ic Room of Danger Redux (Patriot II)

[EternalPhoenix]

June 13. 2023. Freedom City. Hanover. Terrifi-Labs.

 

-Labs was the one bedroom apartment Terrifica had converted into her personal headquarters in Freedom City. She’d sent Patriot II the address after her little advertisement caught her attention. It made Terrifica perhaps a bit uncomfortable having a government agent knowing where she hung her hat, but whatever. So here they were. Sitting where, in any other apartment, would probably be the living room. Here it did double duty as the only public space. The actual dining room was full of electronics and technology. She slid a tablet across the table they were sitting at. Patriot, naturally, was seated on the opposite side of it. “Please confirm I have all of the details correct. Your scenario, the opponents, etcetera. You’re also confirming that you understand that this technology is, technically, in the experimental stages. My efforts may have reduced any risk to the miniscule, but it is still there.” She crossed her legs. “With that confirmed, we can go the next room and get started.”

[Avenger Assembled]

Her eyes invisible behind her helmet, the Patriot began reading the documents. While the Raven or another super-genius peer of Terrifica's would have carried on a conversation with her while reading them, the Patriot approached this more like someone reading a loan application or a legal document. When she was finished, she said "This is fine. It looks like you've captured Red Death, her doofus minions, and everyone at the party that night." Terrifica had heard about the incident, of course; even before she'd been contacted. The Patriot had squared off against the Red Death and some hired goons and taken them all out - and people had died, too.

 

She handed the files back, then asked "How is this different than the League's Wreck Room?" she asked, referring to the holographic training system used by the Freedom League. 

[EternalPhoenix]

Terrifica didn’t so much as twitch. “The Wreck Room is holographic. Its users are still using their real bodies in those simulations. While this has its benefits-namely keeping one’s physical reflexes and instincts in prime condition-it also has its drawbacks. The Wreck Room, by its very nature as a physical training area, It will not, under ordinary circumstances, actually injure you. Furthermore, using it adds to the wear and tear on your body. It would be quite awkward to do a somersault and tear your ACL mid session. Or, being less dramatic, there is the fatigue factor limiting how often a given user can train. If they are too tired, they will not gain the proper benefit and may even tear that ACL.” She smirked, as she’d amused herself.

 

She uncrossed and recrossed her legs the other way. “My system is entirely virtual. To put it in layman’s terms, it reroutes most of the input from your spinal cord into the server, and inputs sensory data into it the same way your nerves would. Think of it as plugging into the Matrix, only you’re using external equipment instead of a cybernetic implant.” She rather severely doubted Patriot was familiar with Sword Art Online, after all. “So, the simulation can be run as many times as you like, with no real cost to your physical body. The injuries may feel real, but they are not. Your powers and skills will function exactly as you remember them.” She smiled reassuringly. “Not to worry. I will be monitoring you the entire time. At the first sign of any trouble, and the numerous redundant failsafes don’t work, I can shut it down manually. By pulling the equipment off your head, if all else fails. The server is not connected to the internet, and the only access point is in the next room.”

[Avenger Assembled]

"Normally I'm not a fan of cybernetics," said the Patriot cooly, "but you come highly recommended. I appreciate the reassurance, though." She reflected that she wasn't sure what the relationship was between Miss Americana and Terrifica exactly - so she left out exactly where it had come from. She did a few more checks of the safety system with Terrifica but turned down her offer of a personal inspection; the hard reality was that she was putting her fate in the hands of a trained specialist and Ashley herself wouldn't recognize a sabotaged or dangerous machine unless it actually had plastique affixed to it. Or maybe some poisonous snakes. Ugh, why do I always think about these things right before I sit down. 

 

"All right," she said, "I'm ready." She'd had her Patriot helmet modified so it could accept the impulses that usually went into the VR helmet, it was easy enough for a tech genius like Terrifica to make the connections. 

[EternalPhoenix]

Terrifica plugged in Patriot’s helmet to the system. “If you need anything, say my name and I’ll disconnect you so we can discuss it. Good? Good. Diving in five…four…three…two…”

 

The skyscraper was exactly as Patriot remembered it. The top floor of that skyscraper in Baltimore. The same point she’d entered, actually. Red Death II was pontificating in the central open area, employees held at gun point by three of her goons. 4 more were on patrol/monitoring for any interference. The elevator and staircases were obviously on their observation menu. Fortunately, Patriot knew a third way in…

[Avenger Assembled]

Ashley didn't get into political arguments at work. For one thing, she and many of her superhero colleagues didn't see eye-to-eye on some matters that were important but not worth fighting about with people who would one day have your back in a real crisis. For another thing, if the Patriot started talking about politics, it was one step down the road to politicizing all superheroes, even the ones that didn't sign up to be government agents and make public service announcements. And finally, maybe she'd made herself a public face of causes like Vietnamese-Americans and LGBT uniformed personnel - but she wasn't really a political person except for the things that really mattered. 

 

But one thing was true. She really hated Communists. Especially ones that hid behind revolutionary words and talk of liberation while terrorizing innocent people. A thug, even a brutal thug, was one thing - one who thought they weren't was something else entirely. Something much worse. 

 

What the hell. Play it big. 

 

She stood up from her crouch at the opened window, snapped open a sticky grenade from her belt, and threw it directly at Red Death's face. "Come and get me you dumb f_cks!" she declared before drawing her pistols.