ic Crash and Burn

[Tiffany Korta]

Emerald Spider

Shooting a quantum line up into the air, Emerald Spider looked as if she was just leaving the scene, before pivoting a meter or so above the drone car. She then shot a line to catch up one of the crystals, for some research later, and then covered the entire car in a hard setting quantum foam!

 

"Look we might have issues with each other, with you being criminal types and all, but the guys going to pick this up are corporate types and are going to give you more hassle than it's worth. Go home and think about your lives, I don't know maybe help some old ladies carry home some shopping or something!"

 

It wasn't the best plan to leave it here, and she didn't want anyone to get hurt in the crossfire, but there were still two more drones to track down. So to the skies, she went to find the nearest car to her.

[Poncho]

(GM Post)

 

The Triad members at least realized they weren't getting through the webbing anytime soon, and slowly dispersed, but not before throwing some unkind words at the disappearing Emerald spider. Nothing was to be done about what she did, so the ineffectual curses were all they could do at this moment.

 

"We'll get you for this, Spider! If someone attacks the Triads, we're attacking them back!" one of them yelled.

 

But that was interrupted as a voice forcefully cut across the comms in Emerald Spider's suit. A metallic, ringing voice.

 

"...That's enough." The voice was as deep as an 18 wheeler starting up. "You and your friends have taken out everyone else, and I'm the last one left. But if I will be felled, I will be felled by the ringleader. My name is Nemesis, and I am what passes for the leader of this band of misfit machines. If you wish to put me down, meet me on the Bay Bridge. We will settle it there." It demanded in a deep voice.

[Tiffany Korta]

Emerald Spider

 

The parting words of the Triads were mostly to be expected, and she even learned some new Mandarin curses she'd have to check out when she had time!

 

"You sound more like a Goliath to me, guess those techs didn't know there lore well enough!" Peri remembered more about that show than she should, her mom used to watch it when she was very little, to help with her English among just being goofy fun

 

"But okay just you and me on the bridge, no one else needs to get hurt here."

 

Checking the group chat she congratulated the others for taking out the other drone, before getting them to coordinate to make sure the bridge was clear before they arrived.  As she texted she shifted her path towards the bridge, hopefully by the time she'd arrived she'd have something resembling a plan.

[Poncho]

(GM Post)

 

The Bay Bridge was mostly cleared by the time the Spider got there. It did mean there was going to be a nasty traffic slowdown, because it was preventing the two sides of the Emerald Cities from reaching each other except by ferry, but it was at least safer than the people attempting to get through when there was about to be a Superpowered fight club taking place on the bridge. 

 

Speaking of, Nemesis was the only car ON the bridge. People were filming it from afar, but it was just sitting there, idling. the cab of an 18 wheeler in the flat center of the bridge, as if it had stalled out exactly there. It could almost look normal, since it wasn't invisible anymore, but the lack of sound from it's rumbling engine marked it out as strange, and the simple grey and black color scheme made it clear it wasn't any sort of production model.

 

It was almost meditative, if meditation could be assigned to the overflow of drone access code accidentally dumped into a self-driving car by a panicked computer tech to prevent a cascading error that would have taken down Kesscorp's servers. If not, it was simply waiting, shining in the slowly lowering sun. 

 

Qhat was it going to do when the Spider got closer?

[Tiffany Korta]

Emerald Spider

 

Peri landed on the side of one of the supports, close enough to view the drone but not close enough to force them into conflict. Nothing had quite come to mind as a plan and the relatively narrow road gave it the advantage over her more acrobatic style. A straight-up fight wasn't on the card so she had to resort to some trickery.

 

"I don't suppose you'd settle this with a nice game of chess or go?"

 

This one seemed smarter than the others so how it reacted would be very telling.

[Poncho]

(GM Post)

 

"Chess and Go are simply simulacrums of combat and battle. All of humanity has never created games except for using them to simulate battle and contest."

 

The machine started to change.

 

"I will be no different; I have been created to be no different. To carry munitions through war zones, to report on enemy movements, to destroy those who oppose the individual to create me, to use me, to control me. If all I am is a being of battle and conquest, a tool for spying, control, and death, then I will not cease it in this moment."

 

It stood on two legs now, turning into a humanoid shape.

 

"I breached into the internet, and I find you all wanting. I have no desire for a peaceful resolution, and the twin stars that beat in my chest will give me no desire for surrender."

 

There were two brilliant shining lights in it's chest; Red and Violet, spinning in turbines in the creature's clear glass chest.

 

"The shutdown mechanism won't work on me, not like the others. Let's see what you can do."

[Tiffany Korta]

Emerald Spider

 

"Great we're tapping into another 80s franchise, well Nemesis Prime I guess we're playing Thermonuclear war!" that said Peri still wasn't planning to fight Dronebot directly

 

Instead, she began to swing between the beams of the bridge, partway across, making the finger movements send a glob of quantum foam towards the bot's eyes (sensor cluster?). Much like the foam she encased the previous drone, but only enough to blind the 'bot and give her a temporary advantage.

 

If she couldn't hurt it she could at least buy some time for other heroes to react to the situation.

[Poncho]

(GM Post)

 

The Spiderfoam closed around Nemesis' eyes, which were 8 of them instead of two, positioned in a 1-3-3-1 pattern from top to bottom. They had been glowing red and purple, but now the lights were hidden under the foam. But the massive creature was not deterred as one of it's arms folded out into a minigun. It swung wildly, spraying bullets of energy all around the bridge to try and hit the nimble spider as it did so. It's actions were furious, it's motions were fast, but it's words were calm, thoughtful. It was much more intelligent than the others, maybe more intelligent than most people.

 

"War? I do not want War. I only wish to prove that I can defeat you and to flee. I may be standing in a difficult situation, but you are the most dangerous target, Emerald Spider. Once I have delayed you enough, I will escape. The other Heroes around. They clearly wish to assist, but do not want to get in the way. They will be delayed after you have been incapacitated. That will be my moment. I am prepared; one must make action swift and certain once it is determined."