ic Head West

[Tiffany Korta]

The Scarab III

Kamala didn't often do this but she allowed herself a sly smile, not that he could see under her disguise, which was also very obvious in her voice.

 

"If only we had a variable sonic generator with a powerful energy source, backed up with an anti-graviton device!"

 

As she spoke she deployed the full range of her goggles senses she peered into the warehouse below, the best plan she found was one that you never needed to use.

 

"As I believe I've said before this isn't all for show, I know exactly what I'm doing!"

 

It wasn't completely true, but for now, she was doing well so far.

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Well, that would work, I suppose...." grumped the Doctor, vexed that his own magnificent ideas were trumped by another (obviously inferior, he considered) ideas. 

 

With a tweak of electrodes, a reconfiguration of vibration modulatoin, and a gravitronic reversal (all courtesy of the magnificent mind of the Scarab), the sonic blasters were reconfigured. 

 

"I have to say, I am impressed!" conceded the doctor, his irritation superseded by admiration. "That should temporariliy inhibit all Daka-energy! I mean, its all a bit unpredictable with corrupted crystals...but even I have confidence. Not very much confidence, of course, but that, I dare say, is my personality rather than my rational assessment!" he added with uncharacteristic insight. 

 

All thanks to the Scarab's genius!

[Tiffany Korta]

 

The Scarab III

It wasn't really her field, she'd always been a practical woman rather than the more theoretical theories, but she'd read enough about Daka crystal to be able to make several educated guesses. It wasn't pretty and the engineer in her wanted to run more tests before using it, but alas they didn't have time to do that fully. Finally, she replaced her robes and Niqāb, the element of surprise was something she planned to use to the fullest, especially as the front entrance looked to be the only real way to enter the warehouse.

 

"Do you want to come with me, or do you feel safer up here out of sight?"

 

Standing on the edge of the warehouse, out of sight of the guards she was finally ready to put this ad hoc plan into action.

[Supercape]

GM

 

"I feel safer locked in a steel fortress in Freedom City patrolled by impervium weave defender bots with Vorpal laser swords" he ansered, wringing his hands. "But I guess you aren't offering that option" he lamented. 

 

"Well, up here it is then! I don't like violence. Or being around violence. Being around violence raises the risk of violence being done to you. Accidentally or otherwise. I find pain rather painful. I don't really fancy it" he pleased. Before falling to his knees and grabbing onto one of the Scarabs Shin in a plea. 

 

"Don't let me die!" he wailed. 

[Tiffany Korta]

 

The Scarab III

"That the spirit Doctor! Though whilst violence is sometimes the answer, it should never be the first option." she handed a small earpiece to him "You'll be able to keep in touch with me, stay out of sight and keep quiet. Hopefully, this will go down without any trouble."

 

Dropping down silently she made her way to the front of the warehouse, approaching them as meekly as she could.

 

<"Farouk sent me to collect something from this place, may I please enter good sirs?">

 

Even if she found the idea of being subservient to anyone abhorrent, playing to their egos was often a useful trick to try.

[Supercape]

GM

 

"<You sure don't look like someone Farouk would send>" grumbled one of the men. 

 

All three pointed there strange weapons (unbenknownst to them, quite inhibited) at the Scarab. 

 

"<You look like someone going to get blasted!>" laughed another man. 

 

"<So you better tell us who you really are...and...err...we won't kill you very much!>" he said, clumsily presenting what could only be described as a really bad deal. Which didn't make any sense. 

 

That said, the men pointed there guns and looked tough. Scarab got the sense that they probably were tough. Ex-military, possibly. Not your average thug, certainly. But still not employed from smarts....

[Tiffany Korta]

 

The Scarab III

<"If you don't believe me then you better fire then!"> even she knew that it was a pretty weak response and that conflict was very likely.

 

For now, she kept on her disguise, better not to reveal her true abilities until they learned that their weapons were ineffective, for a maximum disheartening effect.

 

She was 100% confident that the device would work so was fine to wait for them to make the first move.

 

<"But please do what you feel is right, and God willing the truth will shine out!">

[Supercape]

GM

 

"You asked for hit!"

"Yeah, she asked for it!"

 

"Asked for it, she did!"

 

So emboldened by groupthink, they simultanously fired. 

 

BZZZZZT! BZZZ...FZZZZ!

 

Bar a few sparks and electronic burps, nothing came pouring out of the nozzles of the guns. 

 

"What? We tested em fine this morning?"

 

"Damn Egg-heads! They know nothing!" grunted the largest and most stupid looking of the fellows, in a clear demonstration of the correlatoin between perceived and actual competence. 

 

"Never mind! We can still get her! Come on boys!" added the last, grabbing a crowbar and advancing...

[Tiffany Korta]

The Scarab III
Kamala was enjoying the moment as she finally cast off her robes showing the red and yellow of her Scarab costume. Quickly pulling down her goggles she took up a defensive stance. When she decided on this path she studied many of the martial arts working out which would work for her frame, the vambraces could also act as a way to deflect blows. Though she favoured the reinforced modern replica that housed her sonic weapon, though the other was remarkably resilient for a piece of decorative jewellery of its age.

[Supercape]

GM

 

The first, ugliest, stupidest and baldest thug took the punch squarely on his nose. 

 

the Scarab heard a cracking sound that was far from pleasant. 

 

"Pfft! Is that all you got?" replied the Thug, who was bleeding profusely from his broken nose. He started saying something else, but the blood got in his lips and he just spluttered. 

 

"<Damn that hurt!>" he added softly in Arabic, his teeth gritted. He stepped back and it looked for one moment like he might fall. 

 

"Get her! The damn crazy woman!" said another to the third, and both swung their improvised weapons - a crowbar and a plank of wood with a nail in the end. The latter managed to strike the Scarab squarely on the back - a hearty and robust retort!

[Tiffany Korta]

The Scarab III
Trusting her force field to be able to protect her from the blows she instead focused on the largest of the three thugs, she treated fights like complicated science problems and split them into easily solvable problems. She kept the others in her sights, but for now, they were a secondary problem.

That was the idea anyhow, but despite a couple of solid blows she just couldn't take the man down. It was very perplexing, but it just made her more determined to finish the job at hand.

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Damn you! May your cow's udders shrivel and dry!" cursed one of the thugs, as he blocked the Scarab's fist with his face. 

 

"Get her! The slippery snake of Satan!" yelled another, who had successfully bruised the Scarab's foot with his kidneys. 

 

They pounced. Too slow, too inelegant for the Scarab. One got a hand on her arm from behind, but circular motions and momentun sent him turning around and knee deep in his own frustration. 

 

"By my uncles grey beard! GET HER!" screamed the last, quite embarressed at their performance. 

[Tiffany Korta]

 

The Scarab III

Kamala did what she normally did when a problem perplexed her, she stood back and looked at a problem going briefly defensive for a moment. The man was powerful but not very skilled, he relied on certain moves at certain points in his attacks.

 

Waiting a few moments more she noticed that he was about to do the move, so at the last minute she struck up catching him a solid blow at just the right minute. And it was a solid blow finally taking the man down. Looking up at the others she put on her intimidating voice

 

"Do you really want to join this man? Drop the weapons an flee and we'll say no more on the subject."

[Supercape]

GM

 

The Scarab was clearly a slippery customer. The two remaining thugs looked at each other, then at the Scarab, then at each other again. It seemed that a mutual understanding had hit them. 

 

When the going got tough, the not-so-tough got going. 

 

The two functionless Daka weapons dropped to the ground. 

 

And both of them turned away and ran out of the warehouse as fast as they could. 

 

From above, the Doctor clapped.

 

"KICK ASSES!" he yelled, full of encouragement. 

[Tiffany Korta]

 

The Scarab III

Kamala smiled enjoying her moment of victory, she enjoyed the mental challenge of judging her foes and winning out over the actual fighting itself. That was an unfortunate thing that came with this job.

 

She was more interested in the Daka powered gun and she picked up all of the fallen weapons, securing two away for safety and taking time to examine the third. Figure the working of the gun and skill in their manufacture would help her refine her countermeasures. After all, she was pretty sure this wouldn't be the only defences around the crystal.

 

"So Doctor do you wish to come down now, or do you feel safer up there?"

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Oh Ill stay up here! Not that I feel safe, exactly. Just less petrified with cold fear!" he explained, making sure he stayed quite under cover. In case of explosions. 

 

"But...I mean...is it safe?" he asked, searching for a hint of trouble. 

 

From the Scarab's point of view, it looked so. There were several Daka Weapons in the warehouse, and various accesories to said weapons, chargers, repair kits, and so on. But no explosive traps or, more likely, things that would explode. This was a corrupted Daka crystal there were dealing with, after all. 

 

And on that note, there was no actual Daka crystal, Just the weapons....

 

"Farouk, my cousin, will pay for this!....Ah...is he down there?" called the Doctor. 

[Tiffany Korta]

The Scarab III

"It seems that you good Cousin Farouk has gone into the arms business Doctor. He obviously saw a better option for profit whilst you were away!"

 

She wasn't upset at this set back instead she was focused on the current problem at hand, it was obvious that these weapons couldn't be left here with or without the Daka crystal, people tended to be quite ingenious after all.

 

"I think a ramping up the resonance to destructive levels should do the trick, after making sure that the explosion is properly contained so not to do damage to surrounded properties."

 

As she spoke she did a quick calculation in her head working out the safest possible way to achieve the task.

 

"Oh and we better get you off the roof now Doctor!"

 

[Supercape]

GM

 

And so...a moment or two later...

 

Doctor Ahmed Misi and the Scarab stood some safe distance away. The Doctor was not exatly pleased with the Scarab's jiggery-pokery. After all, her calculations and modifications to the equipment in the warehouse were designed to safely blow everything up. 

 

"But!" he explained. "If I can get Farouks treacherous head in my hands, oh...well...that will be a sweetness amongst all the bitter days!" he muttered. As cowardly and passive as he might appear, Misi was clearly one for vengeance. You could almost see the Cogs turn in his head as he calculated and wondered about all the violent nasty ends he might empose on Farouk. And empose in a most slow way. 

 

"Its valuable, all the equipment in that warehouse" he said, one last plea to the Scarab. "Are you sure you have to blow it up?"

 

 

 

 

[Tiffany Korta]

 

The Scarab III

Kamala wasn't so mollycoddled by his cowardly attitude to count him out as a threat, he'd tried to sell the crystal after all, but occasionally he reminded her that he could be a bigger threat if the situation allows. Which she for one wasn't going to allow.

 

"I think Egypt has seen enough trouble over the last few years, let alone the rest of the region, without these weapons getting into the hands of the wrong sort of people."

 

Rather than enter a debate with the Doctor further she sent the command to set off the controlled explosion. Then it was time to focus on the next issue.

 

"Don't worry Doctor we'll be dealing with your dear Cousin next. Where do you think we'll be able to find him and more importantly the corrupted Daka crystal?"

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Farouk? That bucket of slime? Hmmm" 

 

Misi considered the matter for a moment. It did not take long. 

 

"I have a pretty good guess. Tasmah Aldam. Crocodile blood. A cesspool of depravity and debauchery. Where every no good infidel spends his days in wine, hasish, and women, boasting of conquests and dealing in the black market...!" he explained. 

 

"Or....um....so I have heard. Obviously, I would not tarnish my soul by going there myself. But, I suppose I might face such spiritual anguish for the greater good!"

 

"LETS GO!" he said, excitedly, almost salivating. 

[Tiffany Korta]

 

The Scarab III

Despite being a good Muslim she accepted that people would well be people, she was all about people being free to do what they wished, as long as they didn't break the law. it still didn't mean she could find people skeevy, and she shot the Doctor such a look. Luckily for him, he couldn't see her through the bug like goggles.

 

"That's all fine and good Doctor, but how do you plan to do that without tipping him off? He knows you and I'm going to stand out, not even a hijab going to work in a place like this."

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Hey, why are you looking at me?" he asked, befuddled. "I just do physics. And a bit of designing bleeding edge daka based weaponry" he conceded. "The best I know about all of this is watching a few James Bond films".

 

Nevertheless, he did ponder the matter. 

 

"If you can't enter the Crocodile, maybe you can get him to leave?" he asked. "Set up a trap. A sting?"

[Tiffany Korta]

 

The Scarab

Kamala pondered for a few moments, her options right now were fairly limited as she had few resources to hand as she explained to the Doctor

 

"But who will actually pass the information to him? I can't do it and I doubt you have the nerve to do this task!" she was musing to herself really as she set her eye on a possible solution.

 

Still led unconscious, and at the safe distance was the thug she'd felled only a few scant minutes before. As gently as she could she knelt down and shook the thug awake.

 

<"I need you to do a little something for me!">

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Wha..wha...Britney I love you, hit me one more time!" mumbled the happily dreaming thug in that sweet few seconds before pleasant dreams slipped into hard reality. 

 

"Wait...where am I? Who are you?" he gasped. "Where's Farouk? Wait! I remember you! You punched me!" he complained. 

 

With increasing consciousness, a brief sense of bravado and limited guile crept in. Limited, it must be said. Farouk gathered his henchmen for their strength of body, not strength of mind. 

 

"By Allah! You shall not hear a word from me what do you want I'll do anything dont hit me!" he gasped, his bravado failing as soon as it started. 

[Tiffany Korta]

 

The Scarab III

Kamala might not be the most skilled at intimidating people, but she did know how to stack the deck in her favour. She held up the vambrace to his head that made a powering up noise (a set of simple tones to test the device) and the gem glowed.

 

<"I am The Scarab!" she glowered "And this is a powerful sonic weapon, and you don't want to know what it would do if I fired it at this close range into your skull!">

 

Nothing right now! she though counting on the fact he was very unlikely to be a telepath.

 

<"Luckily for you I just want you to take a message to your boss.">