The Hat Trick Diner (Where The Prices Are Like Magic!)

One of the Diner's other customers was a young-ish woman wearing a teal tube top, a jeans-esque skirt and a blue, vaguely coffin-shaped gem on a necklace. Her most notable feature was, in all likelihood, her messy, chin-length dark blue hair. She was busy demolishing a large sandwich, and if the amount of plates on her corner table — coincidentally, the one opposite Red's now-vacant booth — was any indication, she clearly didn't mind the Diner's less-than-stellar repute; in fact, she finished her current serving, burped quietly, and raised a hand before the TV caught her attention.

"Breaking news...?" she said to herself.

"Requests for help are being received, buddy." The other speaker, whose voice was feminine and upbeat seemed to be the gem on the woman's necklace; it flashed in time with the words' cadence.

"Right!" The woman stood up a bit too quickly, and her knee hit the table, causing it to shake violently. She steadied it with an embarrassed chuckle then took out her wallet. Leaving a bill that probably covered the meal's cost and then some, she hurried out of the Diner, grabbing the jewel as she did so.

"Let's go, Mach Caliber! Set up!"

"Standby ready."

In a flash of light, the woman's civilian clothes vanished, replaced with what could be described as "the same, but fancier, and with more white".◊ More to the point, though, were the pair of high-tech rollerblades that replaced her shoes — with a slot for the aforementioned jewel — and the armoured gauntlet she now wore on her right hand. She put her hands down on the pavement in an athlete's pose. "Partner...?"

"Steel Runner, altitude restrictions are cancelled. Let's go, buddy."

A complex triangular glyph of light teal light◊ appeared beneath the woman's feet. "Wing Road!" she declared, and a ribbon of hard light snaked its way from under feet and into the sky. With a push, she was off, skating onward to the location of the Robeast's rampage.

---

The Narrows

The Wing Road brought Subaru over the Narrows, where the results of the Robeast crashing through a major bridge were already seen. Ignoring the huge ape altogether, she angled downwards, transitioning smoothly from skating to swimming. There were cars in the water, and that meant people in trouble.

With a small shining globe of energy serving as a light, she had no problem finding the nearest car. A man was trapped inside, bubbles surrounding his head. Subaru took a quick look around, then drew her right arm back. The two gears on her gauntlet started spinning in opposite directions, and she punched the door's handle. The whole door buckled like a tin can. Quickly, she tore it out of the way, grabbed the man, and kicked off back toward the surface.

Moments later, she left the poor man with a Coast Guard boat and was already looking for more survivors.

Edited by desdendelle on Aug 12th 2023 at 11:55:25 AM

The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground

The Brooklyn Museum

Agent Norma Natividad, Junior Psychonaut, tapped her foot impatiently, checking her watch for what was... probably the fifteenth time in the past five minutes, she'd stopped keeping track.

The sound of her dress shoes clacking against the floor made her wince. That wasn't a normal museum visitor thing to do. They weren't normal museum visitors, obviously, but they were supposed to act like it! She thought it'd be easy, but the problem was, she likes a good museum! She wanted to read all about their latest exhibit on otherworldly artefacts, like the Genie Crystal of Serafina! But that was exactly why she couldn't get too immersed, lest she get distracted from the real reason they were here! And this wouldn't even be a problem if their stupid contact had been on time for their meeting! Why meet in a museum, anyway? It's not exactly inconspicuous! Why not a park or square like most contacts! UGH!

"Yo, sis, have a look at this!"

And then there was the issue of her sister...

Lizzie was off looking at a rather peculiar statue, resembling a demonic Oscar award◊ that at some point was broken in half and glued back together, if the giant visible faultline was any indication.

According to the information plaque next to it, it was some kind of artifact of corruptive power that drove a once-upstanding mayor to acts of evil, only to be destroyed in unknown circumstances and purged of its influence. Later found and donated to the museum by one Professor Andonuts.

Just from a cursory telepathic scan, Norma couldn't sense any psychic disturbance from the statue, so either the story was legit or - more likely - this Andonuts fellow was a charlatan who wanted to cash in on the latest magic-and-monsters craze by sending in an ugly statue and making up some bull about a cursed mayor. Was 'Fourside' even a real city?

Then, in the corner of her eye, a flash reflected off her glasses. Her gaze snapped to one side and she saw Lizzie - Lizzie, of all people! - taking a selfie in front of the statue.

She barely restrained herself from telekinetically snatching her phone right out of her hands.

"Lizzie, what are you-?!" she began to berate - quietly - only to be interrupted.

"Grace."

Norma held up a finger, regaining her composure, but her face was no less infuriated.

Of course, they were supposed to be undercover. She wasn't Norma Natividad, she was Catherine Schafer. She and her sister Grace were the daughters of R.G. Schafer, a wealthy but reclusive businessman who'd been convinced to let his beloved little angels see the world before going off to an exclusive university. She'd gone over her cover identity countless times on the flight over; she could tell you about 'Catherine's life story, her childhood, her ambitions, her taste in cinema and her favourite flavour of smoothie (pineapple), despite not even existing until yesterday.

And here she was, almost blowing their cover because 'Grace' didn't know how to be discreet!

"...Right, yes. Grace. What the hell are you doing? The sign clearly says 'no photography!'" she said, pointing to the sign in question.

"Yeah, but like... who cares? No-one even reads those signs," Lizzie said, in that same irritatingly apathetic tone as ever.

Norma scrunched her eyes together, feeling a fireache coming on. She rubbed her temples, trying to massage herself back to calm. "I'm just saying, would it kill you to be just a little more discreet? You're already dressed like an aviary started nesting in a Hot Topic!" she said, pointing out Lizzie's choice of 'undercover wear' - a big leather coat decorated with black feathers, plus more feathers in her hair, torn leggings, steel-toed punk boots and triangular shades.

That actually provoked some reaction from her sister besides apathy, and feeling a little cold burst, she stepped forward. "Hey, I'm not the one wearing a freakin' Sunny D-flavour tie!"

Norma looked down at her own choice of clothes - a grey pinstripe pantsuit with a black shirt and a bright orange-and-yellow tie, coupled with tasteful spectacles and her hair tied into a bun. "It's called a 'splash of colour', it's perfectly normal and expected!"

"Whatever you say, sis," Lizzie stepped back, reverting back to her old carelessness, "dunno if you noticed but we're in New York, like, the world capital of weird. We coulda come in wearin' rainbow spandex an' no-one woulda cared."

"Oh my God..." Norma pinched the bridge of her nose. "That's not the point! And it's New York City! New York is the state! This isn't even the capital, it's Albany!"

Before they could continue this pointless argument, both sisters felt a wave of negative emotion wash over them, like a tidal wave. They looked at the source, the hall leading towards the entry room. It was as if the fear and shock was like water lapping at the sides. Sure enough, this was only a brief prelude to the real-world signs of something bad happening; namely, screaming and a series of loud 'bangs'.

And that was before they felt something even worse. The sharp sensation of someone's entire brain abruptly shutting down, with neurons firing in every direction, desperately trying to feel something, anything, before being silenced all at once. The proverbial 'life flashing before one's eyes'.

It was a feeling the two Psychonauts been told about in training, but had yet to experience for themselves. They shuddered, barely holding themselves together.

Someone had just died. No, going from the noises, they'd been killed.

The other museum-goers in the room with them started to scream and run away, thundering past them, but the sisters were left paralysed, overtaken by the emotional backlash of a life being snuffed out.

Norma steeled herself, taking another deep breath. "Okay... keep it together, remember your training..."

Lizzie seemed to be taking it about as well - hunched over slightly, like she'd just stopped herself from throwing up, her arms wrapped around her torso, as if her jacket was a security blanket.

"Shit, man... shit, shit, shit... th-that wasn't- it was, it's what I thought it was... what the fuck are we gonna do?!"

Before she could lose her composure, Norma reached in, grabbing her sister by the shoulders. "Just stay calm! Whatever's going on, we'll get through it. We're professionals, remember?"

Norma looked around at the now-empty room... and now feeling another strong presence from down the hall, emanating waves of anger, hatred, a killing intent, she knew they had to act quickly.

She looked down another hall to their left, vaguely remembering seeing a staff member emerging from down there. So if they were lucky, there'd be a secure back room of some kind, somewhere they can hole up and perform Clairvoyant recon.

She flicked two fingers in that direction. Go quiet, she thought, just loud enough so Lizzie could hear.

Norma may have had her doubts - a lot of doubts - when Second Head Forsythe sent her out in the field with her own sister, but at the very least Lizzie wasn't a complete idiot. Even she knew what to do now; rather than losing control, they both mutually focused on how much they didn't want to be seen, how they wished they could just blend in, shroud themselves in the walls like chameleons... and as they willed it, it was so.

Activating their Invisibility, Norma telepathized Go, go! as they snuck out the room and towards the nearest secure staff door, just moments before she felt the ball of hatred begin to move, surrounded by similar waves, all feeding back into the first like a coming storm.

Edited by PresidentStalkeyes on Aug 12th 2023 at 9:15:10 AM

"If you think like a child, you will do a child's work."

Governors Island

First, there came the meteor-like shot right to the Robeast's side, leaving it keeled over and smarting for a moment. This was shortly followed by Handsome Jack and his wave of machines. The barrage of bullets seemed to irritate the Robeast more than anything, and with an angry snarl, it came stamping down on the little tin horde. That was when Leonardo, the leader in blue, started taking jabs at its ankles. Angered, the robeast raised its fists and slammed the ground, shaking combatants off their feet, but also putting its head in range for Mikey and Raph to get in its face.

Swatting at its face, the monster reared up again, and WHAM! The tri-colour streak of the Powerpuff Girls hit the monster in its OTHER side and sent it stumbling back into the bay. The Robeast fell flat on its backside, splashing up a tidal wave to crash against the shore. Angered, and dissuaded by the PPG's taunts, the Robeast rose back to its feet and prepared for another bout.

Left and right it swiped at the air, even as the Powerpuffs and Arcee peppered it with laser bolts. Bunnie's blast to the back of its head angered the monster and no mistake. With a mighty roar, the robeast charged in her general direction, tearing apart anything in its wake.

While all this was going on, Jorogumo had plenty of civilians to rescue. Most of them seemed to be from a school field trip, with a gaggle of fourth-graders running around like headless chickens and screaming like baby wombats. Subaru, once she arrived, would also have plenty of people to start rescuing. Just off the coast of Governor Island, she would spot a very boat on its side, and her personal mystic flashlight would help her spot the captain in the cabin, trying desperately to keep his head above the water.

Meanwhile, Donnie's scan was completed and identified a few main weak spots. While the Robeast's hide was tough, the first blow had broken its ribs on the right side, and its eyes seemed to be a sensitive area. The constant metal blasts around the arms, meanwhile, were starting to short out circuitry and weaken structural integrity. One good hard blow should be enough to split a limb in twain.

And then, unnoticed by all, a spiderling robot blinked in the shadows, and from the other end of the wireless connection, a dark man watched, with a dark purpose.

"Fascinating...it seems my rendezvous with Monster Isle has reaped great rewards. Not only was the captain given the perfect distraction but now...look what has crawled out from under every rock. Not only the Deluded Jack and his metal militia, but a colourful collection that makes Paragon City in its heyday seem sensible. Let us see how this incredible bunch fares against the least of beasts at my disposal..."

The Brooklyn Museum

The rampaging Robeast, of course, was the most pressing concern for the people of New York. But even as those on the shore, knocked into the water by the monsters' entrance, swam to shore and waded for their lives, a few noticed the ominous black craft flying across the bay. As soon as they had clambered to safety, these people had time to ponder: was that thing here to help fight the beast...or only to make matters worse?

The unlucky attendants of the Brooklyn Museum had the answer to that, and it came with a burst of doors and a clamour of gunfire and screaming. Soon enough, the humble curators, and those mild-mannered citizens who only wanted to check out the genie diamond exhibit, were all huddled and fearing for their lives before the horde of masked gunmen and the shark man at the centre of it all.

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the room without ever being spoken. Seemingly inside the heads of everyone present, there shouted a woman's voice: I'll show YOU playing hero!

BLAM! A sudden burst of energy, and the Wolf-Spiders nearest the door were blown onto their backs. Marching straight into the room, fists balled at her sides, was a thirty-something woman dressed in skimpy red-and-black attire.◊ Arachnos records listed her as Penelope Yin, but officially she was known as Faultline, proud member of the Freedom Phalanx going on ten years. "Running and hiding in Brooklyn, are we, Mako?" she tersely quipped. "Now we'll have two cities stinking like rotten fish."

From within their shrouded hiding spot, the Natividads picked up something else from this newcomer. The moment she walked into the building, the mental potency within the building went through the roof, almost eclipsing the aura of hatred exuded by the Arachnos squad. There was no doubt about it- this new lady was a psychic, and a BIG one.

Edited by LizardOfAus on Aug 12th 2023 at 6:49:09 PM

Scan Complete! (Donnie)

Eyes. Limbs. Those were the weak points. Donnie nodded, then cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted as loud as he could, "GUYS! GO FOR THE EYES AND ARMS! A HARD ENOUGH ATTACK WILL SPLIT THEM IN TWO!" He had no way of knowing if anyone would hear it, but he had to try.

Then, he looked back at Jorogumo. "Eyes. Arms. Those are the weak points." Because she deserved to know too.

---

The Other, Non-Donnie Turtles

"OH HOLY MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP!"

Leo dove out of the way before he could be squashed under the Robeast's foot, while Raph and Mikey swung around its head with the grace of gymnasts. (They were actually ninja, but it was close enough.) "Too many people here!" Raph yelled as they leapt out of the way of the other attacks. "We're gonna get fried by friendly fire!"

"They'll aim around us!" Mikey yelled back, nunchucks clanking off the metal of the robot. Then it started charging, forcing both of them to grab on to stay close as Leo frantically ran after it.

Then they heard Donnie's yell.

"Eyes? Sick!" Raph grinned. Mikey turned mildly green, somehow. "What? It's a robot!" He swung up to the Robeast's face.

At that moment, three things happened. The first was that Raph, as mentioned above, swung up to the Robeast, aiming to lodge his sai in its eye. The second was that Mikey started climbing downward to give one of its arms that one good hit to split it in two. The third was that Leo, having caught up, stabbed his swords into its ankles and started climbing it like freaking Shadow of the Colossus.

(Hopefully, that one isn't real in this universe, because otherwise that comparison would be really weird.)

"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."

Arcee: Governor's Island

"I'll ignore that," Arcee said in a loud but casual voice in response to Raph's comment, as she retracted her blasters and transformed into her Cybertronian motorcycle mode. Taking note of Leo, she drove towards the Robeast at top speed before transforming back into her robot mode in such a way so as to catapult herself upwards and towards it: clinging onto its leg and reaching down to snatch Leo and give him a boost upwards by placing him further up the Robeast's form. She was surprisingly gentle considering the suddenness with which she'd grabbed him.

"I'll take out the other arm!" she informed, quickly scrambling up towards the arm that Mikey hadn't claimed with a speed unexpected for a robotic creature her size. She herself moved like a ninja, flinging herself onto the Robeast's other arm with an acrobatic flourish before deploying her arm-mounted blades in order to stab into the Robeast's damaged arm and finish it off. She didn't settle for one strike; she viciously kept attacking it until it was as mangled as she could make it. Her tremendous strength considering her size would assist in this goal, as well as the fact that the Robeast's arm was already on the verge of breaking.

Of course, it falling off would also mean she'd fall off too, so she prepared herself to leap and transform in order to catch herself if she managed to accomplish her task. The other... lifeforms that were attacking the Robeast with her were certainly earning her respect. Especially the ones that were foregoing an attack in favour of looking after the civillians caught in the crossfire.

bork

Governor's Island

The three lights that zipped around the beast suddenly backed away slightly to regroup.

"This isn't working." Blossom frowned. "It's too tough. We need to find weakpoints."

Buttercup scoffed. "Oh please. If these idiots weren't climbing on top of it and getting in the way, I could smash this thing no problem."

Blossom opened her mouth to retort, only to be interrupted by a shout, eyes snapping to the distant speck of... was that a turtle?

Turning her x-ray vision to the beast, Blossom gave it a once over and confirmed the turtle-man's analysis.

"Right. Buttercup, you go for the eyes. Bubbles and I will help the other heroes with the arms, and catch anyone who falls. Break!"

They flew off, though Bubbles spared a moment to wave back at the guy with the robots. That she'd even seen Jack's wave in all the commotion was a testament to their super vision.

Buttercup zoomed towards the eye that did not currently have a turtle on it, flying fist first and wholly intending to spear right through it. Raph would have a brief moment before the impact to glimpse the tiny girl in green grinning like a lunatic.

Meanwhile, Blossom called forth a blizzard in her lungs, and when she swooped by one of the Robeast's arms, she exhaled a stream of frost. She made sure to avoid hitting the smaller robot, getting close to focus her breath on the already weakened joint in the hope of making it more brittle.

Between puffs of ice, Blossom gave Arcee a tiny thumbs up in encouragement.

Bubbles swooped to the other arm, barraging it with a series of power punches. Her attacks were stronger than Mikey's, but clearly lacked the same precision. "Hi mister turtle!" She called out, rather casual despite the situation. "I like your nunchaku!"

Edited by kagescorpionakki on Aug 12th 2023 at 2:14:42 PM

What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?

Captain Mako- The Brooklyn Museum

...Of course the Freedom Phalanx had to follow them *here* of all places. Here he thought they'd finally get a break from their usual bullcrap.

Captain Mako turned back towards the source of the voice and the knocked out Wolf Spiders. The Crab Spiders by his side were in offensive positions, ready to just rip, tear, shoot and kill as soon as their leader gives them the call to go wild. A Crab Spider usually never turns down a good scrap. Mako's look of annoyance slowly shifted to a big shit eating grin, crossing his arms and showing off his shark-like teeth as he did so.

"Well, if it isn't Sister Psyche's 'Replacement'. Still trying to fill the big shoes she left behind with her death, eh, Yin? The Freedom Phalanx *really* needs their token psychic just to be relevant, especially with Statesman biting the dust."

He gave a small glance towards one of his Crab Spiders, who then silently spoke into the psychic Seer Network high ranked Arachnos Soldiers are connected to. 'Alpha level psychic attacking us. Requesting Fortunata and Bane Spider assistance immediately.' Mako knew without the element of surprise that Yin definetely had the upper hand on him. The only thing left was fighting fire with fire, and use the distraction the Banes and the Widows will give him to retrieve and escape with the Crystal of Serafina.

Edited by Darkomega245 on Aug 12th 2023 at 11:18:52 AM

Koichi Hirose, The Museum Under Attack

Koichi Hirose had been on a normal, ordinary school field trip to the Brooklyn Museum when the chaos started. He had thought this whole exchange student thing would be a breath of fresh air from the insane shenanigans that he normally got dragged into in Morioh, but it hadn't taken long for him to realize that New York had just as many superpowered folks as Morioh, if not more. Fortunately, his school life had been relatively normal so far, so while part of him was a bit nervous, there was ultimately no reason for him to think it was going to be any different from usual. And he was right...right, that was, until the armored men with guns burst in.

As they shot at the ceiling and caused Koichi's classmates to begin panicking, several spider-like soldiers with even more guns followed them, as well as some kind of terrifying shark man who seemed to be leading them. Koichi's teachers tried to tell the class to remain calm, but their voices were wavery, sounding just as terrified, and they broke out into panicked screaming as well when one of the security guards got shot by a strange plasma weapon.

Koichi began hyperventilating, panicked as well by the attackers, but then he slapped himself on the face.

No! He thought. You can't panic and scream and hide when there's people in danger! Not again! He took a deep breath, and began to try and think of a plan. With these soldiers holding us at gunpoint, they'll shoot me and the others if I try a direct attack. I need to find some way of getting them away from us...if they're wielding guns, they're probably not Stand users, so... He took another deep breath. Here goes nothing...

In a flash, he summoned Echoes Act 1 to his side, fairly confident the soldiers wouldn't be able to see it, and was about to command it to do something, when all of a sudden, he was interrupted by an energy blast sending all of the armed goons flying! Koichi let out a gasp as he saw the woman in red and black step forward, seemingly responsible for knocking them out.

Another Stand user? And she's helping everyone out...maybe if she's here, I don't need to...No! I have to help! I can't just sit by and watch all this play out! And what if something bad happens to her? I have to help her, and everyone else here! As he saw the other students and teachers distracted by the hero's sudden entrance, Koichi took the opportunity to slip away from the crowd, running and hiding behind a nearby statue. I can't reveal myself yet, I don't have a costume or anything, everyone would know it was me...but I refuse to just stand by! I'll use Echoes to fight remotely! And so, he transformed Echoes into its Act 2 form, and had it fly behind one of the Crab Spiders at lightning speed, before rapidly using its tail to write "ZAP" in Katakana on the soldier's back, causing a surge of electricity to run through the Crab Spider's body! Ha! Take that!

Something's Fishy Here...

Roxanne Wolf, Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex, Sometime Ago - We'll Burn You All...

Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex, once the crowning jewel of Fazbear Entertainment, had seen better days...and that was putting things mildly. What had been a three story, 80s-themed childrens' paradise had become a dilapidated and utterly burned-out ruin. Ten months ago, things had all gone wrong. Ten months ago, Roxanne Wolf had lost everything.

Ten months ago, Roxanne had lost her fucking eyes. Her beautiful, amazing eyes.

And all because of one very nasty child in particular. Even just thinking his name would send Roxanne into an absolutely incomprehensible, destructive rage. The Pizzaplex had lost power long ago, so Roxanne was left wandering aimlessly in the dark (thank Faz Ent for equipping their animatronics with centuries-long battery lives), having long since gone mad from the isolation. The wolf, once a very beautiful, state-of the art animatronic, had further deteriorated in the time since the incident - her fur was so matted and filthy it looked almost to be burnt, her once vibrant and green mohawk now a very dullish and palid gray. Not to mention her joints were so rusted that they looked like they could snap off at any moment from just a touch.

She so desperately missed her friends. Freddy was gone. Chica was deactivated. Monty...she wasn't certain of.

All she knew was that she wanted Gregory dead, and she would do anything to make him pay.

Wandering into what had once been Roxy Raceway, Roxy could feel herself stumbling onto something and then falling. Letting out an "ACK!" before she felt one of her legs nearly snapping off from the impact, Roxy grunted, trying to feel around for what had tripped her. She grabbed onto an unfamiliar-feeling object, rubbing her hands around it in order to properly assess its shape.

"A lantern?" she mused. "What's a lantern doing here?" A million possibilities coursed through her databanks: some urban explorer must have left it here, for instance. Or maybe it was a leftover from some Scouting field trip to the Pizzaplex back when it was open. She didn't have much time to ponder any of the answers, since a deep, booming voice gave the answer for her.

"ROXANNE WOLF!" the voice boomed, causing Roxy to drop the lantern with a thud as she covered her ears. Terrible memories flooded her mind as she recalled all the times she was yelled at by either angry staff - back when the Pizzaplex had staff on both the day of and night shifts - or irate, entitled customers with nasally high-pitched voices and terrible haircuts. "Pathetic. I would expect a potential Red Lantern to not react like a tiny whelp at the sound of the rage that so courses through our blood."

Calming herself down from her unexpected panic attack, Roxy looked around to figure out where the voice was coming from. "Who's there? What are Red Lanterns?" the wolf found herself asking.

"I am the power ring, or rather, the being communicating with you from within it." Roxy felt a small ring float into one of her palms. "We are a corps of soldiers, bound by the powers of rage, seeking those like us in order to bring vengeance on the ones who committed great personal wrongs. You have great rage within your heart, Roxanne, and that is what drew the ring to you." Roxanne thought of Gregory. His stupid little face. His smug voice. But most importantly how he utterly ruined her. "You despise the boy, do you not?" the ring asked, its voice dripping gleeful, sadistic venom. "You would do whatever it takes to take your revenge on him? Anything to get your eyes back?"

"Yes." Roxanne repeated. "Whatever it takes."

"Then put on the ring. Say the oath."

Roxanne carefully slipped the ring onto one of her fingers, and immediately she felt two sensations: a burning liquid slowly coursing through her systems, and her batteries beginning to fail as the ring began the processes to replace them. All the while, as she felt the corrosive, plasmalike fluid filling through her body and spilling out, causing the area around her to catch fire, she instinctively recited the Oath of the Red Lanterns through the painful choking gasps as the plasma filled her throat and mouth, erroding through her voicebox; a leatherlike outfit began to form over her as she spoke, resembling a more armored version of the racing outfit she once wore.

   With blood and rage of crimson red, ripped from a corpse so freshly dead, together with our hellish hate, we'll burn you all, that is your fate!"   

Roxy awoke sometime later, growling angrily as her heavily damaged voicebox sprung to life, letting out supersonic shrieking noises of rage, trying and failing to form anything coherent or intelligible.

One thought ran through her mind, one that didn't even need to be said.

KILLGREGORYKILLGREGORYKILLGREGORYKILLGREGORYKILLGREGORYKILLGREGORYKILLGREGORY.

Edited by RtU2 on Aug 12th 2023 at 4:20:12 AM

Optimus Prime: Planetfall

As the unlikely alliance of heroes fight the Robeast, another unknown alien craft descends from the heavens, making a nearby crash in the river nearby some docks. For a few moments, it looked like the river had become still again, before a massive silver metallic hand attached to a red, blocky arm pierces the surface and grabbed onto the pier side, pulling its host body to the surface, and allowing him to climb onto the pier itself.

A red and blue heavily-built robot that stood at roughly 6 meters tall would scan the area, checking exactly where he ended up. "Hmmm..."

His systems would start finding information on the locals. Nothing too detailed, of course, he wasn't anything like Perceptor, but he can get by. The planet he has found himself on is called by the locals "Earth." And these people, humans, don't seem particularly advanced if one were to compare them to Cybertronians. But that doesn't matter. For now, he must make contact with other Autobots, and if necessary, this world's government. It wouldn't do to intrude on another's home.

There are recent reports of an attack by a larger lifeform, and as Optimus looks in the direction of the apparent attack, his sensors can pick up signs of battle in the distance as well.

Whatever was going on, Optimus decided that the locals needed help, and help he shall. For he is Optimus Prime, noble leader of the Autobots, holder of the Matrix of Leadership, and Last of the Primes.

And freedom is the right of all sentient beings.

Spelunking through a Halo Ring is something else...

Governor’s Island (Handsome Jack)

“Shit!”

Jack dives out of the way as the Robeast stomps his Loaders into scrap, scrambling to his feet once the ground starts shaking.

“Alright, big fella…”

Our hero reaches behind his back for a black, body shotgun.

“You asked for-“

It’s then he notices the Turtles and Arcee all climbing the Robeast.

“…Goddamn it, friendly fire would be bad optics. Another day, Conference Call.”

Jack slings the Conference Call back over his shoulder and hits a few buttons on his wrist instead.

“You think you’re a badass, big guy? Hehe no, y’see…”

More flashes emanate from Helios in the sky, landing in the form of pods around Jack. Most of them are of the same size and color as before, unfolding into new Loaders to replenish Jack’s forces. This last one, however, is substantially bigger and jet black. It unfolds into a much larger, more heavily-armed Loader with the serial number “B 4 D-A55” emblazoned on its shoulder-mounted rocket launchers.

“THIS is a Badass.”

Jack’s Surveyor folds the speakers back in, flying in close to the Badass Loader and projecting a transparent, bluish barrier around the hulking war machine.

“Light him up!”

On Jack’s command, his freshly-deployed Badass Loader starts unleashing a hail of rockets on Robeast’s legs, aiming away from the other combatants. At the same time, the standard-issue Loaders begin working on getting any remaining civilians away from the battlefield. As they do, Jack turns to Mina.

“Handsome Jack, ma’am - local hero and CEO of the Hyperion Corporation.”

Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex (The Guardian Angel, aka Phone Gal)

Another voice rings out in Roxy’s head, almost an antithesis to her new ring. This one is gentle, calming, almost angelic in its tone. It sounds faint at first before becoming more audible. As it does, an image also enters her mind. This is not sight - rather, as if Roxanne were picturing it in her mind, but someone else was thinking for her. It’s a young woman, not a child but not quite an adult either. Her surroundings are impossible to discern, only recognizable as a light blue blur. Almost as if she were broadcasting from some otherworldly realm.

“Hello? Can you hear me? Not to alarm you, friend, but you can’t stay here.”

There are faint sounds from outside the ruined walls - the rumblings of heavy vehicles, muffled commands whose words cannot be fully made out.

“The building you’re in has been bought by another company and…condemned. They plan to demolish it soon - they care little for the equipment inside. It’s the land they want. You have to move - if you don’t get out by tomorrow, you’ll be buried in rubble. Would you kindly make your way to the nearest exit?”

Edited by ZodanTheUnbounceable on Aug 13th 2023 at 6:45:50 AM

This post is sponsored by Amalgam Comics.

Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex - Straddle the Line, in Discord and Rhyme

Roxanne tilted her head in confusion at this new figure. While she couldn't exactly comprehend what this...woman? Girl? Female. That was about as good a description as any. Getting back on track, however, what mattered to her was that this female was telling her that whoever was coming was wanting to tear down the Pizzaplex.

Chica and Monty...well, what remained of them at least, were still inside the building with her. She couldn't let them destroy her friends. Before she could do anything, however, the voice of the ring came back, louder this time.

"INTRUDER!" the voice roared. "YOU ARE NOT WELCOME IN THE MIND OF A RED LANTERN, HOPE BRINGER! IF THE NEW RECRUIT IS TO DO ANYTHING, THEN SHE WILL KILL TO DEFEND HER TERRITORY!"

"Kill...to defend territory?" Roxanne inquired out loud, though due to her voicebox being in the state it was in all that came out were garbled screeches.

"YES!" the ring commanded. "KILL TO DEFEND WHAT IS YOURS!"

Roxanne slowly got up, and, as if on instinct, activated the ring's flight capabilities, bursting through the boarded up doors of the Pizzaplex.

Now, however, a different situation arose, as she was now heading towards the sounds of the demolition crew to slaughter every last one of them.

Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex (Phone Gal)

“I understand that you’re angry - you’re hurt, and your friends are in danger. But you have to focus that anger, friend.”

The demolition crew doesn’t seem to have noticed Roxanne yet, but they definitely don’t look like your regular contractors. The crew only has a handful of humans and a small army of robots, as well as unmanned demolition equipment. She only has seconds before she’s spotted, however.

“Killing these men will stop Jack’s machines today-“

…Who the hell is “Jack?”

“-but he can send more. He will send more. The ones tomorrow will be more heavily armed. Every crew you wipe out will be replaced by bigger, more fortified replacements. Eventually, you’ll be overrun…is it the building? Or the robots inside? We may still be able to help them.”

This post is sponsored by Amalgam Comics.

Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex - I'm Sending Out An SOS

Roxy immediately perked up at the mention of her friends - at least Chica and Monty - being able to be helped. "YES!" Roxy 'said', or rather thought to Phone Gal. "Roxy friends in trouble! Not let bad men hurt them!" All the while, her ring pored through her memories. Though it normally would think having friends was useless - after all, one didn't need such things as friends when one was a Red Lantern - sometimes one needed to be pragmatic; for one, Roxanne's fellow robots suffered the same indignities as she did from the child called Gregory. Prime candidates for the Red Lantern cause, especially the one called Monty. Secondly, is that desire to have her friends back that partially fueled Roxanne's rage. If she was given the opportunity to think she could get them back, then the ring would let her have it.

Emphasis on think. What mattered most of all was keeping that desire, that want, just out of reach.

All to give Roxanne the rage she needed, of course. And besides, right now she needed to focus her anger.

Bunnie

"Whoops! Sorry hon's! Didn't mean to hurt nobody!"

That was a wash. Bunnie scored a solid hit, but she'd scorched an innocent person too. She nearly had a panic attack. She didn't let it show, but some days she wondered if she was any better than the Badniks.

Instead of bawling, she focused on everything else. That was how she coped. Couldn't get worked up if she wasn't thinking about it, could she? She didn't care about the robots. They weren't all bad but most of them wouldn't rest until you were dead or worse. Handsome Jack wasn't much better. She'd only just met him but something about them rubbed her the wrong way. The robots were part of it, but there was something else she couldn't put her finger on.

She didn't think about it for so long. There was much to take in! So many strange people, dozens of mobians and overlanders with all sorts of crazy abilities! If all those innocent people weren't in danger, it would be a hoot. Even those turtles weren't so bad. Made her think about her friends back home. Some stuff she didn't want to think about it, but her friends were the exception. She'd have to talk to them once the dust settled, but there was someone else who got her attention.

She was big and pink. Big and pink and covered in metal. It was another robot, a big robot. Her first instinct was to blast her apart, same way she blasted those Loaders. But something was strange. If she didn't know better, she'd swear she was helping them. She'd have attacked the Loaders regardless, but maybe there was something she was missing. She called out to the pink hunk of steel, putting on her best frowny face.

"Hey, scrap-fer-brains! I'm watchin' you, hear?! Don't go pullin' nuthin' funny now!"

She took off her frowny face and reloaded her happy face, but it didn't last long. Everyone else was wailing on the big blue monkey, but it was coming straight for her.

"Heavens to Betsy...

She was frozen. She hadn't done much more than piss it off and now it was coming for her, crushing everything in its path. She prayed there weren't any more people down there. If she hadn't done anything, maybe they'd be safe. She thought about her friends again. If it was them instead of her, what would they do?

She didn't have the chance to answer. Even with everyone wailing on that thing, it was coming for her. She needed to act now. She threw up her barrier, a shimmering forcefield of pure blue, surrounding her in an instant. She was smacked to the ground, the barrier losing stability, leaving a small crater as she landed. She wasn't hurt. Even with her barrier, that sort of impact should have given her a small bruise, but she was no worse for wear. She was a little dazed, but it wouldn't last long.

"Oh lord have mercy.."

She stumbled out of the crater, attempting to make sense of what had just happened. Only to come face to face with Handsome Jack. She wasn't sure what he was doing but making the monkey eat missiles with everyone else on it was a recipe for disaster.

"Hey, what do you think you're doin' sugah?! That blasted thing's fallin' apart as is! You start bustin' it's kneecaps and everyone's gonna start tumblin' down like a house a' cards! You got so much as a lick of common sense, you'll call that sucker off!"

Edited by kkhohoho on Aug 12th 2023 at 10:03:18 AM

Governor’s Island (Handsome Jack)

“Huh?”

Jack looks over at the humanoid cyborg rabbit. To his credit, he barely even blinks at this development.

“Better than letting King Kong over here rampage and hurt more people, kiddo. I’m trying to keep it in place, make sure it’s off-balance while the others do their things. It’s called ‘teamwork,’ sweetheart. In any case, I’ve got more Loaders than I know what to do with - anyone falls, my Loaders can catch ‘em. I’m the hero, kid - I know what I’m doing…who’re you, come to think of it? Thought I’d heard of every hero-type around this town.”

{Bugs Bunny over here has an attitude problem…doubt I can bribe her with a carrot to piss off somewhere else…}

“Like I just told Miss Harker here - name’s Handsome Jack. Local hero, CEO of Hyperion - we’re the good guys. Just tryin’ to keep the peace.”

Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizzaplex (Phone Gal)

“If that’s the case, we have two options, friend. The first is that you can go back in and look for them. You can pull them out and get them somewhere safe before the Pizzaplex comes down. There is a risk, though - if you don’t find them in time, Jack’s men will tear the building down with all of you inside.”

She pauses for a moment.

“…Or we can get clever. I can access their system in brief intervals - quickly enough to not get noticed and locked out. I could fake a request from their superiors - tell the demolition team that they’re under orders to recover assets before knocking the building down. Said assets being your friends, naturally. And yourself, if you’re inclined to ‘play dead.’ We can have Jack’s own men do the work for us. Perks of being an AI.”

This post is sponsored by Amalgam Comics.

One moment for Leo to properly do something...

"Woah!" Leo yelped as he was suddenly grabbed and thrown up the Robeast's side. He looked up to see a giant pink robot(???) zooming up to the other arm. Okay, that's new wait where do I land I didn't actually think of what I'd do when I got this far maybe I should've thought of that before I tried recreating Shadow of the Colossus—

"ITS RIBS ARE BROKEN WHERE THE OTHER ROBOTS SHOT IT!"

Leo stopped. Then, his brow furrowed and he looked over his shoulder. "WOULD'VE BEEN NICE TO KNOW THAT EARLIER!"

"LOT OF THINGS WERE GOING ON, LEO!"

Leo sighed and rolled his eyes. "Honestly," he muttered, before grabbing onto the Robeast's hip. Doing his best to stay low so as to avoid any more shots the Hyperion robots would take, he stabbed his sword right through its side, aiming to break those ribs even further than they already were. Maybe dislocate them. Or dislodge them.

Maybe a bit, uh, cruel, but it couldn't feel anything and he had no way of knowing otherwise, so that was not his fault.

(Did robots even have ribs?)

---

Two Balls of Concentrated Wholesome

"Oh!" Mikey said in surprise as a small girl joined him in hitting the Robeast's arm. "Um, thank you! You're..." He paused, trying to recall what hero news he'd seen on TV. "One of the Powerpuff Girls, right?"

He still kept up the attack. He could multitask.

"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."

Bunnie

"Ain't gonna make peace by spreadin' badniks about willy-nilly! And ya don't make friends gamblin' people's safety without tellin' 'em first! What if it falls on all those people runnin' about 'fore the others can rescue 'em?! What Ever think about that?!"

Bunnie was pissed. Her tail twitched, fur bristled, ears pulled back as she tapped her big metal feet. She made a habit to stay calm and collected, but this creep was pushing all her buttons. She didn't explain what 'badniks' were, but she seemed to be referring to Jack's little robot friends.

"Name's Bunnie. Not that some two-penny scoundrel like yourself deserves it. Case ya can't tell, ah've been doin' this 'bout ten years or so now so I'd like to think I know a thing or two 'bout teamwork."

Edited by kkhohoho on Aug 12th 2023 at 11:15:21 AM

The Trunks Trio (Cause they can do this all day)

George and Harold yelp as they dive and duck, staying as close as they can to Robeast to direct Captain Underpants. The sudden influx of superheroes caused a bit of a pause (for them to scream in delight), but they quickly went back to running and hiding. They saw Captain Underpants dash towards the Robeast, only for him to accidentally get in the way of some attacks and send him flying. "Oh no!" Harold yelps as Cap falls to the ground with a THUD.

It was then they saw someone (was that a turtle?) yell something about the eyes and limbs, and they rush towards Captain Underpants, dodging Handsome Jack's robots and the general destruction of the area. They yelp and duck under a giant pink robot and find Cap groaning on the ground,◊ no worse for wear except for his burnt cape (weirdly enough his tighty-whities weren't even damaged).

"Captain Underpants, come on!" George shakes the man, and he jolts upward. "Is it just me, or are a rainbow, a pinkbot, several robots, and turtles fighting the giant monkey?" Cap shakes off the Circling Birdies.

"No time for that!" Harold yelps as George and he pull Captain Underpants to his feet. "The Robeast is causing a lot of damage, and with this amount of superheroes, more people could get hurt!"

Cap quickly grabs the two boys and flies away from a stomp, and George wracks his brain for answers. "We should lead it away! Into the water!" he shouts excitedly.

"You got it, bub!" Captain Underpants salutes, dropping the boys away from the fight and flying quickly away. A second later, he comes back with an armful of bananas. He flies in front of the Robeast's face and begins waving them at it. "Heyyyy, drop the monkey business! I'll give ya these bananas~!"

If the Robeast doesn't respond to the bananas, he begins chowing down on the potassium-filled fruits and throwing the peels at its face. "Ooh, ooh, ah ah!" he mocks, scratching his head and armpit, before blowing a raspberry at it and going for a punch to the face.

If the Robeast is sufficiently annoyed by CU and starts following him, CU then begins leading it to the water, away from the island. If not, he'll repeat the mocking.

You piss off the Venom T-Rex. Roll initiative.

The Hat Trick Diner (Where The Prices Are Like Magic!) -> An Apartment Somewhere in New York City (Where The Hospitality Is Like Magic!)

For a brief, underwhelming moment, especially after all of the effort that Kikko had put into boxing up her food, part of Red honestly thought that the amateur sorcerer was just planning on stuffing the both of them into the diner’s restroom, and locking the door.

What the songstress got instead was a pleasant, if mystifying, surprise. Red found herself stepping up to the border of the curtains cautiously, feeling like an animated roadrunner being expected to speed through a painted hole in the mountainside. But she eventually poked her toe through, followed by her whole foot, and then took an awkward, yet complete step that took her all of the way across the boundary. When she looked back behind her, all she could see was wall, along with the interior of a pleasant, well-lived in apartment, that was every bit as bright and sunny as its primary resident.

Red made sure to set her guitar case down by her side, in order to face Kikko and give her a series of impressed claps at the display. She then pulled out her phone, and typed another quick message:

Do you mind if I use your restroom?

Strangely enough, she brought her guitar case along with her.

---

“I know what you’re thinking.”

I just think that she’s our best shot, at this point.

“And I agree with you.”

Red paused, mid-type. Wait, really?

“She absolutely cannot have anything to do with what happened to us. Which is more than I can say about anyone else in your life right now.”

Maybe so. But she just seems so

Red paused for a moment, searching for the right word.

young.

“And exactly how old were you again, when you first started raising hell on the political stage?”

Red pursed her lips, even as she raised an amused eyebrow. That’s a dirty trick, and you know it.

“I know, it’s a habit I have to break.”

Should we tell her, then?

“No time like the present, right? Unless you want to finish your sandwich first.”

Red chuckled softly. I think I’m okay.

“You know, I hear it’s the best fish sandwich in the city.”

Funnily enough, I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere before. Can’t remember where, though.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll come back to you…”

---

A few minutes later, Red would be sitting at Kikko’s dining room table, with the guitar case propped up against the table’s edge at an angle. I have something that I need to show you. Red displayed to Kikko on-screen, her food sitting so-far cold and untouched on the table in front of her. But it’s a little hard to explain. So, I think that it might be better if I let it speak for itself.

With that, Red would kneel down, and begin undoing the clasps on the side of the guitar case. As soon as it was unlocked, Red would take a deep, bracing breath, and flip the lid open.

What was inside was demonstrably not a guitar. Instead, the case hosted what appeared to be something akin to a great sword combined with an over-sized computer chip. A dark-green body was contrasted by an intricate pattern of light-green circuitry that wove its way across the rectangular weapon’s body, topped off by slight gold plating near the tip with the shape and character of the end of a USB cord. A triangular guard at the base lead to a plain metal shaft that terminated into the hilt proper, a bulbous metallic protrusion that seemed to be made out of some type of dull brass, and adorned at the very bottom with what looked to be red glass. Just above this guard, taking up almost the entire center of the bottom third of the blade’s body, was another large section of rounded, red glass, with a circular black section in the middle that resembled nothing so much as the depths of a peering, mechanical eye.

Then, circuitry patterns within the blade began to flash rhythmically, with every flash accompanied by a word in a male voice that was slightly gruff, and surprisingly glib.

“To make a long story short, reports of my death may have been exaggerated. Somewhat.”

He was trapped like this, when it happened to him. Red clarified, holding her phone out past the case towards Kikko, while perched anxiously on the edge of her chair. Is there anything that you can do with your magic to help him?

If I had that kind of power, I'd have dropped a meteor on your house ages ago~

Governor's Island

Giving Donatello a nod, Jorogumo stepped back to stay behind the turtle, and withdrew a vial of blood before smearing it across her right hand. From there, five handseals were performed in rapid succession before she slammed her hand down against the roof and spoke again.

<"Summoning Jutsu!">

One burst of smoke later, and a trio of spiders nearly as tall as she was had now joined the fray. One was fully black, another was fully white, and the third was a mixture of both black and white.

<"There's a giant creature attacking the city. Its eyes and arms are vulnerable. Please assist the other heroes in taking it down."> Jorogumo requested, and in response, the trio of spiders scuttled towards the building's edge before leaping into the air, using the nearby Loaders and building debris to swing from much like Jorogumo herself had been doing to eventually reach the robotic beast. Once they got close enough, each spider shot thick strands of webbing at the Robeast's arms in an effort to slow the limbs down and give the other heroes time to strike.

As for Jorogumo herself, she leapt back into the fray and began swinging her way towards the beast herself, working her way towards the large creature's back and climbing up towards its head, having to be mindful of everyone else in her way as she got higher and higher.

Edited by Bored_Man on Aug 12th 2023 at 12:38:33 PM

Proud member of the AGOG community.

The Brooklyn Museum

Norma saw the whole scene in the lobby from her hiding place deeper in the museum, courtesy of her Clairvoyance and an information pamphlet she'd picked up on the way in.

The booming arrival of the psychic superheroine(?) Faultline had almost smothered the terrifying aura of hatred exuded by her foes, giving the two a sense of renewed confidence and vigor.

Her initial reaction was OH MY GOD IS THAT FAULTLINE?! I-I mean, um... of course, one of those independent psychic 'heroes'. Competent, but not very discreet... but that could work to our advantage.

She pointedly ignored the impish grin Lizzie cast her way.

She then turned her attention to Faultline's foes, who appeared to be troops of Arachnos, that Godforsaken nation of brainwashers most of the Psychonauts knew of by reputation. She didn't even need to say or think anything; she'd read the reports of the atrocities against free thought they committed. She knew exactly what they could have done to her and Lizzie had they been in their sights as kids.

Perhaps allowing some of their own aura of hatred to affect her own psyche, her face turned to a vicious scowl and she balled her hands into fists - but as she felt a spike of heat run up her spine, she stopped.

Wait, she thought, holding up a hand in Lizzie's direction, who had the same reaction and looked about ready to telekinetically gut one of the thugs in fancy armour. Let's not lose control. They have hostages. They could be killed in the crossfire if we intervene. We should leave it to Faultline, she's a profe- uh, she knows what she's doing.

Lizzie was by this point snarling, her teeth bared like an animal... but eventually she too relented.

Shit, dude... they must be here for that stupid crystal. They gotta be.

Norma raised a brow at the apparent non sequitur. ...The Crystal of Serafina?

Lizzie rolled her eyes. Nah, the Crystal of Meth. Didya even read that pamphlet you're holdin'?

Resisting the urge to say how surprised she was her sister bothered to read it, she took a cursory glance at the description of the crystal exhibit. According to legend, it said, the crystal conveyed powers of exceptional mental fortitude - and exceptional mental influence, turning one's mind into a juggernaut that trampled all before it and yielding to none.

...Wwwweeee should probably go secure that thing.

Norma turned back to face Lizzie, eyes wide in yet more surprise - and perhaps a fear of what her sister would suggest next.

What? Why? Don't tell me you actually believe this old wives' tale garbage.

C'mon, sis, y'know me better than that. I'm all over this magic shit, an' we know what those spider assholes would do if they had that kinda power. An', like... call me crazy but I don't think whoever runs this joint thought the babysitters from hell would show up.

Norma raised a finger, ready to offer a protest... but it died on her telepathic tongue. She couldn't think of an argument against that beyond 'because I'm right and you're wrong', and she promised herself she'd move past that.

You... you might be right.

Heh, that's a first...

Don't get used to it.

Without needing to discuss it further, they made a beeline to the room where the crystal exhibit was being kept. Lizzie took the lead - she could sense the ice-cold air in the ventilation system leading deeper into the museum, and they both knew the crystal would likely be kept in an air-conditioned room, both to minimize the risk of pathogens interacting poorly with the crystal, and to maintain its crisp, aesthetically-pleasing sheen. Seeing no reason not to, they used their Levitation to catapult themselves down the halls at high speed.

Along the way, Norma caught the signs that the battle in the lobby had begun, and pointedly doing her best to ignore the mental stings of people getting hurt (it's okay, it's Arachnos, they deserve it, she told herself), she sensed that the Arachnos' leader - some shark mutant that looked like one of Dr. Loboto's rejects - had called in for backup. And on top of all that, just a hint of an unknown third presence striking down another thug with the kind of electrokinesis strong enough to make her hairs stand on end.

The situation was getting uglier by the second; the sooner they secured that crystal - preferably without blowing their cover in the process - the better.

"If you think like a child, you will do a child's work."

An Apartment Somewhere in New York City (Where The Hospitality Is Like Magic!)

Kikko waited patiently in her chair for Red to return from the bathroom with her guitar case, then nodded readily at Red's words about letting the matter speak for itself, and watched expectantly as the songstress opened the case. At the reveal of the weird slab of... whatever it was, she tilted her head in befuddlement, only for her expression to morph into surprise when it began speaking, then confusion again for a few moments, until something clicked in her head and she mouthed a silent "Oooooh!" of realization.

So this is that guy I saw her with that time, probably her significant other... And now the news claims she killed him. What did the tabloids call him...? Blue? Red and Blue, ha!

At Red's explanation and question, the hostess thought briefly, then sadly shook her head. "We would need an empty vessel, essentially a functioning body with no brain activity, to put his consciousness into, and although it might be a little difficult, I could probably create one with the right materials. But my specialties in magic are conjuration, transportation, movement, transformation, and animation. I don't know how to do consciousness or soul transfer..." she trailed off, then held up her hands. "At least, I don't know yet! I might be able to learn it later - and I definitely will if I become Qu— Uhhhhh, I mean, it's a very advanced technique, so it might take me a very long time... Eheh..."

Hoping the diva hadn't caught her slip-up, Kikko scratched lightly at her cheek with a sheepish look, then sighed and looked down at her knees. "Also, I have no idea what this thing he's trapped inside is. Sorry, Miss Red and Mister... Blue?"

Edited by darksidevoid on Aug 13th 2023 at 6:44:07 AM

GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs

The Brooklyn Museum

It was deeply unfortunate that no one else with the proper skill set was available today.

So instead of one of the many lesser and even titleless members of the secret organization seeking goals most destructive and arcane, it was perhaps one of the most important members of that secret society playing the part of a scared middle-aged man huddled in the crystal exhibit trying to hide from whatever had triggered the alarm.

For the record, this brazen theft was not in fact part of the plan. The plan had been to simply take what was needed when the mundanity had lulled the guards to distraction but armed thieves storming in had changed the scheme. Still, Emet Selch thought as he tried to look the part of someone actually fearful for their life, this wasn't a lost cause just yet.

It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.

Adam Jensen had gone to the museum on a lead, supposedly a contact was going to meet him here and discuss the works inside, specifically The Head Of a King. The codephrase was about his features being idealized by the sculptor.

That had gone out when Arachnos troopers burst in, Adam knew better than to act like a hero, and quietly vanished. Disappearing from view with his Glass Shield augment, tucking away keeping track.

Play the long game, keep quiet, and only strike when he could. Take them out one by one, and nobody had to die.