Action, Adventure, Excitement, Part 5 Marvel - chapter 4 Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 04:17:34 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Doomsday On Sun, 2 May 1999 21:34:24 -0400 Zia Said As CAoL Message # 00006914 >On Mon, 26 Apr 1999 21:39:39 -0700 >Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006910 > >>On Tue, 20 Apr 1999 22:49:45 -0400 >>Zia Said As CAoL Message # 00006890 >> >>[OOC: Picture Zia doing a 'Jewish mother' sort of accent. 'For THIS >>it takes a scientist?!?'] > > Sue smiles sheepishly, doing her best 'that's just the way he is' >shrug. [OOC: er, that was OOC, since Zia hadn't 'left the building' as yet, then. :) But I couldn't resist the mental image.] >>>>On Sat, 17 Apr 1999 12:09:53 -0400 >>>>James Said As CAoL Message # 00006874 >>>> >> {Alert: Failure noted in field generated protection on left >>eyepiece. Tertiary backups failed; power shunted from right eyepiece >>field. Now back online, but no failure cause found in any of the >>failing field generation units.} > > {Intolerable. Examine weapon, ammunition and target. Prepare for >download of magical analysis.} Doom circles his prey, every motion >one of confidence in ultimate victory. {Probability of tertiary failures estimated at 14 billion to one. The weapon in appears to be a mundane firearm in all respects save ornamentation. The ivory grip bears inscription, 'To my loving husband, Death.' Ammunition is mundane if antiquated gunpowder bullet, lead assay indicates origin in the United Kingdoms. Postulate: This target affects probability in a manner similar, but far wider and more effectively than does previously known target of like ability, alias Black Cat.} >Wildcat blushes slightly (no, not TM Roland ;-). *Um, well,* she >seems to be choosing her words carefully, and although Ironman's >expression can't be read through his mask his amusement can be felt >by anyone with any sense on the teep link, *At the time he was >borrowing someone elses body, someone with the Power Cosmic,* (she >shudders slightly at that thought), *So he wasn't wearing the mask, >and the Fantastic Four were all his captives and the Avengers were >almost all still imprisoned by the Reaper, and, well, it was pretty >much me against him when I'd only had my powers for a couple of >months, and I needed to distract him so the FF could escape, so....* >Her blush deepens. > >*It was a _very_ effective distraction, from what I heard,* Iron Man >adds amusedly. *So effective, in fact, that it stunned _everyone_ for >a moment. Fortunately, her friend-who was in Doom's body at the >time-recovered first.* *Truly, you are a woman I could admire then. Many Western-trained strategists never consider any less-than-direct and force majeur approaches. Although, Iron Man, I fail to see why you sound so surprised at the efficiacy of the ploy. Even with your eyes closed, that close, you should be able to more correctly judge the lady's charisma and character. Although it would have been a sacrifice far more personal than her life, who wouldn't place lives before virture? Especially the lives of friends and comrades of arms.* James quips back, amused himself. > > Doom pauses. "Fascinating. No doubt, a lesser man would give no >credence to doing battle with a 'fictional' opponent, making all >manner of erroneous assumptions." {Merge magical forcefield with >armor systems. Prepare Doombot transference protocols. Begin >uploading specifications for altered Cosmic Battery unit.} "Doom is >not a lesser man. As for fighting you 'merely because we are both >here,' I have plans within plans, and this world will tremble when I >unleash my forces upon the world. But you represent a fascinating >power...a power which must be DOOM'S!" > With that, Doom casts a spell to hold James fast, fires a bolt >from his armor, and activates some sort of transponder, all >effectively at once. The magic seems to catch James a bit off guard, so the bolt actually connects with his arm as it comes up in an instinctive shielding gesture. As it impacts, James' armor, and even the arm within, shimmer like a heat haze. Suddenly morphing into red pools of energy, the arm itself ripples in red rings like some calm pond's surface disupted by the impact of heavy raindrops. > When James deals with the attacks (which I'm assuming he can, >unless stated otherwise) he sees that Doom's cape now bulges from >behind. > "And now, 'Mr. Bond,' though you have no doubt faced many >formidable opponents, you have at last met your match...FEEL THE >POWER OF DOOOM!" Most of the energy strikes, transforming as the target uses psi to absorb it, and a half-dozen different techniques from Zen to Jedi Knight to what Zia could pick up from Jadis' abilities to contaminate energy, reversed to purify it. The energy so mentally transmuted is absorbed. Then, when James cannot take another dyne, it's shunted to the Jewel Kryptonite. When THAT overflows, James shunts the remainder into a huge ball of rising heat and light, that appears a hundred feet up to spare those with tender eyes and skin here on the ground. The mental energy 'fireball' rises slowly, roiling like a thunderhead. His arm slowly shapeshifts back to flesh and armor. The transformation is fast enough to look formidable, slow enough to observe. "Formidable, but foolish. I did not think you fit the description, until now." Dr. Double O Fate points a gauntleted hand at the ground. The gesture nullifies Doom's spell at the lightest touch, almost as if James were the sort of being that was magically immune, when only a moment before it had held him. "If you press me, my powers will bleed over into the more unfortunate possibiltiies. For this planet, even that bit you call Latveria. At least let us combat in a less delicate arena. If I must resort to Cosmic level power, I do not believe my conscious control will suffice to prevent catastrophic colateral damage to the Earth." Dr. OOFate ================================= Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 04:17:48 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Infinity Duels On Sun, 02 May 1999 22:39:26 -0700 Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006915 >On Tue, 27 Apr 1999 00:58:09 EDT >Dane Said As CAoL Message # 00006911 > >>Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006909 >> >> Thanos is considering the following as his next attack: 1) rip >>Aurora's power away from her, 2) Psiblast her, 3) use the Cube's >>power to render her powerless, 4) keep a 'lock' on his Power Cosmic >>to punch through her 'turnabout' defense, in that order of >>likelihood. >> >As he finishes speaking, working at super computer speeds, and using >Hydra's ability to multitask, during the pico seconds that he >considers, she attacks with a double pronged attack. She extends both >hands (at a FTL speed) and he is hit by a magical "Rip Van Winkle" >effect raised to a cosmic strength level. At the same time she hits >him with a Spirit blast (twin to the one that knocked Starbreaker on >his can). Starbreaker was relatively vulnerable to the spirit-attack. Thanos isn't particularly vulnerable to anything. Now, he's mad. 8^) Though still reeling from the attacks, he has the presence of mind to counterattack, rending with the Power Cosmic and attacking with the psibolt. ================================= Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 04:17:52 -0700 (PDT) Subject: AAE V: Avengers Assemble! On Sun, 02 May 1999 22:58:10 -0700 Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006916 >On Wed, 28 Apr 1999 22:52:39 -0700 (PDT) >Rob N Said As CAoL Message # 00006913 > >> Either way, the small, disc-like robotic hovercraft that are >>ubiquitous throughout the picture are the obvious first line of >>defense. (If you've been lucky enough to see T2: 3D, think those >>suckers. If not, think silver lame' frisbees with fanblades in the >>middle, small arms on the 'back' edge, and weapon ports on the >>'front' edge beside the 'eyes.' > >"Hopefully, those things don't scan on anything other than normal >sight." > >"All right. Everybody ready? I'm making this the last chance for >comments on the plan of: Xzerrion holds an illusion and opens the >door magically, we stay covered by invisibility and an SEP field." Captain America frowns, staring at the dome as the battles continue in his peripheral vision. "Something troubles thee, my friend?" Thor asks. "I know there are times to fight, and times to wait, Thor," Cap replies, annoyed. "But this _doesn't_ feel like time to wait. There must be something we can-" Cap stops and stares for a moment at the 'tag team' tactics of the CAoL...and smiles. *Of course! They need a distraction. Let's _give_ them one! In and out, watch each other's backs, and no double-teaming, and-* Half the gathered heroes fire at the dome at once. "AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!" rings out from many voices at once, and even the Cube-generated forcefield shakes with the wrath and power of Avengers and X-Men. Inside the dome... "What the #&^% are they doing?" Whirlwind snarls, kittening a goblet of wine into the X-Window-like field through which he watches the heroes. "Wastin' time," the Wrecker, leader of the 'Wrecking Crew' and one of several minor league villains with Whirlwind freely, laughs as he downs a brew. "They can't do nothin'." Whirlwind turns cold eyes on the less-than-brilliant bruiser. "If they 'can't do nothin,' why _are_ they attacking?" He glares even more coldly at the heroes, and summons one powerful force after another. The Asgardian Destroyer armor. The Mandarin. Apocalypse. The Juggernaut is sent out, as is the Hulk. Then Storm. Sweat begins to bead on Whirlwind's head. "They're trying to...split my concentration...but it won't work. I can control them all. The _Cube_ can give me the power!" His eyes narrow to slits, and the Cube slides from his hand to a depression in his armor. Outside the Palace. Mister Fantastic cranes his neck (literally) to view the escalating battle. "Clever. It appears that the good Captain has arranged for a diversion." The rapidly darkening sky flashes with lightning. "An opportunity we must not waste. Even with the Cube's power, Whirlwind will be distracted, but the opening will not last overlong." "Thank you for explaining the obvious to us all, dear," the Invisible Woman chides fondly. Then she turns her attention to the door, ready to 'move' as soon as it opens. (OOC: If anyone is in the process of doing something, please remind me-it's been a while and I've been cottonheaded a lot lately. Otherwise, theres ya go. 8^) ================================= Date: Mon, 3 May 1999 18:33:21 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Infinity Duels On Mon, 3 May 1999 21:25:39 EDT Dane0R0A Said As CAoL Message # 00006917 >Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006915 > > Starbreaker was relatively vulnerable to the spirit-attack. Thanos >isn't particularly vulnerable to anything. > Now, he's mad. 8^) > Though still reeling from the attacks, he has the presence of mind >to counterattack, rending with the Power Cosmic and attacking with >the psibolt. The psibolt hits her mental defenses, and seems to disappear (seen on a mental plane, it would be like pouring water into a pool of water). The Power Cosmic hits and Aurora is visibly injured. The injury "heals" up almost instantly However. She then seems to vanish to any normal senses. Moving at many millions of times the speed of light, in a micro-second she passes through 3 thousand of spots in the surrounding space. At each spot she leave behind a spark and a small round object. Each spark has an opposite spark (with Thanos in the middle) and each is a mile away from Thanos. Half a second after "vanishing" She stops just outside the sphere of sparks (OOC: the sparks will move with Thanos, if he moves, to maintain position). Then she twitches a finger (which triggers the sparks), and jestures with one hand. Thanos is hit with the detonation beams of 3 thousand hyper bombs. Each carrying an infinite amount of energy (1K beams of the ultimate pattern energy, 1K beams of pure magical destruction, and 1K beams of the Power Cosmic). In the same instant that he is hit with the beams, space warps in 6 locations. Each is one foot from Thanos' surface, and they are spread out on all sides of him (head, foot, front, back, left, and right). On the other side of those warps are monoblocks. The forces of the monoblocks (with Aurora's help) cause them to collapse together (at the speed of light) into a single monoblock (with Thanos in the middle with all that energy from the hyper bombs). The new super-monoblock promptly explodes. Aurora shifts backwards riding the shock-wave, letting the energy of the newly reborn universe pass harmlessly through her. ================================= Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 03:03:16 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Avengers Assemble! On Tue, 4 May 1999 01:51:03 -0500 Mike Knight Said As CAoL Message # 00006918 >On Sun, 02 May 1999 22:58:10 -0700 >Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006916 > >>On Wed, 28 Apr 1999 22:52:39 -0700 (PDT) >>Rob N Said As CAoL Message # 00006913 >> >>"All right. Everybody ready? I'm making this the last chance for >>comments on the plan of: Xzerrion holds an illusion and opens the >>door magically, we stay covered by invisibility and an SEP field." Mike looks around the battlefield with a frown. There wasn't enough going on and the infiltration team inside the dome was about to open the front door. They needed Whirlwind's attention outside on them. they needed... > Half the gathered heroes fire at the dome at once. > "AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!" rings out from many voices at once, and even >the Cube-generated forcefield shakes with the wrath and power of >Avengers and X-Men. ...That. Mike smiled sheepishly. [Note to self: Remember to take -advantage- of the assistance in the times when you have allies.] > Outside the Palace. > Mister Fantastic cranes his neck (literally) to view the >escalating battle. "Clever. It appears that the good Captain has >arranged for a diversion." The rapidly darkening sky flashes with >lightning. "An opportunity we must not waste. Even with the Cube's >power, Whirlwind will be distracted, but the opening will not last >overlong." > "Thank you for explaining the obvious to us all, dear," the >Invisible Woman chides fondly. Then she turns her attention to the >door, ready to 'move' as soon as it opens. > (OOC: If anyone is in the process of doing something, please >remind me-it's been a while and I've been cottonheaded a lot lately. >Otherwise, theres ya go. 8^) */Captain,/* Mike sends, */Your timing is impeccable as is your logic. People, if you don't have a dance partner, keep attacking the dome. Let's see how well that Cube multitasks before it, or it's owner, has a blue screen of death./* Tink glances at Michael Seven, wearing an expression identical to his often seen smirk and arched eyebrow. */Okay, before it or it's owner can't handle the strain.' Better?/* Tink grins. Mike looks around for his proverbial dance partner. ================================= Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 06:29:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: If You Can't Beat 'em On Fri, 7 May 1999 08:35:47 EDT SkyeFire Said As CAoL Message # 00006919 OOC: OK, time to pick up where I left off..... : "Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice" -- er, I mean, "In our last spine-tingling episode...." Roger had put the Silver Surfer down and was doing damage with a fractal attack until the Surfer used a blind detonation to get enough breathing room to regain his bearings. At about this same time, Mike pointed out a mistake to Roger that shocked Roger badly enough (having not made *that* mistake since he was 16) that he lost his grip on the infinite-teleport loop placed on the Surfer's Surfboard. Being somewhat faster on the uptake than average, the Surfer regained control of his board and used it to ram Star-Brand Roger half a mile down the beach, while converting Iron Flash Roger's armor to solid Vibranium and trying to latch onto GL-Roger's ring and drain it. And so our scene opens..... OOC: That oughtta splice everything up nice and tight, with no loose ends. Impaled on the Silver Surfboard with a partially caved-in ribcage, Star-Brand Roger vanishes. The tattoo reappears on GL-Roger's left palm as he braces against the Surfer's drain attempt and tries to combine to two weapons' power. Iron Flash, meanwhile, begins trying to make lemonade. From inside the Vibranium statue that was his armor, he begins using focussed vibrations generated from his "duping" of the Flash's powers, channeling them through his inherent energy-manipulation abilities as well as some Technomagery tricks and E-9 Technocracy techniques. The Vibranium begins to soften and flow, heading towards an end result rather like a T-1000 skin. But it's a slow process -- Vibranium has to be seduced, rather than forced. The combatants have fallen into a a stalemated tug-of-war. The Surfer discovers the GLR's vulnerability to yellow and tries to exploit it, but Roger has that hole blocked with his PK and the Star Brand. Apparently unwilling to accept the collateral damage implicit in the power levels required to smash the GLR and SB, the Surfer digs in for an energistic battle of attrition, grinding away at Roger's defenses like John Henry against the mountain. Strangely enough, he seems to relax at this turn of events, almost as if the stalemate makes him...pleased? OOC: I'm thinking that the stalemate allows Norrin to reach an equilibrium of rationalization between the compulsion laid on him to Deal With Roger, and his desire to disobey. While the stalemate lasts, the conflicting drives are quiet(er). Insert GM comments here. (:) /OOC Roger, meanwhile, takes advantage of the breather to start running through various options for breaking the stalemate to his advantage. It doesn't take him long to get a general sense of what's going on inside the Surfer's mind, and he begins pruning his strategy tree accordingly. Unfortunately, most of the "Decisive Victory" branches involve killing the Surfer or taking an unacceptable risk thereof, usually involving the annihilation of a large chunk of the planet. Since Mum and Da would probably frown on this, he turns his attention to other options. The problem is, most of the other direct-action branches run a very high risk of defeat, leaving the Surfer available to Whirlwind for continued use -- dealing with beings of the SS's power level is usually an all-or-nothing proposition. This leaves guile. Fortunately, Roger has more than his father's example to follow. He also has 300+ years of training in sneakiness from Morgan. And Zia. And James. And -- well, let's face it, any member of the family who ever wanted to teach him anything about being sneaky, fighting dirty, or cheating at cards ("Remember, this is only so you can spot people trying to cheat you..."). Roger loses his grip on his Ring. The sudden inflow of energy takes the Surfer sufficiently by surprise that he starts to block it, wary of a judo-style move to draw him into overreaching himself. But as Roger scrambles to regain control of the Ring, the Surfer reevaluates his success and tries to capitalize on it, not without some reluctance. The energy flows between them seesaw wildly for several moments before falling back into a draw, with one crucial difference: the Surfer now has a toehold in the GLR. By dint of Herculean effort, Roger cuts the drain down to a trickle, but it is obvious to anyone watching that the Surfer is slowly but steadily sucking the Ring dry. But during that short tussle for the Ring, the Surfer failed to notice a few things: a subtle but ongoing shift in local distribution of random chance, realigning along new outcomes; a slow, soft whisper of magic; and a stealthy telepathic thread woven into the emerald energy he is drawing from the Ring. Over the next several minutes, Roger punctuates the stalemate with several probing attacks, something new each time, in an obvious bid to break his Ring loose and resume his previous fractal attack. The Surfer beats these attacks handily, though not casually, and in fact gains a slightly better grip on the GLR in the process. Roger, pale and sweating, slams the Surfer with a PK ram and lashes at the drain link with the Star Brand's full power. The Surfer responds with a huge blast of Power Cosmic that smashes Roger against the dome and nearly into unconsciousness. With domination of the Ring up for grabs, the Surfer reaches for it, grasps the incredible beauty of the green fire, and "Norrin Radd." He whirls in utter shock to face the woman standing behind him. "When our world lay in ruins, and on the verge of death," Shalla Bal continues, "one man --one!-- of our entire race, stepped forward to save us all. One ordinary man of extraordinary soul stood face to face with a primal force of the universe, and by his courage and sacrifice saved his people from annihilation. A man named Norrin Radd." Her eyes impale him like spearpoints. "Who are you?" "Since the birth of the universe," a voice like end of time rumbles above him, "none had dared defy me so to my face. None had the temerity to bargain with me, or the bravery to accept the mantle of My service. I took of that mortal clay and reshaped it to a form suitable to my requirements, and called him my First Herald. And the day came when he was moved by a force stronger than my will to defy me, and my power was insufficient to prevail against his will." Eye to eye with the Surfer from a hundred meters above, Galactus adds: "Who are you?" "He showed me the meaning our role," says a woman of flame. "He taught me the responsibility that comes with the mantle of Heraldship, and that the sanctity of life must have as strong a call on us as our Master's hunger. He was the living example of the strength to face any power, for the sake of Right." Nova fixes her predecessor in eyes like the hearts of suns. "Who are you?" "He and I tangled more than once," a walking orange rockpile says in a gravely voice. "But against me, against Galactus, against *anything* he ever faced, he never gave up. I never saw him quit." The baby blues narrow under their granite brows. "Who are you, bunky?" "I met him early in his sojourn on Earth," says the blind woman. "Without the distraction of his exterior appearance, I saw a man who had taken the most grievous harm Fortune could inflict and was still unbroken, though the weight threatened to bend him beyond recognition. A soul of unsurpassed nobility and self-sacrifice, stripped of everything except his unfailing sense of right and wrong and the will to follow it. In my times of need, he has never failed me." One slim sculptor's hand reaches out and touches the silver chest lightly, just above the heart. "Who are you?" OOC: Okay, it's 5:30 AM on the tail end of a shift that started at 7 AM yesterday, after a shift that ended at 2:30 AM that morning. So I'm going to break this off here and ask for a GM call as to whether this little drama can break the Cube's hold on Norrin. If so, I've got some more to write onto this when I'm more awake..... ================================= Date: Mon, 10 May 1999 11:24:41 -0700 (PDT) Subject: AAEV:Bruticus' Bash On Mon, 10 May 1999 14:22:57 -0400 "Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00006920 >>Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 23:05:28 -0700 (PDT) >>>On Mon, 12 Apr 1999 13:06:11 -0400 >>>"Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00006838 >>> >>>"Oh, shards," Xander mutters, and immediately shifts aim to the new >>>threat, playing the laser beams, as well as rounds from hir >>>forearm-mounted autocannon over the goliath, looking for a weak >>>spot. None found, sie shifts to tank mode, and a pair of heavy >>>treads chews into the ground, propelling hir away from the fight. >>>The side-mounted autocannon, the weapons which were formerly on hir >>>arms, still play bursts over Bruticus, chipping and denting armor, >>>but mostly, making him mad-- sie doesn't want to fire the 10-CM >>>Hellbore jutting proudly from hir turret so near those on hir side. >> >> Bruticus, OTOH, couldn't care less about nearby combatants. He >>raises one mighty foot to stomp Xander. (Though even in tank mode, >>sie's probably fast enough to dodge-Bruticus, IIRC, is far better >>known for his ability to cause general mayhem than specific strikes. >>8^) >> In addition, since he's five beings in one, he makes a _great_ >>target for lots of frustrated superheroes (well, okay, four at most) >>on this side on the dome... (OOC: Xander, if there's any Marvel >>characters you want to fight alongside, now's your chance! ) (OOC: War Machine'd be fun, methinks, seeing as Shellhead's already occupied. However, I don't know enough about him to RP him well.) With a sprint speed of nearly 120 KPH, Xander indeed can get out of the way of the stomping foot, sending twin rooster trails of dirt and sod to plaster the five-in-one 'bot fairly well. However, enough is enough, and the currently-tanked dragon elevates hir main gun, letting loose with a blast of fusing hydrogen. Sensors cleave through a cloud of vaporized armor and dirt, to scan the damage done... and sie staggers, such as a tank can. (OOC: I've forgotten the different symbols for the non-vocal communications... forgive me.) {Folks, what the heck is wrong here?} sie sends through the radio-link to the other CAoL members. {My main gun is within normal specs, yet [] (A data-dump giving the Hellbore's normal results of a shot, the results of this shot, including analysis of the vaporized material, and the simulated most probable outcome-- A Bruticus with a glowing hole through his torso, rather than a smallish crater, and a blow enough to knock him to his rump about fifty feet back)} Even as the data is sent, sie lets loose with another round a few seconds after the first, to deal such damage as sie can. ================================= Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 10:42:58 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Avengers Assemble! On Tue, 11 May 1999 08:04:57 -0400 Caprice Said As CAoL Message # 00006921 >On Sun, 02 May 1999 22:58:10 -0700 >Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006916 > > Outside the Palace. > Mister Fantastic cranes his neck (literally) to view the >escalating battle. "Clever. It appears that the good Captain has >arranged for a diversion." The rapidly darkening sky flashes with >lightning. "An opportunity we must not waste. Even with the Cube's >power, Whirlwind will be distracted, but the opening will not last >overlong." > "Thank you for explaining the obvious to us all, dear," the >Invisible Woman chides fondly. Then she turns her attention to the >door, ready to 'move' as soon as it opens. > (OOC: If anyone is in the process of doing something, please >remind me-it's been a while and I've been cottonheaded a lot lately. >Otherwise, theres ya go. 8^) Legion stands ready and waiting, unaware of Moonstone just inside the doors. However someone else is aware, and ready to take distraction into her own hands... er... paws. As Moonstone looks for a source for the disturbance she finds a little grey kitten on the edge of one of the fountains, peering into it as if looking for fish. The cutest, fluffest kitten she's ever seen (OOC: okay, maybe I'm a little biased). The kitten bounds off of that fountain, and rushes over to one further from the doors, batting at the water once or twice with a paw. (OOC: Mischief is going to act ky00te and playful, and try to lead Moonstone away so that the others can sneak in.) ================================= Date: Thu, 13 May 1999 20:08:33 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Doomsday On Thu, 13 May 1999 19:46:03 -0700 Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006922 >On Sun, 2 May 1999 21:34:24 -0400 >Zia Said As CAoL Message # 00006914 > >> On Mon, 26 Apr 1999 21:39:39 -0700 >> Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006910 >> >>>On Tue, 20 Apr 1999 22:49:45 -0400 >>>Zia Said As CAoL Message # 00006890 >>>[OOC: Picture Zia doing a 'Jewish mother' sort of accent. 'For THIS >>>it takes a scientist?!?'] >> >> Sue smiles sheepishly, doing her best 'that's just the way he is' >>shrug. > >[OOC: er, that was OOC, since Zia hadn't 'left the building' as yet, >then. :) But I couldn't resist the mental image.] (OOC: I figured the OOC comment described her expression. Ah well.) >>> {Alert: Failure noted in field generated protection on left >>>eyepiece. Tertiary backups failed; power shunted from right >>>eyepiece field. Now back online, but no failure cause found in any >>>of the failing field generation units.} >> >> {Intolerable. Examine weapon, ammunition and target. Prepare for >>download of magical analysis.} Doom circles his prey, every motion >>one of confidence in ultimate victory. > >{Probability of tertiary failures estimated at 14 billion to one. The >weapon in appears to be a mundane firearm in all respects save >ornamentation. The ivory grip bears inscription, 'To my loving >husband, Death.' Ammunition is mundane if antiquated gunpowder >bullet, lead assay indicates origin in the United Kingdoms. >Postulate: This target affects probability in a manner similar, but >far wider and more effectively than does previously known target of >like ability, alias Black Cat.} {Initiate countermeasures,} Doom replies as he chants a few words in the Gypsy tongue. (OOC: Romany, IIRC. Didn't want to say that definitively, then embarrass myself if I was wrong. 8^) >>*It was a _very_ effective distraction, from what I heard,* Iron Man >>adds amusedly. *So effective, in fact, that it stunned _everyone_ >>for a moment. Fortunately, her friend-who was in Doom's body at the >>time-recovered first.* > >*Truly, you are a woman I could admire then. Many Western-trained >strategists never consider any less-than-direct and force majeur >approaches. Although, Iron Man, I fail to see why you sound so >surprised at the efficiacy of the ploy. Even with your eyes closed, >that close, you should be able to more correctly judge the lady's >charisma and character. Although it would have been a sacrifice far >more personal than her life, who wouldn't place lives before virture? >Especially the lives of friends and comrades of arms.* James quips >back, amused himself. Iron Man is suppressing the laugh even harder now. *Oh, I have no doubts of the lady's, ahem, 'charisma and character.' If she kissed _Galactus,_ he'd stay kissed. For a while, anyway.* Wildcat's expression hovers somewhere between shock and embarrassment. (OOC: Roland, saying "MOR-gan!" but with expression only. 8^) >> When James deals with the attacks (which I'm assuming he can, >>unless stated otherwise) he sees that Doom's cape now bulges from >>behind. >> "And now, 'Mr. Bond,' though you have no doubt faced many >>formidable opponents, you have at last met your match...FEEL THE >>POWER OF DOOOM!" > >Most of the energy strikes, transforming as the target uses psi to >absorb it, and a half-dozen different techniques from Zen to Jedi >Knight to what Zia could pick up from Jadis' abilities to contaminate >energy, reversed to purify it. The energy so mentally transmuted is >absorbed. Then, when James cannot take another dyne, it's shunted to >the Jewel Kryptonite. When THAT overflows, James shunts the remainder >into a huge ball of rising heat and light, that appears a hundred >feet up to spare those with tender eyes and skin here on the ground. >The mental energy 'fireball' rises slowly, roiling like a >thunderhead. His arm slowly shapeshifts back to flesh and armor. The >transformation is fast enough to look formidable, slow enough to >observe. James shouldn't have to work that hard to shunt the energies, if he has the power of Nabu; Doom was stalling for time. (Though Doom 'just' stalling for time is enough to take out anything short of a Special Forces unit. Or, of course, superheroes. 8^) >"Formidable, but foolish. I did not think you fit the description, >until now." Dr. Double O Fate points a gauntleted hand at the ground. >The gesture nullifies Doom's spell at the lightest touch, almost as >if James were the sort of being that was magically immune, when only >a moment before it had held him. Doom blinks at James, almost in shock, wondering if his opponent is trying to deceive him or has just lost his mind. He is about to respond, when 00 Fate adds... >"If you press me, my powers will bleed over into the more unfortunate >possibiltiies. For this planet, even that bit you call Latveria. At >least let us combat in a less delicate arena. If I must resort to >Cosmic level power, I do not believe my conscious control will >suffice to prevent catastrophic colateral damage to the Earth." Doom's eyes narrow. "Until this point, you were merely a fascinating specimen. But now you have declared yourself to be a threat to my people. "Your continued existence can no longer be tolerated." With that, a large shimmering field appears around the two combatants, apparently generated from the bulge in Doom's back. The armor crackles with all manner of power. "We are now in a field that will shunt stray energies to a pocket dimension." (OOC: Mephisto's. Doom thinking ahead, as always. ) "None of my people will be harmed. Now, you who would threaten Latveria...DIE, before the unfathomable might of DOOM!!!" With that, two beams fly from Doom, one from each gauntlet. The right beam is a blast of Power Cosmic that would knock the Surfer into another star system. The left is a power drain that could weaken Dr. Strange to neophyte level... ================================= Date: Thu, 13 May 1999 20:13:19 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Infinity Duels On Thu, 13 May 1999 20:06:59 -0700 Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006923 >On Mon, 3 May 1999 21:25:39 EDT >Dane Said As CAoL Message # 00006917 >The forces of the monoblocks (with Aurora's help) cause them to >collapse together (at the speed of light) into a single monoblock >(with Thanos in the middle with all that energy from the hyper >bombs). The new super-monoblock promptly explodes. Aurora shifts >backwards riding the shock-wave, letting the energy of the newly >reborn universe pass harmlessly through her. (OOC: sigh. Okay, raw power it is...) Thanos cannot be killed by something as mundane as physical force, much as he wishes otherwise. But he _can_ have his cosmic absorption powers overloaded and be reduced to free floating subatomic particles that will take eons to reform. This happens. Whirlwind is understandably concerned. (OOC: Anyone remember the movie 'Tron?' The MCP, looking virtual death in the face: "Sark. SARK. SARK!") Thanos is rewoven instantly, with a measurable fraction of the Cube's power at his command. *Kill that flying cow!* Whirlwind sends desperately. Thanos sighs and shakes his head, smiling like Death itself. The newly created universe dies aborning, shrinking to the size of a marble in Thanos' hand. He then turns it into 13 monoblock 'missiles,' all set to home in on Aurora at hyperspeeds. He releases them. He begins to fire psibolt 'probes' simultaneously, testing the 'frequency' of the mindshield to see how it works...and oh yes, he begins teleporting randomly around Aurora to make himself a more difficult target. ================================= Date: Thu, 13 May 1999 21:06:56 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Avengers Assemble! On Thu, 13 May 1999 20:48:44 -0700 Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006924 >On Tue, 4 May 1999 01:51:03 -0500 >Mike Knight Said As CAoL Message # 00006918 > > */Captain,/* Mike sends, */Your timing is impeccable as is your >logic. People, if you don't have a dance partner, keep attacking the >dome. Let's see how well that Cube multitasks before it, or it's >owner, has a blue screen of death./* *The Cube? Seizing up because of a system bug?* Iron Man sends incredulously. *Whirlwind, maybe, but...ho-ly...* > Tink glances at Michael Seven, wearing an expression identical >to his often seen smirk and arched eyebrow. > */Okay, before it or it's owner can't handle the strain.' >Better?/* > Tink grins. > Mike looks around for his proverbial dance partner. > > (OOC: Oh, GIVE me an excuse! ) An eight-foot tall, mostly blue, mechanical mockery of a man stands before Mike. He's a pretty human-looking mockery, but it just accentuates his robotic nature. A shazam-like lightning bolt is emblazoned on one shoulder, inside a thick circle. A more bizarre twist is the metal goatee on his 'face.' "Hi. You're the local tech-head, right? I'm Techno. Used to go by the name of the 'Fixer.'" He smiles a self-satisfied smile. "Looks like I'm here to 'fix' _you._ Cool cybernetics, by the way." His hands morph into blasters. "Have a look at mine." As he starts firing, another mental track is trying to 'hack' into what's left of Mike's Borg connection, and another is doing something which Mike's (probably) not sure of, but feels like something _moving_ inside his cyberware. (OOC: Techno can animate machinery, through an as-yet unexplained pseudoscience power. He's trying to literally _become_ Mike's cyberware. As you might imagine, that would be bad. Really bad. ;^) >On Mon, 10 May 1999 14:22:57 -0400 >"Xander Opal" Said As CAoL Message # 00006920 > >(OOC: I've forgotten the different symbols for the non-vocal >communications... forgive me.) (OOC: Yep, that's the symbol for 'radio-like' communications.) >{Folks, what the heck is wrong here?} sie sends through the >radio-link to the other CAoL members. {My main gun is within normal >specs, yet [] (A data-dump giving the Hellbore's normal results of a >shot, the results of this shot, including analysis of the vaporized >material, and the simulated most probable outcome-- A Bruticus with a >glowing hole through his torso, rather than a smallish crater, and a >blow enough to knock him to his rump about fifty feet back)} Anyone scanning Bruticus can detect the added deflector shields. Apparently, Whirlwind decided to match the CAoL enhancement for enhancement, but nobody told him that Xander never got boosted... >Even as the data is sent, sie lets loose with another round a few >seconds after the first, to deal such damage as sie can. Bruticus staggers, the sheer force of the blows knocking its aim off. Bursts of disgusting power fire wild, splashing harmlessly on the Dome. >On Tue, 11 May 1999 08:04:57 -0400 >Caprice Said As CAoL Message # 00006921 > >Legion stands ready and waiting, unaware of Moonstone just inside the >doors. However someone else is aware, and ready to take distraction >into her own hands... er... paws. > >As Moonstone looks for a source for the disturbance she finds a >little grey kitten on the edge of one of the fountains, peering into >it as if looking for fish. The cutest, fluffest kitten she's ever >seen (OOC: okay, maybe I'm a little biased). The kitten bounds off of >that fountain, and rushes over to one further from the doors, batting >at the water once or twice with a paw. Moonstone chuckles at the sight. Mere fractions of a second later, a war erupts inside her head... (Dominated half: [Well, _that's_ about as obvious a distraction ploy as I'm ever likely to see.] Undominated half: [So? If it works, I might be able to get out from under Whirlwind's thumb. And no matter what I 'did,' it was all Whirlwind's fault.] D.H.: [He's got the powers of a god. If I can control _him,_ I'll be set for all eternity.] U.H.: [Oh, _sure._ As his slave. Go pet the ky00te kitten.]) Moonstone floats over and smiles at the innocent kittycat. "Well hello there, little one. You look very...out of place." She begins to skritch Mischief behind the ears. "How did you get into this place?" >(OOC: Mischief is going to act ky00te and playful, and try to lead >Moonstone away so that the others can sneak in.) (OOC: Okey-doke. But Moonstone will only be able to out-smart herself for so long... ;^) ================================= Date: Thu, 13 May 1999 21:12:01 -0700 (PDT) Subject: AAE: Silver Wrath On Thu, 13 May 1999 21:04:31 -0700 Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006925 >On Fri, 7 May 1999 08:35:47 EDT >The combatants have fallen into a a stalemated tug-of-war. The Surfer >discovers the GLR's vulnerability to yellow and tries to exploit it, >but Roger has that hole blocked with his PK and the Star Brand. >Apparently unwilling to accept the collateral damage implicit in the >power levels required to smash the GLR and SB, the Surfer digs in for >an energistic battle of attrition, grinding away at Roger's defenses >like John Henry against the mountain. Strangely enough, he seems to >relax at this turn of events, almost as if the stalemate makes >him...pleased? > >OOC: I'm thinking that the stalemate allows Norrin to reach an >equilibrium of rationalization between the compulsion laid on him to >Deal With Roger, and his desire to disobey. While the stalemate >lasts, the conflicting drives are quiet(er). >Insert GM comments here. (:) GM: Works for me. Sounds just about right for the Silver Angster. ;^) >The problem is, most of the other direct-action branches run a very >high risk of defeat, leaving the Surfer available to Whirlwind for >continued use -- dealing with beings of the SS's power level is >usually an all-or-nothing proposition. This leaves guile. >Fortunately, Roger has more than his father's example to follow. OOC: HEY! 8^) >But during that short tussle for the Ring, the Surfer failed to >notice a few things: a subtle but ongoing shift in local distribution >of random chance, realigning along new outcomes; a slow, soft whisper >of magic; and a stealthy telepathic thread woven into the emerald >energy he is drawing from the Ring. Wanda (aka the Scarlet Witch) smiles in admiration. >Roger, pale and sweating, slams the Surfer with a PK ram and lashes >at the drain link with the Star Brand's full power. The Surfer >responds with a huge blast of Power Cosmic that smashes Roger against >the dome and nearly into unconsciousness. With domination of the Ring >up for grabs, the Surfer reaches for it, grasps the incredible beauty >of the green fire, and -- >"Norrin Radd." >He whirls in utter shock to face the woman standing behind him. >"When our world lay in ruins, and on the verge of death," Shalla Bal >continues, "one man --one!-- of our entire race, stepped forward to >save us all. One ordinary man of extraordinary soul stood face to >face with a primal force of the universe, and by his courage and >sacrifice saved his people from annihilation. A man named Norrin >Radd." Her eyes impale him like spearpoints. "Who are you?" The Surfer is dumbfounded. This is impossible. Shalla Bal is dead. But his every sense tells him that she stands before him. >"Since the birth of the universe," a voice like end of time rumbles >above him, "none had dared defy me so to my face. None had the >temerity to bargain with me, or the bravery to accept the mantle of >My service. I took of that mortal clay and reshaped it to a form >suitable to my requirements, and called him my First Herald. And the >day came when he was moved by a force stronger than my will to defy >me, and my power was insufficient to prevail against his will." Eye >to eye with the Surfer from a hundred meters above, Galactus adds: >"Who are you?" Roger immediately realizes something not in his plan has occurred: That _is,_ in fact, Galactus standing there. Saying those exact words. The Surfer is beginning to sweat... >"He showed me the meaning our role," says a woman of flame. "He >taught me the responsibility that comes with the mantle of >Heraldship, and that the sanctity of life must have as strong a call >on us as our Master's hunger. He was the living example of the >strength to face any power, for the sake of Right." Nova fixes her >predecessor in eyes like the hearts of suns. "Who are you?" The Surfer staggers back. "I..." >"He and I tangled more than once," a walking orange rockpile says in >a gravely voice. "But against me, against Galactus, against >*anything* he ever faced, he never gave up. I never saw him quit." >The baby blues narrow under their granite brows. "Who are you, >bunky?" Ben's presence there is no surprise; he was over there trading punches with Juggs a moment ago. Nova, however, was killed by Morg some time ago, and hey, there she is too. "I am..." >"I met him early in his sojourn on Earth," says the blind woman. >"Without the distraction of his exterior appearance, I saw a man who >had taken the most grievous harm Fortune could inflict and was still >unbroken, though the weight threatened to bend him beyond >recognition. A soul of unsurpassed nobility and self-sacrifice, >stripped of everything except his unfailing sense of right and wrong >and the will to follow it. In my times of need, he has never failed >me." One slim sculptor's hand reaches out and touches the silver >chest lightly, just above the heart. "Who are you?" "I am Norrin Radd." The surfboard flies back to its master. The Power Cosmic glows around his eyes. "I am the first Herald of Galactus." "I AM THE SILVER SURFER-" There is an explosion on the psychic plane, as Whirlwind's control shatters like cheap glass. "-AND I WILL _NOT_ BE USED ANY LONGER!!!" The full might of the Surfer, backed by his indomitable will, crashes into the dome, which reverberates like a deep bell against his wrath. "You will _regret_ using me, human! Such an abuse of power is an affront to the great forces of Creation, and you will pay for-" The Surfer's attack, movement, and speech all stop at the same time. Anyone scanning him will realize that he's literally been turned into a silver statue. Galactus waves a hand, and the Surfer is restored, though the strain leaves Zenn-La's champion exhausted and dazed. Inside the Dome, Whirlwind falls into his throne. "I feel like I'm going to throw up...damn, he's powerful." Galactus looks over the battlefield, and steps back, away from the dome. One pace leaves him waist-deep (for Galactus) in ocean. ================================= Date: Fri, 14 May 1999 13:41:58 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Infinity Duels On Fri, 14 May 1999 16:04:35 EDT Dane0R0A Said As CAoL Message # 00006926 Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006923 > > (OOC: sigh. Okay, raw power it is...) > Thanos cannot be killed by something as mundane as physical force, >much as he wishes otherwise. But he _can_ have his cosmic absorption >powers overloaded and be reduced to free floating subatomic particles >that will take eons to reform. This happens. > Whirlwind is understandably concerned. > (OOC: Anyone remember the movie 'Tron?' The MCP, looking virtual >death in the face: "Sark. SARK. SARK!") > Thanos is rewoven instantly, with a measurable fraction of the >Cube's power at his command. *Kill that flying cow!* Whirlwind sends >desperately. > Thanos sighs and shakes his head, smiling like Death itself. The >newly created universe dies aborning, shrinking to the size of a >marble in Thanos' hand. He then turns it into 13 monoblock >'missiles,' all set to home in on Aurora at hyperspeeds. He releases >them. He begins to fire psibolt 'probes' simultaneously, testing the >'frequency' of the mindshield to see how it works...and oh yes, he >begins teleporting randomly around Aurora to make himself a more >difficult target. As she sees the 13 monoblock missiles headed her way, she only smiles. A pico second before they hit, thirteen warps open up. The monoblocks pass through, and crash together back in the spot where Thanos had been, where they detonate again. The psibolts don't seem to do much, however Thanos does sense that with each psibolt, the shields become even stronger. As Thanos 'hops' about, Aurora observes, and calculates. Then as he is about to 'fire' another psibolt, she 'sets' a 'hook' into his psychic defenses. The 'hook' does no damage, and is of such low power that it is nearly undetectable, even if one was looking for it. Then as she trades blasts of the Power Cosmic, and Spirit blasts with him, slowly, ever so slowly the hook merges with his defenses, and provides an opening through them. She doesn't do anything so obvious as punch a blast through them, oh no. Slowly she begins to establish a link to his mind, and as the link is established, she begins to weave an illusion for him. Slowly and in time with the dance of death that they are weaving, his perception of reality changes. Suddenly it occures to him that what he is fighting *ISN'T* Aurora. That somehow she managed to switch places with Whirlwind, while he (Thanos) was atomized. She has the Cosmic Cube back on Earth, and has been playing both him and an enhanced Whirlwind against each other, for her amusement (OOC: not really but that is what he perceives). As he comes to this realization, her form shifts to an exact duplicate of Whirlwind's. When he 'looks' back at Whirlwind, on Earth, what he "sees" is Aurora, sitting in Whirlwind's place. Suddenly he hears Whirlwind voice, "Not me you fool, get *HER*. She's playing you for a chump." He finds it impossible to tell which one "said" it. ================================= Date: Mon, 17 May 1999 17:34:43 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE: Silver Wrath On Mon, 17 May 1999 20:20:11 EDT SkyeFire Said As CAoL Message # 00006927 >>Fortunately, Roger has more than his father's example to follow. > > OOC: HEY! 8^) OOC: What? I've always posited Roger as having qualities drawn from both Roland and Morgan, but to date I've been playing him more toward his "Rolandesque" side. I was looking for an opportunity to show how he operates from the character traits he gets from his mother. After all, I'm under explicit orders from the GM not to make Roger just a bargain-basement Roland knockoff. (:). /OOC Surfer Sees Shalla down by the Seashore: > The Surfer is dumbfounded. This is impossible. Shalla Bal is dead. > But his every sense tells him that she stands before him. OOC: Ah? I thought Shalla was brought back to life to help revitalize Zenn-la, but then fell into some kind of spacetime warp. And after the end of the Infinity Gauntlet, Adam Warlock helped Norrin recover her, IIIRC. But AFAIK, they have grown apart from their previous relationship, and are no longer "an item." Of course, my memory problems are notorious. And this *is* the -Roland varient of the MU, after all. /OOC > Roger immediately realizes something not in his plan has occurred: >That _is,_ in fact, Galactus standing there. Saying those exact >words. > The Surfer is beginning to sweat... OOC: Ack! Who-? Wha-? How-? And from the Silly Questions Dep: Just how *does* he sweat (or do "other things") through the Silver Skin? Inquiring minds, and all that... /OOC [Ack! Who-? Wha-? HOW-!?!] Inside his mind, Roger glances askance at the set of controls marked "Illusion Casting." [Note to self: Turn down the power next time. How come this kind of thing never happens to Uncle Xzerrion?] But if Galactus has decided to deal himself into this game, Roger is hardly going to argue. Especially since the Big G is apparently working towards the same goal -- for the moment. >> One slim sculptor's hand reaches out and touches the silver chest >>lightly, just above the heart. "Who are you?" > > "I am Norrin Radd." The surfboard flies back to its master. The >Power Cosmic glows around his eyes. "I am the first Herald of >Galactus." > "I AM THE SILVER SURFER-" There is an explosion on the psychic >plane, as Whirlwind's control shatters like cheap glass. "-AND I WILL >_NOT_ BE USED ANY LONGER!!!" [Okay, it worked. Good. Now we just have to--] >The full might of the Surfer, backed by his indomitable will, crashes >into the dome, which reverberates like a deep bell against his wrath. [--keep him from flying off the handle. Check.] "Um, Norrin? Norrin?" >"You will _regret_ using me, human! Such an abuse of power is an >affront to the great forces of Creation, and you will pay for-" > The Surfer's attack, movement, and speech all stop at the same >time. Anyone scanning him will realize that he's literally been >turned into a silver statue. [Never mind.] "Never Mind." Roger glances up at Galactus. "For what it is worth, my thanks. But, while I do not wish to offend....do you intend to leave him like that?" A slight downward flick of Galactus' eyes are his only answer. Roger seems far less intimidated by the regard than would be healthy -- but he could be bluffing. Either way, it seems to make no difference to Galactus, whose couse of action was decided before his first move: > Galactus waves a hand, and the Surfer is restored, though the >strain leaves Zenn-La's champion exhausted and dazed. Roger steps over and offers him a hand up. "Good to have you back, Norrin." He looks around at the pitched battles going on around the Dome. "I think we're going to need you, old friend." > Inside the Dome, Whirlwind falls into his throne. "I feel like I'm >going to throw up...damn, he's powerful." Roger suddenly *smirks,* and switches to Vader-Voice: "I sense a great disturbance in the Force." Back to normal: "Can't read anything through that shield, but given the second-order ripple effects, I'd say you just gave Whirly-wind Excedrin headache number .357." His expression changes to a gleeful anticipation. "Let's make it *lots* worse, shall we?" > Galactus looks over the battlefield, and steps back, away from the >dome. One pace leaves him waist-deep (for Galactus) in ocean. Roger winces and transmits a quick aplogy to Mannanan Maclir [sp?] for forwarding to Namor, while using his GLR to channel the resultant minor tsunami around the island. "Good thing there weren't any Atlantean towns in this area." The Vibranium Roger-statue tips over and plops into the sand. Passing by it en route to the next fight, Roger pauses to give it a glance. "Hmm. Poor likeness." ================================= Date: Mon, 17 May 1999 17:34:53 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Doomsday On Mon, 17 May 1999 20:20:13 EDT SkyeFire Said As CAoL Message # 00006928 In a message dated 5/13/99 11:08:48 PM Eastern Daylight Time, ljwolfe writes: > Iron Man is suppressing the laugh even harder now. *Oh, I have no >doubts of the lady's, ahem, 'charisma and character.' If she kissed >_Galactus,_ he'd stay kissed. For a while, anyway.* > Wildcat's expression hovers somewhere between shock and >embarrassment. >(OOC: Roland, saying "MOR-gan!" but with expression only. 8^) An editorial comment darts by from Roger: *Hold onto that thought.* ================================= Date: Mon, 17 May 1999 21:13:07 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Avengers Assemble! On Mon, 17 May 1999 21:11:14 -0500 Mike Knight Said As CAoL Message # 00006929 >On Thu, 13 May 1999 20:48:44 -0700 >Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006924 > >>On Tue, 4 May 1999 01:51:03 -0500 >>Mike Knight Said As CAoL Message # 00006918 >> > >> */Captain,/* Mike sends, */Your timing is impeccable as is your >>logic. People, if you don't have a dance partner, keep attacking the >>dome. Let's see how well that Cube multitasks before it, or it's >>owner, has a blue screen of death./* > > *The Cube? Seizing up because of a system bug?* Iron Man sends >incredulously. *Whirlwind, maybe, but...ho-ly...* > >> Tink glances at Michael Seven, wearing an expression identical >>to his often seen smirk and arched eyebrow. >> */Okay, before it or it's owner can't handle the strain.' >>Better?/* >> Tink grins. >> Mike looks around for his proverbial dance partner. Mike sends before he spots Techno, */Well, Whirlwind seizing up will work just fine./* > An eight-foot tall, mostly blue, mechanical mockery of a man >stands before Mike. He's a pretty human-looking mockery, but it just >accentuates his robotic nature. A shazam-like lightning bolt is >emblazoned on one shoulder, inside a thick circle. A more bizarre >twist is the metal goatee on his 'face.' > "Hi. You're the local tech-head, right? I'm Techno. Used to go by >the name of the 'Fixer.'" He smiles a self-satisfied smile. "Looks >like I'm here to 'fix' _you._ Cool cybernetics, by the way." His >hands morph into blasters. "Have a look at mine." As he starts >firing, another mental track is trying to 'hack' into what's left of >Mike's Borg connection, and another is doing something which Mike's >(probably) not sure of, but feels like something _moving_ inside his >cyberware. > (OOC: Techno can animate machinery, through an as-yet unexplained >pseudoscience power. He's trying to literally _become_ Mike's >cyberware. As you might imagine, that would be bad. Really bad. ;^) Mike pivots on a heel, snatching Tinkerbell and leaping out of the way as the blasters morph and begin to fire on him. Several plasma bolts catch him in the back as he runs staggeringly toward a large chunk of Sentinal and sets Tink down to take cover. His motorcycle jacket and T-shirt are shot clear through, shredded in fact, the edges blackened and smoldering and there is are several wounds barely visible on his back as he turns around only to catch more damage on the front as he walks back toward Techno. [Damn Marvel physics,] Mike thinks, tearing off the ruined jacket and shirt. Naked from the waist up, two things are visibly apparent. Mike's entire right arm, up to the shoulder joint, is artificial. There is some of the original left on the shoulder area, apparently the portions of muscle that were still complete after he lost it, but the rest of it has been replaced with a cybernetic counterpart. Also, the cybernetic arm, minor details aside, does appear to be a metal mirror image of his left. Definitely not the typical Borg pinball flipper arm anymore. The second thing that stands out are the wounds on Mike's vaguely muscular chest and back. They're covered in some sort of graphite colored material. Each scar and outright hole is noticably shrinking in size, replaced with healthy skin. "Shoot me all you want..." Mike says, throwing the destroyed shirt and jacket into Techno's face, as Tink's 'hole-puncher' comes sailing up from behind the large chunk of Sentinal, landing in Mike's arms perfectly. As Techno had attacked, Mike replies with several things at once. An attempt at putting a hole through Techno's chest with the gun, a massive white-noise blast over the frequencies Techno had been trying to use to hack.into Mike's implants, a cutting laser shot from Mike's right eye into Techno's face, and finishing his sentence. "...But don't mess with the clothes." Mike also notices the attempts at manipulating his implanted cybernetics, and is thusfar physically countering them as much as possible. [Damn, some sort of TK. Maybe breaking his concentration will help.] ================================= Subject: AAE V: Mundanity ex machina X-Caol-Mail: 00006934 Date: Thu, 27 May 1999 04:36:38 -0700 On Wed, 26 May 1999 23:12:15 -0700 Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006934 OOC: Okay. Folx are sort of dealing with RL all around, and because of the group split, the players who have the chance to do something can't. So I'm doing something I hate doing; if anyone objects, _please_ tell me and I'll retcon stuff. But for the sake of getting the plot to a point where everyone can accomplish something, I'm pulling my deus out of its machina. Earth-9. "Yee-HAH!" Red Fury, Defender's 'evil world' opposite, laughed with vicious glee as he danced around his noble nemesis. The Champions were locked in combat with alternate versions of themselves while Mechanon continued to wreak havoc on Champions Island. UNTIL (United Nations Tribunal on International Law) was putting up as much resistance as it could-which, unfortunately, wasn't much. "I haven't had this much fun since I dismembered Professor Preserver!" "You...are one sick piece of work," Defender growled. "I can't believe we're cognates." "Believe it, sucker," Fury replied. "I didn't buy it myself until Mech-head showed me itself. And there's nothing you can do about it-we're a perfect match for each other. Except I'm a lot smarter." Defender's eyes narrowed...then he stopped fighting and leaped back. "Really. I think my team has something yours doesn't." He concentrates, then his eyes snap open, and he smiles. "Teamwork." *Champions, Bait and Switch!* Suddenly, dodging blasts from Red Fury, Defender shocks Jaguar's negative image, discovering that their enemies are using robot proxies. Jaguar, in turn, leaps on Solitaire's cognate and, freed from restraint by her/its robot nature, tears into her/it with abandon. "There's something else we have that I'm pretty sure you don't, Fury," Defender adds with a wicked grin, as Red Fury tackles him. "What's that, you righteous jerk?" "Oh...Justice Legion Power Rings." A quick mental note to his hunny, and the other pseudo-Champions are turned into papier-mache' sculptures of themselves. Red Fury has just enough time to look surprised before Defender vanishes...and explodes the Fury-bot from within. Mechanon looks at the paper villains with cold regard. "Deviant procedure used to alter material construction of agents. Initiating appropriate countermeasures." Defender looks at Mechanon, eyes blazing with power. "Counter this, you mechanical afterbirth," he snarls, and activates _his_ JL Power Ring. Before even Mechanon can react, he is literally inside its systems. Mechanon's exoskeleton explodes, leaving something vaguely resembling the Episode One C-3PO. "err-err-err-err-(etc.)" Defender reforms shakily, cradling his right hand gently as he stumbles back. "Talk about hardware failure," he quips, though he grimaces as he says it. "Bring that here," Solitaire says in the standard wife voice for dealing with recalcitrant wounded hubbies. "It's not bad," Defender says through gritted teeth, "but...I think I fried my Power Ring." He opens his hand and smiles as best he can. "I think it was worth it." In his hand is the technomagick coprocessor that ran the Mechanon extension. "You people are so stubborn," a feminine voice sighs. Normally gentle, some...other influence...makes it harsher than it was ever meant to be. Roland looks up. "Marvel. Or more accurately...whoever you are possessing her. What the nass did you expect, kidnapping a heroine and weaving conspiracies across the multiverse?" "Conspiracies?" she asks coldly. "I was just trying to give you other things to worry about. I have what I want-I'm just trying to keep it." Roland blinks...then chuckles. "Heh. No multiversal threat...no vast alliance of evil? Just one damsel in distress? What a switch." Marvel regards him a bit more deeply. "Just so. _Now_ will you leave me alone?" She asks curtly. "No," both Callahanians say in unison. A brief smile flickers behind Defender's helm, then he continues. "'Rescues 'R' Us.' We'll go just as far to save one young girl as for the cosmos." "Humans," she snarls, like a curse. "Have it your way. The next world you find me in will not be a discouragement-it will be your death!" 'Mary' vanishes in a clap of thunder and lightning. "Do they actually _believe_ it when they say things like that?" Morgan asks wearily. "Usually, amazingly enough," Roland replies. "Quantum, can you handle clean up here?" "Hey, does Charlie Brown always lose?" she winks at the pair. "Get going, you two. But try to hang out in our little corner of the cosmos more often, all right?" "Love to," Morgan replies. ^You know, I think she's starting to admit she's enjoying this,^ Roland sends privately as they fade out. Marvel-Earth. Whirlwind watched through slitted eyes as the heroes began to batter at his defenses. Galactus had retreated, clearly not intending to fight him (which was a good thing, since not even the Cosmic Cube could take _him_ on in his hyper-powered state) but the Surfer had been turned, his villains were getting trounced, and Thanos...was about to pound him into paste for an insult! "HOLY S#*%! THANOS, I DIDN'T SAY THAT!" he sends, just in time to keep from getting thrashed. Thanos regarded the whole mess. "Eh?" "Oh, never mind!" He reinforced the barriers to the pocket dimension that held the two combatants. "That should buy me...oh hell, a few seconds. What the frag am I gonna do?" A clap of thunder heralded a new arrival. "Doing poorly, Whirlwind?" "Poorly? Yeah, you could say that, death-lady or whatever your name is. The good guys are practically through the dome, my army's on the defensive, and I've lost every hero I sent out!" Whirlwind holds up the Cube. "If you've got any suggestions, now would be a good time!" "Just one," 'Mary' says with a clever grin, and with the speed of Mercury (or Zephyrus, depending on the acronym) touches the Cube. Whirlwind shudders, nearly convulsing. "Good lord-what are you doing?" the Wasp gasps. "I...cannot...hold the cube," she hisses. "The Celestials...have barred...extradimensionals...from controlling...its power. But I can...touch it. And use it." The dome wavers, and a powerful blast throws everyone (OOC: With any exceptions desired) back several meters, shaken but unharmed. Villains start bailing, except for Doom (who bows to James as he flies back to weigh his options) and Thanos (who I'll get back to). "Thank you, Whirlwind. You're not bad-looking, for a round-faced human. But do something about the hair." With that, 'Mary' vanishes, this time without the clap of thunder. Moments later, outside the dome... "Whoa! Ow. ow. ow." Roland stumbles forward, still carrying the Mechanon CPU, though he's slightly...off, as if he'd been stretched and squashed like taffy. He slowly regains his normal form as Morgan appears, apparently none the worse for wear. "ow. When did Whirlie extend that dimensional blender to outside the forcefield?" The dome vanishes. (OOC: So do the dimensional defenses, for those who can sense such things, though gating around will have its risks, for those who want them, since everything went down erratically.) The castle loses a few chunks of wall. The Marvel heroes look at each other for a moment, baffled. Then they prepare to charge in. One pocket dimension away... Thanos shakes his head, blinking. "That...that...human! How _dare_ he influence me in so crude a fashion!" (OOC: He's telling the truth, BTW-Aurora noticed it as she went in, and probably could have undone it if it had been necessary.) He looks at Aurora. "Pardon me, my dear, but I believe that we have no genuine reason to quarrel. If you will excuse me?" Meanwhile, back where everyone is having fun storming the castle... The doors fly open, Whirlwind stumbling through. (OOC: If anyone in the stealth team wants to take him, here's your shot. Otherwise...) "oog." Whirlwind concentrates one last time, and reality begins to waver. Roland smiles and tosses the CPU at him. Reality wants to work 'normally' as Iteration X counterprocedures begin to kick in. Franklin, Wanda and Rachel (and any CAoLers who want serious payback 8^) all hit him with stabilizing fields at the same time. Whirlwind has Excedrin Headache #275268 and falls over, mercifully unconscious. "Heh. Boy, is _he_ gonna need an aspirin when he wakes up." Roland looks around and smiles. "Did I miss anything?" While the Marvelites start cleaning up, Hank (Giant-Man) greets Janet (Wasp) rather passionately, and folx generally compare notes, a faint golden glow appears. (IOW, folx have some time to do any needed wrap-up first.) As things start to quiet down, the glow brightens, finally spitting out a young man clad in red and blue leather. "Someone...has...access," he manages to get out before he, too, is out cold. Roland kneels down next to the man, looks at him...and pales slightly. "oboy. I know where she went. "I think we're in trouble." (OOC: Go ahead. Ask. I dare ya. 8^) ================================= Date: Thu, 27 May 1999 05:37:04 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Mundanity ex machina On Thu, 27 May 1999 08:26:51 -0400 (EDT) caprice Said As CAoL Message # 00006935 >On Wed, 26 May 1999 23:12:15 -0700 >Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006934 > > OOC: Okay. Folx are sort of dealing with RL all around, and >because of the group split, the players who have the chance to do >something can't. So I'm doing something I hate doing; if anyone >objects, _please_ tell me and I'll retcon stuff. But for the sake of >getting the plot to a point where everyone can accomplish something, >I'm pulling my deus out of its machina. OOC: No problem. My life should hopefully be sane again in the next week or two. > Marvel-Earth. > Meanwhile, back where everyone is having fun storming the >castle... > The doors fly open, Whirlwind stumbling through. (OOC: If anyone >in the stealth team wants to take him, here's your shot. >Otherwise...) Quite literally stumbling. There seems to be a little grey kitten who keeps dodging between his ankles then vanishing, trying to knock him on his keister. > "oog." Whirlwind concentrates one last time, and reality begins to >waver. > Roland smiles and tosses the CPU at him. Reality wants to work >'normally' as Iteration X counterprocedures begin to kick in. >Franklin, Wanda and Rachel (and any CAoLers who want serious payback >8^) all hit him with stabilizing fields at the same time. > Whirlwind has Excedrin Headache #275268 and falls over, mercifully >unconscious. Mischief comes over and sniffs at the unconcious Whirlwind, then turns her back to him and makes a scratching/flipping gesture with one rear paw. > "Heh. Boy, is _he_ gonna need an aspirin when he wakes up." Roland >looks around and smiles. "Did I miss anything?" A figure comes striding out of the rubble of the castle, one the X-men recognize quite well. Sinister. Craddled in his arms in an unconcious Legion. ================================= Date: Thu, 27 May 1999 20:49:45 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Mundanity ex machina On Thu, 27 May 1999 22:23:56 EDT Dane0R0A Said As CAoL Message # 00006936 Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006934 > One pocket dimension away... > Thanos shakes his head, blinking. "That...that...human! How _dare_ >he influence me in so crude a fashion!" (OOC: He's telling the truth, >BTW-Aurora noticed it as she went in, and probably could have undone >it if it had been necessary.) He looks at Aurora. "Pardon me, my >dear, but I believe that we have no genuine reason to quarrel. If you >will excuse me?" *By all means.* She answers, as she plows through what remains of the dimensional barriers, in a pyrotechnic display that lights up half the Earth. Aurora restores her humanoid shape (sized to match Galactus) in the edges of the surf facing the castle. > Meanwhile, back where everyone is having fun storming the >castle... > The doors fly open, Whirlwind stumbling through. (OOC: If anyone >in the stealth team wants to take him, here's your shot. >Otherwise...) > "oog." Whirlwind concentrates one last time, and reality begins to >waver. > Roland smiles and tosses the CPU at him. Reality wants to work >'normally' as Iteration X counterprocedures begin to kick in. >Franklin, Wanda and Rachel (and any CAoLers who want serious payback >8^) all hit him with stabilizing fields at the same time. > Whirlwind has Excedrin Headache #275268 and falls over, mercifully >unconscious. > "Heh. Boy, is _he_ gonna need an aspirin when he wakes up." Roland >looks around and smiles. "Did I miss anything?" With a twitch of her hand, Aurora creates a warp around the Cosmic Cube (OOC: because EDs can't hold it remember) that effectively puts it at sholder height in front of Galactus. *Galactus, would you please see to it that the Celestials get their toy back?* ================================= Date: Thu, 27 May 1999 20:49:51 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Mundanity ex machina On Thu, 27 May 1999 19:52:31 -0700 (PDT) The Lone One Said As CAoL Message # 00006937 >On Wed, 26 May 1999 23:12:15 -0700 >Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006934 > > OOC: Okay. Folx are sort of dealing with RL all around, and >because of the group split, the players who have the chance to do >something can't. So I'm doing something I hate doing; if anyone >objects, _please_ tell me and I'll retcon stuff. But for the sake of >getting the plot to a point where everyone can accomplish something, >I'm pulling my deus out of its machina. OOC: "Pulling my deus out of its machina"? I have this image of Roland yanking some Marvel-esque DEUS, kicking and screaming, out of a machina that looks suspiciously familiar. (I've just downed a cafe mocha with a baseball-size gloop of whipped cream in it. Talk to the singing barista who served me if you have a problem with that. *grin*) > Meanwhile, back where everyone is having fun storming the >castle... > The doors fly open, Whirlwind stumbling through. (OOC: If anyone >in the stealth team wants to take him, here's your shot. >Otherwise...) ===== Optional Interlude: [1] "Hello, Mr. Villain-type person!" Raver pulled a halberd out of katana space, and spun it *FWSSSH* before winding up like Babe Ruth on a *great* day. "May I introduce you to Mr. Pointy?" "Um...no?" "Oh well. Screw the protocols. As a friend said, politeness might take you a long way, but a gun'll do the rest. I'll just substitute Mr. Pointy for the gun..." With that, the demon unleashed a mighty *WHAK* with the flat of the blade--- "CUT! CUT! What in the hell are you doing?!" An irate M. le Director leaped up, throwing her jaunty black beret down and jumping on it. The demon frowned. "I'm taking care of our little friend here, like the script said." "Oh, *jeez*. You're supposed to be Tall, Dark, Brooding, and Honorable. These are not the vampires you're looking for. You're supposed to be reducing Whirlwind to ribbons with a sword. And you've been talking to It again, haven't you?" "My name is not It!" A man with a scarred face gritted. "My name is Maxwell. Kim Maxwell." "I thought your name was David Chang Wells?" Raver arched a white eyebrow in the Scully-approved manner. Scar-face paused, and pulled a battered script out of his shoulder holster, flipping rapidly through it. "Oh...right. Kim has the fifteen pounds of hair and the nauseating wet-behind-the-ears look. I'm the scarred, cynical version who likes to wear leather Armanis and brood." "...Leather Armanis?" M. le Director eyed Wells, eyes glazing over briefly before she shook herself and marched right up to Raver. "Listen up, and listen good. Follow the script, or you get fired." "Fired?" Raver smirked, lighting a cigarette. "Yeah, right. Whatever." "And lose the cig!" M. le Director stormed off the set. "PROPS!" the demon shouted, dropping Mr. Pointy on the techie elf that ran up. "...here..." the squashed techie elf responded, holding up a familiar sword. "Rolling in five!" Raver gave the Director her best Raspberry before going back to toe her mark. End interlude ===== Raver's eyes lit with an unholy light as she unsheathed her sword onehanded. A massive gauntlet clamped down on Whirlwind, using his momentum to send him staggering into the center of the stealth team. The next thing that registered was the appearance of more than a foot of steel protruding from his abdomen. >first.) As things start to quiet down, the glow brightens, finally >spitting out a young man clad in red and blue leather. > "Someone...has...access," he manages to get out before he, too, is >out cold. > Roland kneels down next to the man, looks at him...and pales >slightly. > "oboy. I know where she went. > "I think we're in trouble." > (OOC: Go ahead. Ask. I dare ya. 8^) OOC: Oh *boy*. Raver knelt next to Roland in a swirl of leathery wings, and stared down at the young man. She let out a long breath, relaxing slightly after the scuffle with Whirlwind, and touched the link with Mandy. Any psi-sensitive and/or empaths could feel the difference as the two dropped their protective shields. Then the demon sent a brief burst of images, updating Mandy on the current status of the team. Her head came up in shock as she felt Mandy's awareness extending down the link to peer through the demon's eyes at the young man. Shock -- and recognition -- were the emotions uppermost in the human's mind. [Gods below...] Mandy muttered. ["I take it you know this human,"] Raver commented to no one in particular. Raver [1] Spot That Reference! ================================= Date: Thu, 27 May 1999 20:54:42 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: Mundanity ex machina On Thu, 27 May 1999 20:44:31 -0700 Rob N Said As CAoL Message # 00006938 >On Wed, 26 May 1999 23:12:15 -0700 >Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006934 [Extreme Snippage] > While the Marvelites start cleaning up, Hank (Giant-Man) greets >Janet (Wasp) rather passionately, and folx generally compare notes, a >faint golden glow appears. Rob, who has been listening to Roland's account of the events on Earth-9, walks away in the middle of a sentence. >As things start to quiet down, the glow brightens, finally spitting >out a young man clad in red and blue leather. > "Someone...has...access," he manages to get out before he, too, is >out cold. "Axel?" > Roland kneels down next to the man, looks at him...and pales >slightly. > "oboy. I know where she went. > "I think we're in trouble." > > (OOC: Go ahead. Ask. I dare ya. 8^) "Not either of the Brothers, or she wouldn't have used them as delays. But where...ohboy. This is not a good thing." Rob begins running a new inventory of the odd things in his pockets, in hopes of finding a minor miracle or an Ultimate Nullifier. Not surprisingly, he comes up empty... ================================= Date: Fri, 28 May 1999 09:41:50 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: Mundanity ex machina On Fri, 28 May 1999 08:28:17 -0700 Rob N Said As CAoL Message # 00006939 >On Thu, 27 May 1999 19:52:31 -0700 (PDT) >The Lone One Said As CAoL Message # 00006937 > >Her head came up in shock as she felt Mandy's awareness extending >down the link to peer through the demon's eyes at the young man. >Shock -- and recognition -- were the emotions uppermost in the >human's mind. [Gods below...] Mandy muttered. > >["I take it you know this human,"] Raver commented to no one in >particular. "We've met. Part of my dimension-jumping ability is a tendency to be diverted by other people's jumps. And Axel here, he jumps a _lot._ Though when he's wearing the red-and-blues, he calls himself The Cosmic Hall Monitor, or Access." ================================= Date: Fri, 28 May 1999 18:16:18 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Mundanity ex machina On Fri, 28 May 1999 16:32:10 -0500 Mike Knight Said As CAoL Message # 00006940 While Roland and Morgan were finishing up with their problems on Earth-9... Mike's three-pronged attack on Techno met with limited success. Two plates of metal seemed to form in front of the Fixer's face and chest, blocking cytting laser Mike shot from an eye and the 'hole-puncher's' blast to the chest, but the blast of white noise did break the connection Techno was trying to make with his Borg implants. Tinkerbell, meanwhile, flipped a switch on a white-noise generator that broadcast static on their Borg implant frequencies. It cut them off from each other, but that was better than having themselves hacked. Then both Mike and Tink shut off their transceivers, in the hopes Techno would still concentrate part of his attack on breaking through the 'line noise'. Mike spun and lashed out with a foot to the side of Techno's head, which othe other caught and flipped him off his feet. Landing on his back, he rolled out of the way of a shot from the blaster, his nanoprobes were almost fully taxed coping with his current damage. Mike used his legs to sweep Techno off his feet, then used the cutting laser to smelt the tips of Techno's guns, dodging punchs and blasts all the time, getting a few singes and outright burns, but nothing that he couldn't handle until the other repairs were done. Then... >On Wed, 26 May 1999 23:12:15 -0700 >Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006934 > > Moments later, outside the dome... > "Whoa! Ow. ow. ow." Roland stumbles forward, still carrying the >Mechanon CPU, though he's slightly...off, as if he'd been stretched >and squashed like taffy. He slowly regains his normal form as Morgan >appears, apparently none the worse for wear. "ow. When did Whirlie >extend that dimensional blender to outside the forcefield?" > The dome vanishes. (OOC: So do the dimensional defenses, for those >who can sense such things, though gating around will have its risks, >for those who want them, since everything went down erratically.) The >castle loses a few chunks of wall. > The Marvel heroes look at each other for a moment, baffled. Then >they prepare to charge in. Tink registerd the dome being down, but Mike was too busy dodging what appeared to be the big buzz saw Judge Doom used in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, as weilded by Techno. The young girl reached the logical conclusion that all the previous rules weren't able to be enforced now and moved to attack Techno. Running out of hiding, she swung a small beam at Techno's kneecap. Mike called, "Tink, no!" The beam was cut in half as Tink was snagged by Techno's free hand. Techno reformed his other hand into a blaster and placed it to Tinkerbell's head. "I don't wanna hurt the kid," Techno told Mike, "But, Whirlwind's lost and I'm getting out of here. So, you let me go, and I'll let the kid go." "Sorry, Grumpa," Tink said. "If you hurt her-" Mike said. "I'm not gonna if you're good," Techno replied, "I'm just looking for a headstart." He began to back away as Mike watched. "Good," Techno said, pointing his gun at Mike, "You just stay-" Tink pulled her legs up and then thrust them down and back, her feet connecting with Techno's groin with a loud thwhack! "-ThereURK!" Techno finished as he fell over, dropping Tink, and curled up into a fetal ball. Mike ran over. "Good girl, Tink," he said, turning Techno over onto his stomach and pinning his arms behind his back. Tink handed him the metal bar she had tried to pin him with and Mike quickly twisted it into a crude hand restraint, nonmechanical of course to avoid any mental lockpicking, and handed him off to the nearest Marvelite. Mike, meanwhile, knelt down by Tink. "I appreciate the help," he said, "But remember, you aren't as fast as me. You can't just emerge and attack someone over such a long distance, they'll see you well before you get there." "Sorry," Tink said with a sigh, "I knew what I wanted to do, but couldn't do it." Mike nodded, "That's okay, just stick with stuff that doesn't require lots of strength and speed. Those will come later." He picked the little girl up and carried her over to where the CAoL were gathering up. > "Heh. Boy, is _he_ gonna need an aspirin when he wakes up." Roland >looks around and smiles. "Did I miss anything?" Mike shruged, "Not much, I don't think. But then, I'm going to need to see the instant replay to figure out what I missed. Then... >On Fri, 28 May 1999 08:28:17 -0700 >Rob N Said As CAoL Message # 00006939 > >>On Thu, 27 May 1999 19:52:31 -0700 (PDT) >>The Lone One Said As CAoL Message # 00006937 >> Her head came up in shock as she felt Mandy's awareness extending >>down the link to peer through the demon's eyes at the young man. >>Shock -- and recognition -- were the emotions uppermost in the >>human's mind. [Gods below...] Mandy muttered. >> >> ["I take it you know this human,"] Raver commented to no one in >>particular. > >"We've met. Part of my dimension-jumping ability is a tendency to be >diverted by other people's jumps. And Axel here, he jumps a _lot._ >Though when he's wearing the red-and-blues, he calls himself The >Cosmic Hall Monitor, or Access." "Great, and me without a pass," Mike quips, "So, anybody want to fill the rest of us in? I don't get around the comic universes much. Or the comic shops." ================================= Date: Fri, 28 May 1999 19:04:39 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Mundanity ex machina On Fri, 28 May 1999 21:51:53 EDT Dane0R0A Said As CAoL Message # 00006941 Mike Knight Said As CAoL Message # 00006940 > "I'm not gonna if you're good," Techno replied, "I'm just >looking for a headstart." He began to back away as Mike watched. > "Good," Techno said, pointing his gun at Mike, "You just stay-" > Tink pulled her legs up and then thrust them down and back, her >feet connecting with Techno's groin with a loud thwhack! > "-ThereURK!" Techno finished as he fell over, dropping Tink, and >curled up into a fetal ball. Mike ran over. /*"TOO, LATE, CREEP"*/ Aurora shouts. Those who can see her face, see a look of pure fury. An expression that nobody in the CAoL has seen on her before. > "Good girl, Tink," he said, turning Techno over onto his stomach >and pinning his arms behind his back. Tink handed him the metal bar >she had tried to pin him with and Mike quickly twisted it into a >crude hand restraint, nonmechanical of course to avoid any mental >lockpicking, and handed him off to the nearest Marvelite. Aurora takes one step toward Techno, then kneels, reaching for him. /*"This one is MINE,"*/ she says. As she advances, the Marvelite holding him, quickly backs away. /*"Give him to me, I want to teach him one short final lesson about treating children roughly, and using them as hostages."*/ ================================= Date: Sat, 29 May 1999 03:34:21 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Mundanity ex machina On Sat, 29 May 1999 03:52:28 -0500 Mike Knight Said As CAoL Message # 00006942 >On Fri, 28 May 1999 21:51:53 EDT >Dane0R0A Said As CAoL Message # 00006941 >Aurora takes one step toward Techno, then kneels, reaching for him. >/*"This one is MINE,"*/ she says. As she advances, the Marvelite >holding him, quickly backs away. /*"Give him to me, I want to teach >him one short final lesson about treating children roughly, and using >them as hostages."*/ Tink looked at Aurora, insulted. "Let him alone. He's not going to be having any children already after having two fifty pound sledgehammers driven into his reproductive organs. There's no need for more." Mike nodded, admittedly with a wince at Tink's description, adding, "He's through, and we're not having any killing done in our name. If I can show restraint as her relative, you'd better." They turned and walked off, Mike planning a short talk with his granddaughter about not overestimating her abilities. ================================= Date: Sat, 29 May 1999 14:18:02 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Mundanity ex machina On Sat, 29 May 1999 16:58:33 EDT Dane0R0A Said As CAoL Message # 00006943 Mike Knight Said As CAoL Message # 00006942 > Tink looked at Aurora, insulted. "Let him alone. He's not going >to be having any children already after having two fifty pound >sledgehammers driven into his reproductive organs. There's no need >for more." > Mike nodded, admittedly with a wince at Tink's description, >adding, "He's through, and we're not having any killing done in our >name. If I can show restraint as her relative, you'd better." > They turned and walked off, Mike planning a short talk with his >granddaughter about not overestimating her abilities. Aurora stands, with a look of frustrated rage at Techno. She points a finger at him. from that finger lances out a beam of energy. In an instant, he is revived, though without any of the damage Tink did being healed. *"Hear this solid. Your life has been spared by the child and her guardian, for now. When next we meet you will regret the day you were engendered, for a VERY short time."* She says to him. *"Consider yourself lucky. Had The Stardragon seen you take such action towards a child, any child, it would condemn you to an eternal life of torment."* Then she turns away to view the remains of the castle. ================================= Date: Sun, 30 May 1999 13:25:59 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Mundanity ex machina X-CAoL-Mail: 00006944 On Sun, 30 May 1999 13:34:49 -0500 Mike Knight Said As CAoL Message # 00006944 >On Sat, 29 May 1999 16:58:33 EDT >Dane0R0A Said As CAoL Message # 00006943 > >*"Consider yourself lucky. Had The Stardragon seen you take such >action towards a child, any child, it would condemn you to an eternal >life of torment."* Then she turns away to view the remains of the >castle. Mike sighed as Techno was taken away. [I knew this was going to be tough, but not this tough.] He looked at Tink. [I may have to say enough is enough, for everyone's sake.] Tink gathered up their replicator cube, creating a white tank top and small black pouch for Mike, then folding it up and stuffing it in the pouch for Mike to put on his belt. Mike pulled the tank top on, planning a much longer talk with Tink once this was over. But first, they'd just concentrate on her immediate safety... ================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jun 1999 23:12:11 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Mundanity ex machina On Thu, 03 Jun 1999 22:44:05 -0700 Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006945 >On Thu, 27 May 1999 08:26:51 -0400 (EDT) >caprice Said As CAoL Message # 00006935 > >>On Wed, 26 May 1999 23:12:15 -0700 >>Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006934 >> >> OOC: Okay. Folx are sort of dealing with RL all around, and >>because of the group split, the players who have the chance to do >>something can't. So I'm doing something I hate doing; if anyone >>objects, _please_ tell me and I'll retcon stuff. But for the sake of >>getting the plot to a point where everyone can accomplish something, >>I'm pulling my deus out of its machina. > >OOC: No problem. My life should hopefully be sane again in the next >week or two. OOC: Best o' luck, and good thoughts, to you and your family. >> Meanwhile, back where everyone is having fun storming the >>castle... >> The doors fly open, Whirlwind stumbling through. (OOC: If anyone >>in the stealth team wants to take him, here's your shot. >>Otherwise...) > >Quite literally stumbling. There seems to be a little grey kitten who >keeps dodging between his ankles then vanishing, trying to knock him >on his keister. Only the most tenuous of luck keeps him upright, until... >Mischief comes over and sniffs at the unconcious Whirlwind, then >turns her back to him and makes a scratching/flipping gesture with >one rear paw. Neither of the Freelance Immortals can suppress a chuckle... >> "Heh. Boy, is _he_ gonna need an aspirin when he wakes up." >>Roland looks around and smiles. "Did I miss anything?" > >A figure comes striding out of the rubble of the castle, one the >X-men recognize quite well. Sinister. Craddled in his arms in an >unconcious Legion. Most of the heroes react predictably to the appearance of a notorious villain in an uncertain situation-they enter 'battle-ready' stance. Jean Grey, who was once his favorite target and is still wrapped up in her silver restraint, tries to crawl up Cyclops' arm. Cyclops (whose optic blasts can devastate Sinister) stares at Sinister with the intensity of a man whose looks _can_ kill, while shielding Jean with his body. Roland stares silently for a long moment. A quiet glance at Morgan, and she vanishes from sight. "You _do_ get around, don't you, Sinister? I hope that we can forego the usual threats, counterthreats, and posturing, and that you'll be reasonable in releasing our friend?" >On Thu, 27 May 1999 22:23:56 EDT >Dane Said As CAoL Message # 00006936 >> >> One pocket dimension away... >> Thanos shakes his head, blinking. "That...that...human! How >>_dare_ he influence me in so crude a fashion!" (OOC: He's telling >>the truth, BTW-Aurora noticed it as she went in, and probably could >>have undone it if it had been necessary.) He looks at Aurora. >>"Pardon me, my dear, but I believe that we have no genuine reason to >>quarrel. If you will excuse me?" > >*By all means.* She answers, as she plows through what remains of the >dimensional barriers, in a pyrotechnic display that lights up half >the Earth. *My thanks.* Thanos prepares to take Whirlwind apart atom by atom, reconsiders, and departs in peace. For now. 8^) >Aurora restores her humanoid shape (sized to match Galactus) in the >edges of the surf facing the castle. Galactus almost smiles, unnerving his first Herald. "A rather... dramatic display, was that not, Starspawn?" >With a twitch of her hand, Aurora creates a warp around the Cosmic >Cube (OOC: because EDs can't hold it remember) that effectively puts >it at sholder height in front of Galactus. *Galactus, would you >please see to it that the Celestials get their toy back?* Galactus sighs as he takes the Cube. *The Celestials. Cosmic meddlers. Even when I was possessed by the Hunger, I only destroyed to survive. The Celestials commit genocide as casually as mortals exterminating pests, and for less reason. I will indeed return this 'toy.' And then, I believe, the Celestials and I shall talk...* >On Thu, 27 May 1999 19:52:31 -0700 (PDT) >The Lone One Said As CAoL Message # 00006937 > > OOC: "Pulling my deus out of its machina"? I have this image of >Roland yanking some Marvel-esque DEUS, kicking and screaming, out of >a machina that looks suspiciously familiar. (I've just downed a caf‚ >mocha with a baseball-size gloop of whipped cream in it. Talk to the >singing barista who served me if you have a problem with that. *grin*) OOC: MUA-HAHAHAHAHA! (Roland stuffs the protesting Deus back into the machina, waves his hand, and says, 'These aren't the deus you're looking for.' ) > Raver's eyes lit with an unholy light as she unsheathed her sword >onehanded. A massive gauntlet clamped down on Whirlwind, using his >momentum to send him staggering into the center of the stealth team. >The next thing that registered was the appearance of more than a foot >of steel protruding from his abdomen. "-*" Whirlwind didn't say, crumpling into a heap on the ground (again!), a pool of blood forming around him. He'd had just enough foresight to give himself a power boost, and his body starts healing. He tries to get as far as his knees, to stand a chance of defending himself, when the sound of women, some terrified, some relieved, all furious, began to echo from his 'castle.' "would you do me a favor?" Whirlwind asked feebly, staring in terror at the ruins of his citadel. "aim for the neck, this time?" "Forget it," Janet Van Dyne said, glaring at the hapless mutant. "You're worthless backside is _mine._" > Her head came up in shock as she felt Mandy's awareness extending >down the link to peer through the demon's eyes at the young man. >Shock -- and recognition -- were the emotions uppermost in the >human's mind. [Gods below...] Mandy muttered. > > ["I take it you know this human,"] Raver commented to no one in >particular. Roland, actually noticing the comment, replies tersely, "The kid's name is Access. He can shuttle folx from that first universe we were in to this one-and a continuum of 'Amalgam' universes in between. Some of those universes have beings of unimaginable power within them. "And if 'Mary' was able to use the Cube before she left...we'd better hurry. I don't want to even _think_ about what she might be up to..." >On Thu, 27 May 1999 20:44:31 -0700 >Rob N Said As CAoL Message # 00006938 > >"Not either of the Brothers, or she wouldn't have used them as >delays. But where...ohboy. This is not a good thing." Roland looks at the relative newcomer, swallowing. "If she could access the _Brothers,_ we probably wouldn't be around to discuss it. But you happen to be absolutely right." >On Fri, 28 May 1999 16:32:10 -0500 >Mike Knight Said As CAoL Message # 00006940 > > "Good girl, Tink," he said, turning Techno over onto his stomach >and pinning his arms behind his back. Tink handed him the metal bar >she had tried to pin him with and Mike quickly twisted it into a >crude hand restraint, nonmechanical of course to avoid any mental >lockpicking, and handed him off to the nearest Marvelite. Iron Man and Wildcat took him, looking him over oddly. "That's impossible," Iron Man commented, hitting Techno with an EMP pulse anyway, rendering the robotic being unconscious. "Which impossible thing are you talking about, shellhead?" Wildcat asked dryly. "Very funny. I meant a simple metal rod pinning a shapeshifter, and a kick to the...sensitives...taking a robot down." The Golden Avenger shook his head at Techno. "I hate this reality-altering stuff. Worse than magic." > "Great, and me without a pass," Mike quips, "So, anybody want to >fill the rest of us in? I don't get around the comic universes much. >Or the comic shops." "/The Amalgamverses,/" Roland begins softly, "/are a continuum of realities where the DC and Marvel heroes are...merged. On some worlds, they exist side by side, while on others...Clark Kent and Steve Rogers become one Super-Soldier. Spider-Man and the Superboy clone become Spider-Boy. The world's greatest heroes are known as the 'Justice League: Avengers.' As you can imagine, there are some impressive power combinations. Some heroes are less powerful, others more. And a hero can be Amalgamated more than once. "/I have just one more comment...Kal Radd, the Silver Lantern. I trust,/" Roland finished dryly, "/that the gravity of the situation is self-explanatory?/" ================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jun 1999 00:11:36 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Mundanity ex machina On Fri, 4 Jun 1999 03:05:58 EDT Dane0R0A Said As CAoL Message # 00006946 >Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006945 >>On Thu, 27 May 1999 22:23:56 EDT >>Dane Said As CAoL Message # 00006936 >> >>Aurora restores her humanoid shape (sized to match Galactus) in the >>edges of the surf facing the castle. > > Galactus almost smiles, unnerving his first Herald. "A rather... >dramatic display, was that not, Starspawn?" "I find that an occasional ostentatious use of power is sufficient to prevent most solids from doing foolish things. Not all of Whirlwinds allies are here against their will. With Whirlwind out of the picture. A harmless display of strength was in order to convince those to quit while they're still in one piece." Aurora answers, with a smile. >>With a twitch of her hand, Aurora creates a warp around the Cosmic >>Cube (OOC: because EDs can't hold it remember) that effectively puts >>it at sholder height in front of Galactus. *Galactus, would you >>please see to it that the Celestials get their toy back?* > > Galactus sighs as he takes the Cube. *The Celestials. Cosmic >meddlers. Even when I was possessed by the Hunger, I only destroyed >to survive. The Celestials commit genocide as casually as mortals >exterminating pests, and for less reason. I will indeed return this >'toy.' And then, I believe, the Celestials and I shall talk...* *"Thank you. If you want company when you 'speak' with them, feel free to call on me."* She offers. > "/The Amalgamverses,/" Roland begins softly, "/are a continuum of >realities where the DC and Marvel heroes are...merged. On some >worlds, they exist side by side, while on others...Clark Kent and >Steve Rogers become one Super-Soldier. Spider-Man and the Superboy >clone become Spider-Boy. The world's greatest heroes are known as the >'Justice League: Avengers.' As you can imagine, there are some >impressive power combinations. Some heroes are less powerful, others >more. And a hero can be Amalgamated more than once. > "/I have just one more comment...Kal Radd, the Silver Lantern. I >trust,/" Roland finished dryly, "/that the gravity of the situation >is self-explanatory?/" /*"I don't believe the situation is improving with time. Shall we be off?"*/ Aurora asks as she wraps Access with a globe of restorative energy (a milisecond later, he should be as ready to go as he was when last he woke up from a good night's sleep). ================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jun 1999 15:04:38 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Mundanity ex machina On Fri, 4 Jun 1999 16:01:23 -0500 Mike Knight Said As CAoL Message # 00006947 >On Thu, 03 Jun 1999 22:44:05 -0700 >Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006945 > > Iron Man and Wildcat took him, looking him over oddly. > "That's impossible," Iron Man commented, hitting Techno with an >EMP pulse anyway, rendering the robotic being unconscious. > >"Which impossible thing are you talking about, shellhead?" Wildcat >asked dryly. > > "Very funny. I meant a simple metal rod pinning a shapeshifter, >and a kick to the...sensitives...taking a robot down." The Golden >Avenger shook his head at Techno. "I hate this reality-altering >stuff. Worse than magic." Mike overheard and pinched the bridge of his nose with his left hand. "We got very VERY lucky for making such a very VERY stupid mistake," Mike said to no one in particular. > "/I have just one more comment...Kal Radd, the Silver Lantern. I >trust,/" Roland finished dryly, "/that the gravity of the situation >is self-explanatory?/" "Ewww..." Mike said as if he were going to be sick, and doing a fair imitation of Lucille Ball in the process.. Mike looked at Tink. Tink looked at Mike and said, "Nuh uh." Mike seemed to steel himself and, stepping a bit away from the group, opened a gateway. On the other side was a corridor that looked right from the Enterprise-D. "You're going home," Mike said quietly but firmly, "And I'm staying with the CAoL until this is over." "But you promised!" Tink said, looking quite upset. "Any universe that thinks up a 'Kal Radd, the Silver Lantern', is not somewhere you should be." "But-" Tink started. Mike shook his head. "No buts, I will meet you..." then looked through the gateway, "Around the corner. You'll see I'm just fine as soon as you step through." "You don't know that," Tink said with a pout. "Trust me, comics heros never die. Now go on. I'll see you around the corner." Mike ushered her through the gateway and closed it. Tink looked back at an empty hall where the gateway to the castle and the CAoL had been, then ran around the corner... ...Into another empty hall. Tink's hopes sank as she stared at her feet. "Sometimes they do..." The turbolift at the far end of the hall swished open and Tink looked back up. "Hey, sorry I'm late," Mike called, putting away a pocket watch he had been fiddling with, "Traffic was terrible." Tink ran over and hugged him. "Don't ever do that again!" Mike kneeled, "I'll try not to. But, right now, we need to have a talk." Meanwhile, Mike dug into his pocket and pulled out a fancy pocket watch. He hesitated over it for a moment. "Green light means go ahead with the CAoL. Red light means stop and go with Tink." Mike opened his watch. He smiled. "Green light." Surpressing an urge to shout "Excellent!" and air guitar, he returned to the CAoL. "Okay, one problem down. Now, let's go get Mary back." ================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jun 1999 21:53:54 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: Mundanity ex machina On Fri, 04 Jun 1999 19:25:54 -0700 Rob N Said As CAoL Message # 00006948 >On Thu, 03 Jun 1999 22:44:05 -0700 >Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006945 > > "/I have just one more comment...Kal Radd, the Silver Lantern. I >trust,/" Roland finished dryly, "/that the gravity of the situation >is self-explanatory?/" Rob nods. "If anybody doesn't say, 'neutron star to black hole,' I'll be surprised. And the problem is worse than it looks. Access can time-jump within any of the universes he can reach, and can amalgamate heroes from these universes by touch. He's never tried that trick with me, so I don't know if he can affect other dimension-jumpers." "My analysis? We don't know when we're going, where we're going, or who is going to be there to greet us." >Dane0R0A Said As CAoL Message # 00006946 >/*"I don't believe the situation is improving with time. Shall we be >off?"*/ Aurora asks as she wraps Access with a globe of restorative >energy (a millisecond later, he should be as ready to go as he was >when last he woke up from a good night's sleep). "On the bright side, the best chance of tracking 'Mary' down just woke up." [I just hope he doesn't expect me to pay him back for the drinks right now.] ================================= Date: Sat, 5 Jun 1999 05:34:38 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Mundanity ex machina On Sat, 05 Jun 1999 08:28:53 -0400 Caprice Said As CAoL Message # 00006949 >On Thu, 03 Jun 1999 22:44:05 -0700 >Morgan and/or Roland Said As CAoL Message # 00006945 > > Most of the heroes react predictably to the appearance of a >notorious villain in an uncertain situation-they enter 'battle-ready' >stance. Jean Grey, who was once his favorite target and is still >wrapped up in her silver restraint, tries to crawl up Cyclops' arm. >Cyclops (whose optic blasts can devastate Sinister) stares at >Sinister with the intensity of a man whose looks _can_ kill, while >shielding Jean with his body. > Roland stares silently for a long moment. A quiet glance at >Morgan, and she vanishes from sight. "You _do_ get around, don't you, >Sinister? I hope that we can forego the usual threats, >counterthreats, and posturing, and that you'll be reasonable in >releasing our friend?" Sinister arches a brow, "Depends on what you count as reasonable, RolandPhoenix. First..." Sinister looks towards Cyclops and Jean Grey, "I am not the Sinister from this world. I was forced to leave him... indisposed as he objected to my presence here." The smile on his face might be ironic... the mouth full of shark like teeth makes it hard to tell. "I apologize for his behavior in the past. Sometimes, when one sets out after a goal, one looses sight of why that goal was important in the first place." Sinister glances at Mike, then addresses Roland, "Some of your... force have met me before. Trust that I am well capable of taking care of this Lady. The constant bombardment of reality altering here has taken it's toll. It would be best if I took her home with me, or to her own place, where there are proper facilities to speed her recovery." Mischief walks fearlessly over to Sinister, and climbs up his costume, to curl up on Legion's chest. With a worried mew, the kitten presses her nose against Legion's. ================================= Date: Sat, 5 Jun 1999 11:08:39 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: AAE V: Mundanity ex machina On Sat, 5 Jun 1999 10:48:21 -0500 Mike Knight Said As CAoL Message # 00006950 >On Sat, 05 Jun 1999 08:28:53 -0400 >Caprice Said As CAoL Message # 00006949 > >Sinister glances at Mike, then addresses Roland, "Some of your... >force have met me before. Trust that I am well capable of taking care >of this Lady. The constant bombardment of reality altering here has >taken it's toll. It would be best if I took her home with me, or to >her own place, where there are proper facilities to speed her >recovery." > >Mischief walks fearlessly over to Sinister, and climbs up his >costume, to curl up on Legion's chest. With a worried mew, the kitten >presses her nose against Legion's. Mike watchs the kitten and nods, presuming the little grey furball to be the best judge of whether this is the right Sinister. Mike glances around, optical implants giving him a fairly clear view of the 'mess' reality had become here. He nodded to Sinister. "Indeed we have, doctor. Take her with our best wishes for a speedy and full recovery." Mike smiled at Mischief. "Until we meet again, little one." ================================= (Ed Note: Some loose ends get tied up in AAE5 part 4 - the Amalgam universe.)