No Mutation Without Representation! (IC)

[quotemyname]

There was a metallic whirring sound as the motors in the walls of the compound stirred to life. Five turret looking devices protruded from the walls of the main hallway at the corners. One more descended from the ceiling above the door at the end of the hall.

Judging from the amount of sharp, pointy, threatening looking bits at the ends of these turrets, the heroes knew that there was a right end and a wrong end to be looking at. Feeling their hearts sink, they knew that they were staring directly at the wrong ends.

The two turrets at the end of the hallway began to glow. A bead of blue light glowed at their tips. A short burst of electrically charged light zapped towards Jack of all Blades.

*ZING* *ZING*

The dexterous swordsman was agile enough to evade the blasts, however, as they scorched the floor beneath his feet. He realized too late, however that the first to attacks had been pure misdirection. As he hit the ground after leaping over the first two rays, he looked up just in time to see the ray gun at the end of the hall finish charging.

*ZING*

The blast hit him full in the face.

The two rayguns near the front door of the complex turned to face the other assembled heroes. Both began charging, but these held a reddish light, rather than a blue one. Two blasts were launched, one at Dr. Archeville, and the other at Sarah.

*ZONG* *ZONG*

Both attacks went wide.

[Gizmo]

Even a fighter as light on their feet as Jack needed somewhere to dodge to, and as the diminutive robots filled the corridor with laser fire, the best he could manage was to slide past the bulk of the sizzling beams and let his greatcoat take the brunt of those he couldn't avoid. The swordsman grimaced. Gee, Doc, you wouldn't happen to be using recordings of my training sessions to program your security, would you? he groused inwardly.

[Dr Archeville]

The Doktor glanced behind him, following where the laser blast which had been aimed at his face had gone. He glared at the offending laser-sentry...

How dare he set my own security systems against me!

Indignation later, right now we are best served by shutting these down! One managed to hit Jack!

Hey, so it did!

... then took off down the corridor. "I am going to try und shut dem down, de should be an access panel not too far in!"

No sooner had he gotten in than he came across said access panel. His fingers flew over the familiar console, inputting overrides to Malice's override.

[quotemyname]

After furiously typing away at the console keyboard that he'd pulled from the wall, Dr. Archeville met with success! Dr. Archeville and the other assembled heroes heard a loud mechanical sigh, like all of the gears and inter-workings of the high technology defense system were shutting down all at once.

Unfortunately, this terminal had no way to access the security protocols for the lower floors. Dr. Archeville would have to place himself physically closer in order to work on those.

The trash can sized drones slumped over where they stood, deactivated. The ray-guns retracted into the walls. The hallway was normal once again, if not slightly more scorched than last time. Though the active defense systems were no longer active, it seemed the passive defenses on this floor had held firm. The door at the end of the hall still stood shut.

[Geez3r]

"Well that didn't take long." said Malice after a bit of a pause. He stood up from the computer and cracked his back, allowing himself a small lull in activity. "Archeville's locked me out of that section of the security grid. He had hidden counter measures prepared. There was code hidden away in files I thought weren't important. Effective and clever." Explained Malice to his counter part. "We're going to have to prioritize Archeville as a high value target if this continues. I hadn't expected them to get around the security so quickly."

[quotemyname]

"Malice! It doesn't @#$%ing matter." Knievel said with a sly grin. "Once they get down here, we're gonna give'em hell." Knievel slammed his fist into his opposite palm. "Besides, there's always the robots on the next floor. Why don't you just beef up security on them?"

Knievel crossed the room and pressed a few buttons on a console. The Colossal robot in the exercise facility exercised a few of its joints.

"I'm about to set the defensive targets on this thing. I think I'll cut it off from the network after that so Archeville can't just hack it. Is everything ready to go?" Captain Knievel turned to look at his villainous counterpart. Things were coming together nicely despite a few of the setbacks they were having...

[Geez3r]

"Yeah for the most part. The capes have been steadily eating through the padding I added to the schedule as soon as we got here. We need to slow them down in the next area or else preparations might not be complete, especially if I have to divide my attention to trying to stop Archeville from hacking the system." Malice clacked away a bit on the terminal in front of him for a moment. "Alright, all systems on line. Give them hell."

[quotemyname]

"I think we can let the elevator take care of that." Captain Knievel chuckled. "Unless they find some way around that, it should eat up a substantial amount of their time."

Captain Knievel had that devilish mischieveous grin on his face as he made the final preparations on the system for that giant robot the facility was housing.

"I wouldn't worry too much, Malice. We are after all the best around. And no one is ever going to bring us down!" Knievel bragged, jabbing a thumb at his own chest.

[Dr Archeville]

"... und dat is vhy I am der Doktor," he said smugly.

They'll pay for this! All of them! That clod Knievel; that would-be usurper Malice; the-

Technically, we usurped Erik first, when we used resources and personnel from Darts, Inc. to start up ArcehTech.

Silence! This is my domain now!

He then turned and waved in the others, "come in, come in, qvickly now! Ve- vait, vhere is Moira?"

Oh, that's just great! What, she got bored and left us? Bah! Who needs her! Thinks she's a goddess -- we've outgrown such silly superstitions!

Are you done yet?

... for now. I'll conserve my bile for those who actively oppose me, rather than those who abandon me. And those intelligent enough to realize just what I'm saying.

[Ecalsneerg]

"Probably flirting with one of your drones," said a low voice from behind the group. "You need more than a vapid bubblehead for this, powerful or not. Knieval is smarter than he lets on."

Arrowhawk loomed into the hallway, armoured shoulders and cape filling the space, red eyes glaring from under the hood. "Funny, Doktor. First time we met we were after him."

[Dr Archeville]

"Indeed," he replied, not seeming surprised at 'Hawk's sudden appearance (though that was only due to him being able to process things so much faster than everyone else), "but it is not just Knievel here: Malice und a handful of teen Metahumans are involved."

****, he's gonna blow up my building!

I am sure it will not come to that.

You know what he's like!

"So ve are against not just dem, but also de security systems dat Malice has set against us, systems I either upgraded or installed. I vas able to bypass dis override," he waved towards the blaster turrets, "but it vill only get more difficult de deeper in ve go."

[Gizmo]

"Well hey, Smiley!" Jack greeted the brooding archer, rubbing the spot on his side where the security drone had scored a lucky hit. "Tch," he grumbled to himself, "that's gonna leave a mark..." The swordsman turned to Doc, mildly annoyed. "Say, Doc, ol' buddy, ol' pal, interesting attack pattern those li'l guys were running there. Where'd you get the idea for that one, hmm?"

[Dr Archeville]

"I... did model deir attack routines off some of de training footage from you und Colt," he freely confessed, "but vhy vould I not? You are two of de top marksmen I haff ever seen, so vhy vould I not use de best? Und vhile I am avare dat mein systems could be compromised, despite all de security I put on de security, I did not expect you (or Colt) to come to mein aid in such a situation, und dus face off against your own skillsets."

Nice spin.

It is not 'spin', it is the truth. Well, except for the 'not expect him come' bit, it would be more accurate to say 'hope he does not come'.

And thus find our little secret.

Your secret!

What? You said it yourself, they're the best there is, so why not use them?

Because we never asked! We never told them that is what we were doing! It is an ethical breach!

Bah! They are mine to do with as I will!

No, they are not!

He held out his wrists to Jack, "ja, I should haff asked permission beforehand; I apologize for breaking your trust und confidentiality. You und Herr Colt are free to chew me out over dis, do or go vherever you vant," he pulled his hands back, and pointed with one down the hallway behind them, "after ve get Malice, Knievel & dier new fans out of here und back into Blackstone, okay?"

[Gizmo]

Jack rolled his eyes and waved Archville away. "Pfft, what a ham. Besides, you think I can't yell at you and kick Lucretia and his bosom buddy's collective butt at the same time?" The fencer looked mildly offended by the implication. "I invented talking during a fight." Placing a hand in front of his mouth, he stage whispered to Phalanx and Sarah, "I didn't literally invent it, but Dok gets all uppity about having all those patents."

[Ecalsneerg]

"You are two of de top marksmen I haff ever seen, so vhy vould I not use de best?"

"Because I wouldn't let you do so. I can disable your systems," said Arrowhawk firmly, reaching into his quiver and pulling out a metal-plated arrow with a bulky head. "Electromagnetic pulse generator, miniaturised and mounted on an arrowhead, detonated by physical impact, fuelled by a AA battery."

He defly spun it backwards before the Doktor could take a closer look. "And it can disable nearly any electronic device. Now," he began, hitting the down button on the elevator. "Prepare for a trap."

[quotemyname]

The collective heroes made their way through the armored door which had been disabled by Dr. Archeville's hacking. The elevator whirred to their floor and they managed to all fit in at once. A jovial tune played in the elevator chamber as it descended multiple floors to the sub basement levels.

A tense silence fell over the heroes, broken only by the sound of of the music. After a minute long uneventful ride down the elevator shaft, it finally came to a stop. The floor reading simply read, "XX,"

The heroes waited for the doors to open. There was no going back now. Whatever was on the other side of that door would know they were coming...

[Dr Archeville]

"Vhile it is good to see you haff retained a keen foresight" Archeville replied as he adjusted his Electromagnetic Screwdriver, "did you also take into account de systems vhich I haff shielded from elektromagnetic pulses? Or systems I haff vhich do not even use electronic circuits, und are thus wholly unaffected by an EMP?" He smirked at the archer.

Bah! As if that tiny thing could be of any use. A double-A battery? Ha!

Well, with a proper step-up transformer, and some hyperconductive core, he could-

I said 'bah!'

Soon images were being projected by the techno-wand, first of the interior of the elevator, then of the corridors they'd son be coming to. "Three hallvays, left, right, und center; Knievel und Malice are down de center von. All three have about a dozen com-bots behind barricades, und deir is a heavier blast door shielding dose two. Dere is also a vey, very large robot back dere mit dem."

[Ecalsneerg]

"Vhile it is good to see you haff retained a keen foresight" Archeville replied as he adjusted his Electromagnetic Screwdriver, "did you also take into account de systems vhich I haff shielded from elektromagnetic pulses? Or systems I haff vhich do not even use electronic circuits, und are thus wholly unaffected by an EMP?" He smirked at the archer.

"There are some things EMP can effect. And for everything else, there's explosives," said Arrowhawk off-handedly. "You know what I mean," he continued with an edge in his voice.

Soon images were being projected by the techno-wand, first of the interior of the elevator, then of the corridors they'd son be coming to. "Three hallvays, left, right, und center; Knievel und Malice are down de center von. All three have about a dozen com-bots behind barricades, und deir is a heavier blast door shielding dose two. Dere is also a vey, very large robot back dere mit dem."

"OK, that's it. Whatever happens, I get Malice or Knieval, both if possible. Someone else focus on that robot, I don't have a grudge with that thing," snarled the archer, teeth visible in the shadows under his hood. "They're the real threat, and I've fought them both more than you."

[Gizmo]

Jack searched for an expression of exasperation beyond the rolling of eyes as he followed closely behind Archeville and Arrowhawk. "Double A battery... you are so full of it, 'Hawky," he snorted around a smirk. "No dice on the dibsies. You can do what you want with the tin can; I owe Lucretia from way back." The swordsman cracked his neck dangerously as he lips pulled back from a predatory grin. "Gonna see how sparkling his teeth are knocked out of his head."

[Taar]

Sarah gave a silent sigh as she trotted along behind the classic case of testosterone poisoning before speaking up.

"Excuse me, Doctor? Is there any teleport interdiction anywhere on this floor? I'd like to have an idea of how mobile I can expect to be."

[angrydurf]

Phalanx stepped into the elevator and watched as the Doctor worked his magic, shooting a small frown towards arrowhawk at the cavalier attitude about explosives. He stepped up the the front of the elevator as they descended, "I'll engage the robot if I'm not needed elsewhere." he said with a look to Archeville for confirmation. "Do you know what capabilities we should expect out of it?" he added questioningly assuming it was an invention of the doctors the villains had co-opted.

[Dr Archeville]

"I do not care who gets dose two out of mein building," Archeville looked from Arrowhawk to Jack of all Blades and back to Arrowhawk again, "just as long as dey are removed from mein building, und put back into Blackstone."

And don't blow up my building.

I am sure he will exercise caution.

Hrrmmm...

He turned to Sarah, "unless Malice rigged up someding, you should be free to move. Und it is possible he did rig up someding, since he knows I can teleport. De robot," the Doktor turned to Phalanx, "is not von of mine, und is probably just a standard Big, Strong, Tough Robot of Destruction dey had partially constructed earliers, und are stealing mein eqvipment to finish it. It probably has some ranged veapons, und flight, dough if ve move qvickly dey should not be able to activate all its systems. So let us focus on de central corridor as much as possible."

[quotemyname]

With that, the elevator slowed to a stop. Silence fell over the inhabitants of the elevator for a full two seconds before the doors opened and there was Armageddon.

The steady pew pew pew of laser blasts sounded from the hallway outside. Green rays of sizzling light began pouring through the doors of the elevator at every conceivable angle. The were fired from the army of robots that stood to both the sides and the front of the elevator who were stationed behind waist-level barriers. The highest concentration of lasers came from the path of most resistance - straight ahead.

The fight was upon them, and the first one out of the elevator was...

[Ecalsneerg]

Arrowhawk slid to the wall to the side of the elevator, aiming and firing in rapid succession, heedless to the laser barrage heading towards him. This is gonna hurt...

Walking his fire along in a row, he launched a volley of razor-pointed arrows spinning through the air at the robots. "That's a lot of lasers..."

[quotemyname]

As Arrowhawk released his barrage of arrows, the robots behind the central barricade promptly stopped firing and hit the deck in unison with machine-like efficiency. Thanks to the cover of the waist high barriers they hid behind, the barrage arrows missed most of the robots, or bounced harmlessly off the barrier. Unfortunately for the cybernetic defenders, four of them were too slow to avoid the attacks effectively. They caught arrows in vital places and were rendered out of commission. Seconds later, the barrage of lasers began anew!