Childhood Dream (IC)

[angrydurf]

"It seems the league has been compromised in some fashion." Ace replied quickly, "Details are sketchy but hopefully we'll be able to know more after we engage. For the time being assume any league member suspect and at full power."

He glanced over as Dark Star approached the League members, "Get your men in place if this turns ugly we'll need your firepower." Ace requested before vanishing from sight to to approach the robbers more surreptitiously.

[Avenger Assembled]

"Derrick," said Lady Liberty, a look of what was by all accounts great relief on her face. "Thank God you're here." She moved to the dark hero's side while Captain Thunder and Johnny Rocket continued loading their precious cargo into its fragile crate. "The League's been compromised," she said quickly. "Mind control by the Grue. We need the quantum transmitter to overcome the Meta-Mind's brainwashing before they spread their influence to the rest of the city, then the world! Can you help us?" she asked imploringly.

[Cyroa]

Dark Star stared unblinkingly at 'Lady Liberty'. This was one of those time he'd like Scarab to be around. To tell him if this was a mind controlled version or someone/thing else entirely. The fact that she said his name, which he had been darn certainly no one outside of a small group of people knew, was definitely not a good sign. He would have to make do he supposed.

"Lying is unbecoming and certainly not a trait a a hero should be practicing." He gestured, altering the gravity for the entire area, attempting to pin them all, and the machine, firmly to the floor until he got to the bottom of this. He doubt it'd affect them all. But it would certainly prevent them from moving the device for now. "I do not know who you are or what your intent is. But it will stop now. Please do not resist. I have no wish to harm you."

[Dr Archeville]

They are either impostors from some parallel world, or they are being controlled!

No Scheiße, Sherlock. Question is, what are you gonna do about it?

Me? What about you?

Why should I lift a neuron to help? We let them go, for a bit longer, ruining the League's reputation, causing a loss of public trust. Then I swoop in and save the city -- by sending the impostors back, or breaking the mind control, or whatever -- but since the Leaguers were so untrustworthy, so weak, the city hands over the League HQ to me, who is obviously their superior!

You can sit there and wait and do nothing, but I will be helping to restore order and the League's good name, and getting to the bottom of this!

Archeville had been conversing with Dr. Frank, trying to get information on exactly what it was the League members stole, and seeing if he could recall the specific questions they'd asked. Suddenly, a new line of questioning occurred to him. "Doctor Frank, you said it vas Lady Liberty, Johnny Rocket, und Kapitän Thunder, ja? Did dey say anyding about de other Leaguers, about Daedalus, Pseudo, Raven, Siren, or Star Knight?"

He turned slightly to address Stesha, "I believe our mutual friend up in de sky vill be in need of some assistance."

[Avenger Assembled]

The three 'Leaguers' staggered under Dark Star's gravitic onslaught, each nearly succumbing before they each proved able to either resist its effects or simply bolt out of the way and up onto the ceiling. "We need a hostage!" called the man with Johnny Wade's face. "I'll grab the pretty one!" And with that, he charged Ace Danger at blinding speed, only the immortal hero's super-honed reflexes letting him escape the supersonic attack.

For her part, the woman in Lady Liberty's costume gave a mocking laugh. "Wade, you stupid-" She then used many words to describe him, none of which Lady Liberty would usually have used to describe Johnny Rocket where anyone could hear. "We need the transmitter!" And with that, she bent down, scooped up the crate, and flew from the room with a near-sonic BOOM that rattled the walls. "Thunder, cover me!"

[Dr Archeville]

Oh, that cunning little-

No! We can stop her! We must stop her!

Why us? Dark Star, the sun-godling, can take them all out on his own.

That... that is not the point! And we should not expect or rely on Derrick to do all the 'heroing' around here!

Pft. Whatever.

Up, up, and away!

Archeville was suddenly enveloped in the blue-grey light of his force field, and took off like a rocket towards Lady Liberty. As he streaked after her, he manipulated the controls on his wondrous Electromagnetic Screwdriver, and one end began to emit an eerie dark red light.

"Guten tag, Dame freiheit!," he shouted as he approached her. "I am afraid to say dat dese actions are going to get you..."

Archeville jammed the glowing end of his E.S. into the small of Lady Liberty's back, and the dark red light crept from the device to encompass her. Theoretically, the energy field would cancel her photonic manipulation abilities in such a way that her flight would simply turn off (and remain off, for as long as he maintained the field), but leave her superhuman toughness intact so the fall from so high up should not do her any serious injury.

"... grounded!"

Argh! That was terrible!

What? You're the one always trying to get me to lighten up.

[Avenger Assembled]

The blow struck home, and Dr. Archeville's opponent yelped and flexed in the air. But she stayed in the air all the same, though, and gave him a malevolent look as glowing red flame washed over her eyes. "That might have worked, she gloated wickedly. "On the real Lady Liberty." Back in the laboratory, Thunder took a few moments to take in this situation before springing into action.

"You owe me for this one, you stupid junkie!" he spat with a sneer on his handsome face as he glared at Johnny, jutting out his square jaw as he cussed out his own teammate. "As for the rest of you, there's nothing left I need in this room. Taste the power of the THUNDERBOLT!" And with that he raised his fists in the air and drove them into the ground beneath his feet, sending massive eruptions of lightning washing over the room.

[Electra]

Stesha yelped as the room shook and she went tumbling over, smacking her head smartly against a work counter. "Oh, that is the very living end," she muttered, shoving her cowl back to bare her green hair to the sun streaming in through the hole in the wall. Reaching into her pouch, she drew out a seed and tossed it at whoever was masquerading as Captain Thunder. It grew in the air, becoming a vine of ivy as thick as a man's arm. It anchored itself around an embedded work table then snaked out to wrap around Captain Thunder, snaking up his body and yanking him to the ground.

[Cyroa]

Dark Star frowned as they shrugged off his gravity field with ease. Luckily the others seemed to have done much better than him. He smiled to himself and nodded at Stesha as she pinned the fake Thunder with apparent ease. "I'll be back in a moment." He turned and flashed out the window after the Lady and the Doctor, coming to stop in front of here. "I'd like to apologize for this, just in case," he said. He let loose a blast of energy to slam into her and hopefully send her back to the building. If she drop the box, he'd catch it long before it hit the ground.

[Avenger Assembled]

Dark Star's opponent gave a sharp scream as his blast of radiation struck her across the midsection, her body twisting in mid-air as she plummeted towards the Earth, the crate falling from her insensate fingers. Back at the lab, watching intently, Dr. Frank shouted "Don't let that crate hit the ground! If the transmitter activates unshielded half the city's minds will blank!"

"Then it shall not fall," said Freedom Angel, running to the open window as he spread his wings. "St. Sebastian, give me speed!" he called to the heavens, and with a sudden flash of divine light he bolted across the sky, wrapping his brawny arms around the box before it could do more than slip and tumble. He wasn't actually strong enough to support the weight, but beating his wings frantically to slow both their descents, he was able to bring the crate safely to the ground below.

[angrydurf]

As Johnny rocketed across the room towards him Ace neatly sidestepped the rather reckless charge, "Aww, I didn't know you cared." He said as avoided the speedsters flurry of blows. Dropping low the canny hero slid behind his speeding assailant and aimed a wicked blow to the base of his skull.

[Avenger Assembled]

Ace knew his old friend's grandson had something of a soft spot for teasing, but the Johnny Rocket he knew wasn't quite so easy to distract! With a smooth move and a surprise blow, he knocked the malevolent speedster out for the count.

[Dr Archeville]

Kill-Stealer! She was mine!

Teamwork, you arrogant hobgoblin!

Archeville's eyes followed the crate as it fell, and the "angel" zipping in to slow it. He followed after, making sure it was set down gently.

He then turned to "Catapin Thunder" and "Johnny Rocket," and saw they'd been dealt with by Fleur and Ace.

"Hunh..." he murmured, then called out, "everyvon alright?"

[Cyroa]

Dark Star flew down, grabbing the unconscious Lady in a telekinetic grip, since Freedom Angel had caught the case, before she slammed painfully into the ground. Taking his unconscious cargo in tow, he quickly floated down to the others, reiterating Doctor Archeville's question with concern. He was happy to see the others were alright as well, but he had to ask anyway. Especially since Stesha was there, his question was directly, primarily at her at first. "Are you ok? And would you like to hold these unfortunate miscreants? At least until we know what is going on here."

[angrydurf]

Ace glanced around at the leaguers, "Doc see if you can find out if they are clones or mind controlled or what I'm gonna have a word with thunder over there."

With that Ace walked over to the supposed Captain Thunder, "Heya Cap, Now I think we can get this all straightened out if you answer a few simple questions for me." Ace leaned in and began asking some rapid fire questions to try and discern what was going on here.

[Electra]

Stesha, rather surprised that her vines had worked so well, or worked at all, really, quickly capitalized on her advantage. While Ace questioned the fake Captain Thunder, she grew another half-dozen vines and wrapped them around the captured metahuman until he started looking a bit like a topiary sculpture. "They're obviously not the real Freedom League," she said plaintively, "but then where is the League? And what are we supposed to do with these people?"

[Avenger Assembled]

Entangled thoroughly by vines, Thunder gave Ace a look of cold, barely bottled rage that looked alien on Ray Gardener's face. "I had promised you to Johnny," he said with distinct fury, his square jaw clenching, "but I think he'll have to be content with scraping you up and shoving you in his veins when we're done with this miserable place. Or," he suggested, tugging unsuccessfully at Fleur's vines in a way that made her wrap an extra few layers around his arms, "I'll give Anarchy some time with your servants and then turn them loose on you. Think you'll look good roasting on a spit?"

[Dr Archeville]

Anarchy? Is that what he's calling 'Lady Liberty'?

And she called 'Johnny' a "stupid junkie"... this is all sounding familiar.

"In a moment, Herr Danger," Archevile said as he began reconfiguring his Electromagnetic Screwdriver, "I haff a nagging suspicion dat I vant to investigate first."

The Doktor had reconfigured his gadgets into an encrypted communicator that put him in contact with his home systems, and from them to innumerable newsfeeds and chat rooms from around the world, some of which he himself had set up. After a minute or so of gathering information from his contacts to verify his hunch, he looked up at the other heroes and villains.

"If dat is de terrorist Lady Anarchy," he began, pointing at Lady Liberty's doppelganger, then to Johnny Rocket's twin, "und he is de junkie speedster from another dimension who caused trouble here a few years aback, den it is likely dat all three are from de same parallel vorld, von vere de Freedom League is some sort of corrupt, tyrannical force. Dey haff been here before, but he," he pointed to the ersatz Captain Thunder, "is new to dis vorld."

"Vhich den begs two qvestions: how did dey get here, und vhere is de real League?"

[Avenger Assembled]

At Dr. Archeville's words, Freedom Angel bent down over the unconscious Johnny Speed, pulling back costumed sleeves to reveal arms full of track marks. Something like a frown crossed his angelic face. "I can see the marks on his body." A quick search of the wicked speedster's costume revealed several tubules of some thick, brown-colored liquid that the angel immediately confiscated. "If you are worried about subversion, I suggest we find the rest of the League. And soon. Monsters can easily wear the skin of righteousness."

[Cyroa]

Dark Star wasn't entirely sure what was going on. Evil doppelgangers or no, he still didn't want to hurt them. (Any more than he already had.) But finding out what was going on would be nice. "I could search the planet, and local solar system I suppose, quickly enough. It wouldn't take all that long really. Unless someone has a better idea that is. I am currently unable to punch a hole through dimensions...though honestly it's just a matter of altering the wormholes flux," he said the latter part half to himself. He really needed to sit down with Taylor one of these days and have her help him work on the whole dimensional targeting aspect. Not that he needed to know how, more to make sure he didn't accidentally rupture or break something.

[Dr Archeville]

'I can search the whole solar system in the blink of an eye!' 'I can sneeze rainbows and fart out wormholes!' You make me sick!

Yes, yes, you cannot stand that not only can he do naturally what we must rely on technology to do-

'Natural'? HA!

... but you are also irritated by his pure and noble, if somewhat naive, spirit.

"I vould advise focusing on de here und now, for now at least," Archeville replied to Dark Star, "dough if these t'ree are here, dere may be others, counterparts of Daedalus or de Raven, or Pseudo or Star Knight."

The Doktor then looked to the three captured crooks, then to Ace and Stesha. "Ve should also find out vhat ve can from dem, vhat deir purpose in being here is. Deir attempts to procure Doctor Frank's quantum transmitter does not bode vell. Not vell at all."

"Monsieur Danger, êtes vous familiarisé avec 'bon policier/mauvais policier'?"*

* French for "are you familiar with 'good cop/bad cop'?"... at least, according to BabelFish ;)

[angrydurf]

Ace nodded and made a quick gesture of appeasement to the good Doctor before turning back to 'Captain Thunder', "Now I'm not particularly partial to the Docs methods with this kinda thing. We know who you are and I promise you have nothing to gain from silence." He glanced quickly over his shoulder then back to the inter-dimensional evil twin of Ray Gardner, "Wheres our league and what the hell are yours doing here?"

[Avenger Assembled]

"Your band of namby-pamby do-gooders is in the bottom of a very deep hole," said Thunder proudly. "And when I get out of these stupid plants, I'm going to kill you, and then we're going to take this planet for ourselves." He grinned. "Or maybe not. You can't tell me that Mr. Kirk Danger doesn't want to get in on a little action. Aren't you tired of bending over whenever these obnoxious children try and push you around? You're a lot older, and a lot smarter, than they give you credit for."

[Dr Archeville]

Bad Cop! Yes! Lets see... I can reconfigure the E.S. into neural inhibitor to first drain his strength, insuring he cannot escape from Stesha's plants... how he hasn't broken out by now, I do not know; she must strengthen them as well as manipulate their movements. Den perhaps something more... direct stimulation of pain receptors... sensory overload... or deprivation... maybe just slice off fingers, then use Arzthelferin treatments to regrow them so I can do it over and over and over! Ah hah hah hah hah hah hah hah!!!

Oh, you are going to sleep well tonight... but remember, nothing permanently disfiguring!

Archevile adjusted his Electromagnetic Screwdriver again; when he was done, it looked like a cross between a cobra and a black widow spider, with sparks coming off the fangs.

"You are vasting your time, Herr Danger," the Doktor said coolly, "just let me haff him for a few moments...."

[angrydurf]

It was an easy enough task to look back at the doctor with very real distaste. Conjuring the images of his grandfathers lab was sufficient for that as he waved to the doctor to hold off, "You are not going anywhere, and you deeply mistake who you are dealing with if you think that kind of goad is going to serve any purpose here." He replied with a smirk, "Last chance. You tell us where the league is now and we simply pitch you back to your own pitiful little hellhole you call home intact."