ic Room of Danger (sixth edition)

[EternalPhoenix]

It was a dark and stormy afternoon. The name on the sign was DELTA Labs. It had been quite a big operation. Two story warehouse. Now it was surrounded by cops and barricaded by sawhorses. Replica (masked android in search of justice) and Salvo (teen genius and power armored magus) were here because…wait, why were they here? That was odd…they didn’t remember leaving home. Or meeting up. Or even traveling here. “Thank god you’re here.” It was a police detective, clad in a suit with badge prominently displayed. He could have come right out of Central Casting. “Those two are holed up inside, and my boys couldn’t dislodge them with a forklift. First team’s on their way to the hospital now.” He sighed in disgust. “Should’ve known they were here. Building’s been empty for months. Company went bankrupt.” He took his battered hat off, and squeezed it. “We were promised some help from the LT, and looks like you’re it. Olivia!”

 

An African American woman with a badge at her waist (who could have stepped right out of Central Casting herself) walked up. “What’s going on, Mason? Oh, the heroes are here? Good.”

 

Mason put his hat back on his head. “Detective Rocky Mason. My partner, Olivia Briscoe. Just say the word, and we’ll get you whatever you need. And don’t worry about building damage. You’ll save the new owners some money. Gonna knock it down in a couple weeks, put up some condos or somethin’.”

[Cubismo]

Something's wrong. 

 

Replica tried to look through her backlogs to see what were the events that lead her to getting involved with a sting operation against two meta-humans. She found nothing. Absolutely nothing, as if the logs had been deleted by some outside force. Could be it the two assailants in DELTA Labs? Replica couldn't be sure and decided to store the inquiry for future analysis. Until then she'd have to deal with the situation at hand. 

 

"My name is Replica, detectives. I am unfamiliar with the two criminals currently occupying this building. Do you any information on them that could assist me..." Replica quickly recalled that she wasn't alone in this. Another superhero was inexplicably here as well.

 

"And my partner in subduing these criminals?" 

 

While Replica waited for the two detectives to respond she did a quick analytical scan of the scene. Something must be wrong here to explain the strange loss of time and backlogs Replica had experienced, and she was determined to understand what is was. 

 

 

[EternalPhoenix]

Det. Briscoe pulled a smartphone off her waist and flicked through it. “Stormwarden, real name unknown. Most likely Sunyaa Saddiq. American national. Claims to be a goddess of weather. No idea who’s in the armor, he calls himself Lamellar. According to what we’ve dug up, that armor of his has shrugged off tank shells. And that weapon of his keeps shifting around. Pick a melee weapon, it’s probably taken that form by now.” She looked up. “Mason?”

 

Det. Mason shrugged. “About covers it. Building itself was a robotics lab. One of them has some tech skill. A few robots that were left behind are running loose in there.”

[Cubismo]

Within nanoseconds Replica processed the new information the detectives had provided her with and the results of the scan.

 

<Run> <Strategic Analysis> # of Primary Threats [2]: Individual Assessments: [Lamellar] Strengths: Utilizing durable transmorphic battlesuit. Weaknesses: Unknown. Likely Danger to Primary Unit: High. [Stormwarden] Strengths: Weather manipulation. Weaknesses: Unknown. Likely Danger to Primary: Incredible High due to Primary Unit vulnerability to powerful electrical forces. Final Assessment: Proceed with caution. Avoidance of direct hits by Stormwarden to Primary Unit is high priority. Attempt to utilize renegade robots in DELTA Labs to advantage if possible. <Strategic Analysis> <End>

 

<Run> <Analytical Scan> Result: Inconclusive. No new information or clues for sudden appearance found. <Analytical Scan> <End> 

 

Her analysis and questions finished it seemed like Replica was more or less exactly where she started, with options quickly dwindling. Eventually the police's barricade would fail and Lamellar and Stormwarden would try and escape from DELTA labs. That would not happen under Replica's watch. 

 

"Detectives. I thank you for all the information you have managed to provide for me." Replica tried to smile at them, but it didn't come out quite right. She still had to figure out how to get that down. 

 

"I would advise you and all follow officers to keep your current positions while I enter the DELTA Labs and deal with Lamellar and Stormwarden. If I fail, is it statistical probable that only you and Salvo will likely be available to confront them."

 

And with that, Replica jumped the barricades and stealthily entered the warehouse. She planned to catch Lamellar and Stormwarden unaware if she could, but first she would try and contact and control any of the robots apparently loose in the building. As she her digital consciousness "reached out" Replica pondered whether these robots were actually sentient like her and what that would mean if they were. 

 

 

[Zeitgeist Blue]

Her eyes flew open and she shivered even through the radiant heat of merged steel and flesh.

 

Father was gone, try as hard as she did to find him. She would have found him where he within the constraints of her consciousness or her armor's programs, but there was little of his trace. As much as his presence annoyed her, his persistent absence was more unnerving. It meant something was wrong. Something powerful enough to worm into Bellicose and subvert its core, Her mind's inner sanctum. Compromised.

 

But she could find no evidence of it, knowing but really not, and that unnerved her most of all.

 

She watched Replica sneak into the warehouse. Her antennae port twitched involuntarily and she took a step forward, ignoring the two detectives behind her. She scanned the warehouse in its entirety and visual simulations fired up around her interface, multiple ways of entry. Each requiring different vector solutions and thrusts and achieving multiple results based on factors controlled and environmental.

 

She chose the one that would maximize her entrance.

 

Her thrusters fired up, and she revved the flames for a second. Then with a flick of her wrist, she catapulted forward, streaking low. She skidded once, twice on the asphalt then she crashed through the main doors in an explosion of dust and steel cracking.

 

She thrust her autocannons out.

[EternalPhoenix]

The robots inside the former DELTA Labs were not sentient in the least. In fact, their programming was rather limited, consisting almost entirely of their various assigned tasks and not much else. There wasn’t room for much else in their memory or processors. This did not mean they weren’t dangerous, if misused. The lights were out in the entire building, after all. Those without any way to counter that could have been easily injured.

 

Salvo’s entry provoked a big heap of nothing…that she could see, that is. Radar was another story. The building was designed with a big open space in the middle, extending to the roof. Walkways were on each side and led to various labs. Their doors were torn open and the various robots milled about the open floor. Up above, floating near the ceiling, was a brown skinned woman in robes. “Does someone else dare disturb the Warden of the Storm?” Lamellar could not be distinguished from the robots milling about the central area as yet.

[Cubismo]

Success! The DELTA Labs robots were Replica's control.

 

As her digital consciousness "surfed" through their processors she quickly understood that the machines weren't sentient at all and were nothing more then automatons meant for simple, limited purposes. If Replica could feel disappointment or even sadness she would have in this moment. Instead, she made began to make her battle plan.

 

Salvo had arrived on the scene and I was clearly preparing to engage with Stormwarden who also decided to make her appearance known also. Replica was at a crossroads. Should she remove her herself from her hidden position and engage Stormwarden directly by Salvo's side or should she remain where she was and unleash her newly appropriated legion of robots? Recalling her earlier strategic analysis, Replica knew that directly confronting Stormwarden would be especially lethal for her, so she opted to allow Salvo to deal with Stormwarden while she engaged Lamellar with her small army of robots. 

 

<Run> <Command Prompt> "Primary objective: All DELTA Labs robots engage target identified as Lamellar. Use all available capabilities to neutralize target besides lethal force. <Run>

 

As her machines prepared to attack Lamellar, Replica tried to stealthily move around the DELTA Labs open space looking her new target.

Edited December 2, 2017 by Cubismo

[Zeitgeist Blue]

Salvo turned her jets to the ground and flew up. She called herself the Warden of the Storm and from the big, fancy title Nicole could guess she had an ego that didn't fit the warehouse. Nicole hadn't even heard of her, much less care what name the woman bestowed on herself. So when the teenage hero reached Stormwarden's level she decided to cut to the chase.

 

"Right. I'm giving you one last chance to surrender."

 

Below her, Nicole noted the robots moving into combat sequences. They were a threat to watch out for and she lowered an arm to point at them as her other remained steadily pointed at Stormwarden. Some help would be appreciated if this was to break out in a fight. Her search heuristics booted up and began to locate Replica and Nicole sent a terse message to go with the search. It'd repeat her message on Replica's radio receiver if she had one or once she got close enough to something that could.

 

"Located Stormwarden in the main holding area. Need help with her robots."

Edited December 5, 2017 by Zeitgeist Blue

[Cubismo]

Using her technopathic abilities, Replica tapped into Salvo's radio communications and responded back to her message. 

 

"Confirmed, Salvo. The robots are currently under my control. You have no need to worry about them. I have activated their primitive combat protocols and sent them to attack Lamellar. I am sorry if you would have preferred for me to directly fight with you, but given my unique vulnerabilities to Stormwarden's powers I estimated that it would be strategically better for me to engage Lamellar instead." 

Edited December 2, 2017 by Cubismo

[Zeitgeist Blue]

Salvo relaxed her aim on the robots as Replica explained concisely. It was a breath of fresh air talking with someone who got to the important points pronto and Salvo smiled within her interface. Now their communication was getting somewhere.

 

"Good to know," she said and extended both her arms forward. "Then I'll take care of Stormwarden."

 

She flew closer to woman in robes at an easy pace, trying to look non-threatening but with her armor she doubted it worked very well. They were the only ones in the air though, and maybe the only ones who could get up and fly, so if it came down to it then it would just be the two of them. Salvo kept Stormwarden on her sights, and then she was right in front of her.

 

"If you'll come with me."

 

She shot an armored gauntlet forward and grabbed Stormwarden.

Edited December 7, 2017 by Zeitgeist Blue