Science Fiction EXCELSIOR! Issue #2: AS A JUDGEMENT

Tabby Smith
Manhunter Base

Huh. So now there was a dragon robot.

Again.

What was it with these things lately? Was Tabby just entering a spell of dragon-robot-related battles? Did the dragon-robots have something against her or whatever? Was she being controlled by a force beyond her comprehension that just really, really liked mechanical flying lizards?

Who knew?

All Tabby knew was that if this one was like any of the others, it was going to be really troublesome if it didn't get dealt with quickly. Tabby directed some energy at the thing's feet, hoping to make it collapse.

"Real impressive." she deadpanned, because once you've had Fin Fang Foom try and put you in his underpants you're very difficult to phase. "Does that horn impress the dragon girls, or something?"

And oh yeah.

"Boom."

[TAG All]

 

IC: Sophy Vizzini, aka Pirate Indigo
Someplace brighter with a moon roof, ???

Then it started happening, well she did find it harder to hit the second droid, but mainly something really odd happened. No not a green thing speaking jibberish whilst getting keeled over by exploding droid chunks, the way this day was going that was more off hat then off color.

No, the real oddity was the beam striking a robot and then watching the thing grow faster than any steroids could hope to do in a decade. ?Wow-y.? she muttered before with a last flourish and flight away from her body to attract the robots away she vanished. Well visually anyway as her bodies eyes opened for a moment and stared at the Dragon bot forming over the room. ?Mommy wants.? She muttered before trying something she had never tried before. . .possessing a computer, well robot, well manhunter, well ? a whatever you wanted to call that thing. If she could, talk about firepower and securing a way out of here.

Yikes what a big body that would be.

TAG: Ktala, Peng, Dubya, Livi, Ramza

 

Psylocke
Manhunter Base

Suddenly, Betsy found herself standing under a gigantic spider-looking monstrosity as the room began caving in around them. Amongst all the excitement, Betsy didn't even realize until now that she was carrying dead weight.

Betsy leaped away from the new monster and looked down at the old woman's body in her arms. Being a telepath, Betsy could see that the old woman wasn't dead. In fact, he soul was somewhere else. Apparently this elder woman had the ability to possess other beings.

"Incredible," she muttered.

Psylocke gently moved the woman's body over her left shoulder. Luckily the body was small enough and light enough to stay on her shoulder. Using her right hand, she formed the psychic katana and began slashing at the creatures legs.

TAG: all at Manhunter Base...

 

Iron Bat

Upper West Side, Gotham City, New Jersey

He turned to face the Punisher, still putting the armour between the boy and the vigilante. Can't help him, a rational part of him said coldly in reference to the murdered thug.

His mind was working at a hundred miles per minute, even with the almost ... supernatural ... look that had come over the vigilante's face. He forced calm back into hisvoice.
"If you keep killing these men I won't be able to find out where others like them are," he said. "At least leave the building for ten minutes. Whoever of them comes out after that," he breathed, estimating frantically, hoping he'd be right, "you can have. Make a decision. The building's catching fire."

TAG: ramza

 

Deadpool
Any time now, healing factor...

"Argh my chest hurts...like heartburn but...everywhere..."

Pepto Bismol.

"Argh no you..."

But even as he spoke to himself, Deadpool's chest began to repair itself, slow at first before gaining momentum.

He looked at the...thing...above him, and the walls collapsing.

"Whoa, why are we still here? Betsy? Um, Samanth- Tabitha? We got a ship or something?"

He looked at the old woman's limp form.

"Whoa, okay, I didn't kill her! Not it!"

Then he saw the other person that had been locked up with them moving rapidly to the door. She seemed to have the right idea, so Deadpool pointed in her general direction.

"I think she's got the right idea, ladies! ...hey, you can be my Angels! Deadpool's Angels!"

Tag: Livi, Mitth, Dubya, Ktala, Ramza

 

OOGM: Howdy true believers! Updates are coming on what's Friday night by my calendar (Say about 24 hours), so the couple of you with outstanding tags need to post by then to get a new tag. I appreciate all of y'all's patience with my crappy update schedule. But would it really be me if the updates were regular?

Don't answer that.

 

ooc: Okay, for this post I really needed a bit of research, but I think I digged up the perfect fit.

Kal-El
Fortress of Solitude

The Phantom Zone. He would not have unlimited strength or power there. so he needed to prepare. Another enemy, another challenge. The next chapter in an endless string of conflicts. He did not even felt tired or burned out. the only thing he felt was . . . he had gotten used to it. Did this time count more than any other? Less, he´d say. For he certainly did not allow anything to wipe out existence, he could actually life with the thought. Everything he treasured about existence was gone, anyway.

His eyes turned to the bottled city and he sat down right before it. The dim light of the fortress did not bother him. His eyes saw perfectly in every environment.

Krypton. His father had taken such pain to keep something of their homeplanet alive, to keep something in existence. But for what? What had Jor-El thought? Kal-El was a splinter, a remnant. The hero of one tiny piece of dust in an endless universe full of life. Vanity? Pride? Narcism? he had suspected his father of all of that and more. truth to be told, he had handed him over to the humans who were as alien to him, as any other species. He had grown on them and some of them had grown on him. the legend of Superman was nothing but that, though. He had lost them all. Lana, Louis. Even Lex. He remembered what he had done to Lex. But without an enemy, not even his hatred survived the ordeal. All that was left was his body. A relic of a lost civilisation. A heritage by a man who believed obviously everything he did had meaning and utmost importance.

"You changed nothing, father. Because there is nothing to change."

His fist hammered into a piece of rock and it crumbled to dust immediately.

Time to prepare. He had a kill wiating for him. Another heroic deed.

---

Killgrave. Once he had realized where he would go he remembered killgrave and the breakout. he had not forgotten how it had been without powers. and the suit. This terrible suit. Now it would probably be useful once more. He smiled at it. The Professor had taken great effort to redisgn it. A shame he had died so many years ago. he might have liked Kal-El finally using it.

[image=http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4074/4905738565_8273c0e5f5_o.jpg]

[b]Tag: Ramza[/b]



I consider the above to be a redisgn of this suit:

[image=http://www.writeups.org/img/fiche/3235.jpg]

[link=http://www.writeups.org/fiche.php?id=3235]. . . which is apparently an old toy Superman used before to compensate powerloss. [/link]

 

OOC: Hey! That's my character!

I like the design, though, well searched out!

 

Manhunter Base, Unknown Island
???, 6:35 PM

No sooner had our heroes begun their assault on the current beast than the ray gun fired again. And again. And again.

If nothing else, it could at least be said that the results were consistent.

[image=http://images.wikia.com/godzilla/images/8/8c/Cretaceous_King_Ghidorah.jpg] [image=http://cdn.mos.totalfilm.com/images/n/new-godzilla-to-roar-in-2012-00-470-75.jpg] [image=http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/3564/440715-biollante_large.jpg]

A diabolical cackle sounded from the computer monitor that had, somewhat amazingly, remained unscathed as the walls of the holding chamber were crushed by the awesome beasts that continued to be unleashed. A sinister face formed on screen.

?So! I trust we are all admiring mein work, jä? Das ist gut! I would not want InterAIM to think they had wasted their money on this technology.?

[image=http://holmesinccomic.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/image-6.jpg]

?After a setback like that in New York, well, they were admittedly skeptical. Unwarranted! A pity they tried to halt the Manhunter project when they did. The Big Three never had the stomach for the pure pursuit of progress.?

Pirate Indigo had successfully managed to hijack the first beast, but its legs were being assaulted by Tabby Smith and Psylocke, and she was having difficulty keeping the beast on its feet. The other monsters, somehow ?sensing? that the first creature was no longer their ally, opened fire with a spectacular display of energy beams. The impact sent Pirate Indigo/the monster careening into the ocean ? which they were apparently adjacent to ? and the crash caused the entire base to rumble.

?Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately for you, Dr. Baron von Rakenstein has no such reservations. Auf Wiedersehen.?

The monitor flicked off. The ray gun fired again.

[image=http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q54/InfernoRodan/Toho/Showa/KingCaesar.jpg]

The new monster set to work attacking the three smaller assailants, firing off a blast each at Tabby Smith, Psylocke, and the still-recovering Deadpool.

While this chaos was ensuing, Mary Amuro had somehow maneuvered her way past the ray gun?s beams ? she wasn?t entirely sure what would happen to her if they made contact, but she somehow doubted it was anything good ? into the room at the end of the hallway. It was here that she finally realized what the red glow was ? in the center of the room, hooked up to countless wires, was suspended a being that looked like it had been, at one time, a man. But now it was a hideous mass of pulsating flesh, its head, bespectacled, the only human feature left. The red glow came from its interior, the result of some kind of horrific energy housed within the grotesque form.

Splayed out across the room, the light revealed the chambers contents ? jars, beakers, organs on operating tables that could only be described as utterly alien in origin, assorted bits of giant monsters, but it was the walls that were truly terrifying. For inside the walls, in rows that stacked as far up and down as the light extended, were dozens upon dozens of inactive Manhunter robots.

An immense rumbling ? caused by the fall of the monster that was described earlier, brought the central being to a state of local awareness. ?You? who are? you??? it asked.

TAG: Livi, Dubya, Mitth, Ktala, Peng

---

[link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-C9BTn8Chc&t=1m][i][b]Somewhere in the Indian Ocean[/b][/i][/link]
[i]July 11, 5:41 PM[/i]

?Fool!? Captain Majestic shouted at the [b]Aquaman[/b]. ?I do not fear you in any arena. I have bested foes that were twice your equal in conditions half so advantageous. And I still have this??

He reached behind his back and revealed what could best be described as a collapsing harpoon. When extended, it reached nearly six feet in length. ?I won this treasure in single combat with a man who claimed to be from Atlantis. Regardless, I think you w

 

Iron Bat

Upper West Side, Gotham City, New Jersey

He pushed down the dagger of ice that had gone through his gut with the Punisher's words -- it wasn't as if a man had spoken them, a part of him suggested.
"Relax, son," he said, and reached out with arms built with sufficient power to crush steel, effortlessly lifting the boy, carrying him against his chest. For a second, he had a feeling of -- something? -- but then it was gone, like someone walking over his grave--

[image=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rGj-GuaWwXc/TREVjrRBXZI/AAAAAAAAAH4/Td6Jr3EK9Lk/s1600/batman-robin.jpg]

He shook the feeling away, turning and running back downstairs, towards the vault and what it contained. Nothing moved to intercept him; most likely the bidders and their flunkies were disappearing, but with the fire spreading the first priority had to be the children. He set the boy down carefully by the door, then lit his chest insignia once more and pulled the bolt holding the door shut clear for the last time, and threw the doorway open, letting light into darkness.
"All of you," he said, "We're getting out of here. Follow me, and stay close. We're going back to the van."

TAG: Nobody (will continue later...)

 

Deadpool
Corridor Q?

"Okay guys, I don't mean to sound like a wuss or anything, but come on, I am not cut out for this stuff! I'm a gun for hire, I wanna shoot people, not robots, not giant monsters, not zombie giants, people! That's what I told the career adviser in high school. He asked me, 'Son, what do you do want to do with your life?' I told him, 'I wanna go out in the world, travel to exotic places, meet new and interesting people, and kill them.' I got detention for that, but still, the point is, I didn't go through all this crazy military conspiracy mumbo jumbo to kill things that are not people. Do I make myself clear? I have a healing factor, but it's kinda hard to rebuild myself when I'm pancake, much as I love those delicious buttery bastards."

There was a sharp intake of breath as the merc prepared for the next volley.

"So my point is, whoever is $&*%@#! this @#&* had better lay off the Toho rejects!"

He turned to Psylocke. "Honey, I'm sorry you had to hear that. But the narrator had it comin'. And big guy, we're on our way out."

Remember: Alpha Coordinates, passcode X34QQ7. Operation Clench awaits your return, sir.

Wade shook his head. No one else seemed to have heard it, so it clearly wasn't coming from the station

Oh not good.

TAG: Dubya, Ktala, Livi, Mitth, Ramza

---

[b]Erik Lensherr, aka Magneto[/b]
[i]London[/i]

[i]He's mad, or just as close as it makes no difference.[/i] Then the beam came. He reached out with his powers and - nothing. He couldn't do a thing to it. He hissed a curse and threw himself out of the way. He was not going to let the world fall to a madman. [i]Not again.[/i]

The rage filled Erik, and he felt the adrenaline kick in. Suddenly, this seemed a lot easier.

With a thought he tore apart the next wave of Doom's hellish legions. Their particles scattered into nothingness, he focused on the next group. Beams of light found themselves tightening as the master of magnetism ensnared them in his power. Beams of energy blasted from his hands, cutting apart yet another wave.

"Damn you, Victor, this is not the way! The world needs guidance and strength, but not like this!"

Erik cursed himself internally. These things weren't human, but still...the violence of it all would bother him for some time.

[b]Tag: Ramza[/b]

[hr]
[b]Special Inspector John Brown[/b]
[i]The Princess Bar, Madripoor[/i]

"There's no extradition with Madripoor," that's what they told him. [i]Doesn't mean you can't take the criminal out with your own two hands, though, does it?[/i] He downed the last of his rum and stood up from the bar, leaving a bill on the worn and grimy surface. The barman had two eyes, far as Brown could tell. [i]Certainly not the elusive "Patch," then.[/i] Madripoor was the kind of place where it paid to know things like that. Patch wasn't behind the bar, therefore things would probably get hairy at some point. The trick, Brown thought with amusement, was to make sure you weren't the one causing trouble.

He stepped past a few tables, made a point of avoiding the corner where the more militant members of the Mutant Liberation Front sat, and found the payphones by the exit.

The number he punched in was long, and he had to punch in one or two more afterword. Then he said two words, "Monkey wrench." Then he waited some more.

Finally, a voice picked up on the other end. "It's behind the dumpster out back." With a click the line went dead.

He smiled wryly as he hung up the phone. "Thanks."

Outside, Madripoor was tense with worry. The air was thick and hot, and the storm was bound to break soon. Clouds were rolling in even now, not a good omen in Brown's mind. [i]Hard times are ahead, to be sure.[/i] Thunder rumbled distantly as he made his way around back to the dumpster. He reached around back, felt something damp, swore, found the phone. He pulled out a handkerchief, wiped the phone and his hand, waited. The phone vibrated

 

IC: Psylocke
Location: Manhunter Base

More giant monsters appeared, and the one that the old woman possessed was knocked clear out of the remains of the base. Betsy then heard a splash. A splash? The possessed monster must have landed in water. That meant they were near some kind of water source. The demolished walls were still intact enough so that Betsy couldn't see over them, but she could suddenly smell the air. It was the ocean.

The young girl had hurried down the corridor with the ray gun and Deadpool insisted they follow her. Judging by the numerous monsters that continued to appear out of nowhere, Betsy seemed to agree.

She saw Deadpool motioning while he spoke, but, due to all the commotion, she couldn't hear what exactly he was saying. It was probably better that way...

Still holding Pirate Indigo's body over one shoulder, Betsy leaped out of the way of the monsters' energy blasts and headed for the door.

She dodged out of the way of the ray gun and made her way down the corridor...or what was left of it.

TAG: Manhunter Base people...

 

IC: Sophy Vizzini, aka Pirate Indigo
In the mental cobwebs of a beast, ???

It worked! The body was her?s! Then, well then the strange contraption shot again, and again, and again, and for grins and giggles one more time. Worse was it was like she was wearing a sign saying ?shoot me?. Allies and Monsters alike tried taking chunks out of her, and frankly once your over eighty the ability to deal with ankle biters goes down hill and largely elicits grunts of pain. Yes grunts, what where you expecting a rendition of Sinatra from this thing!?

When the three new monsters blasted her out of the base she barely had time to say, ?This can?t be good for my spider veins.? Or at least that was her intention before splashing down into the water of an ocean. Well even if the robots were lacking in décor at least they knew the fundamentals of ?location, location, location?.

As the water enveloped her she decided it was time to see what this body could do. Aiming from whence she came, or rather was sent down here from, she opened this behemoths mouth and clawed hands and tried to find whatever instinct this thing had to fire. Hey the others had fired on her and packed a wallop, it was only fair she try to return the favor. That and self preservation, it was a kicker. Occasionally a bit of a scrapper.

TAG: Ktala, Peng, Dubya, Livi, Ramza

 

Mary Amuro
Another room, Manhunter base, oh YUCK!

Mary Amuro maneuvered her way past the ray gun?s beams, which was no easy task, especially when the thing decided to go crazy, and went into rapid fire mode! She was happy that her street living kept her dexterous, as she dodged the blasts, and finally made it to the room in the back.

And once she got back there, she was almost sorry she did make it. 'OH GROSS!' her mind sang, as she looked around the room.

That funky red glow was coming from the center of the room. There, hooked up to countless wires, was suspended a being that looked like it had been, at one time, a man. But now it was a hideous mass of pulsating flesh, its head, bespectacled, the only human feature left. The red glow came from its interior, the result of some kind of horrific energy housed within the grotesque form.

Now normally, Mary was not the squeamish type. Heck, she had seen some tough stuff. But this room, was kinda like a crazy cross between alien autopsy, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and a few other crazy horror movies..except this was in living color, and in front of her face. The lights revealed the chambers contents ? jars, beakers, organs on operating tables that could only be described as utterly alien in origin, assorted bits of giant monsters.

Mary ducked down, as the building shook. Hard. What was those superheroes guys DOING back there?! Of course, she could hear explosions and such, but the way the building shook was wild... But her thoughts on the subject, were whispered away, when she looked up after steadying herself.

'OH...MY....!!!!!! We are soooo screwed!' Her thoughts screamed at her, as her eyes went wide.

For inside the walls, in rows that stacked as far up and down as the light extended, were dozens upon dozens of inactive Manhunter robots. Those crazy killer machines. More than she could count. She almost wished now she was like the girl who could make things blow up. But she doubted even she could get rid of all of these things. She hoped they would not suddenly activate. Explains were the others came from.

Another immense rumbling ? and suddenly, Mary was aware that the 'person' hanging in the room seemed to sense the noise as well. And to her horror, it spoke.

"You? who are? you??" it asked.

That things actually SENSED her?!?! It had to, as no one else was in the room at the moment. But Mary didnt know how much longer that would last. And if the others came in here....

That might, or might NOT be a good thing. Mary angled herself a bit closer, towards whatever piece of machinery she could get to that was not TOO close to the guy hanging in the room, but to parts of the machines that seemed to keep him living. A tube or one of the many wires coming from him. Mary decided that now was a good time to try some of youthful charm. She kept her voice soft, and child like, as she replied, trying her best to sound as young as she could..

"Ahh...Im.. Im lost. I lost my birdie...I found him, but dont know where I am...." she answered almost in a whisper. If mister gross started acting all bad, she had an idea what she would try next, just in case. She was more worried about the others, at the moment.

She could hear noise coming up the corridor. She hoped it was someone with a brain... as she glanced at the doorway.


TAG: Livi, Dubya, Mitth, Peng, Ramza, anyone else playing with Manhunters....

 

Tabby Smith
Manhunter Base

Well, it looked like it was time to go. Tabby couldn't say that she was sorry: the place seemed to be collapsing around them and the dinosaur robots only seemed to be multiplying. Plus it was super hard to hear what everybody was saying over all the explosions and she hadn't called anybody in, like, an hour.

Dodging the latest blast in her direction, Tabby made her way across the room and down the corridor, following Deadpool and Betsy (still lugging the unconscious old lady over her shoulder) down to whatever was at the end.

"Hey, you guys got any idea where we might be?" she asked, flicking a hand to send some explosions towards the robots to cover their escape.

[TAG all]

 

Aquaman
Indian Ocean


?Fool! I do not fear you in any arena. I have bested foes that were twice your equal in conditions half so advantageous. And I still have this??

The screams and moans of the dying pirates was insignificant to Thomas as he watched the Captain pull from behind his back a harpoon that, once opened to full extent, was almost six feet in length.

?I won this treasure in single combat with a man who claimed to be from Atlantis. Regardless, I think you will agree that its properties are most? interesting.?

Then the Captain leaped. He automatically assumed that the harpoon would bludgeon Thomas and that would be the end of that. Dunking his head under the water, Thomas let Aquaman take control.

And he sped away, avoiding the mutant Captain as he listened. The man splashed in the water where he had just been. Aquaman turned around and faced the Captain, with his massive harpoon. He rose out of the water, aimed his gun, and fired several times before ducking back down.

Things had gone from bad to worse, and he knew if he didn?t leave now, he might not ever.


TAG: ramza

 

Kal-El
Fortress of Solitude


The dreaful machine was adjusted ready and probably in it´s own way of cold calculation hungry to add another soul to the zone. Kal-El had used it rarely before, but the room was once so familiar.

Zod.

here he had thrown him back and any other criminal version of himself or any other Kryptonian he could get hold of. That had been before he had begin to believe in himself and stopped belieiving the lies about himself. It had been . . . been . . . before Louis died.

Zod.


He should not have returned. Kal-El had a good storage for any kryptonite piece ever found on earth, locked away - especially from him - and he had thrown his enemy in there until nothing, less than any human remained. Then he had picked him apart. Literally. It had been different. It had been the first step to leaving earth, he knew now. For he had enjoyed it. He had never been Superman and certainly not clark Kent, but he would not allow humanity to turn him into one of them, either.

Zod had been a lesson to be learned.

Brainiac, Phantom zone, it was almost like the good old days, was it? It all came together, allowing the illusion there was deeper meaning behind it. Destiny he would have called it back then. Hell, he also called him Clark at some point, right? He called a human Mom and Dad. He called Earth once even . . . home.

Activating the machine he checked his suit a last time. His powers would be preserved until the very last moment. Until then, he had the suit.

As the portal hissed into existence in front of him, he powered up his iron shell and stepped through.

Tag: Ramza

 

Psylocke
Manhunter Base

As Psylocke entered the chamber, she skidded to a halt. She saw the young girl Mary talking to some...grotesque creature. It looked like it may have once been human.

"What in the name of-" she was cut off when she realized there were dozens upon dozens of Manhunters housed within the walls. There could have been a small army of them here. With these killer robots and giant Godzilla-like monsters, she wondered what was in store for the planet next...

In the past, Psylocke and her fellow X-Men had fought off Norman Osborn's goons, Skrull invasions, Apocalypse, Fin Fang Foom, and Galactus. What the hell was going to happen now?

"I've got a bad feeling about this..."

TAG: Manhunter people...

 

Mary Amuro
Icky room, Manhunter base

Mary heard the noise coming up the hallway. She gave a sideways glance, eyes wide as she put her finger up to her mouth.

A woman entered the chamber, and skidded to a halt. "What in the name of-" The woman stated, when Mary pointed to the walls.

Mary was doing her best, not to suddenly just disappear. She hoped that she would be able to confuse it long enough to find another way out. She scanned the room, looking for any other exits. She also hoped that sneaky gun would not fire into this room. She didnt think so. Too much wiring and stuff here. But still, with all the robots around, it didnt HAVE TO.

"I've got a bad feeling about this..."

Mary nodded like mad, not wanting to talk. If this woman was here, the others should be following soon. Mary kept watch on .. the guy. He had not responded so far, and she hoped that maybe... just maybe, he had gone back to sleep. Or whatever it was he was doing. If not...

Mary made a face. This was soooo GROSS! But right now, she simply wanted out of here. She pulled open her bag slightly. Just in case Pauly had to make an escape. Where could he have come from? He had come with the other big guy... Had to come from someplace. And since Pauly only flew or was carried, and she doubted the big guy carried him. Hmmm.

Mary stayed still, waiting to see if there was any other reactions to someone else entereing the room, before she began to move on.


TAG: Manhunter people...

 

OOGM: 24 hour-ish warning (It'll depend on my homework load come Sunday evening). Obviously everyone's got at least one post up, but if you want more, there's your time frame-ish.

 

Iron Bat

Upper West Side, Gotham City

They took several moments to realise he was telling the truth, but once they figured it out, the older ones numbly corralled the younger ones and they began to move after him. Closer to him, he saw their injuries in many cases -- including dried blood on their undergarments -- were more extensive than he'd first thought.
Again, he pushed the anger down, instead moving back to the boy, Lot One, and moving to pick him up again--
"I can walk," the kid coughed, and tried to prove it. Failed, at least partially; he got halfway to his feet before just about falling over again.
"Lean on me." He extended an armoured gauntlet, and the boy took it. He would have carried the kid, but this was potentially the most dangerous part and he needed at least one hand free to deal with any other threats.
"You're real?" the kid coughed, and he stopped. The boy was looking at him, with eyes that were uncomfortably piercing even with all the bruises over them.
"We need to go," he responded, and this time the kid did so.

The smoke was thickening, and the suit's sensors registered the ambient temperature rising by several degrees as he marshalled the children up, out of the darkness, into a small passageway. The suit's sensors kept pinging, but again, nothing registered -- bar one source on the second floor, above them, which wasn't making any moves, yet.
"Tony," he murmured into the suit's pickups. They were designed for whispers.
"Yeah." All trace of cockiness was gone from his brother's voice. Most probably it had been the nightmarish view the suit's light had shown moments before that had removed it. "You want patching through to the Commissioner's phone?"
"No. SMS will do. Get JARVIS to start running facial matches from the suit's recordings with GCPD's Missing Persons' database. Also run through Interpol; some of these children don't look like they understand English. Have him interpolate for changed hair colour and age differences, too."
"How long exactly do you think they've been--" Silence on the line for a second. "Aw, Christ. All right. On it. Listen, JARVIS also got some vis-rec on some of the licence plates that--"
"Later. There's something I want to follow up."
"...okay." A sound of tapping keys. "First five-ohs rollin' up the block now, Bruce. Third precinct, must've been called in on the explosions and all."
"Get the SMS off and away, then, so they know where to look and what to find. And Tony -- hack their communications and listen for anything out of the ordinary in the police comm matrix."
"...you've got to be kidding me."
"No." He raised his free hand, and smashed the back door of the place clean off its hinges, to reveal the white van still at the back door, now abandoned. "The D.A. said his people can't touch them. Gordon's to be trusted, so that means they both think there's cops in on the Auctions."
"Jesus Christ." Tony sighed into the pickup, which just about rattled Bruce's ears. "So what're you gonna do?"
"I'm taking a joy flight." He opened the van's doors, ushered the children in. Outside, their faces glimmered in the streetlights. Some even held a little hope. He glanced around -- it looked as though the kid, Lot One, was the oldest. Turned to him. "Lock the van doors. Police are coming. They'll open it up. You'll be safe."
"Wait," said the kid, and even some of the other children turned to him. "I gotta know. Please. Some of us, we heard about you. You him? The--*kaff*--Iron Bat?"
He took a long look at them. Nodded.

No cheering heralded him as he lifted on repulsors into the night air. Only the looks on their faces. That, and a murmured "thanks" from the kid that the suit's receptors picked up.

He turned in the air, consulting the suit's readouts. Pinpointed the target.
Burned a one second boost that smashed him clean through the second storey wall of

 

Manhunter Base, Unknown Island
???, 6:36 PM

Pirate Indigo?s efforts were rewarded as a blast of blue energy fired from the possessed monster?s mouth, slamming into the tentacled beast and tearing its form to shreds. The other two monsters responded in kind, and forks of orange lightning commingled with atomic breath as they tore into her/its carapace, causing severe damage. She wasn?t sure how many more hits like that she could take, and, seeing as Grundy and the Super Skrull were still preoccupied with the various Manhunters that were still swarming, it wasn?t likely that she was going to be getting backup any time soon.

Tabby Smith?s blasts had managed to stall the fourth monster to a sufficient degree to allow her, Psylocke, Deadpool, and Pirate Indigo?s currently unoccupied body to make it to the room where Mary Amuro was.

?Bird? I do not know about? a bird?? groaned an immense pile of flesh at the center of the room. It had probably been a man? once. ?Should not be here? too dangerous. Planning to? planning to launch fullscale attack.? He groaned again, more pained this time. His eyes glows an unearthly blue. ?ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL. ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL.?

It wasn?t his old voice.

?Impressively done, if I may say so myself. The odds of even an omega level mutant surviving a full-scale Manhunter swarm of that size are? well, not nil, but it?s a particularly small number. I don?t suppose any of you have considered careers in international terrorism? Hmm? Oh, yes, sorry, ?terrorism? is a bit gauche these days, I suppose I shouldn?t? ah. But where are my manners??

The Manhunters on the walls suddenly glowed to life and encircled our heroes, hands extended, glowing, prepared to fire? but not advancing.

?I trust you?re finding the accommodations on my island adequate? It?s a pleasure to make your acquaintances, Wade, Betsy, Tabitha, and Mary.?

The mass of pulsating flesh gurgled, stretched, and contorted, until at last it assumed an entirely new form. One that was particularly well known for being at the absolute top of every organization?s most wanted list.

[image=http://i.annihil.us/u/prod/marvel//universe3zx/images/thumb/4/42/Sinister.png/406px-Sinister.png]

?My name is Nathaniel E. Sivana. Though I understand the media prefers to refer to me as Dr. Sinister.?

TAG: Manhunter Base Group

---

[link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-C9BTn8Chc&t=1m][i][b]Somewhere in the Indian Ocean[/b][/i][/link]
[i]July 11, 5:41 PM[/i]

While he was, in a sense, bullet proof, the impact of the shells on Captain Majestic?s body was more of a distraction than it was for [b]Aquaman[/b], and it caused him to halt his assault for a few seconds. Still, it was only a few. The Captain laughed. ?I see this will be quite sporting. All the more fun for me; before I gut you like the fishman you are!?

Tossing his spear like a javelin straight at the man in orange, the pirate dove at high speed down to a rocky underwater edifice and rebounded upwards using his powerful legs. He used this momentum to propel himself up, out of the water, whereupon he grabbed his spear and used its forward motion to propel himself, feet first, straight into Aquaman?s face. The collision was clean, and the aquatic hero was sent spiraling backwards a good ten feet, blood dripping from his nose.

?And now for the best part. IMPERIUS -?

The spear?s tip glowed a brilliant veridian hue.

?[b][i]REX![/i][/b]? And the harpoon shot forward, propelled like a missile.

And just like any good missile, it had homing capabilities.

[b]TAG: Coder[/b]

[hr]
[link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhIvDm0JlOM][i][b]Upper West Side, Gotham City, New Jersey[/b][/i][/link]
[i]July 13, 11:18 PM[/i]

Toohey was in n

 

Mary Amuro
Manhunter Base, Unknown Island?, ????

Mary Amuro was shocked when the man actually replied to her comments.

?Bird? I do not know about? a bird?? groaned the immense pile of flesh at the center of the room. ?Should not be here? too dangerous. Planning to? planning to launch fullscale attack.? He groaned again, more pained this time. Mary felt sorry for him. Who would keep him like this? It seemed cruel. But the hair crawled up her neck when he mentioned an attack? WHO? Who was attacking who? Before she could ask him, his eyes glows an unearthly blue. "ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL. ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL."

It wasn?t his old voice. It was someone else's.

?Impressively done, if I may say so myself. The odds of even an omega level mutant surviving a full-scale Manhunter swarm of that size are? well, not nil, but it?s a particularly small number. I don?t suppose any of you have considered careers in international terrorism? Hmm? Oh, yes, sorry, ?terrorism? is a bit gauche these days, I suppose I shouldn?t? ah. But where are my manners??

The Manhunters on the walls suddenly glowed to life and began to encircle the group, hands extended, glowing, prepared to fire? but not advancing. Mary ducked into the wiring more as she crouched down, watching the machines. They woudlnt fire in here, would they? All this machinery. And that guy.

?I trust you?re finding the accommodations on my island adequate? It?s a pleasure to make your acquaintances, Wade, Betsy, Tabitha, and Mary.?

Mary nearly shrieked. How on earth did it know her name?!?! She had barely spoken since she had arrived here. Was it a mutant was well? And did it mention an island??!!! Mary was not liking this one bit! So, who was in control here? This guy? Or the other one? Mary was no longer sure.

She looked up, and suddenly she felt that she was going to be sick. The mass of pulsating flesh gurgled, stretched, and contorted, until at last it assumed an entirely new form. Mary had no clue to the guy. None.

"My name is Nathaniel E. Sivana. Though I understand the media prefers to refer to me as Dr. Sinister."

Mary looked to the others, trying to gauge the reactions on their faces, to try and find out just how bad this situation was. Might be time to opt for plan B.

She HATED plan B.

TAG: Manhunter Base Group

 

Tabby Smith
Manhunter Base

"Groooooooooss."

Tabby suppressed a gag as the pile of flesh in front of her reformed. This was getting weird even by her standards.

"My name is Nathaniel E. Sivana. Though I understand the media prefers to refer to me as Dr. Sinister."

"Oh, ****."

Exactly how Tabby managed to vocalise a line of stars is a mystery, but the sentiment was nevertheless quite appropriate. She'd heard of Dr. Sinister. He was that weird guy who was one the news that one time, and she was pretty sure she'd had a briefing on him or something along those lines back in the X-Force days.

Anyway, general consensus was that he was bad news, and the robots currently surrounding them confirmed that suspicion.

Tabby raised her hands.

"Anybody got a plan?" she hissed. "I could make 'em go boom."

[TAG All]

 

Deadpool
Manhunter Base

"Nice bling, yo."

For once, there was no internal monologue to snap back a zinger or ironic comment.

"Heh.."

Alpha Coordinates. At present you have

Wade shook his head. This was getting weird, even by his standards. He figured he should tell someone, tell Betsy-

Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock, alias Psylocke. Mutant: psychic, with

He shook his head again.

Then Mister Sinister was there, actually there, in front of him, and the others saw it too, so he knew he was still not wholly insane. Of course, he wasn't wholly safe either. Sinister knew their names. That was disturbing. Mary froze. The old lady continued to...be an old lady, and the explosions gal seemed ready for another fight.

"Samantha-"

Tabitha King, alias Time Bomb, Boom-Boom, Boomer, Meltdown, Firecracker, Mutate #35. Mutant: exhibits ability to generate explosions with

"Er, Tabby, sorry, um...let me...uh...think?"

He waited for a second.

Nathaniel E. Sivana, alias Mr. Sinister. Unknown classification, extent of abilities unknown

"Aw crap, yeah, I got nothing."

Tag: All

---

[b]Erik Lensherr[/b]
[i]London[/i]

He heard the explosion, felt it - [i]No,[/i] - felt himself lift off the ground and race towards the site - Parliament. The robot that had been Doom didn't matter anymore, all that mattered was damage control, help, saving people.

[i]That fool! That complete and utter fool![/i]

He soared over the Thames.

Towards the north end of the Palace of Westminster was an inferno.

Erik landed nearby - first response would be here soon, surely. Were there other bombs? Were they bombs at all? He considered emitting an EMP, but realized that Doom may have shielded any other explosives against his abilities. [i]How had he done that?[/i]

People ran about in panic, some stood and watched.

For the first time in a long time, he thought hard about something, about someone.

[i]Damn it, Charles. Please tell me you're still out there. [/i]

[b]Tag: Ramza[/b]