Epic Crossover IC - Metropolis Freeplay

[Michale CS]

Metropolis. The city most held up to symbolize the American dream. Liberty and Independence, Delaware's motto. Held tightly to by Metropolisians (or Metropolites, the terms are in about equal use).
A city shaped by its savior, Superman. A symbol of how one man can accomplish anything, and do the right thing, despite the outside pressures of the world and opposition.
Not that Metropolis doesn't have its dark side, it's ugly side. Many of its villains sit in glass skyscrapers, enacting their evils from inside of board rooms and on conference calls
There's a dark side to Metropolis. It just gets a new coat of paint and some shiny chrome to hide it.

Welcome to Metropolis.

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​

 

[LuckycoolHawk9]

James had somehow gotten a ticket to Metropolis. It may have been the fact that he had stolen enough money for busfare or it might have been the fact he had picked a late time and nobody had checked his ticket. He had arrived there, some stolen money in hand. The people in Metropolis seemed to be incredibly gullible and he rented a hotel room for the time being. He needed a break from entertaining New Yorkers. " I hope that everything goes well," he muttered, before going to wonder the streets of Metropolis.

@Michale CS @ Others

 

[Gands]

A non descript building project on the edge of downtown attracted very little attention normally.

Subcontractors from Stark corp and Wayne corp were very busy with the final touches. In the underground, out of sight of the bustling crowds of sparkly clean Metropolis, even more finishing touches on a tunnel to the warehouse district.

There at a previously deserted warehouse, where the construction project had been far more secret was nearly done. Inside that warehouse....

Does Hercules even know you are transferring him and all he owns here Coulson ?

No, Dir... Nick, but I believe He'll be fully on board when he sees the facilities.

Good, I've been very impressed by Golden Girl's reports on his efforts in Los Angeles.
Is it just me Coulson, but why is it I don't fully trust the Boyscout ?

It's a too good to be true kind of thing Sir.

Stark has overseen the tech here, personally ?

Yes Sir, it appears Herakles is a close personal friend and as you know, still listed as a Reserve avenger.

Fury nodded. Yeah, I know. You know, Stark and I don't always see eye to eye.... but... he is good with Tech.

@Michale CS @Ringmaster

 

[Michale CS]

James had somehow gotten a ticket to Metropolis. It may have been the fact that he had stolen enough money for busfare or it might have been the fact he had picked a late time and nobody had checked his ticket. He had arrived there, some stolen money in hand. The people in Metropolis seemed to be incredibly gullible and he rented a hotel room for the time being. He needed a break from entertaining New Yorkers. " I hope that everything goes well," he muttered, before going to wonder the streets of Metropolis.

@Michale CS @ Others

It was the same guy. Harper wasn't sure why she was following some small-time criminal, but too many strange things happened around this man to believe he was entirely normal.

And he was in her city.

Of course she knew better than to provoke someone with... abilities, but it didn't mean she was going to let him alone entirely either. "You look a little lost." she opened up with. Not the best line, but it might get him talking.

Words are funny. No matter how you position them, if you've got a secret on your mind, that secret wants to come out in your heart of hearts, so it gives things away, even in the denial. It's also why Bullock hated playing cards with her. She'd learned to give false tells while reading his. Come to think of it, Bullock still owed her money from the last time they played. Not that he wasn't good for it.

Officer Harper of the Science Police, granddaughter of the original Guardian, put on her best smile and concerned face for the potentially dangerous man.

@LuckycoolHawk9

 

[LuckycoolHawk9]

It was the same guy. Harper wasn't sure why she was following some small-time criminal, but too many strange things happened around this man to believe he was entirely normal.

And he was in her city.

Of course she knew better than to provoke someone with... abilities, but it didn't mean she was going to let him alone entirely either. "You look a little lost." she opened up with. Not the best line, but it might get him talking.

Words are funny. No matter how you position them, if you've got a secret on your mind, that secret wants to come out in your heart of hearts, so it gives things away, even in the denial. It's also why Bullock hated playing cards with her. She'd learned to give false tells while reading his. Come to think of it, Bullock still owed her money from the last time they played. Not that he wasn't good for it.

Officer Harper of the Science Police, granddaughter of the original Guardian, put on her best smile and concerned face for the potentially dangerous man.

James wasn't about to pretend that he was normal, but nobody needed to know that he had unique powers. He did whatever he needed to do to survive. Being an orphan had taught him that everything was fair game.

He was a long way from home and he knew it was dangerous.

James stopped when a woman spoke up to him. He noticed that she had mentioned that he looked lost. " Being lost isn't necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes the best things happen when you are lost," he said to her, not revealing much at all.

He wondered what she wanted. Paranoia was something that was all too common for James. He was always paranoid that someone would steal from him, someone would take him. At the end of the day, he was still a mostly defenseless man. He wondered what she wanted. It seemed that she wanted something out of him and he wasn't about to let her down and he decided that talking was his best bet.

" However, if you are asking what I am doing here, I am just taking a visit to Metropolis," he said to her. He hadn't done anything illegal or questionable yet anyway.

@Michale CS

 

[Michale CS]

" However, if you are asking what I am doing here, I am just taking a visit to Metropolis," he said to her. He hadn't done anything illegal or questionable yet anyway.

"No. I wasn't asking that, but thanks for offering the information." The defensiveness right away. Innocent people didn't usually respond to a good Samaritan offering help, which is how she couched her statement. "If you'd like not to be lost? I can help. However, hey, I understand the therapeutic value in a good walkabout if you're fine as you are."

She gave him a quick salute and moved past him bringing up her phone to take a peek at it for a moment, giving him a chance to react before she did anything else.

@LuckycoolHawk9

 

[LuckycoolHawk9]

"No. I wasn't asking that, but thanks for offering the information." The defensiveness right away. Innocent people didn't usually respond to a good Samaritan offering help, which is how she couched her statement. "If you'd like not to be lost? I can help. However, hey, I understand the therapeutic value in a good walkabout if you're fine as you are."

She gave him a quick salute and moved past him bringing up her phone to take a peek at it for a moment, giving him a chance to react before she did anything else

James paused as he wondered if he really needed to defend himself, she hadn't accuse him of anything yet. He was so used to people questioning him that he reacted that why. He looked at her and wondered if he wanted to not be lost. Being lost gave him an excuse to steal things, a good walkabout was a good thing for thieves and he was a thief.

" Well, some directions would be nice. A map of the city or maybe the most popular places would work," he said. He worked at stealing in crowded places, harder for things to be noticed to be missing.

@Michale CS

 

[Michale CS]

" Well, some directions would be nice. A map of the city or maybe the most popular places would work," he said. He worked at stealing in crowded places, harder for things to be noticed to be missing.

"This street here, down at the light? That's Main street. Runs clear through the middle of town. Everything sort of spirals out as a hub from there. Plenty of hotels there if you're visiting, plenty of restaurants if you're hungry." She pointed down toward the light just south of them half a block.

"About three blocks east of that intersection is the Plaza square. You won't miss it. It has a big statue of Superman in the middle of it. Anything else I can do for you?"

@LuckycoolHawk9

 

[LuckycoolHawk9]

"This street here, down at the light? That's Main street. Runs clear through the middle of town. Everything sort of spirals out as a hub from there. Plenty of hotels there if you're visiting, plenty of restaurants if you're hungry." She pointed down toward the light just south of them half a block.

"About three blocks east of that intersection is the Plaza square. You won't miss it. It has a big statue of Superman in the middle of it. Anything else I can do for you?"

James looked at her and then looked down the street. Main street, it ran right through the middle of town. That would be busy in the day, good to note. " I got a hotel room already, but thanks for the advice," he said, as he wasn't going to address the restaurant part. He wasn't that hungry.

" No, that should do," he said, as he was fine with exploring the place all by himself. He wasn't going to introduce himself, she hadn't ask who he was and that was good.

@Michale CS

 

[Michale CS]

James looked at her and then looked down the street. Main street, it ran right through the middle of town. That would be busy in the day, good to note. " I got a hotel room already, but thanks for the advice," he said, as he wasn't going to address the restaurant part. He wasn't that hungry.

" No, that should do," he said, as he was fine with exploring the place all by himself. He wasn't going to introduce himself, she hadn't ask who he was and that was good.

@Michale CS

"Well I've been rude." She stuck out her hand. "I'm Jamie Harper. And you are?"

@LuckycoolHawk9

 

[LuckycoolHawk9]

"Well I've been rude." She stuck out her hand. "I'm Jamie Harper. And you are?"

James hide a groan as he looked at her. " James," he said, giving only his first name. His last name was more of a formality from his past.

@Michale CS

 

[C.T.]

What I've realized about myself is pretty simple. It's not that I'm a violent person. It's just that some things really, really need punching. And I am very good at punching things.

This thought hit her just as a thrown car did. Case in point. The Wrecking Crew, everyone's favorite punching bags. The original group, sans one. The new Bulldozer wouldn't shut up about it, how she's the original one's daughter. A young one with something to prove. The irony was not lost on Carol Danvers, given her own history. Still, she was on the wrong side of this. And they all definitely picked a bad day to try and rob a bank. Unfortunate for them, not so much for me.

Shoving the car off, Captain Marvel stood up with a defiant grin. "C'mon fellas. I think we all know how this is going to go." Calusky wasn't having any of it though, charging in to throw a wild haymaker...which she just stood and took without budging. "Thanks." She commented, absorbing the kinetic energy off that blow and letting it fuel her own as she delivered a fierce uppercut to his jaw, throwing him straight up into the air without hitting any buildings. Then she sped forward, doing the same to the other three.

Shooting over into the sky, she caught the four of them unconscious as they began to descend again. "Just curious...you guys wouldn't happen to know where the nearest supermax is, would you? Seem like the type to know." Carol deadpanned.​

 

[Sir Kaltao]

HELLRUNNER
​

The next morning, Joe awoke once again to the phone ringing. He rubbed the sleep muck from his eyes before answering the call. "Good morning, Mr. Red."

"No. Not a good morning. I won't bore you with the technical of how, but I found out my source in Gotham. The one who gave us the leads."

"Considering what happened, I'm guessing…. ex-wife?" Joe yawned.

"Hell no. It was the goddamn Joker. He fed me leads through a dummy account to get you there, wasting our time to cause chaos for his plans. But somehow, there's something worse than that. Joker was able to bypass my system with a dummy account because it's been compromised by some outside source. A virus like I've never seen. I had to scrap the whole network, so now we're blind."

Joe whistled. "Then this just keeps getting better." He stood and started dressing while keeping the phone to his ear. "What's my move? Stick around here, busting skulls until you get something better going?"

"No. You're headed to Metropolis, the last source I was able to find of the virus. You'll have to do some good old-fashioned detective work." Mr. Red said not even trying to hide his frustration. "I got you a bus leaving this afternoon from the Greyhound station."

"Alright then. I'll pick up some Sherlock to brush up my sleuthing skills." Joe hung up the phone and finished dressing. He dialed Rayleen's number and left another voice mail.

"Hey Rayleen. Sorry to say work has me leaving town sooner than I thought, so I won't be joining your lovely staff. Don't know if and when I'll be back in Gotham, so good luck in all your endeavors."

That afternoon Joe caught the bus with nothing but a new set of clothes complete with a fresh leather jacket, and a duffle bag. He left Gotham behind, and ruminated on the developments of only a day. Red had been played, and by proxy so had he, and that didn't sit well with him. He put his trust in Mr. Red because he'd brought him back, and given him a purpose he really believed in. Perverse as it may be, he did get a good measure of satisfaction from burning bad guys.

But to know he'd done so to help Joker really soured it. He wished Mr. Red would have sent him after Joker, given that clown a good roasting in front of a live audience. Instead he was here in shiny Metropolis, looking for the one who had broken their system and allowed them to be used.

@Michale CS

 

[Michale CS]

But to know he'd done so to help Joker really soured it. He wished Mr. Red would have sent him after Joker, given that clown a good roasting in front of a live audience. Instead he was here in shiny Metropolis, looking for the one who had broken their system and allowed them to be used.

Joe was on his way to the hotel that Mr. Red had gotten set up for him - that much he could still do. As he wandered by an electronics store, all the TVs changed channels to a clip of Pinocchio.

Odd, but yeah, that was just a channel change.

Until it happened three more times, every time he passed a TV or Radio.

Then, as he was nearing his hotel, a text message appeared on his phone, from 858-766. Not even a real number?

Funny puppet. What will you do when I cut your strings?

@Sir Kaltao

 

[Michale CS]

James hide a groan as he looked at her. " James," he said, giving only his first name. His last name was more of a formality from his past.

@Michale CS

"Good to meet you James." She just shrugged and moved on. "Have a great time in Metropolis..."

She had no reason to detain him, and just moved on down the street.

@LuckycoolHawk9

 

[Sir Kaltao]

Funny puppet. What will you do when I cut your strings?

Joe didn't catch the channel change the first time. He only caught it the second when he came by another electronics store with a large plasma he really wanted. When it changed to the creepy Pinocchio image and accompanying song, he paused and looked around the street to be sure others were seeing this. They were, and while it also gave them pause they just kept walking. Joe decided it was best he do as well.

"Just a kid's prank." He said to himself to dismiss it and kept walking. Then he got the text. The phone he had just gotten and nobody should have the number for. Stranger still he sent a reply just telling whoever it was to back off, but he kept getting a message that it wouldn't deliver.

"Cut....my strings?" Joe quickly ducked into an alley and called Mr. Red. "Red? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine kid. Running on no, sleep but otherwise fine. Are you at the hotel?" He asked.

Joe gave a relieved sigh. "No but...something weird is going on. I walk by a TV and this creepy music starts playing through it, then I get a text about 'cutting my strings'."

"Has to be the hacker I sent you to track down." Mr. Red groaned. "Don't worry about me. You know they'd have to send a heavy hitter after me even if they figured out where I am. Get to the hotel, drop your things, and start your investigation."

"Alright. Just stay safe." Joe hung up and went onward to the hotel. After checking in, a shower and change of clothes, he was back out and headed to the first lead sent by Mr. Red via text; a hacker Red had given to the police before Joe came into the picture. He'd served time for what little they were actually able to convict him of, but now owed Red for the rest that would have put him away until he was in his twilight years.

@Michale CS

 

[Michale CS]

Red really knew how to pick them. The hacker who purportedly "owed" him had of course been monitoring Red's network and once the breach happened, how easy would it be to piggyback on a piggyback and leave a trail of nothing behind? So was the status of one Noah Kuttler, the father of Felicity Smoak, known as "The Calculator" in his online presence.

Still, Noah was frankly dazzled and pleased even, at this other hacker who had managed something he had never done - hack Mr. Red. But, of course none of this was known to Joe, and here he was walking into Cuttler's 'office' a tiny cell phone and laptop repair shop, where he was doing some mundane screen repair on an iPad - probably knocked off of a table at a Starbucks. His clientele were busy business types and college attendees, due to his location near the Metropolis Midtown College near the heart of the business district in Metropolis.

He looked up and smiled at Joe, and seemed to recognize him, though his words didn't match. "Good afternoon, sir. How is it I can help you today?"

@Sir Kaltao

[[ OF OOC Interest to @LuckycoolHawk9 ]]

 

[Sir Kaltao]

"Good afternoon, sir. How is it I can help you today?"

"I'm here to call in a favor from my....I guess you'd say employer. Mr. Red ring a bell?" Joe took out his phone and brought up the text message. "See someone broke into our system, which allowed another jackwagon to send me on the wrong kind of mission. Now I get here, and not only are TVs playing creepy puppet music at me, but I got that text." He stood and shrugged. "Mr. Red says you help us out, and only if this super-hacker goes down, all traces you're more than a humble repairman disappear."

"We got a deal Greyhair?"

@ Michale CS

 

[Michale CS]

"I'm here to call in a favor from my....I guess you'd say employer. Mr. Red ring a bell?" Joe took out his phone and brought up the text message. "See someone broke into our system, which allowed another jackwagon to send me on the wrong kind of mission. Now I get here, and not only are TVs playing creepy puppet music at me, but I got that text." He stood and shrugged. "Mr. Red says you help us out, and only if this super-hacker goes down, all traces you're more than a humble repairman disappear."

"We got a deal Greyhair?"

@ Michale CS

"You see, that's what's wrong with you millennials. Think you've got the whole world figured out, and it's all waiting for you on a silver platter." He shook his head. "I am not only a hacker... I'm the hacker. One of the absolute best. And when Red's armor finally was cracked by someone admittedly, somehow better than me, I had to tip my hat to them. Of course, there was no way I wasn't going to capitalize on that chink in the armor. Mister Red will find that he now has absolutely nothing on me. But, I'm a fair man."

The man often known as The Calculator smiled and leaned forward against the counter. "I have a vested interest in finding this person who was able to do what I was never able to do. Because I do, and I lack any physical means by which to follow up this tracking down with anything other than harsh words, I'm going to do this for you. You didn't... make any calls on the phone after you got that text did you? I can see by your face that you did. You better hope that Red has changed his GPS position a good bit since that call because you, my friend, were that hacker's bloodhound, and dutifully pointed that hacker directly at your employer..."

He reached under his counter and brought out a rather ugly looking old Blackberry. "This runs on a prepaid network, and is not equipped, like the modern phones, with a GPS. It's illegal to make them like that now, but the old models are grandfathered in. It makes calls... reasonably well, and as you see has a full physical keyboard. I hope you have Red's number memorized because you're going to turn off the phone you have now remove its battery, and recycle or destroy the device, but not yet. I really don't want the last place that phone was traceable to be in my shop, or else you might not have my help long, if your hacker comes after me."

@Sir Kaltao

 

[LuckycoolHawk9]

"Good to meet you James." She just shrugged and moved on. "Have a great time in Metropolis..."

She had no reason to detain him, and just moved on down the street.

James was quiet as he looked down and noticed that his phone had rang. He ignored it. He had this feeling she was following him.

He headed back to his hotel, grazing a blond along the way and ' borrowing' whatever was in her pocket.

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Felicity had come to Metropolis after someone had sent her a flash drive with evidence that her father might be here. She was determined to find him and prove him. She barely noticed the guy who grazed her and had stolen the flash drive. She paused, feeling her pockets and noticing it was gone. The man who had bumped into her was gone.

@Michale CS