ic Codus Immortus: Icy Juice

[Supercape]

GM

 

The Hornet was still as a statue, cool as a glacier. His henchmen, however, were agitated, torn between violence and fear and every permutation of the two. Loyal, it seemed, perhaps even foolhardy. But even the dull of wit could see that they were facing something quite unstoppable. 

 

At least by them. 

 

The Hornet, well he was another matter. 

 

"I would prefer not to fight" he said, coldly. "It costs money. It brings attention. These are things I can afford to sacrifice, but would prefer not to" he explained. "Putting down those pea shooters is another thing altogether" he said, for the purposes of his henchmen rather than Dreadnought. "This offers me no advantage. Preferring not to fight is one thing. Being prepared to is another" he explained. 

 

"You may think you hold all the cards. You may, in fact, hold some. But you don't know what cards I hold in my hand. Stopping you would be difficult, costly, but it is quite possible" he continued. "It would probably serve me best to cut my losses and run. However, this would also cost me. My reputation. And I would have to ensure that I regained it. And regain it, I would, by extracting horrible vengeance on you..."

 

"I am not a sadistic man, I take no pleasure in violence of the physicla kind, or other. But I am a man of cunning. Of spite. You would not wish me an enemy..."

[Avenger Assembled]

A shadowy white mist along the wall, Comrade Frost considered his options. It was sorely tempting to reappear and tell this two-bit hoodlum what he could do with his threats, but why not take the long game? Frost had been around enough dogs to know that if you backed one into the corner, it would bite you - and even a small dog bite could have dire consequences. So instead he stayed concealed as a puff of mist against the far wall, listening to the conversation without actually intervening. Dreadnought had the cards; he'd see how the English super played them. And if man continues to give us trouble, I freeze all his men and then we decide what to do next, he thought complacently. All will be well.

 

[Exaccus]

"hah...you're a saucy man huh? I like that so imma do you a little favor....you talk of cards is quite appropriate,  we both have things to play, even claiming we do when we don't is a card in its own right, but you are making an interesting decision i think." he humms to himself as he leans against a particularly sturdy pillar causing it to creak ever so slightly.

 

"You are attempting to predict future events from past results....i forgot who said it but a great philosopher didn't think that was a wise thing to do, now i ain't no big thinker, as you know and ill readily confess but i ain't a dummy, Im a public figure, you think i play my hand openly in full view of the world?" he asked with a chuckle as he propped himself back up and walked calmly back to his original position.

 

"No. Im fighting a constant war with every villainious fart in world and all warfare is deception isn't it?" a toothy grin splitting his face "I can crush a tank with my bare hands and yet i've never killed any human i've struck have i? impressive self control don't you think? how far do you think it goes? how hard do you think it is for me to not destroy a house with a sneeze?"

 

"lets be honest, you have no idea how many variables are in play here and you have no idea how far they go either direction, at least on my side of the table, so ill ask you a question and make you an offer." cracking his neck and knuckles casually as he continued "i have no doubt you can stop me, i still feel pain, i imagine overwhelming me is a matter of time....do you think you and these boys can stop me...before i stop you considering you don;t know how hard i'm willing to hit you or how fast ill let my momentum carry me in this situation, I am not a betting man myself but i think i'd favor my odds in a war of attrition and i think you'd level the docks with anything powerful enough to stop me completely at once, which isn't in your favour either."

 

"i know its tough being one of sin's boys, he ain't big on forgiveness is he, be dreadful to fall behind on your quota or whatever, all that damage i could cause, i could sink your battle ship, force you to waste thousands of rounds of ammunition and destroy this warehouse and everything in it, turn you over to the Chinese government as a peace offering and do them a few good will favours no problem....or you could tell me where Sin has taken that frozen woman and or himself and ill stroll outta here without laying another finger on anything you make your quotas and i tell sin I squeezed the information out of one of your competitors." a wicked grin  on his face.

 

"Win-Win all round right?"

Edited June 9, 2018 by Exaccus

[Supercape]

GM

 

It was of course hard to tell, what with his green helmet on, but one might well guess that the Hornet raised an eyebrow. 

 

"The frozen women, hmmm?" he said. "You reveal yourself then. And doubly so, for you reveal that you are inexpert in such games. Ah, this is good. I understand your hand better, whilst you understand mine little" he said, firm and mocking. 

 

"I will presume you are not ignorant. You know who Dr. Sin is, and you know I work for him" he said, blankly. "I will do you the honour of presuming you are no fool then, and understand what it means to work for Dr. Sin, and that I must be extremelly cunning, extremely loyal, or both. This, I think, you will have considered" he explained. 

 

"Therefore, you will also realise you must show a better hand that merely threaten me in the hope I will give information freely on this matter - which would be far far more dangerous to me than you" he added. "Yes, I know you are strong. Not so strong that I could not defeat you, but surely strong enough that it would be a delicately balanced fight and one I could not assure myself of winning. If I needed to, I would. But I don't need to. I am faster than you, and this is my city. You would not catch me. All I would lose is this warehouse and its content. An irritation, nothing more...."

[Tiffany Korta]

Zhenshchina-voin

All Klara could do was watch the events unfold from her hiding place, catching the conversation as it unfolded, luckily still unnoticed by the thug's whose attention seemed to be on Dreadnaught as was the plan all along.

 

As tempting as it was to crash down and take out this hornet but that would ruin the last chance to gain more information about what was going on here in Hong Kong.

 

So for the moment, she waited patiently to go into action.

[Exaccus]

"oh really...now thats intresting, cus here you are talking about it....instead of doing it...leads me to believe that theres something else you want, some benefit or outcome to this situation that you'd like to be happening thoiugh continuing this conversation with me so let me ask plainly then, what dya want? everyone got a price amma right?" he sighed softly as he leaned back and rubbed at the bridge of his nose 

 

"It really is too hot for this malarky lets just cut to the chase.,"

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Interesting" replied the Hornet. He smiled. 

 

Then, quick and fluid, he pressed a button on his wrist - armour. 

 

Hsssss.....

 

"Do not be alarmed, Dreadnought" he said, as a silent and almost invisible gas filled the warehouse. "This is a soporific agent. A drug, if you will. Poisons and chemistry are my speciality. It will, I am sure, have no effect on you, just as it has no effect on me..."

 

The mooks looked at each other, then started drunkenly falling asleep. 

 

"You will appreciate I cannot have these men witness to our conversation. They will wake in an hour or two, with no memory of these events. I will explain that you came in and in the fight, the defence mechanisms of this warehouse were activated. Or whatever narrative is both plausible and advantageous" he said, as the last man fell asleep with a thud. 

 

"What I want is power. My own. I no longer wish to work for Dr Sin, and I suspect he knows this. I am thus in a most dangerous position of balancing my safety and my prosperity. Mindful of this, we might come to a mutually agreeable position?"

[Exaccus]

Dreadnought found himself fascinated by the slow, comical effects of the gas on the mooks as it overcame them, that the concoction had no smell or taste was impressive.

 

"What a neat trick that is." He commented after they'd succumbed before focusing on the matter at hand.

 

"I'd find that most agreeable sir, lets get down to business."

[Supercape]

GM

 

It was the slightest of changes, a relaxation one might call it. The change in stance, mayhap. It would hardly be said that the Hornet was off guard, for he surely was not. But the astute would say he was less tightly coiled - even if martial training was quite present and he would not be caugh flat footed. 

 

"Very well then" he said, more slowly, slowly moving his feet. 

 

"I am dangerous, skilled, and cunning. Much like Sin himself" he started. "I have no time for modesty, I know what I am. By ten I was mastering sciences beyond that of a graduate. Chemistry, my fascination" he explained. "I walk a fine line with Sin between threat and asset, and it is not a line I can walk on forever without a fall. Whilst I am in no rush to jump, I must prepare to do so"

 

He paused. 

 

"Now you, my giant friend. What are you doing here, and what do you want with the frozen woman?"

[Exaccus]

"hmm well im here to get information on where she's being kept before zui sin can turn her to slush and sell her by the fluid ounce." he stated simply "She's an old friend, i was nearby, taking a nap when you folks swooped in, not five minuits away from me you know?" he added with a thin smirk.

 

"But thats trivia really, you wanna make a clean break from Sin? that is an interesting problem but i have some idea of what you have in mind I think" examining the back of his hand breifly before returning to eye contact "you want me to make a lot of heat, enough to keep sin busy whilst you establish yourself to be able to resist his attempts to...bring you back into his fold or eliminate you, Am i close?"

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Her fluid, yes. Very valuable" agreed the Hornet, interested now. "As for distracting Sin, yes, that would serve function. But..."

 

Here he paused, uncertain. 

 

"I say this clearly. I am a genius, beyond what would be considered normal even for geniuses. Few in the world can match my intellect. I have not met my cunning and intelligence. Except once" he explained. "And that man is Zui Sin. As I am to the normal man, he is to me. To even fathom the depths of his brains is a feat I struggle with. The layers of his plots are seemingly infinite" he said, fear creeping into his voice. 

 

"Distracting him is a task that is most daunting. If indeed it is possible" he concluded. "What have you in mind?"

[Exaccus]

"Well, I'm no genius but he's human, he knows how to hate and be angry and fixate on things...so like that i guess." He smiles as he looks at his hand once more.

 

"What d' you think?" he asked, out loud to noone in particular "feeling up to making a bit of mayhem?"

[Avenger Assembled]

"Well well well," said Frost, reappearing on one of the shipping containers with a look of casual ease. He had, as it happened, retrieved his clothes and gear as the conversation went on, and so was now once again assembled. The container itself began visibly icing over as he spoke. "You know, fellow," he commented casually as he removed a heavy, old-fashioned revolver from his coat pocket, "that is fine idea. I propose that us foiling your master, hard and hot enough, will be fine distraction." As he spoke, he began loading the pistol, reaching into his coat for the bullets in various places. "Especially if blame should fall on some other of master's lieutenants." He spun the revolver back together with an audible click. "Tell us information now, and we can help you with problem." 

[Supercape]

GM

 

The Hornet gave a cunning smile. 

 

"The woman you speak of, the sleeping icy woman, is immortal, or something close to it. You are aware that Sin has extended his life many times over, and yet I believe he requires rejuvination. I would not swear to it, for Sin is ever obscure. Yet, this I would gamble on! He desires her alchemy, that frozen blood, that icy juice, of her body!"

 

"I extracted it for him. And now, he wishes to...clone it, I think. I am not sure if one can clone such magic. I am not sure it is magic, or it is cloning. But he has gone to Holland to seek an expert on the matter" he said, mulling the words over carefully. 

 

"Now, perhaps you could intercept him, or merely foil his plans. If you were feeling bold, you could contaminate the extract with a subtle poison..."

[Avenger Assembled]

"Your advice is kindly taken, I am sure," said Frost as he pulled back the hammer of his revolver. "You understand that we require a more valuable coin than your word. It is possible that your master left the United Kingdom for Hong Kong and then flew back across entirety of Old World to land of wooden shoes and windmills but it seems highly improbable." He snapped the fingers of his free hand and went on, "I may have powers of spells and fairies but I am man of science. I take being lied to very poorly, sir, and should I find that you have done so, you will find that my reach is exceedingly long, and my grasp exceedingly cold." He shot a glance upwards at the ceiling, wondering if their listener would actually be joining them. 

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Ha, it seems my truth is unpalatable. Or unbeleivable. Perhaps both. Maybe I should try plausible lies next time"

 

"Sin did not dig up the woman. I did" he explained emphatically. "I doubt Sin would ever set foot in the United Kingdom, let alone that dismal land called Wales" he said with distaste. "Does it ever stop raining there?"

 

He shook himself to the business at hand. 

 

"I extracted the juice from the sleeping woman. And now, Sin...or should I say Sin has claimed...that he needs an expert from Holland to clone the sample. Now, That is what he has said. And by my estimation what he has done. But you know as well as I do, I am sure, that what he says, what he appears to do, and what he does are often different things. And the why of it is even more obscure"

 

"I am not lying to you, and fear not your wrath" he said confidently. "You too, will find my reach long and dangerous, should I care to exert it" he added threateningly. "I do not strike directly, either. Mark that well". 

 

He smiled - a cold smile, but a smile nonetheless. "Now, I have given you information. I doubt you will catch Sin, but it is possible. And I will take the possibility. However, should you fail I must salvage some benefit from this mess. I would suggest then that you find out what Sin intends, and foil his plans. If you return that sample to me, I can analyse it for you. I doubt anyone else will fathom its complexities". 

 

 

[Tiffany Korta]

 

Zhenshchina-voin

"You'd be surprised..."

 

Klara had stayed out of sight for most of the conversation, being there trump card if something had kicked off, but had hadn't spent the time just watching. Instead, she'd been carefully making sure that she could slip into the warehouse without too much of a splash, and she wasn't about to waste the time sent.

 

"And I'm sorry to say there are many people I know who are much more skilled in such things then you are, and I'll have you know Wales is a lovely place!"

 

Hovering above them all it was difficult to make out on the lasts part her face was far from serious.

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Ah, we have a trinity! A trinity of....ah...interesting!"

 

The Hornet seemed to have realised something. 

 

"Yes, very interesting. The pieces are the same, but the board has been changed, a new actors have arrived. This makes things very interesting. I wonder what..."

 

He caught himself muttering. As cunning as the Hornet was, he appeared to have a habit. When engrossed in his intellectual acts, he muttered out loud. 

 

Up to a point. Now, he shut his mouth closed. 

 

"Well, its interesting. That is all" he said, his will exerted. 

 

"Wales is very green. Nice sheep" he said, in concillatory tones to Voin. 

 

"As for experts in archeo-biochemistry, I suppose it is possible there are experts other than myself" he conceded. "Reagant knows more of chemistry, and Phantom more of the mystic arts. Yes, I have studied the happenings of the world, and Sin's network is vast. But I know of none who have mastered both magic and biochemistry together, as I have!"

[Exaccus]

Dreadnought was not a patient man, even before his mutation, it was not a contempt for quiet or subtlety but rather a burning need to keep in motion.

 

"Times a tickin' regardless lady and gentlemen, we best be steaming along whilst there is still time on the clock, this sin fella's smarter than the lot of us right? Lets not give him the prep time that raven's fans revere so highly i say. Lets go charge some windmills." 

[Supercape]

GM

 

And so...windmills it was...

 

Holland!

 

Or, more precisely, the stately home of Duke Jaap  Duke Jaap Dooyeweerd, a most curious fellow. A recluse at times, of whom most extravagent rumors circulated - despite his elusiveness he seemed to travel the world getting into wild parties, scientific conferences, magnificent opera's, and jolly hunting expeditions. A man of two sides, it seemed. 

 

He was also a notable expert on biochemistry and cloning. Not one to share his research, or advertise his expertise, a little digging by Comrade Frost indicated that the Duke, and his father (and indeed Grandfather) had been of interest to the KGB for nearly a hundred years. Nothing concrete, it seemed - but Hitler and Stalin had both been most keep to acquire the families skill and yet nothing had materialised. 

 

And it was the Duke whom Doctor Sin had intended to visit. 

 

Quite in what manner, that was another issue altogether. 

 

A dozen miles outside of Amsterdam, the elegant old stately home was well maintained but resilutely unmodern. The security seemed fairly tight - walls, camera's, gates, and so on, but there were no armed guards (or killer robots, mutant dogs, or clone warriors come to that) - at least ones which could be seen. 

 

A tiny speck of fortune had befallen the immortals. Opposite the Duke's home was a most excellent coffee shop serving most excellent coffee and most excellent pastries, and it afforded a most excellent view of the manor. 

[Tiffany Korta]

 

Zhenshchina-voin

Klara didn't often feel conscious about her height if people had a problem with her it was theirs to deal with, but right now she couldn't help but feel that it was obvious why they were here. It said something when Dimitri was the least obvious person in their little team, though the cafe was quite spectacular.

 

It was hard not to overthink these kinds of things and assume that a mastermind like Doctor Zui, hopefully, they'd done enough to get the drop on him, if the Duke wasn't watching the cafe for a gathering of obvious supers.

 

"So do we have an idea of how we want to handle this? I mean nothing stops up from walking up to the door and asking to visit, though I'm not sure if that will work!"

[Exaccus]

Dreadnought had opted to take his drink (the largest hot chocolate with all the toppings) and his chocolate twist outside the shop, no doubt to the relief of the staff.

 

There he sat looking quite the spectacle no doubt, drinking from a bowl like cup sat on the sidewalk, like a lawn gnome of extraordinary size as he listened through the shops open front.

 

"This guys a recluse right? Way i see it you two can sneak in or we can try to draw him out, he's a bio-whatchamagookus right? Its his passion, sins used that to get him on board with this whole plot o' his ill bet. Blood from a perfectly preserved early homosapien's gotta be a big draw, if not immortality." He mumbled "maybe we can get invited in if i make a fantastic enough spectacle to get his nerd alarms ringing."

[Avenger Assembled]

Idly it occurred to Dimitri how much easier this had been in the old days - when he could have simply shown up at the offender's door with armed men and dogs from the Ninth Chief Directorate, kick in the door, and arrest him in the name of the Soviet Union and its peoples. Well it wasn't always so good, Dimitri, he reminded himself. What if it was some highly-placed Party official, with influence enough to derail your investigation? Remembering how he'd have handled those crises put a smile on his face as he held his drink in his hands. "Zui is aware that we are here. Always assume when dealing with such as him." He was silent, considering the situation, before he spoke, "There would be legal difficulties with European Union if representatives of Russian and British government committed superpowered burglaries on Dutch soil even in cause of justice. So I propose you do it, big fellow, as loud and boisterous as you like" he said, patting Dreadnought on a gigantic shoulder. "While associate and I enter building from rear and do what must be done. Is very Russian." 

[Exaccus]

"Right ya are comrade, lets get this train wreck a rollin." 

 

And with that he quickly downed his drink and placed it, cup upside down on saucer on a nearby table and with a quick "Danke shen" to the staff strode out into the middle of the road and without so muh as a care in the world began a frenzied and thunderous tapdance with his custom made horse shoe hobnails cracking against the tarmac as his arms were put to keeping his balance.

 

He'd never taken lessons but he'd thought about it in high school, alas fragile masculinity, overvalued at a half had won out.

[Supercape]

GM

 

The two bored guards outside the Dukes mansion were bored no longer. 

 

"<What the....>"

 

A veritable dribble of befuddled Flemish poured forth from flabergasted mouths. Now, by this stage, Dreadnought had attracted a little bit of fame - it was hardly possible to avoid it, what with his size. And the Dutch kept up with the European superheroes. 

 

"<The Dreadnought!>"

 

And doing a most spectacular dance, by all the looks of it. The pavement and the road, however, did not best manage the huge weight of Dreadnough, and cracked and splintered. A crowd started to congeal around him; not malign by any means. Despite the destruction of the road, they applauded loudly. 

 

"He dances! He dances!"

 

Yes, the Dutch spoke better English than the English, in many cases. 

 

And the applause was indicative that Dreadnought had made quite an impression. And quite an impression meant quite a distraction...