot scan inside that object in her chest. The other said, pointing to a bright but sharply defined area just behind and below her heart. Its reflecting the x-rays and the ultrasound. Everything appears to be connected to it in some way, like an artificial organ of some kind.
Perhaps it is a second heart. The first one mused. The cybernetics cannot run on the normal organs so they need their own support system. It will be interesting when we take a look inside.
We cant do any exploration until we get a total memory download first. The other scientist reminded him. Theyre still working on that other one they caught.
True. He said with a hint of annoyance. What is taking them so long?
"Dude! That's messed up!"
Randall looks about uncertainly, then lounges in one of the seats in the back.
"Please... continue."
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
((Yay, a comment. Finally. Second page too.))
The boys in R&D outdid themselves with this one. Kathode heard someone say as she began to awaken. She could feel that she was being carried, by what felt like a pair of hands grasping each arm, whilst her feet dragged on the floor. One hand released her right arm and she felt someone stroking her tail. I wonder if shes this fuzzy everywhere. The same voice said again as the hand ran up under her tail and groped her rear.
"[censored]! She uttered groggily as she tried to pull away but found that her arms and legs had been shackled together. Her eyes opened and hurt in the bright light of the room.
Cut that out! Said a voice ahead of her. Shes waking up, get another sedative. Her vision began to clear and she could see the new speaker, a Crey technician standing beside a restraining chair set in the middle of a mass of machinery. She didnt know what it was and that only made it more frightening.
A third voice answered to her left. Start putting her in the chair, Ill get it. She looked up to see a guard walking away towards a tray of syringes on a wheeled cart nearby. On her other right was the touchy-feeling guy, who spun her around and shoved her down into the chair. When he placed a hand over her chest to hold her down she tried to writhe loose and spit in his face.
Feisty little [censored]. He said as he slapped her across the face with his free hand. The sedatives were still wearing off and she just didnt have enough strength to get out from under his hand.
A chime came from the door and the technician went to answer it. The door opened and there was no one there. A gust of air passed by him, he thought that the corridor was a bit drafty and closed the door.
Alright, got it. Said the guard who was fetching the correct syringe. Hurry up, we need to get her out of the cuffs and into the restraints. Easier if she isnt struggling. Said the one holding her down. Ah, you like when they fight back anyways. The other replied.
He was about to answer when there was a sickening sound and a blade suddenly came out through the front of the his chest. Kathode looked on in a mix of horror and fascination as the blade retracted and he then fell limply to the floor, revealing the creature standing behind him. She didnt stand very tall, no more than Kathode did and was dressed in a matte black material that might have been Kevlar. A mask covered the mouth and goggles were pulled down over the eyes, her red hair done up in a pair of pigtails that stuck up and out to the sides. Her feet were like that of an animal, with large claws and walking on her toes. From the back sprouted a reptilian tail. The parts that were not covered revealed obsidian black skin that shimmered as if scaled. In her hands she clutched a sword.
The other guard dropped the syringe and raised his machine gun to fire at her. With no one restraining her now, Kathode slid her body out of the chair and onto the floor in time to see the lizardgirl disappear into thin air. The machine gun went off and filled the space above with bullets, some of which struck the technician who was still standing by the door.
The technician dropped and the guard made a panicked run for the door. The lizardgirl appeared again and her blade lashed out like lightning as he passed her position. He suddenly stopped running and fell, his head separating from his body as he hit the floor.
The technician was still alive and crawling towards the panic alarm button on the wall. He screamed as she stepped over him and rammed the sword down through his back.
Kathode tried to wiggle away as she approached her. She could feel her powers beginning to return and was hoping to release an electrical blast from her body when the lizardgirl was close enough. Instead she stopped, sheathed her sword, and then took the key ring from the dead guard who had been holding her down before, looked at it quizzically and then held it towards her like and offering while tilting her head to one side in a birdlike manner.
The small one is for the cuffs. Kathode said after a pause. After a moment her shackles were unlocked and she got up on her feet by pulling herself up with the armrest of the chair.
Okay, who the hell are you and why did you rescue me? Kathode asked her.
((I don't know if everyone is just waiting for the end first or what, but it's kind of wierd getting so many views every time I post an update but no comments. Feels like playing for an audience that just sits there and stares at you without booing or applauding.))
Well yes, this is a story, after all. You don't see the audience making comments when you go to, say, a concert, do you? Or a play? You generally wait for at least the end of the first act. 
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
You also aren't Essex. For some reason, everybody feels the need to interrupt her...
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
The scientist was examining Cobalt again when he heard the door to the lab open and close. You certainly took your time, how long can we expect
his speech trailed off as he looked up. The first thing he noticed was that his assistant was being held with a dagger across his throat by someone behind him who with red hair and was dressed in black. The second thing he noticed was the catgirl. She had a black backpack slung over one shoulder and was aiming a semi-automatic handgun directly at him, the model used by Creys own agents.
Step the [censored] away from her. Kathode told the man. The drug that had weakened her powers had not worn off yet, but it didnt stop her from being able to pull a trigger. The man wisely backed away from the table and didnt attempt to make a dash for the panic button on the wall. By the time he made it halfway there he would have been gunned down anyway.
Kathode looked at Cobalt and pulled the sheet up to cover more of her before speaking again. How do I wake her up? She asked him and he pointed at a tray of hypodermics. The one with the red label is a stimulant. It will counteract the tranquilizer.
She narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. If youre lying and that syringe does anything other than wake her up
She didnt get to finish when the door opened again and a guard ran into the room. Someone just took out the guys down the hall and
he saw the two girls and began to raise his machine gun.
Kathode swore as she moved to avoid his fire. Naga quickly turned and threw her dagger through the air, striking the guard in the shoulder where his vest was not protecting him and causing the man to drop his weapon after he got a brief burst off. The bullets that would have hit Naga deflected off of her energy shield and struck her former hostage instead.
The other scientist made a run for it, but instead of the panic button he was headed for the door to the next room. Kathode reacquired him as a target and fired off a round, which was far off its mark but still managed to hit him in the leg as he fled. He got through the door, which closed behind him, and locked it from that side. The alarm went off as well as he reached another panic switch.
The guard barely had time to back out of the room before Naga drew her sword and finished cutting him down. She then closed the door and locked it after Kathode told her how to use the controls.
Kathode swore up a storm before becoming intelligible again. That wont hold them for long. We gotta wake her now. She grabbed the syringe and injected Cobalt with the contents, hoping for the best.
There wasnt much of a wait, Cobalts eyes opened and she sat right up hardly a second after the needle had been withdrawn, knocking away most of the sheet covering her. She looked down at her naked body, looked around at the lab, saw both Kathode and Naga staring at her, and then promptly screamed as she rolled off the other side of the table, dragging the sheet with her.
Yeah, its a Crey lab. Chill out! Kathode shouted at the hiding girl. Oh hell, keep screaming. Its not as if they dont already know where we are anyway.
Where are my clothes? Cobalt yelled as she looked over the top of the table. She was busily wrapping the sheet around herself.
Here. Kathode put her folded suit and backpack down on the table, shoving them across. She turned around and let Cobalt get dressed while Naga was busy searching the room for any other ways in or out. So can we get out of here or is this going to be a last stand? Kathode asked the lizardgirl.
Naga climbed up on top of a cabinet and pried a vent cover off of the wall. Look big enough to crawl through. She told them.
Fine then, we crawl to another room. Kathode had already decided to take charge. Cobalt, can you rig a surprise for them when they get into this room?
Ahead of you, as always. Was all that the green-haired girl said in reply. She was kneeling on the floor, assembling something from components taken from her backpack, parts that could not possibly fit inside it. She had already rigged the door with a smoke grenade that would trigger open it opening.
Outside the lab, a team was already working on getting the door open. Several guards waited with an agent and a pair of Eliminators while a technician worked on overriding the hydraulics holding the door shut. Team Bravo-Seven almost has access to the lab. Well have them captured again soon. Over. The agent said into her radio.
Good. Were a little busy up here, theres been another intrusion just a few minutes ago. Over. Someone reported back.
Another intrusion? The agent asked when the technician announced that he could open the door now. She ordered the men into position and then ordered the technician to open the door.
Immediately smoke began to pour out as the doors parted. When nothing happened after a moment, the first Eliminator started to enter the lab and was suddenly pushed back and knocked down as a hail of high-velocity bullets tore into his armor. Hidden in the smoke was an auto-turret, its gatling gun barrels firing away at anything that moved into view of the doorway.
It's like Praetorian Charlie's Angels. @_@
Poor Cobalt. D: I would freak out in her position, too. Crey are gross. <.<
Japancakes.
Art - Theme 005 - Seeking Solace
Sorry took me forever to get caught up on this.
Now I cant wait for the next chapter.
HaloInc
Triumph:
Heroes: Lady Halifax, Miss Kia, WhiteLotus, Agent Immolate, Lady Empathy, Sylence Fyredancer, Maiden of Fire
Villains: Innocent-Ella, Aegis-Sprite, Midnight Dragonfly
Just how did you lose them again? Chief Scientist Thompson asked the agent in charge. When the agent began explaining it again he cut her off. Its only three metas, cant you do anything right?
He stomped away in frustration. What was supposed to be a simple capture was turning into a nightmare. At first the trap was working, two of the targets had been caught with minimal casualties. But that third one had freed the other two and the body count on his side was rapidly rising.
And now they were reporting a fourth, unexpected intruder as well.
I want them all alive, especially the alien. And no more fooling around, bring out all the firepower you can. He told the agent, then after a paused he smiled. I think its time they met their future coworkers. Call in the Revenants.
Two levels down, in an empty corridor, a ventilation grill on the ceiling was quietly removed from its place and pulled inside. Naga came out first, gently landing on her feet with just a tap of her claws. Kathode landed behind her softly. Cobalt dropped down loudly and landed on her rear.
Kathode looked at her disdainfully as she got back on her feet and looked around. Were real close now. They havent tracked us down here yet so we have a pretty clear shot at the target. Suddenly, a bolt of energy flew past them and scorched the wall. Looking back, there were two Paragon Protectors closing in.
Ok, were found. Run for it! Cobalt yelled and took off towards the goal, which was in the opposite direction of the Protectors. They probably knew where they were going and trying to flush them in anyways, but Cobalt still had some aces up her sleeves.
They soon arrived at the end of the corridor, at which was a room of massive volume. It was a wonder how Crey managed to build something like this right beneath Paragon City without anyone noticing. At the center of it lay the torn and burnt wreckage of an alien spaceship, the one that Naga had originally come to earth in before she was shoot down over the Rogue Isles.
Around it stood several Paragon Protectors and Chief Scientist Thompson, dressed in his Crey Power Tank suit. Thats far enough, girls. He said to them. I am pleased that you took the various baits that we left for you, though I certainly didnt expect all three to show up at once. Youve given us quite a lot of trouble tonight, but that ends here.
Somethings going to end all right. Kathode said as she glared at the man. You wont be doing any more twisted experiments on anyone else! She was ready to tear that armor off of him.
Thompson laughed. Ah, Kathryn, you should be thanking me. Think of how boring your life would have been if we could have made you a normal human anyway. Dont be as stupid as Mynx or Synapse, trying to take vengeance on who made you into something more.
YOU [censored]! Kathode zoomed at him but was met halfway by a Protector who hit her with a charged fist that changed her trajectory, sending her smashing into the wreckage. Naga drew her sword and Cobalt aimed her proton rifle at Thompson, her seeker drones already buzzing around her and force field generator deploying.
The doors they had come through had already closed and the two Protectors who had chased them in stood behind them. Its the end of the line, young ladies. Thompson said to them as the Protectors began their advance. Have anything else to say?
She might. Cobalt said as she looked up. Suddenly a sound of tearing metal and breaking concrete was heard as debris fell from the ceiling above. A figure in a suit of powered armor landed on the floor with a resounding crash that cracked the surface. The armor was painted black and green with a matching cape and the head was enclosed in a full helmet, but the figure was recognizably female. She carried a massive sledge that with a handle that was almost as long as she was tall. Everyone except Cobalt had backed away a bit, surprised by the sudden entrance.
The suited figure looked at Chief Scientist Thompson and spoke in the voice of a teenaged girl. You know me as Tectonia, and its hammer time
[censored]!
Then all hell broke loose.
The chamber was now a maelstrom of violence. Tectonia smashed one Protector into the floor with her hammer when Kathode backed into her.
What are you doing here? She asked the armored girl.
I got a tip. Tectonia replied. Help me out and I wont turn you and your friends in after this. She looked ahead at the circle of Protectors getting closer, each appearing hesitant to be the first to attack.
Id like to see you try. Kathode said back, looking at the other half of the circle on her side. Deal, lets do this!
The two of them struck out from the center and engaged the Protectors. Kathodes electrical powers sapped energy from them and two found themselves stuck to the floor by tendrils of red lightning. Tectonia stomped her foot on the floor and sent several flying off their feet at the surface cracked and buckled.
Cobalts seeker drones flew here and there, making passes at the Protectors with their blades and exploding in a flash of blinding light when damaged severely. Naga flitted about, striking swiftly with her sword before going invisible again. She was using her blade to fend off a Protector with a set of claws when Cobalt wounded him with a powerful blast from her proton rifle, stunning him long enough for Naga to land a head-splitting blow that finished him off.
Thompson was furious, screaming out orders while trying to avoid combat himself. The weaker Protectors had been taken down, those with fire, electricity, and spines. Those with claws and energy attacks had stronger defenses and could take more punishment. Realizing that Tectonia was being hurt more by the energy Protectors, Kathode and Naga tried to draw them off of her while she fought the clawed Protectors. The girls were getting hurt and couldnt take much more, but the last Protector fell and Thompson decided to run for it.
He should have left sooner.
The four of him were on him immediately. Cobalts web grenades slowed him down while Kathode charged into him at high velocity. He tried to fight back but Naga arrived and found a weak spot in his armor, thrusting her blade into it and piercing the man inside the suit as well. He barely had time to scream before Tectonias hammer swung forth and sent him to the floor with enough force to crack the armor plates. Kathode was about to deliver a killing blow when she was stopped by Cobalt.
WAIT! Cobalt grabbed hold of her and received a strong electric shock for her effort. Kathode turned on her with rage in her eyes.
What the hell for! She demanded to know.
Because when Im done, hes going to wish I had let you. Tectonia said, looked down at the broken man with one foot on his chest to keep him from crawling away. You got the evidence? She said, looking at Cobalt, who responded by tossing her a data drive.
Kathode scowled at the two. She knew that Naga was watching her as well and guessed that she was probably ready to back up Cobalt. I guess justice will have to suffice. But if he goes free, hes mine.
Take him and go. She added as she walked away toward the nearest exit.
You took your time getting here. Cobalt said to Tectonia after Kathode left.
I remember that you said youd clear a path for me. I had to do that myself. The armored suit she wore covered her face completely, leaving only the annoyed tone of her voice to go on.
Well, things happened. Cobalt smirked and walked towards the wreckage in the middle of the room with Naga following. Tectonia hefted Thompson over her shoulder and departed.
Lets finish this before any more goons show up. Cobalt said as she pulled another odd item out of her bag that Naga had given her earlier to carry. She placed it as close to the middle of the wreckage as she could and waited while Naga typed in something on the keypad with alien symbols flashing on its display. With it primed and counting down, they exited immediately.
Anyone unfortunate to enter that room right when it went off would be exposed to a blinding light, and then a cold darkness.
Anyone outside the Crey building would see it suddenly collapse into its foundations as if the ground beneath had suddenly ceased to exist. Fortunately it was late at night and all of the civilian employees were gone, leaving just the guards and scientists working in the secret labs beneath.
In the blackness of space, light glittered from a drifting field of metal fragments as each tumbled and caught the sunlight. The wormhole generator had worked perfectly and transported the wreckage, along with a good portion of the sub-basements of the Crey building, into a pre-planned orbit around Earths sun. A starship that had the odd profile of some combination of manta ray and squid moved among the debris, leisurely collecting only the pieces of wreckage that needed to be recovered.
Naga reclined in a chair in the cockpit, polishing her sword as she gazed out the viewscreens at what lay outside the vessel, which did its scavenging work by computer control. It was silent inside and as she was the sole occupant there was little to do at this time.
A beeping sound was heard, indicating an incoming message. She tapped a button on the arm of her chair and read it as it came up on one of the screens.
She was being summoned home.
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It was well decorated for a concrete bunker, but you never forgot just where you were. In a series of alcoves along on wall were different suits of powered armor, one of which was green and black with a cape attached to the shoulders. Its helmet rested on a small shelf above. In the next room sat Cobalt Stinger at a table, across from her a girl of similar age with yellow-green hair who sat in a motorized wheelchair.
So was the evidence enough? Cobalt asked as she moved her game piece on the table. It was a surprise at first that the mighty Tectonia was unable to walk without her armor suit, but you never knew with these power armor wearers anyway.
Indeed, Thompson doesnt stand a chance. Jasmine Albrect replied. Theyve got him linked to the development of the toxin and the dumping of it in the Red River. Quite a few kids were crippled after being exposed to that stuff. Not everyone gets superpowers from such things. She made her move.
And if somehow he manages to avoid conviction? Cobalt said, pondering the current state of the game and making another move.
Well, theres always your fuzzy friend. I suppose she can have him then. Jasmine didnt relish the thought of turning Kathode loose on the man. E7. She announced.
Dammit! Cobalt screamed. You sunk my battleship!
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The husband watched as his wife set three places at the table, as she did every night. He always wanted to tell her not to bother, but he never did as he knew that would be admitting a rescinding of hope on his own part, and that was something that she didnt need. He heard the doorbell ring and went to answer it.
Outside stood a girl in black jeans and a grey hooded sweatshirt with holes cut in it for her cat ears to stick through. She looked up at the man and spoke with some difficulty. Hello
dad.
The man stood there in shock for a moment, before throwing his arms around his daughter. Who is at the door? The wife asked as she came around the corner and dropped the silverware she was carrying to the floor. Kathryn!
Both parents cried as they welcomed their lost daughter home.
((The End))
Very nice. Generally smooth, though short in a few places--you tend to rely on simple sentences, which though functions in telling a story, doesn't do much for total immersion.
I loved the hectic combat scenes, though, as well as some of the unique touches of each powers--Cobalt's rifle is love.
/e clap
Very nice. Enjoyed it a lot. Though I personally wish you had done more with Kathode's history. But I'll wait for future stories.
Pinnacle
Heroes
When in danger, or in doubt; Run in circles, scream and shout.
((This is a story, not an RP. As such comments are welcome but you may not join into the story.))
A lone Crey security guard walked a repetitive patrol in front of a building that was only remarkable on the outside for its height when compared to others in the neighborhood of Brickstown. His path was followed through the sniper scope mounted on a rifle held by a small figure perched on a nearby rooftop, unnoticed by the heroes patrolling the area among the numerous villains lurking on the tops of other buildings.
Cobalt Stinger changed the aim of her proton rifle towards the window of an office on the 10th floor of the building. The occupant had been gone for ten minutes now and the adjoining offices had just been vacated for the night as well. Without a sound another figure came up beside her and spoke quietly into her ear. We move now, yes?
Cobalt looked at her companion for this adventure, the lizard-like humanoid alien she had known for some time, given the name Naga Obscura by the humans who had found her after she had crash-landed on the Earth. Nows good as time as any. No heroes been through here in a good while.
In fact, most of the local heroes would be busy for a while. Some yahoo villain from the Rogue Islands was trying to rob the Brickstown Bank among other bits of mayhem he was spreading. The heroes and Paragon Police would not be likely to notice the two of them breaking into one of Crey Industries office buildings several blocks north of the action.
Plus it was a cold night and Cobalt wanted to get inside. With a subdued flash the two of them teleported the distance from their rooftop to the ledge just outside the office window. Naga kept watch while Cobalt worked on bypassing the security sensors on the window before cutting through it. The anti-teleport field that ran along the outside wall of the building kept them from porting directly into the office, but it would not stop them from crawling in after removing the window itself. Doing so while balanced on a narrow ledge ten floors up was not for those without nerves of steel, but in some ways it beat coming in through the sewers.
Which happened to be the entry vector of another intruder who could be literally called a cat burglar. A shape moved quickly among the shadows of massive pipes and support girders that underlay the utility space beneath the building. It finally came near a door that lead directly into the subbasement levels of the building, outside of which stood a guard taking his smoke break. Eventually he tossed away the butt of his cigarette and turned to open the door, which at that moment a rock flew through the air with enough force and accuracy to take out the light over the door.
The guard didnt even have time to draw his sidearm when something collided with him at his speed and pummeled him into unconsciousness. Kathode then lifted his keys and slipped in through the door before it had closed.