Seeing all of the enemies taken care of for the moment, the sniper emerges from his cover in the building. He slides over the edge and descends the side of the building using his cybernetic arm, tearing a line down the concrete like a pirate in an old movie using a knife to slide down a sail. He runs toward Maggie and Ted with a speed that is right at the edge of human. Like if Usain Bolt could run at his sprinting speed for hours. He takes in these newcomers as well as the status of his team.
Cap moves more slowly as he comes down from the roof of the car, but even so, he is recovering quickly.
The half masked woman motions toward the man approaching, "Don't freak out. He has a cybernetic arm, but he is a human, not a terminator."
Turning to Cap, she say, "John, we should get off the surface. I think that paper snake ripped into the old maintenance tunnels. Let's use that.
When the cyborg starts running toward Maggie and Ted, the Sentry joins them in a flash arriving next to them ahead of a little cloud of dust. The crimson fire in his eyes just a twinkle again.
He listens to confirm that these are the same three people who he heard hunting.
The snake compresses, crushing the immobilized robots, and deposits their remains by the crashed vehicle. It then collapses into a huge pile of paper. Panting from exertion, Maggie raises her arms, "hoovering" all remaining paper back into her sleeves and under her clothing, walking through the parking lot to collect what she can. Only a small bit remains to recreate the paper doll to go fetch her briefcase.
She looks at Beetle and Sentry for a signal as to what to do next.
"Maggie, Ted. These people seem safe, now. Jason and Herakles have started fighting the other ship with a similar number of robots. I think I should go help them. Are you safe here?" The Sentry asks the Paper Sister and Blue Beetle.
As soon as both confirm that they are safe with the three local hunters. The Sentry disappears leaving a bit of wind filling the Sentry-sized vacuum in the atmosphere.
Maggie responds to Sentry before he leaves. "Actually, can you take me with you? We need to stay close to Dr. Wan. And I don't want to use up all my paper to fly."
"Of course," The Sentry replies. "How do you want me to carry you?" He approaches her letting her put his hands where she wants.
After they figure out to travel, he holds her head, so the high velocity does not harm her.
Maggie blushes--a nervous reaction and nothing else--but is grateful for the courtesy. She demonstrates: around the waist. "I've had to carry my sis-" she chokes, suddenly missing them keenly. "Sisters out of trouble."
"Beetle, are you staying?" She nods at them. "Thank you for your help." She adds belatedly. To Beetle: "I think they may be going where Sentry sensed the other people. If you stay, we'll find you."
She gulps as she travels with Sentry--she can move fast in her jet-dragon, but this is still unlike anything she's experienced. He really is some kind of Superman.
When they get over the bookstore, she tells him to drop her. Her smaller bat can land her safely and uses much less paper than the dragon. (It's just much slower.)
The bracing travel has given her an adrenaline rush that has eliminated the strain from her earlier exertions.
As Sentry releases his powerful breath, one of the robots digs its titanium hand into the street, holding on in the stronger than hurricane force wind. Four more are blown away.
Back at the other battle:
The red haired masked woman looks Blue Beetle over as though trying to place him. She fails. Then she addresses him, though it feels more like an interrogation than a greeting, "Who are you? And who were those other two? As far as we know, Skull-net killed any mutants or metas as powerful as those two 30 years ago."
The man with the shield steps closer, keeping the shield to the side, not in between you. "What Kate means is, 'Nice to meet you, soldier. And thanks for the help.'"
As for me, I'm John, though most people call me Cap. Since your friends left, would you like to join us? It isn't safe to be out here in the open for too long. Eyes in the Sky will send more of those terminators, or even some aerial Hunter-Killers. We can get into the old maintenance tunnels under the city."
Ted answers the Sentry that he is safe here, and he tells Maggie that he would like to stay with the locals so he can collect more information on this world's lore and its technology. When the red hair masked woman asks him who he is he gives her the basic information: vigilante technological super hero from another world. When Cap asks for him to join them he accepts. Ted asks if he can collect some tech from the robots first as he would like to see if he can build a device to track their command signals and operating protocols back to the source.
Cap nods and turns to the man with the cybernetic arm. "Reese, keep your eyes peeled and gun ready. I'll help Beetle here get the parts he needs. I don't know where they came from, but these people might be just what we need."
He moves with Ted as the inventor moves across the battlefield, collecting robotic skulls and a few other parts.
While Ted scavenges he will engage in small talk with the locals: "So ... what happened here? I can guess the broad strokes - Evil Dictator takes over the world and you guys are the Resistance. I guess what I really want to know is how did this happen? And any way we can make some real progress moving this Resistance into a full blown Victory?" He looks over the tech he is collecting to determine how he can build a variety of items; like a cloaking device, jamming devices, and homing devices to track back their signals back to their source where they are being given their operating commands.
Maggie falls and summons her bat, which carries her down to the ground near the bookstore.
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John replies, "What do you mean here? Where are you from that isn't devastated?"
"In 1997, the US passed and implemented the Mutant Management Act in an effort to prevent humans from being replaced by mutants. Bolivar Trask engineered the creation of a robot army to protect humans from homo superior. Miles Dyson designed the artificial intelligence responsible for directing them and all strategic defense decisions. The system goes on-line August 4th, 1997. Human decisions are removed from strategic defense. The artificial intelligence begins to learn at a geometric rate. Designed to eliminate mutants, it quickly realizes that the only way to achieve its goal is to destroy humans as well. It takes as its role model the face of genocide, the Red Skull. It becomes fully self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. In a panic, Trask and Dyson try to pull the plug." John hesitates.
Kate steps in, "Skull-net fights back."
John continues, "It started with nuclear attacks, then biological, then the sentinels and terminators rolled out in successive generations, hunting down the more powerful mutants and mutates. There aren't many of us left here. We've come here to take the fight to the Skull. You and your friends could help us turn the tide."
Ted feels nothing but sympathy for these people fighting a battle that seem utterly hopeless. "I feel for you guys. This is hard, much harder than dying ... its struggling to live." He offers a comforting pat on the shoulder and says, "We are here and we will help. I am not sure how much we can do for you all, but we will try. Tell me something ... who are the geniuses left in your world? Are they working for the enemy or you guys? I'm going to need to talk to them and maybe we can make some tech to help turn the tide of this endless war for survival."
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Cap looks to the woman in black.
"Most of the real tech guys went up against skull-net and were wiped out early on. And tech was pretty much torched in the early days once the nukes and EMPS dropped. The ones in New York were taken out by the Nega Bomb...There is one guy, up near Coyote Springs. He is a bit...unsettled. But he knows his stuff. Makes stuff out of tech we scavenge. Skull-net has some collaborators: Zola, Stark. Those are the worst."
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The machines land two heavy blows, but register ne'er a reaction from the Godling.
Bracing himself he bellows a laugh;
"Hah! Your attempts to pummel the Indomitable Son of Zeus are for naught iron automatons... Verily you have earned mine ire: HAVE AT THEE!"
Surrounded, Herakles slams his bracers together!
The shockwave from Herak's bracers slamming together knocks several of the terminators off of their feet.
Ted continues to inquire more about this world, "So how many Freedom Fighters do you have?"
Herakles and Jason are both sons of Zeus, but let's just say that their father (or is it fathers?) don't hold them in quite the same esteem. Herakles is mortal, cast out from his Olympian home. Jason is also separated from Olympus, but only in terms of geography, and, perhaps, psychology. Jason just lashed out with the lightning, and this lightning has an appetite. The lightning flashes in his eyes. His will wants to destroy these foes, and the sky responds to his fill. High aloft, where the dust of nuclear winter rubs together and blocks out the sky, lightning crackles, lancing down to strike the titanium automata standing against him.
Only the terminator who stood against Herakles strike remains standing as the power of the god of the sky, and lightning in particular, melts Jason's foes.
The sole remaining terminator calculates its odds of victory at 733,148 to 1. But its mission is not to survive. Its mission is to kill Skull-net's enemies.
It punches Herakles in his chiseled abdomen.
The engines of the air transport squeal as it bolts upward, gaining altitude rapidly.
Everyone but Beetle is has an action here. Beetle can act in his scene.
Ted continues to inquire more about this world, "So how many Freedom Fighters do you have?"
"We don't have a centralized command structure, so I don't know exact numbers. We have a network of low level telepaths who keep us in contact. Skull-net and its allies can monitor any technological communication, but they don't do well with telepathy. There might be a few thousand people in North America that we could pull together. More in the southern hemisphere. "
Sentry turns to the last robot and tries to melt it to slag. The crimson twinkle in his eyes grows to engulf his whole eye sockets until it beams into the robot.
Ted ponders the telepathic angle and asks, "Are these machines vulnerable to Psychic Attacks? Because if so then maybe I can help build something to help with that. I don't know what, but give me sometime and I'll think of something."
Turning to Herakles, Jason smiles, "Some of the best decisions in life are the ones we need not make; the opposition is here now. Once upon a time, I did receive a lesson about being patient. I'm pretty sure it wasn't from Uncle Hermes ... thinking about it, I'm fairly sure it wasn't Ares either. In any case, shall we?"
Lightning seems to flash in his eyes as he surveys the robots
"Who's first?"
Jason lashes out at the nearest robot, lightning flashing from his eyes
The lightning is still sparking in Jason's eyes, but he is clearly looking inward; his father could draw a great deal more lightning down from the sky, and it was time to give that a try. He raised his hands to the heavans ... and summoned bolt after bolt to hit the remaining cluster of robots.
The terminator's blow would fell any normal mortal... but Herakles, indomitable scion of Zeus is no ordinary mortal!
The demi-god takes the blow with a grimacing smile;
"Verily a worthy blow! And now my gift in return!"
then launches a double axe-handle at the robot's chrome skull;
Maggie figures the three godlike beings present mostly have it under control, but she sends a little assistance. The paper bat flies in to distract the robot, making it easier for her new allies to strike a weak spot.
But a clap of thunder causes it to fall apart before it hits its mark.
The last of the robots falls to your varied assaults, and the air crackles and echoes with the sounds of violence.
The Sentry can, of course, hear the conversation between Beetle and the three people you left behind. He can also here Dr. Wan's heartbeat from where he is currently sheltering behind the coffee counter in the bookstore.
Ted ponders the telepathic angle and asks, "Are these machines vulnerable to Psychic Attacks? Because if so then maybe I can help build something to help with that. I don't know what, but give me sometime and I'll think of something."
Kate answers, "No, their minds don't seem to interact at all with the telepathic world. They wiped out the most powerful telepaths early on. They had some way to detect the mutants and tracked them down. But they can be re-programmed. Sometimes we kill one and enough of it is left that we can reprogram their CPU. Kyle here is pretty good at taking out their main power cells with that sniper rifle. That leaves their CPU intact. And they have backup power systems."
The Sentry's blazing glowing orbs dim to crimson twinkles in his brilliant blue eyes. He looks to his new companions and offers, "The Blue Beetle continues talking with the three hunters about the history of this world."
"Dr. Wan is over there hiding. Should we ask him more about our situation here?" He looks to the others for ideas.
Maggie resumes collecting her paper as she approaches Herakles and Jason. "Beetle stayed with superheroes fighting the robots downtown. They headed into the tunnels. I think they were heading to the five people Sentry said were below ground here. We should find them." She pauses, adding, "Without drawing too much more attention."
She goes into the bookstore/cafe and looks for Wan. Probably picking up more books and paper along the way to replenish her supplies.
"Absolutely we should speak to the good doctor; we were brought here for a reason and don't really need to shop for new causes just yet. Not opposed to it in principle, but let's stick to the script for a minute before the improv starts."
Ted asks Kyle, "Tell me more about your reprogramming success. What sort of code are you using? Have you considered a 'Hacking Ammo'? Ammunition like armor piercing rounds or hollow-points that can deposit a virus via nanotech to reprogram the CPUs? Basically a 'Shoot and Reboot' round."
Ted asks Kyle, "Tell me more about your reprogramming success. What sort of code are you using? Have you considered a 'Hacking Ammo'? Ammunition like armor piercing rounds or hollow-points that can deposit a virus via nanotech to reprogram the CPUs? Basically a 'Shoot and Reboot' round."
The man's expression flattens for a moment as though he isn't quite sure how to take in what Ted is saying.
Kyle grabs one of the skulls Ted has collected. He pulls a multi-tool from a sheath on his belt, flips open the screwdriver, and twists open a two inch circular port on the top of the skull. He extracts a cylinder that Ted guesses is probably a shock absorber, and tosses it aside. Reaching into the hole, he pulls out a rectangular chip, about an inch by two inches. It looks a bit like a reverse waffle, 3 squares by 5.
"We don't have that level of technical expertise on our team. This is the CPU. We have some old terminals we can plug them into and reprogram. Abner might be able to make something like you are talking about. I mostly just shoot them the old fashioned way. 50 cal, plasma rifle, that sort of thing."
As the dust settles and Maggie comes back into the bookstore, Dr. Wan stands up behind the coffee counter. "Good, everyone is in one piece. And look, I found some beans! So, any idea what is wrong here? What is the problem with this reality? What should we be fixing?"
While keeping tabs on the conversation of Blue Beetle, the Sentry walks toward the bookstore after Dr. Wan started questioning. When the Sentry arrives within easy speaking distance between Dr. Wan and Maggie, he genuinely asks, "What do you mean what is wrong here? How do you fix a problem with a reality?"
As the dust settles and Maggie comes back into the bookstore, Dr. Wan stands up behind the coffee counter. "Good, everyone is in one piece. And look, I found some beans! So, any idea what is wrong here? What is the problem with this reality? What should we be fixing?"
While keeping tabs on the conversation of Blue Beetle, the Sentry walks toward the bookstore after Dr. Wan started questioning. When the Sentry arrives within easy speaking distance between Dr. Wan and Maggie, he genuinely asks, "What do you mean what is wrong here? How do you fix a problem with a reality?"
"Before we get to that, and just to level set our expectations ... are you indicating that we might be able to make coffee while we figure this out? 'Cause I can be totally honest here: I do NOT have all of the powers I inherited figured out, but I could probably conjure some water or something.
The godling smiles; an 'a ha' smile for sure.
"I am willing to bet that the Princess of Parchment here could whip us up a coffee filter too! This reality is starting to shape up!"
Herakles listens intently to the collective back and forth, before adding his own words with booming voice:
"What is wrong?! Verily the Prince of Power is here, in this strange place, when he should be... elsewhere!"
The big man frowns, surveying his new companions with interest;
"Kafe? Surely we should toast our victory and imbibe something stronger from the cellar of Dionysus perhaps!? Can thee conjure οἶνος Jason? Perhaps an ancient vintage! Ha!"
Ted tells Kyle, "Your way works great, but it would be better if we can use their tech against them. If we can reprogram them with a viral ammo them when they connect to their Central Operating System them maybe we can take control from the inside of their Mainframe. It doesn't hurt to try and the results may be to our benefit. Just point me to tech people and show me your tools and let me work on the rest. Once I get a prototype built maybe we can mass-produce my 'Shoot and Reboot' viral ammo."
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Maggie's eyebrows quirk at being called a "Princess." She looks down at herself, almost wondering if entering this bizarre nightmare realm has perhaps changed her, but no: still the boyish six-foot-tall adventurer. This is one word she is certain no one has ever conceived of calling her. Nonetheless, she does as she asks, but not with powers, however. She instead retrieves her abandoned sack of groceries and puts them up on the counter, and produces a pack of coffee filters. No one would have survived Nenene's wrath if she'd returned home only to find the pantry lacked coffee making supplies.
"But I'm not sure there's power to use the coffee maker," she notes. "And we need to get to Beetle." She nods to Wan. "The robots belong to a neo-Nazi organization called Hydra. They've taken over the country. People who look like a group of heroes called the Avengers are fighting them. They also mentioned Sentinels, who were government issued robots designed to destroy people with genetically-sourced superpowers."