"Oh," Jack said, somewhat surprised the answer hadn't been rude "I'm Jack," He paused for a moment, then said "Yeah, just Jack. Kind of plain, but hey." He heard Rose's voice pop into his head, they way he heard all the team's communications. "Sure, I'll be right there," As he took off, he noticed the downed driver of the van suddenly became almost clothes-less. He raised an eyebrow in suspicion but kept flying.
(( *pokes thread* ...Anyone here? Anyone at all?))
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: STOP!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WAIT ONE SECOND!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WHAT IS A SEAGULL DOING ON MY THRONE!?!?
---Atlas Park---
Henry Wong shared with the green-dressed hero as much information as he could. Most of it was unsubstantiated hearsay from various teams, and other tidbits focused on some unusual traffic in Independence Port's southern harbor. Otherwise, he had very little to go on.
"I was kind of hoping Freedom Corps would offer more help than just people like... Well... You. Anyway, last I heard from the team I sent to Bronze Shield, they were headed for Skyway City..."
Wong looked at his datapad and looked back at Malachite.
"...There are reports of a commotion in the southern portion of the city. Seems to be spilling out into the streets. You mind filling me in on what you saw before you go so I can warn anybody else who may come by?"
------------
---Skyway City---
Pax located a cellular phone that was remarkably undamaged as well as a singed wallet with a molten identification card. The card described the man as being one "Mr. Walter" and that he worked for Ayre/Webber Strategic Security (there was a sylized logo of a blue, slanted, bold "AWSS" next to the picture). His driver's license listed him as "Humphrey Miller," though.
The weapons he had were damaged beyond repair. The assault rifle he'd been firing erratically was a standard M-16 variant, but the barrel had been bent in the explosion. There was also pistol that simply looked weird. It didn't have a magazine or an ejection port. It was probably similar to the energy pistols the agents in the warehouse had been using. Finally, a combat knife rounded out the ensemble.
A small device that looked half-melted stood out from the rest of the equipment. Since it didn't look like anything else, Pax was left to assume it must have been the "beacon" Mr. Walter was complaining about.
------------
--Unknown Super Group Base--
The gathered meta humans gradually filtered back out of the room, leaving Mark Shadow to tend to the patient. With a sigh, he checked the power levels on the Triage Beacon and cursed under his breath.
"This thing's about to shut down. Once it does... I don't know what's gonna happen to ya. That weird blue-black skin... I don't know if it's a disease or what..."
The unresponsive nature of his patient only furthered his worry.
"God... What happened? I can picture Levi doing something dumb like this, but James? The guy usually has a more level head than this. How could he get involved with an Arachnos soldier, and how could he just let that soldier get shot?"
The generator shut down and Mark started watching the soldier's condition with interest. Just in case, he held on to a couple cartridges of Regenerator and Lazareen in case there was a flatline, but Drago's continued even breathing reassured him.
"How's the patient," a smooth, even voice asked from the medical room's entrance.
"He's alright, Sheldon. How's Nester?"
"I turned the glove off. Why'd he turn it toward his face?"
"Some weird gunk got on it and it stopped working. When he shook the stuff off, it worked again. Not immediately, but it did."
Sheldon walked into the room and looked at the floor. Sure enough, the Venom Nester had thrown off the Gravity Glove was splattered across the floor. Some had oozed out of the bullet, but the flow had ended and the round was empty.
"Curious," the inventor muttered as he pulled on a plastic glove and gathered equipment to gather some of the Venom, "I could hear James complaining. You, too. Seems whatever this stuff touches it shuts down... Provided it's metaphysical in some way..."
"What're you thinking?" the corrupter asked as he took another glance into Drago's wound.
"I'm thinking this is bad in ways we don't want to imagine," the inventor replied as he stood up with a sample of the Venom encased within a pair of glass slides, "Let me run some analysis and I'll get back to you. Clean the rest of this up, will you? I recommend zapping it with some kind of electricity first."
"Why?"
"Rage said he got covered with the stuff after a bullet got too close to his electric field and exploded. Then it started evaporating, enabling his brother and him to fly this poor soul here," Sheldon's dark glasses focused on the soldier for a few seconds before he continued, "This stuff isn't evaporating, though. It's congealing on the floor, possibly moving. Kill it and sweep it up."
Mark blinked but turned to the defibrillator as the other man left. He placed the pads on the metal floor and braced for the electric buzz as he activated the system. There was a bright flash in the corner of his eye, but when he realized felt nothing, he looked up to see the machine wasn't even on.
"Ah, geez... When am I going to act more professional?"
"Maybe when you stop trying to electrocute yourself," a voice whispered as a dark-skinned man dropped to his knees under the set of floating, red-marked stone rings that were the mystical "reclaimator."
"Cory!" the corrupter shouted and ran over to help his friend up, "What did this to you!?"
"A Circle wizard," the red-haired sorcerer whispered as he clutched his chest and wrapped his arm across Shadow's shoulders, "Gertrude and I... We were investigating, and... They took her charm and she was whisked back to Salamanca. I fended them off as best I could... Set the cavern ablaze... But that last Dark Wizard... We hit each other at the same time. My last vision before everything went dark was of him crumbling to ash under my flames."
"Well, you're still here, so I guess that means you win."
"Your reassurance would work better if I didn't know he'll just be back tomorrow as well, riding the body of a new victim..."
Mark helped his friend ease onto the meditation pad he preferred and made sure he was going to be okay. When he was about to turn back to the Venom, the wizard spared him the trouble and snapped his fingers. At first nothing happened. Cory snapped his fingers a couple more times, narrowed his eyes, then snapped his fingers again.
The air around the Venom flared brightly and exploded. When the pyrotechnic display was over, there was little more than a pile of ash on the floor. Nodding appreciatively, Mark turned to get a handheld vaccuum cleaner.
"So, how'd you finally get it to burn?"
"I didn't. I got the air around it to combust. Think of it as a very concentrated rain of fire... What is that stuff?"
Mark shrugged.
"It's ash now, but before it seemed to stop anything 'special.' Tech, science... Apparently magic, too."
"Curious..." the dark-skinned man muttered as he assumed a restful meditative position, "What affects science shouldn't affect magic..."
"Should've seen Shel, man. The guy treated it like he was handling the Plague."
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
At this point, the Sky Commander wasn't much interested in what had come off the driver, Arek's attention still visibly focused on the man himself, his intent to lift the man up by his collar and get the answers he desired...
--------------------
"A fairly...accurate comparison." grunted Drago from the table, trying to rise, but managing little more than a miniscule arch of his back. After a curt groan, he let out a huffed exhale, "Okay...so that doesn't work yet...what the heck did you flatfeet put into me...?"
The man turned his helmet-encased head to them with visible difficulty, going on as he once more tried to reach for his collar, "On second thought...I don't want to know. Just...help me get this can off..."
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
Rose waited for a minute outside the headquarters of Sedadyne. Briefly, she summed up their current level of knowledge for anyone not in the know.
A black hat named Clancy Stein, goes by Wrecthause who has a beef with some do gooder, Frank Wellman, and he was one of the kidnappers. None of the Rouge Isle regens were here, but if Sedadyne is behind all of the dissapearances, then they might have records of where they're keeping the others here."
Rose powered up her armor, the blood red electricity surging across the metal armor. "I was going to kick down the door and smash my way through. If you don't want to be shot at, You can go around the back."
And she proceeded to kick the door off its hinges and storm inside, her hands glowing bright as they hummed with power.
Infinity
Sam Varden 50 MA/Reg Scrap
Doomtastic 50 SS/Inv Brute
Ceus 50 Eng/Kin Corr
Cinderstorm 50 Fire/Fire Blaster
"Might as well go around the back, then." Dr. Lore nodded to herself. "Let's keep whatever security they have busy."
She made her way to the back of the building, pulling back on her red headband and adjusting the coat on her shoulders. Just after Rose kicked open the front doors, Dr. Lore opened the back doors in similar fashion.
If there was nothing in immediate view for her to look up information about the darker side of Sedadyne, then she was going to find something to vent her rage on.
The Freedom Server Wallflower (shhh, sleepy)
Angelfish on DrunkDuck.com
Dr. Lore at HeroCon 2008
Arc 67690: Out For Blood
[ QUOTE ]
"Let's keep whatever security they have busy."
[/ QUOTE ]
"I'll take care of that", Cassie suggested, not waiting for an answer before gesturing to Mac. The big robot almost eagerly obliged, first kicking the door in and then ripping most of the frame out of the wall as his oversized frame walked through it. Between the noise, the destruction and the pair of humming plasma cannons he swept around the room, chances were any security would be thoroughly distracted.
-----------
Pax set the weapons aside, focusing instead on the wallet and cellphone. Wondering absently at the two identities - not uncommon but why would he carry both with him? - she flipped open the phone on the off chance that it was both in a working condition and not protected by passwords or other ultimately meaningless but still irritating security measures.
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: STOP!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WAIT ONE SECOND!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WHAT IS A SEAGULL DOING ON MY THRONE!?!?
"I was kind of hoping Freedom Corps would offer more help than just people like... Well... You.
Malachite couldnt help but laugh at the irony of the previous conversation he had, Youre not the only one. Where am I headed?
Anyway, last I heard from the team I sent to Bronze Shield, they were headed for Skyway City..." Wong informed the green-suited hero.
Wong looked at his datapad and looked back at Malachite.
"...There are reports of a commotion in the southern portion of the city. Seems to be spilling out into the streets. You mind filling me in on what you saw before you go so I can warn anybody else who may come by?"
Well as far as I could tell, Malachite cleared his throat, there was an explosion. A few of them. I could only tell from the holes in the wall and the ceiling. All of the men that held us hostage, far as I could tell, were some sort of cybernetic human being.
Wong raised an eyebrow. Malachite raised his hands in defense.
I know, I thought the same thing too, had pale human skin and blood, but then... they were made of something else. Im not too sure. However, they werent the only problem. Either someone was playing the games of dark magic or the building itself was filled with some type of shadow form because tentacles started to rise from the ground and produce... Malachite let the last word trail off.
Produce, the Hero Corps Informant asked impatiently
Well, only guess I could give is ninjas.
Ninjas?
Malachite nodded. Ninjas. They were dressed somewhat in traditional garb from what you may see in movies. So anyway, now youve got pale-skinned cybermen in suits and shadow formed ninjas that are attacking the heroes. Oh, and some villains and other contract players were there too. Confused me at first, but then I was briefed that Crey employed them to prove their uninvolvement in all of this?
Correct, Wong stated.
Yea. Was able to identify a couple and there was one that stuck in my head that Im sure I know but its just havent searched properly yet, but... afterwards, the van that carried the hostages left, the Cybers exploded and the ninjas vanished. Some chased after the van, but at that point whatever was keeping me there didnt anymore and Brawlers team ported me back to HQ.
Wong placed his hands behind his back in military fashion. Interesting. Ill have to let newcomers know of this and report back to HQ myself. Have you spoken of this information with anyone else?
Just Back Alley Brawler and a few other key men. Took a statement, got vitals checked, debriefed and back in the game. And if theres nothing else, I suppose I should report over to Skyway. Malachite pressed on one of his emerald-gem cufflinks and the same green door appeared again.
I just dont get enough opportunities when there is a low enough threat to use this, Malachite gave a quick nod and slipped through the green lit doorway.
****
Pax set the weapons aside, focusing instead on the wallet and cellphone. Wondering absently at the two identities - not uncommon but why would he carry both with him? - she flipped open the phone on the off chance that it was both in a working condition and not protected by passwords or other ultimately meaningless but still irritating security measures.
A quick flash of green light and a door-close later, Malachite stood behind Pax as she examined the equipment shed found.
Did I miss everything? he asked as attention set on him.
Pardon the intrusion. Was told an extra hand was welcome. Or needed..
Malachite stuck out his hand and made eye contact with Pax and smiled. He was known for his sunny disposition when it came to curtain time.
Special Agent Malachite. Here to assist. Hopefully I can be of some help.
He studied the immediate perimeter and took notice of the weaponry that seemed to be left behind from whatever scuffle there had been earlier. He bent down to pick up the oddly constructed pistol and flipped it around in his hand.
Very interesting piece. And weirdly enough, it looks very familiar to me. Just not sure from where though. Hmm...
Having removed the doors from the equation, Dynamo Rose stormed into the Sedadyne HQ lobby. A large aura of electricity danced around her, arcing to other metal surfaces. With a frown, Rose reigned in the aura as she didn't want to fry any computer hardware.
Her first thought was to neutralize any receptionists before they sounded the alarm. It may be an honest investigation, but they needed time to tear the place apart without hero interruption. Then, she'd find a floor plan and pick her next destination.
Infinity
Sam Varden 50 MA/Reg Scrap
Doomtastic 50 SS/Inv Brute
Ceus 50 Eng/Kin Corr
Cinderstorm 50 Fire/Fire Blaster
Skyway City: Sedadyne Headquarters
Inside the offices of the Sedadyne building, the employees were hardly ready for a fight. Much less so was the balding, portly security guard, whose half-eaten doughnut dropped from his mouth as the electrified brute, yet surprisingly shapely woman stormed into the building (please don't take offense, Kasoh, most comic book women are shapely, and all Player created ones are, too 
). He didn't even draw his taser pistol, instead opting to just sit down in his chair and lean as far away from the rampaging beauty as best he could.
Many of the office workers dove for cover, shouting in terror as Dynamo Rose strode in confidently. They didn't offer any resistance and they stayed far away from any alarm triggers that might upset her. They were in no position to fight, and they had no intention of bringing her wrath down upon them.
-----
The employees in the back room of Sedadyne were busy enjoying a casual smoke, wondering at the strange explosive rumblings they'd heard only a few minutes prior when Dr. Lore kicked the door in on them. In a similar manner to the security guard in the lobby, their cigarettes fell carelessly to the floor. One of the employees, a skinny man with a thick beard, apparently was burned by the lit end of his cigarette, and he momentarily jumped back in pain.
----------
--South Skyway City: Roughly 500 yards north from Sedadyne Warehouse--
"Please..." the man, Mr. Walter/Humphrey Miller, groaned as Arek held him aloft, "Please don't kill me... I didn't... I don't know... I don't know nothin'."
Pax, however, was searching through the phone. It had within it, aside from a set of unlabeled numbers, photographs of the various procedures that occurred within the warehouse she and Arek had just raided. The images depicted the cybernetic agents cutting open the various heroes in unusual ways, some struggling to push them back, but others just showed the meta humans themselves.
One was of what looked to be a dragon. Its eyes were closed, but it seemed to be breathing and intact. It was being loaded into the back of the van, but the timestamp was a few days prior.
----------
--Unknown Supergroup Base--
"Morphine," Mark replied as he stood up from the exhausted warlock and approached his patient, "Not a lot of it, but you shouldn't try moving for a while."
When he reached the senior operative, he started feeling for the helmet's latches and helped pull the device from the man's head.
"I don't know what happened to your abdomen," he muttered as he indicated the wound, "Rage and Psych said they didn't turn your skin all... Scaly or whatever... But that weird bullet didn't do it to James, so I don't know who to believe. I mean, they don't... Man, this thing's on tight... They don't go around, sticking people with weird stuff, but... This day... This world... Who knows, you know?"
They got the helmet off and Mark turned to set it on a counter next to the bed. He then turned to indicate the pyramid device on the other side of the bed.
"Once that thing recharges, we should be able to get you ship-shape in a couple minutes... That is... We could see if Nester can't help, first. He's got doodads and nick-knacks out the butt to fix anybody up, but he just got done smacking himself in the face... So... I don't know how hundred percent he is at the moment..."
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
Some folks would be satisfied upon a successful dynamic entry, stunning everyone who might have been able to retaliate.
Dynamo Rose was not. It was suspicious. Aging and portly security guards were not a feature of companies up to no good.
It was possible someone was using Sedadyne facilities without corporate knowledge, but the size of the operation made it unlikely.
Follow the money. If she could find records of payments to anybody involved in this case, then she'd know who to ask more questions too.
Pointing at an office drone, Rose demanded, "Where's payroll records?"
A stammered answer later, the brute was two lefts down at the door passed the vending machine. Punching through the door in a similar fashion, Rose found an empty workstation and synched her armor up to it.
The armor's onboard computer would hack the payroll records, find out who was being paid. the system would flag entries of names already known, including the missing regens or the short list of suspects.
While it did that, Rose looked for hard files and secret safes in the supervisor's office.
keying her comm, Rose communicated with the team, "I'm in payroll, anyone going to R&D?"
Infinity
Sam Varden 50 MA/Reg Scrap
Doomtastic 50 SS/Inv Brute
Ceus 50 Eng/Kin Corr
Cinderstorm 50 Fire/Fire Blaster
[ QUOTE ]
Did I miss everything? he asked as attention set on him.
[/ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
One was of what looked to be a dragon.
[/ QUOTE ]
Pax ignored the man that appeared behind her, concentrating instead on what she found in the surprisingly unsecured phone. She noted down the various numbers and other important information before attempting to open a private communications channel to the one named Drago. In the pecking order of the Isles Arachnos usually sat on top, so she surmised the one in the Arachnos uniform was the leader.
Handing over information to known villains wasn't exactly a heroic thing to do, but then Pax hadn't exactly been a hero for a fair while now.
-------------
"What, everyone's all stunned by the good looking chick but no one even notices the walking death machine?", Cassie asked irritably, looking around at the guards as the completely ignored her. "Alright then. Mac, that one." She pointed to one of them and the big robot obediently pointed both cannons at the man, the faint glow within the barrels confirming they were indeed fully charged. As yet though he didn't fire. Cassie was simply trying to prvoke a reaction from the man.
[ QUOTE ]
(please don't take offense, Kasoh, most comic book women are shapely, and all Player created ones are, too )
[/ QUOTE ]
(( For future reference, Cassie is decidedly average in that department. ))
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: STOP!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WAIT ONE SECOND!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WHAT IS A SEAGULL DOING ON MY THRONE!?!?
"A predictable answer." the Sky Commander growled with a frightfully calm demeanor, carrying the man over to the edge of one of the skyways this city sector took its name from, "As such, I will give you the obligatory reply."
He held the man out over the edge, feet dangling high off the ground as Arek stared angrily into his eyes with the declaration, "I do not believe you."
"Whoa there, my good Sir." Gentleman Bones threw a hand toward the draconian at that (figuratively speaking, of course), "I don't know what this is all about, but I'm quite sure there's a better way to do this here."
"I do not agree." the denim-hued Drokar retorted coldly, giving the man in his fists a curt, forceful shake, "Now tell me, you scum: where. Is. My brother...?"
--------------------
Undisclosed Location
The metal of security doors slid into the wall as he approached, the automatics clearing him time and again in his stride through the high-tech laboratory, and with such reliability he didn't even have to look up from his clipboard, writing upon it as he walked.
A glance to the watch on his left wrist (after shaking back the snow-white labcoat's sleeve, that was), correlated with what he saw as he entered the chamber: the alizarin-scaled, wingless draconian was once again awake.
Oh sure, they'd strapped him down on that table with enough heavy metal to bury a man quite neatly, restraints around ankles, waist, chest, shoulders, neck, and even two on his left arm - one at the elbow, and one holding the entire hand to the heavily modified medical table. The only thing not secured was the short stump that remained of his tail after the 'removal' of the cybernetic prosthesis, presently secured in an entirely separate room, just like his right arm.
A baleful blue eye cast its stare his way as he approached, more than grateful for the immobilized head, not to mention the thick padded muzzle that held the Dragon's mouth shut, the conical restraint leaving only the very tip of his long skull free.
"So then, Mr. Lambda," he observed, a twin tap on his watch for emphasis, "I see you've already burned through another batch of sedatives. I should say this remarkable, even fortunate, but truth be told, I'd be much more comfortable with you not staring at me like that."
A muffled, multi-toned growl was all the response he got.
"Yes, I do apologize for that." he returned with a casual shrug, "I'm sure that was meant to be quite profound, but I'm afraid I just can't risk you barbecuing any more of us. At this point, I'd settle for you calling off your tail. It's gone and curled itself around Johnson."
This time, the reply was a grumbled chuckle...
--------------------
Unknown Super Group Base
"Oh, I can tell you what happened to it in excruciating detail." the now helmetless Senior Operative returned sarcastically, none other than the Dark Dragon gritting teeth to unsteadily get his feet off that table and back on the ground, "It's got a large hole in it, that's what. You know, for people my Field Commander speaks so highly of, you're not very observant."
Meanwhile, Pax attempted to make contact - unfortunately, that went to his helmet, which had been set elsewhere. At present, the Kheldian received no answer...
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
((In transition mode... switching states. Gonna be another day or two before I get another post up. Bear with me, please...those that might be waiting for me.))
((*kicks Grey* ))
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
((Still waiting on Ninjin, Khellendrosiic, Paradigm... We've got missing players, Devious.
Kick them. Not Ninjin, though. Ninjin provided an explanation. Believe me, I would LOVE to continue.))
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
OOC:
Baleful Turquoise: Kick me and I will rip your leg off before beating you to death with it.
And as an aside, my incompetent and, need I remind him, expendable narrator has been ordered to enter a narration blackout until such time I can deem enough time has passed for my scheme to be feasible.
Malachite looked over Paxs shoulders and swallowed hard. The pictures. He knew exactly where they were from. It was only by sheer fortunate luck (so he thought) that he hadnt been given the same outcome. Someone was watching over him. He turned away as the memories attached to each picture became harder to bear.
He decided to try and take his mind off it all and scan the ground more for clues in order to refocus. A small half-melted caught Malachites attention. He bent down to retrieve it and examined it, doing a quick retinal scan of its contents. After turning it over a few times, he called out to the other Hero.
Ever seen one of these? If its anything at all.
--Unknown Super Group Base--
Up to this point,Mark hadn't been paying much attention to Drago's appearance, distracted as he was with explaining the mundane operations of the group's medical bay. Upon realizing that his patient wasn't in fact human, he did a double take and backed into the apparatus that stored some of the medicinal items the group's leadership kept in the medical chamber for emergencies. A vial of Energite Energy Drink tumbled out of the vortex and rolled to Cory, who looked sleepily to the room's third occupant.
"What the-" Mark stammered as he fell to the floor, landing on his backside pretty hard.
What followed from his mouth was a tirade of curses, all of which were the same "F" word, only in various tenses and uses. While he didn't do much to communicate any real idea or inquiry, he did illustrate the diversity of the word.
"Interesting," he intoned, "Draconian of some form."
"You know what he is!?" Mark shouted.
"Not exactly. Mark, calm down. I'm certain you've seen far worse in your travels by now."
"No!" he turned back and pointed at Drago, "I have never seen anything like this before! How the Hell did you fit into that suit!? How did you get that helmet on your head!? What the [frig] is going on!?"
"Well, at least you stopped insulting him by talking like he's actually in the room," the wizard sighed.
----------
--Skyway City: Sedadyne HQ: Back Entrance--
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh...." the office worker replied as he stared down the barrel of the Assault Bot's cannon. The sound turned into a croak after half a minute and he resumed croaking until he passed out from a lack of oxygen to the brain.
"Ah, geez... Bob fainted," another worker grumbled.
Before Cassie could choose a new victim to get answers from, a panicked woman came running into the room like the hounds of Hell were chasing her. She slammed the door against one of the workers already held hostage and wound up clanging into one of Mac's outstretched cannons. She landed flat on her back on the floor and passed out.
"Pack your [junk]! Pack your [junk]!" another worker shouted as he barreled through the door as well, "We've got super villains on the-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"
He too collided with Mac, only he fell back into the door and the next Sedadyne employee trying to use the back exit to escape from Dynamo Rose. Cassie could already tell that this was going to get out of hand in a short while.
Fortunately, one employee, a slightly portly individual with a graying beard and thick glasses, barked how "enough is enough" and pushed the other workers aside. He waddled his way around one of the unconscious bodies and waved for Cassie to follow him.
"Anymore of this bumbling is only going to get us killed! Ma'am, if there's something you need, I can take ya where you need to go."
---
Oddly enough, Dynamo's scan of payroll seemed to show that everything was ship-shape. Almost all of the money that the company had to turn over to its employees was being paid promptly and anything that went into research and development was being appropriately submitted as well. There were even a few spots where numbers didn't add up in increments of twenty dollars or so, indicative of someone skimming petty cash from the budget.
One thing of note, however, was all that skimming was suddenly covered for by a large influx of funding from an unlabeled outside source a couple weeks back. The money was placed in an emergency fund that only the company's CEO and CFO had access to. At the moment, it was an extra five hundred thousand dollars.
Unfortunately, otherwise, she was coming up blank.
----------
--Southern Skyway City--
Unfortunately for Arek, the van's driver wasn't very forthcoming with information. Instead, he broke down and started crying and blubbering. He hadn't expected for things to go so completely bad for him in such a short time.
Meanwhile, the half-molten device in Malachite's hand glowed briefly, beeped, then ended with an electric sizzle and pop. On the back was a maker's logo that looked similar to a tesseract.
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
[ QUOTE ]
Meanwhile, Pax attempted to make contact - unfortunately, that went to his helmet, which had been set elsewhere. At present, the Kheldian received no answer...
[/ QUOTE ]
"Figures, the one time I want to talk to a villain he's not picking up...", Pax grumbled to herself before leaving a short message on Drago's comm unit explaining most of the key details. If/when the draconian retrieved the helmet, he'd presumably get it.
"Nope, can't say I have", she replied to Malachite, getting up and looking over at him as the device fizzled and popped. "Whatever it was, I think it's dead now."
---------------
Cassie had to resist the urge to facepalm as several of the guards went into varying degrees of shock and unconsciousness. "Always gotta overdo it, don't you Mac", she commented with a sigh.
"But I didn't-!", the assault bot started to protest, but Cassie cut him off.
"Yeah, I know. Not your fault. Anyway," she turned to the one who seemed to be reasonable, but not before shooting a glance at Mac. The big robot kept his weapons powered up, just in case. "We were looking for a number of missing regenerating metas, some of whom we tracked to that warehouse next door which in turn is owned by your company. So..." She gestured and one of her two Protector Bots appeared through their customary teleport.
"Hack, see what you can find on their computers", she ordered, turning back to the man as the Protector saluted and wandered off to the nearest computer terminal to begin living up to his name. "Anyway, I have the name of a company, apparently in London. Ayre/Webber Strategic Security. That and some guy by the name of Clancy Stein, goes by 'Wrecthaus'. Either of those ring any bells?"
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: STOP!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WAIT ONE SECOND!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WHAT IS A SEAGULL DOING ON MY THRONE!?!?
[ QUOTE ]
That and some guy by the name of Clancy Stein, goes by 'Wrecthaus'. Either of those ring any bells?"
[/ QUOTE ]
Ambling through the halls of Sedadyne as she looked for the Chief Executive's office, Rose chimed in, "One of the heroes who was ganked said that Wrecthaus was the one who took him. Payroll was was a wash, some funny money tricks with the CEO though, I'd figured I'd ask him."
Tapping the brass plate that stated she was outside the CEO's office, Rose opened the door and smiled at the secretary. "I don't have an appointment, but you're going to let me by anyway, I think."
Grabbing the Secretary's desk, Rose picked it up and threw it through the CEO's door.
Some days she loved her job.
Infinity
Sam Varden 50 MA/Reg Scrap
Doomtastic 50 SS/Inv Brute
Ceus 50 Eng/Kin Corr
Cinderstorm 50 Fire/Fire Blaster
"Halfway, at least." was the draconian's grumbled answer, though whether the grumble came due to his injury or disappointment couldn't be said, "I take it you haven't run into Groul yet, mh?"
"Either way, your questions have one very answer." he removed his glove, the clawed hand beneath the clearly disproportional Arachnos armor coated in an assembly of metallic-cool and -slate grays that looked almost organic; like a second, outer skin.
"Shrink suit." was the attached commentary at the movement of fingers, "Think of it as underwear that's a lot better at riding up than should be physically possible. Before you ask: yes, it's very annoying..."
--------------------
Arek's eyes narrowed. His fingers started to open as he spat but the word, "Useless."
"Now now, hold on there just one moment!" an exclamation from Gentleman Bones arrested the motion, the denim-hued draconian turning toward the source of the protest, said man in turn continuing with outstretched arms, slowly approaching, "I'm sure this can be worked out somehow, er...Sir Dragon...no need to drop the man who can't fly."
"I disagree." the Sky Commander looked to the whimpering driver again, "He is an operative of the enemy. If he cannot provide information, he is a liability, and liabilities are to be eliminated..."
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
--Sedadyne HQ: Cassie--
The man shrugged. He explained that he didn't know anything about missing people or the villain "Wrecthaus." However, he did recognize Ayre/Webber.
"We've got a contract with 'em, I think," he rubbed his chin and rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I think we're supposed to have one of their guys in each of the trucks whenever we do some shipping. There should be a few of 'em in the warehouse next door... Personally, I don't like 'em. They've got serious attitude problems, like they're always doped up or something. Plus, we keep getting complaints from our shippers that they're overweight when they've got an A.W. guard with 'em. I didn't know they were based in London. I thought they had a headquarters in Steel Canyon."
He was surprisingly calm in such close proximity to killer robots, and when Cassie pointed it out, he shrugged.
"It's Paragon City, lady. We've all gotta get used to this kind of crap sometime."
Hack, as it turned out, wasn't finding much different from what Dynamo had learned. However, it did encounter the Research and Development notes, specifically the notes on several compounds that were either patent pending, FDA approval, or were currently rejected.
One compound, SPX-467, code named "Slumberyn," had been flagged as dangerous for public use. Users would find themselves in more of a "hypnotized" state that left them exceptionally open to suggestion. Sedadyne immediately recalled the formula and ceased production.
However, there were further notes. Apparently, an agency in London had requested the research. The agency was apparently related to the same organization that had rescued Sedadyne from a hostile takeover.
For some odd reason, the name of the agency wasn't recorded, but the individual who would be receiving the formula and conducting further research was. Hack recovered the name and address of one Doctor Hallcomb.
-----------
--Sedadyne HQ: Dynamo Rose--
The man sitting behind the desk calmly watched his door clatter to the floor in front of him and leaned forward to show the brute that she had his attention.
"I suppose you're with the group that trashed the warehouse. Members of the Board of Directors won't be happy about that, but I suppose it can't be helped. At least I can get back to using my warehouse again... For that, I suppose I can overlook your rude behavior thus far."
He clasped his hands on the surface of his desk and took a deep breath. When Dynamo glared down at him, he shrugged.
"I'm not a fighter, lady, though I did practice boxing in college. I suppose I could queue up the emergency power armor I own and we could throw down, but that would end with one of us hurt and both exhausted. It would be a more amicable solution if you simply asked me what you want to know and I can decide whether or not I should acquiesce or decline. Considering what you've been doing, I'm leaning on decline, but maybe if you're nice enough about it (not too nice, mind you, I'm not asking you to bend over backwards, just stop breaking things), I'll be more amicable."
At first, Rose wasn't sure if the small man was being serious. However, when she saw his dispassionate, narrowed eyes, she realized that he wasn't just talking trash. She didn't know whether to laugh or just start hitting him.
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--Southern Skyway City--
The man shrieked as Arek's grip loosened and he frantically clasped the scaled forearms.
"LONDON!" he screamed, "WE COME FROM LONDON! THEY TRAIN US THERE! IT'S WHERE WE GOT THE VAN! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! Oh-man-it-wasn't-supposed-to-happen-this-way!-I-was-supposed-to-teleport-away!-What-the-Hell-happened?-Where's-Jack?-Why-isn't he-here?-This-monster's-gonna-kill-me-next!-This-monster's-gonna-kill-me-next..."
The mashed-together mantra continued in this vein for some time.
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--Unknown Super Group Base--
"I've met the one you call 'Groul,'" Cory said quietly as he rolled his head to stretch his neck muscles, "He introduced himself to my boss as 'Spearhead Lambda,' though. Nice draconian. He's a bit more technologically minded than I expected, but that's not a point against him. He helped redesign much of this base..."
"Wait!" Mark seemed about on the verge of hyperventilating, "This guy knows Lambda? Lambda rebuilt the base! Dude! Arachnos knows our secrets! This is bad! This is super bad!"
"Marcus, chill out or I will chill you out," Cory intoned, inclining his head gently and leveling his gaze on his friend, "Besides, Arachnos isn't usually in the habit of hiring... 'Non-humans,' at least, not in the rank-and-file sense. Now, after you would be so kind as to activate that Triage device like you said you would, you can take your leave and clear your head of this issue. If you could, please send Nester and Sheldon in here."
Grumbling and muttering, Mark walked around the bed and activated the pyramid-shaped machine. Green waves resumed radiating from it and Drago/Ken/The Black Dragon could feel his wounds stitching themselves back together rapidly. It wasn't the shocking effect as when Pain Dominators and Empathics zapped wounds closed, or the burning sensation from when temperature controllers cauterized them shut (which was difficult to understand how that worked in and of itself; fire does damage, it doesn't heal, but there it went...), but then, the regeneration aura wasn't necessarily as fast-acting.
"I'm gonna be practicing grapples with Justin's mercs," the corrupter announced as he walked away.
"Don't forget Nester and Sheldon!" the wizard called after him.
"Yeah, yeah..."
"I apologize for his behavior," Cory sighed to Drago, "I'm Cortland Simmons, wizard for Grey's Army, the group of which you currently find yourself under the care. I certainly hope you don't represent some kind of Arachnos plot to harm any of us. I rarely get a chance to converse at any length with draconians of any sort, and it would simply be unfortunate if I were forced to fight you."
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
Glancing back at the ruined doorway and the desk laying in shambles next to it, Rose winced.
"Wow. You sure know how to lay a guilt trip mister"
Reaching down Rose picked up a chair that had been knocked over and righted it. the arcing lines of electricity that coated her armor faded as she sat down, modestly crossing her legs.
She considered for a moment taking off her faceplate, but decided that showed a little too much trust.
"My name is Rose O'Grady, though in my circles I'm usually called Dynamo Rose. Whichever suits you will work."
Rose quickly summarized her entire reason for being here. The missing Regens they traced back to Sedadyne. She made no mention of her employer and tried to frame her situation as if she was just concerned about her fellow black hats.
"I was coming to your office in my brazen manner, becuase I found a discrepency in funding down in Payroll. I was going to ransack your office looking for answers about who is funding the kidnapping of metahumans. Names, locations, a detailed and indexed three ring binder outlining the nefarious plot, the usual."
"I would also dearly love to know where theCyborgs and Explody Ninjas are coming from."
"Now you said, 'get back to using your warehouse'. That's either an indication that this is against your will, or a clever ploy to throw me off the scent." Shrugging, Rose continued, "I don't much care one way or another, but if you are being blackmailed I figure I could try and get you to pay me to kill the guy, so I get something out of this besides a warm and fuzzy feeling."
Infinity
Sam Varden 50 MA/Reg Scrap
Doomtastic 50 SS/Inv Brute
Ceus 50 Eng/Kin Corr
Cinderstorm 50 Fire/Fire Blaster
(( No, she only froze time to get all his stuff away from him before he could use any of it to escape. She'd unfreeze it afterwards. ))
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: STOP!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WAIT ONE SECOND!
[Admin] Emperor Marcus Cole: WHAT IS A SEAGULL DOING ON MY THRONE!?!?