Luer pouted to himself. He agreed to help, in part because the last time he recalled a prison like this, he was with a couple of others he actually did not mind being around. A wishful, unrealistic part of him wondered if they might be among their charges today… that and, he hoped to find a way to get rid of this damn curse. He would rather be dead than an undead. It was unnatural and the very thought made him hate himself even more than he did before. He would off himself now if he could but apparently that was not an option. Fuck being undead, there is no escape from this hell.
So here he was, absolutely hating his very existence while trying to salvage someone else's, but he was doing so under the command of the most annoying lunatic he never thought he would meet. Thankfully, said lunatic gave him the chance to pose his very first thought and question. "I do have a few questions, actually." He started, mostly because someone else spoke up and suggested they get moving. "The most burning one that must be answered right now though… Why and who the hell made you the leader? Because I am not going to orders from someone as careless and psychotic as you." He asked. Someone had to say it.
Now then. "And also…" Onto the next issue at hand, which had him looking around at the group- pausing on the one that was eager to get going. "I literally have no idea who any of you are… excluding the psycho, the child and the lady here-" He gestured to Ranma and Brigid. "-everyone are strangers to me. Now I do not know about anyone else here, but last I checked a decent team should at least be aware of everyone else's names."
Brigid Mahoney
The General lets Deadpool pretend to be in charge while she finds a good nearby vantage point to look across the river. Not at the facility itself as it was not optimal vantage or distance to do so with just binoculars but the area around it, looking for any signs of movement. Of patrols, or the main road(s) in and out of the facility. There were a lot of people here. A small army really which is what they would need to pull off this prison break. There was just one huge issue.
How the hell were they all going to get in without, foolishly, launching an all-out assault on the prison complex?
Brigid has one option, but it relied on some very specific circumstances.
After Shirou Emiya lets them all know with his ability they would have no shortage of melee weapons, Brigid comes down from her perch and raises her right fist to get everyone's attention.
"General Brigid Mahoney, Commonwealth Minutemen. Now I don't have any special ability like Mr. Emiya or the whole lot of you, but I got one talent means more than any of that: experience. I've broken into my share of strongholds, so trust me when I say we got too many here. We can't all sneak in one by one, would take too damn long to get in unnoticed. So, I think our only option is to hijack a transport going into this place. We hit it fast enough they can't radio for help, far enough away they can't see, then pile in and bluff our way past the gates." Brigid pats her Laser Musket "This is too loud and flashy for a real sniper shot, so please tell me someone here has something that can drop a guy without blowing up our ride in?"
"Careless and psychotic? You don't even know me that well!" He was still right on both points, but don't judge a red and black spandex covered book by its cover.
"I am totally caring! And while psychotic, I haven't tried killing any of you yet! Or any innocents! In fact, I saved you from the big iron man with the green kilt!" AKA Doom.
"You don't even know my real name!"
"Isn't it Wade?" Luxem pointed out, since he did actually reveal it.
"..... Yes, but that's beside the point."
"I thought it was."
"The point is not to be so judgemental! And if we're going to work together, we should at least pretend to stand each other and not bicker, thereby making this all the more annoying to everyone involved." Including the readers. Brigid's scouting would find the bridge leading over the river towards the prison. It was heavily guarded, as expected, with four watchtowers along its sides, and a checkpoint with a dozen soldiers. Off in the distance, she would see car lights illuminating from the old buildings, so a caravan was beginning to approach, and they would need to work fast.
"Besides, I was given the screwdriver!" Deadpool pulled out one given to him by 10, a spare he kept around in case he lost or broke his current one.
"He wouldn't give this to me if he didn't have confidence in my abilities to lead. Unlike you," he pointed to Brigid
, "who thinks we can easily sneak in with a truck! We're not Venom Snake here, one of us is a giant greyish lad with horns, another is a large metal woman, and one's also undead with his skin rotting off!" Technically Luer's skin was rotting off, it simply lacked the humanity to fully bring him to life.
"So I propose a different plan. We take two teams: One that can do the truck stealing, while the others sneak around and find an alternative route to get down below. You guys can infiltrate the top, cause a distraction, and maybe see if you can find the security systems, and we'll be off to the cells to free anyone we can. We can sneak around easier, and you still get to be team leader of the B squad."
Terry McGinnis
The gun pointed at his foot did put some worry in Terry's mind as that'd hamper his plans in both escaping, but also donning the suit once more if he could finally figure out how to get to said suit. But thankfully the one calling the shots showed up, the psychopath of a warden stepping aside. The newcomer was bald, maybe around his thirties or very early forties.
The man talked to Terry, seemingly hitting all of the points regarding the symbolism about the batsuit. Again, Bruce wouldn't talk or even dignify a response, knowing the old man. He'd just narrow his eyes at the man, a plan already hatched on how to escape in the best way possible. "I'd suggest keeping your pal there from doing serious damage. I become very
shy when crippled. The type of shy that will take his secrets to his grave and laugh as you fail again and again to get into the suit from the afterlife. Won't take long before it self destructs." But Terry was different, while Bruce undoubtedly replied on a different brand of psychological warfare, Terry focused more on pushing buttons and redirecting. That and bluffing, as while Bruce talked about safeties and backup plans, he had never set a self-destruct thing in the suit. To quote the old man. "Considering the era, it would be foolish to build a bomb in it. Dealt with too many technological threats that could set it off and kill me while wearing it."
"If there's one thing the original Bat would do, is that they'd never talk. And I plan on surpassing them." Something felt off about the man, like he knew the original Batman, or perhaps read up on him or was simply guessing.
Terry was going to have to be careful with what intel he might accidentally let out, the man seemed like the tactical smart type, for while not as serious as Bruce. The man had that same look in his eye, the look of someone who knew his next step before his current one was done.
@Wade Von Doom
Kane chuckled with an amused smile. Cocky was this 'Terry.'
"And yet, here we are, taking the chance to gloat over a victory you think you've attained just through your cleverness. But, I'm afraid you underestimate me. We detect no self-destruct on the suit, and you assume I'll go to some great lengths to unlock its secrets for my own devious plans. In reality, it's simply a curiosity. Whether it breaks or not while we unlock it matters not, I've kept you alive out of generosity, not because of that suit. There's a game being played, Terry, one that is well beyond the scope of this planet. Forces you and I do not understand have played their hands for a very long time, and my part in it is coming. But, I refuse to become a pawn in it. I'm prepared to become a player of it. And whether you wish to see this game out alive and still intact is entirely up to you. I'm not an ungrateful man, Terry. And I know you're smarter than a young man with an attitude problem with authority figures. Decide your fate wisely. And perhaps if you ever return to your home world, you'll be another player like I am." With that Kane turned back around, ready to walk out, not before saying to the Warden,
"Take him back to his cell-- In piece." He clarified that point. Kane would give Terry one more chance to think over his options.
"Sir, he'll just esacpe again, my men are ready to take a shot at him if he even looks to step out of line." The warden pleaded.
"Then have that shot be what incapacitates his abilities. Exodus draws near, Mr. Fish, and your seat is still reserved. If, you continue following my commands."
"Sir." The Warden saluted, 'Mr. Fish' being the first time Terry would actually hear an actual name outside of 'warden.' Signaling a guard, one went over to Terry, and smashed the butt of his rifle across his face to knock him out. When Terry awoke again, he was back inside his cell, with a new cellmate.
Kane's next visit within the prison was where Chief was being held. His cyro chamber was hooked up to a life support system designed to keep it running, and him under wraps inside his own little prison cell. He was certainly a magnificent soldier that needed to be studied, as they could see from scans of his body and suit that both were incredibly engineered to be the best equipment and genetic modified soldier in the world. But, they couldn't risk waking him up, at least not with 'Exodus' so near. But, they did find the next best thing in that ship crash just off the coast of the Black Sea.
"How is she, professor?" Kane asked an engineer, who was analyzing something on a small screen pad.
"Unfortunately, not well. As we've said before, the AI seems to be running off a complex matrix, where all the impulses in the AI's mind exist, and we've been able to confirm she's telling the truth about her 'Rampancy.' Her neural map is beginning to outgrow the limited space of the matrix, forcing the neural linkages into a more and more narrow space, and increasing the density of the links and causing them to overlap."
"So she is thinking herself to death?" That was her words to them as she tried to explain her condition. Of course, they still tested her systems and tried breaking down her coding to see if she was indeed telling the truth. While she was an AI, she was an incredibly 'human' one, and Kane believed she could easily tell a lie.. She clearly cared deeply for the man inside the chamber.
"I'm afraid with our lack of understanding of her system, we won't be able to save her."
Kane looked at the AI, who was stuck inside a little hologram form on a podium not far from John. The experiments and tests run on her to analyze her code was painful, to say the least, like trying to delve a knife through skin and muscle to see the bone.
"Is she still functional enough for advance algorithms?"
"For now, but she's shown signs of emotional aggravation and sudden bursts of anger similar to a human with neurodegenerative diseases."
".... Break her coding down, whatever hasn't be tarnished by her rampancy, and store copies onto any data mainframe that could house such information."
"Reality is the finest flesh, oh Bearer Mine. And are you not… Hungry?"
- Dire Ahamkara
<{O}>
"By the Great Machine, do they never end!?" Vaarsiks cursed, letting out yet another round from from her Rifle, the nano bolts tearing off the arm of a sword-wielding Knight, neatly stopping it in it's tracks. "Treacherous Variks, my teeth to his neck! He has betrayed us!"
Deep in the Hellmouth, the Queen-Baron and her soldiers battled fiercely. The oncoming horde seemed eternal, no matter how many Thralls, Acolytes or Wizards they cut down, three more seemed to take their place. Already, she had personally dealt with an Ogre that had lumbered across their battlefield, mounting atop it's back and piercing her blades into it's head. When it fell, it had crushed several of the Whirlwind's minions in it's death throes, but it wasn't enough.
Even now, after retreating to the highest point, their hardened gazes turned to the sky for salvation.
Several of her Queensguard had fallen already, consumed by the encroaching Darkness. Yet, some still fought on. Her Consort still standing strong next to her, shredding another dozen Hive with his Shrapnel Launcher.
There was a sudden lurch as a cloud of shadows was cast over the area, halting the onslaught. Deep from within the catacombs of Luna, emerged the Warlock, crowned with a skull fashioned into a helmet, his Void magicks seemed to suffocate the air all around them.
The abominations looked cowed as he passed, some even falling to their knees as the Ascendant Guardian made his way forwards. Eventually, he stood a mere few meters away from the survivors, yet he said nothing as he watched.
Eventually, even though the emptiness of space, Varsiks heard his words, as clear as if he had whispered it in her ears.
"You have come... far, further than most, I admit," He spoke in crystal clear Eliksni. "None of my former brethren had even managed to reach this deep, none has yet to seek... Salvation."
"But this need not be your fate, come with me and I shall show you mercy, the Pyramid shall save you all..." The remaining warriors looked warily back to their leader, their Queen, waiting for her reply.
The offer was tempting, far more than she'd like to admit, but Varsiks shook her head free of such thoughts, clenching her rifle harder in her grip. She would not submit to another's power, never again.
"We spit on your mercy, creature," She snarled, taking aim and firing a bolt straight through the Warlock's head, splitting it open.
A deafening silence emerged as both Fallen and Hive watched the Guardian stumble a few steps backwards, before righting himself and pushing the split halves together. And before the Queen-Baron's very eyes, it healed, leaving no distinguishing marks from her deed.
"A regrettable decision, but as you wish," His head twisted to the side, letting out an audible crack, before waving to the Undead horde surrounding them. Immediately, the attack started again, but this time Vaarsiks' soldiers faltered, and eventually broke rank as they tried to flee, crawling up walls, pillars, and some even each-other, toppling their kin in effort to escape the hungry maw of the Hive.
Only Vaarsiks and her Consort stood steadfast, holding off hundreds at a time. With each bark of her weapon, scores of Thralls fell, and with each swing of his swords, ten Acolytes lost their heads.
But even their heroic actions could not stop the oncoming tide, eventually they were cornered, caught like rats in a trap as they only had a dark chasm behind them. Her Captain had suffered a most grievous wound when a Knight had managed to nearly cleave him in two, but Varsiks had returned the favor by running her blades through it's guts and took to carrying her Consort on her back, leaping into the darkness to avoid the grisly death that would have followed.
She never even saw the blinding light before both of them were consumed by it.
<{O}>
Dreams. They still haunted her.
Variks had tricked them, sending the House of Outlaws into the waiting jaws of the Hive. Many had died, more had fled only to be hunted down and ripped apart. Those that had fought barely fared better, as the horde had seemed almost endless.
The Queen-Baron had been meditating ever since she was captured and put inside this accursed tube. Her legs were folded underneath her, while her four glowing eyes were closed, giving off the impression of sleeping.
In truth, she rarely needed sleep anymore. SIVA kept her in top shape despite any of her captors' attempts to do otherwise. She always gave them a smug look after each try.
Until that time, she was still stuck inside a big tube with two large speaker looking things to her life and right. Outside the tub were several scientists and engineers, one of which stated to a recording device, "Interrogation #001. Creature is of unknown origin, with no record of any previous sighting of her or anything resembling her species before. Scans indicate her gender is similar to female, and humanoid in bone structure, but we've detected she uses some sort of nanotechnology when she fights. Our first test will be to see if we can scan the technology, and whether it is apart of her neutral structure, or her suit, as we've been unable to remove it when she was first captured. Begin sonic emissions in 3... 2... 1."
As the chamber closed, the blue light that surrounded her felt like she was stuck in a tornado revolving around 30 miles per hour. It was literally trying to suck the nanotechnology off of her.
And yet close by, Damon was going through yet another round of electromagnetic therapy to see if they could activate his artifice. As electricity an through his skull and down his spine, there was still nothing in the sensors that showed his power. It was as average as any other human being. If it wasn't for that spell in the back of his mind, they would've kept him in a cell, but somehow, they were able to see he was keeping something. A strange little fuzzy thing rocking around inside his mind through scans of his physiology. They thought it was a tumor at first, but it was inconsistent in size and shape when more scans were taken. It was something else, and they wanted to understand it. Whether it hurt Damon or not. Still, with yet another unsuccessful test, they took him off his chair, and threw him into his cell again, mouth gagged and hands cuffed. Though this time, he wasn't alone. Terry was with him now.
