Psy what?

Summary:
October 19, 2014: Aspect finds some trouble in Metropolis. Hulk's all washed up. Things get worse.

Tealborogh, Metropolis

A tired old section of Metropolis that has seen better days, but has some things that may yet bring it to a brighter future.


Characters

NPCs

  • Nameless Legion Psyborgs

Mood Music:
None


Tealborogh. This place had been thriving once. Now it's one of the few places in Metropolis that isn't. Still, it's not the stark, desperate kind of situation that seems to pervade Gotham. You can understand why someone might want to live here, even if you wouldn't ever consider it yourself. There isn't much here.

It's perhaps a bit odd, then, when a glow of light presages the arrival an amber eyed man in loose fitting, black pseudo military fatigues. He takes a look around the empty streets near the beach.

"Aspect on scene. I've got nothing here K'tten. Are you sure? Uh huh. Alright I'll have a look." The man crouches down. Amber colored light spills form his shoulder-blades to form wings and he leaps skyward with a flap, circling slowly looking for… well… something.

***

A bright orange-haired statuesque woman clad in a trench-coat, black slacks, and black steel-toed boots walks along the streets of Tealboro tonight. Sure, Columbia could fly. But sometimes just walking along and helping out here or there is better for her than being up in the air where everyone can see her. Some folks might even call it a 'grounding' sort of experience, though she's possibly too well grounded.

Tonight she's keeping an eye out for the casual 'hero' type stuff, cats stuck in trees, people run over by speeding motorists, accidental injuries. This section of town isn't as bad as the Suicide Slums, so typically Cameron doesn't have to watch out for gunshots or stabbings.

For the moment she is unaware that there is at least another glowing party in the area, as her focus and purview is the street-level situation.

***

He couldn't remember what caused it. Never could. Banner's mind was so noisy, so hard. All sharp edges and brittle, like walking on ice. Hulk hated walking on ice. He always ended up freezing and wet. He was dry now, and it was quiet here, on the beach. He was underneath a dock, the surf just short of his huge feet, arms wrapped around his knees. He was starting to get sleepy, but he fought it.

Sleep would mean darkness and sinking. Sinking down under Banner again, under puny, cold, hateful Banner. Hulk tried to think of things to keep himself awake, but thinking…wasn't his strong suit. He tried, tried more than Banner ever gave him credit for. Asshole. That was a Banner word, but it fit. Banner was an asshole. Hulk almost giggled at the image that came with that word. How could a person be that? But there it was.

Humans were strange.

***

America enjoys night flights. It means fewer people pointing up into the sky and going 'It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's…'— where the hell did that come from, anyways? And more importantly, why are they always so excited about pointing out birds? This particular dimension seemed to have twice the amount of the unusual and insane than most of the ones she has seen, and that is saying a lot. It is as if the creators of this dimension really, really liked his/her meta-humans.

Tealboro is usually the dullest part of her night patrols, hardly anything ever seems to happen here, which is good for a break before making a quick high-speed turn and head into Gotham. Now that place was something else. Nothing like that back on Earth 616… not even Detroit.

***

Jericho is doing his best imitation of a amber, glowing hawk, soaring and circling slowly. "No, I really don't see anything out here K'tten." He says quietly. "There's just no-" He cuts off sharply as a trio of portals yawn open near the beach disgorging about sixty armored soldiers and a couple of combat walkers. "Uh, never mind K'tten, you were right." He says quickly. "There's a loooooot of people here. Start recording this… and tell Kori we've got a big, big problem."

***

There is a certain 'buzz' that accompanies troops as they muster and organize in a staging area. While Cameron isn't enough of a military veteran to know specifics, she's been to her fair share of multi-alarm fires, bank robberies, multiple vehicle collisions… she picks up on that steady hum of activity and picks up her pace to more of a jog for a few steps before launching to about six feet above the ground and moving up to her high-end for about five seconds to whip past the edge of the invaded area and get a quick view of what all the commotion is.

Seriously? You're invading METROPOLIS? Idiots.

She reaches for her phone to call it in, then pauses. If SRD is notified right now, they may not send the right folks and people could get hurt. No. More information is needed and ohheyisthataJerichowiththeglowingwings?

She has not detected America or Hulk, yet.

***

Hulk knows the sound of soldiers. Even on sand. Especially on sand, although he's used to desert, all the sky that went on forever, the sun beating down, the cold at night. Hulk liked the desert. Banner hated it, of course. Banner hated everything Hulk liked. Hulk thought he did it on purpose.

Still, unobservant as he might be of many things, he knows the sound of soldiers trodding on sand, en masse. He maneuvers himself into a crouch, on all fours, still beneath the dock as he peers across to see just who these soldiers were…at the very least, they were a good way to stay awake for a while longer. Hulk slowly started to grin as he moved out of the shadows to stand, his eight and a half foot height casting a shadow as he cracked his neck, vertebra popping like firecrackers.

***

Jericho had planned for recon, not battle. An augmented platoon with mechanized support is not something he's prepared to engage by himself. So instead he does a quick network scan for… is that Columbia? He breaks in on her phone, and on all frequencies known to be used to hero-ing teams. "This is Aspect to anyone near Tealborogh. I have a large incursion. Sixty plus soldiers in unknown armor with high tech weaponry and two walkers. I need immediate support." As he says so one of the soldiers reaches a hand out and lifts a car up and floats it over toward him with no visible mechanism. Jericho stares from his vantage point even as he runs through his options. He could just bounce them, but even at full power that's gonna go badly for him.

Damn it. If only he had some help.

***

Now that was something you didn't see every night in Tealboro. America first notices the amber glow and stops mid-flight to get a better view. She spends a few seconds considering how to approach in order to ascertain intentions, when essentially all hell breaks loose on the beach and America narrows her eyes.

Tealboro doesn't deserve this. There is a popping sound as she cracks her knuckles and no hesitation as she hears Jericho's voice coming in through the communicator that the Fantastic Four had furnished her with.

Then there is a blur of red, white and blue as she takes off in a vertical climb until she is lost from sight.

She is not retreating, however. She is simply judging the distance. Finally, she stops at a distance she considers high enough before re-orienting herself and pointing herself towards the tiny splotch of beach from her vantage point…

***

"Stand by, Aspect. Columbia on-site. Don't get hit. Relay info SRD stat."

Radio protocol is radio protocol, whether it is municipal emergency or milspec. Cameron's response, though terse, is exactly what it needs to be on the response.

Time to do what always gets me shot at.

She zips up to a place well above the amassed forces. "ATTENTION, INVADERS! STAND DOWN!"

Woman does have some chops, but she rarely uses them. Well, Mom would be happy, and Barda would probably be clapping. Live a little, right?

Then there's the great Patriotic flash of blur from someone else nearby. This should be cake, right?

The taller and much beefier guy does stick out briefly to the orange-haired woman, but she says nothing — if they don't stand down…

***

Hulk winces at the sound of the augmented voice, growling and putting a hand over his ears. Why were humans always yelling at each other? Quiet was good, why did they hate quiet so much? Stupid, stupid humans. Stupid soldiers, with their guns. Think they can hurt Hulk, take Hulk. Hulk won't let them, though. He never did. His anger builds as he starts to stride forward, his body seeming to swell even more, impossibly, shoulders rippling as he adds another half foot in height and another hundred pounds of muscle in a matter of seconds.

And then he roars, a gargantuan, inarticulate sound, inhuman and deep, like something from a hideous sea monster. And then thunder, as he starts to charge, thick legs churning as he runs straight towards the mass of soldiers, mouth open in a continuous scream of growing, rising rage…

***

Help does arrive for Jericho, though, as the aforementioned blur now comes plummeting towards the earth and accelerating quickly. Not quite fast enough to break the speed of sound… yet. Maneuverability is one of her strengths just as much as her formidable physical power, and over the ten years that she has wandered the multiverse dispensing justice, she has learned quite well that a punch is not the answer to all things.

Sometimes, you need a flying punch. She adjusts the curve of her descent so as not to lose momentum but to also have enough distance to eventually end up flying parallel to the sand, only a foot or so above it. And this is where she breaks the speed of sound with just a little nudge. The sonic boom trailing behind her, as well as a storm of sand being whipped, she extends her arms to either side of her as she flies in a cross towards a row of the incoming soldiers, coming at them at thigh level.

She's also learned to fight dirty.

***

"K'tten, you getting this? Looks like the Cavalry's arrived. I'm going in. Target this area for a focused burst and standby."

The moment MAC and the Hulk arrive the soldiers scatter into a combat spread. The two mecha power up and begin moving to bracket the Hulk, shooting some kind of energy beams from both arms. The pilots don't seem to know what he is but they do seem to think they can take him.

On MAC's end the response is immediate weapons fire, also energy based. Columbia may well think it looks familiar. She lost a suit that way.

Colombia herself gets attacked in a different manner. A light in the center of a pair of the soldier's foreheads shines brightly and there's a sudden and painful pressure inside her head along with a strong urge to OBEY.

Jericho bounces in traced out, with his wolf armor up. He sweeps a claw out, tying up half a dozen soldiers in close, brutal fighting.

***

Cameron used to get migraines before she 'grew up' into her power. It wasn't the kind of thing a person advertised on the department. And now there's the father of all headaches forming in her skull, making her brains feel like they're about to vibrate out of her ears… and in fact, there's a bit of blood coming out of them which is a bit of an accomplishment.

And then a barely remembered memory kind of pops up of one of the times she had a killer headache and Mom insisted on training her. 'Do you think your foe is going to let up because you have a headache? AGAIN!'

Gritting her teeth and placing one hand against her skull to 'hold her brains in', she comes slamming down on the offending mentalists with a full slam motion.

"GET. OUT!" It's more of a snarl than actual words…

***

Hulk has faced armored men before, those who think they can put on suits of metal and make themselves like Hulk. But they are not like Hulk, they are just puny humans in big tin cans. It might make them stronger, but not as strong as Hulk. HULK IS THE STRONGEST ONE THERE IS!

The beams strike Hulk hard in the chest, but, where they'd have blown a hole through most anyone or knocked them flying Hulk merely slides back about ten feet, his bare toes digging into the sand until he stops.

"HULK HATE BAD LIGHT! LIGHTS OUT!" he cries and then slams his two hands together with titanic strength, sending a powerful sonic shockwave into the armored soldiers.

***

Energy beams are child's play for America, as the Skifflefuffles discovered to their chagrin when she and the rest of Earth 616's Young Avengers faced them down.

That name never sounds any less ridiculous, no matter how many times she revisits the memory. She came away from that encounter with the bit of wisdom that, no matter how bad things could get, at least you were not a Skifflefuffle.

While the beams do nothing to her skin, her jacket is not immune. As she wails into the line of soldiers, she makes a point of being particularly unkind to them, because she rather liked that jacket.

***

There had been, you know, sixty armored soldiers. Now there's more like twenty. The Hulk's clap sends them flying like rag dolls. One of the Mech's has it's leg ripped clean off by sound and goes down hard. The other sprouts blades and goes at the Hulk close in.

As if that's gonna help.

America's opponents find themselves facing a woman who is actually kind of impervious to their weaponry. And as Columbia crushes a pair of Psyborgs and Jericho literally eviscerates half a dozen more they switch tactics. Ten of them focus their rather considerable mental might on MAC and tell her that the thing she really, really, really wants to do right now is hit Columbia. Then the Hulk.

That'll work, right?

***

Cameron stands up and picks up her two mental assailants and begins to spin around, attempting to whip them outwards while holding them by the ankles. When she feels like she's gotten enough of a good spin rocking, she'll let the two go flying into the remaining pile of coordinated folks.

"STAY OUT!"

While not in as bad a shape as America's outfit, her trench-coat is a bit torn from the unusual stresses placed on it, and the statuesque woman snarls a bit.

"Who's next?"

She's unaware that there may be potential pain and devastation heading her way any time soon from a third party…

***

Hulk wraps up the charging, armored soldier in a bearhug, the blades breaking off on his skin as he lifts the mechanized warrior from the ground. "HULK HATE SOLDIERS!" he cries, driving his thick skull forward into a headbutt that crumples in the armored helmet like tinfoil and likely reducing the head within into so much bloody Jiffy Pop.

With the limp carcass in his arms, he does what comes most naturally with it: clubbing. Specifically, grasping the armored leg of the smush-headed assailant and to begin flailing wildly around him at the other soldiers, wielding the violent interloper like some sort of limp, carapaced, human shaped Mjolnir. Only a lot less invulnerable and requiring not an inch of nobility to slam into things.

***

The young woman had an iron will, but we're talking about ten powerful psychics smashing into her willpower. That isn't going to end up well for anybody… especially Columbia, as America flies in a straight line at her, one punch ready to deliver. Her will is fighting back, but it's going to need some help to get the upper hand.

***

"Aspect, I'm detecting high theta wave activity from these… whatever they are!" K'tten snaps over the link to Jericho.

Well crap. Jericho turns from his 'work' to see the Hulk laying waste to what's left of the soldiers and Columbia about… shit!

Psybernetics is a technology not of this particular earth. But it is technology and unlike regular Psychic abilities… Jericho can jam it.

There's a sudden noise in the soldier's helmets and they all wince. It's just a momentary break in their concentration, but it might be enough to let MAC get some of her own back. If she doesn't clobber Columbia first.

Dropping his wolf field Jericho pulls out his sidearm and starts taking aimed shots at the Psyborgs. "Hulk! Get the glowing ones!!!"

***

Cameron was ready for another soldier to attack her — not America. There is a bit of CRUNCH as Cameron gets a solid punch into the chest from someone she at least thought was a decent enough person, and definitely *not* a threat. The hurt look of the betrayed is clear upon her face as unbidden tears dribble out of the side of her eyes — it's the incredible PHYSICAL pain she's in right now as she holds her arms around her midsection and focuses on trying to heal the worst of the trauma. While flying backwards into and then through a building, and then another… thankfully the properties were abandoned due to local decline, but Cameron has definitely joined the 'Punched Through A Building Club'. Does that come with a complimentary gift basket? When she finally DOES stop she kind of sits there for a few moments trying to catch her breath…

***

Hulk roars, "Bossy humans!" he shouts back at the demand, but he does as asked, showing more reason than he's normally given credit. He hurls his victim-weapon at the psionic pack, flinging with savage brutality as he leaps in to follow, bringing his fists down in the wake of the body. The psionics likely avoid Hulk's mind entirely, the savage, primal rage of his thoughts like an inferno of emotion, irrational and impossible to rein, like a tornado of flame.

And then he finds himself facing down with Miss America himself. Either the patriotic heroine is going to get a hold of her senses soon…or she's going to have a jade giant to tangle with…

***

Betrayal isn't something America can stomach. It is certainly not something she is capable of- at least, to people who don't deserve it. What she has done to Cameron jars her to her senses with not just a little aid from Jericho's jamming. The star-spangled teen veers away from Hulk as she finally regains her senses, and it is sheer fury that comes over her. Those psychic soldiers with the glowing and the commanding? They're in for a tricolor blur heading their way, her favorite kicking leg ready to fly in a blur towards each one of those groins.

Because Cameron didn't deserve that, and they do.

***

Jericho doesn't get to do much else. The Hulk and America have the soldiers locked up. A few more seconds and they'll be done for. He's about to head over to Cameron to see if she's okay when he freezes in sudden terror. There's a soldier standing right over her… with a weapon aimed right at her. Jeri has no real idea of the true scope of Columbia's durability or he probably wouldn't be quite so worried.

***

Columbia looks up. She starts to slowly raise her left hand as if in surrender — then attempts to establish a firm grasp on the weapon with the hand and shove it *into* the soldier with extreme enough force to either knock the wind out of him or knock him down or both. If she's successful with that, she will then get up and perform America's Special Move to a tender location with her left foot before starting to slowly make her way back to the beach, still holding her midsection with her right arm.

***

Hulk stomps, kicks and swats, slapping around the remaining soldiers, sending some flying, crushing others into the ground, finishing up with his cleanup. He snarls and pants, shoulders heaving as he looks around him, and then eyes warily at the heroes. This is usually where they turn on him and try to lock him up. He narrows his eyes and growls, still crouched…

***

America touches down next to Cameron after the soldier is dispatched, looking furious. But not with Cameron.

"Are you alright? I'm sorry, chica," she says sullenly. "Wasn't me in the driver's seat."

Oh, if any of those soldiers dared to get up after that, she was going to fling them to the moon. She was that angry. Hulk… she didn't mind. He always was very focused on that 'smash' purpose of his, and as long as he didn't decide that she needed a taste of it, she was fine with letting the green man do as he pleased.

***

Jericho meets Columbia halfway with a concerned look. "Hey… you okay?" Hulk… isn't rampaging… everything seems okay.

There's a beep in his HUD. "K'tten? Yeah. They're down. Pull the tech up. We need to figure out just what the hell happened." A glow surrounds the entire scene. Soldiers, mechs, wreckage. They all vanish.

"Damn I'm lucky you guys were here…" He breathes.

***

Cameron glances over at Hulk, and does something that folks probably *don't* do that often.

"Thanks… for helping out. Made the difference."

Well, folks who deal with Hulk, anyways, Cameron tries to thank folks who help her out as a matter of course. She winces a bit and grabs her midsection a bit more tightly, letting out a slow breath.

"I think that…. was the hardest… I've ever been hit." She stands there for a few moments in concentration then lets the arm drop down. "I'll live, and apology accepted. They tried it on me, too."

She glances over at Jericho. "We're keeping this quiet, right?"

***

Hulk seems to actually be quite confused by the reaction to him, his over-pronounced brow crinkling in concentration. He slowly starts to back away, wary and now truly tired after exerting himself again after…whatever brought him out in the first place earlier.

"Puny humans…welcome…" he says, then makes a face, as if saying the words burned on his tongue. And then he turns and, casually, bends his knees and springs, leaping up into the air and away, getting some distance from all of this confusion.

***

America's lips are a thin line. She offers her arm to Cameron as a support, and looks to Jericho to see what the pronouncement on this is.

***

"For now, yeah. I'm not sure what those things are but looking at their stuff even briefly it looks like something I've recovered recently." Beat. "I get the feeling they're not from around here."

Jericho peers over at America and Columbia. "You need medical attention? Or new clothes? I can take you up to… er… I can take you up to the Starfire and have you checked out. Doc there's good he's just not human."

***

Cameron watches the Hulk struggle with words and socialization and for the briefest of moments she almost feels empathy for the rage-being. It's really hard being social. She gets that. The orange-haired woman will not decline the offered arm for a moment or two while she catches her breath. Good kid.

"Some bruising at this point, just take it easy for a bit. Can't afford a hero outfit, thanks."

***

America nods, "I'd take him up on it, chica. Just in case." Once Cameron is stable, she will step aside so she can get a good lift-off point. "I'll go and get something to bind all of these idiots. You rest over at that Starfire thing."

And with that, she's flying off into the air. She did pass a construction site on the way here with a lot of steel wires. That would do, for now.

***

Jericho would have offered to help America with her… issue. But she's gone too fast. "K'tten, two to come up." He says as he walks over to support Columbia. "C'mon. We'll get you looked at. I promise I won't let Deplo probe you." The lights begin to shimmer around them. "Oh and K'tten. Keep an eye on the one who just left for me."

Then the teleporter activates.


Back to: RP Logs

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License