No Mutation Without Representation! (IC)

[Gizmo]

"You two are like the most obnoxious couple ever," Jack of all Blades groused as he flipped through the air and over Knievel's attack. "Seriously, just start wearing matching outfits and get it over with." Firing his grapple at the ceiling once more, the swashbuckler soared through the air just behind Arrowhawk's projectile. "I'm normally an 'all love is good love' kinda guy, too," he continued as he somersaulted forward, "but, let's be honest, how ridiculously ugly would the kids be, amirite?" Jack's energy sword came down in a flurry of precise slashes across Knievel's torso.

[quotemyname]

Captain Knievel managed to weather the assault, if only just barely. He managed to cover most of the vital areas of his body, and deflect some of the other blows. After the assault was finished, Knievel looked up with a smile on his face.

"Been a long time, Jacky boy. Sorry I didn't come visit, but I've been tied up." Knievel sneered at the swordsman. He remembered their last fight in the same way that Jack was unlikely to ever forget it. "But not nearly as badly as you're about to be!"

[quotemyname]

*CLAMPK* A huge robotic fist slammed into the ground next to Knievel. A second earlier, Jack of all Blades had been standing beneath it. However, the swordsman's lightning reflexes had allowed him to roll out of the way at the last second. The giant robot looked like something out of a video game made real.

"Oh, how could I be so rude?" Knievel's voice dripped with sarcasm. "I forgot to introduce you my friend, Mr. Snugglebots! Mr. Snugglebots, Jack. Jack, Mr. Snugglebots!" Knievel gestured between the two. "What's that? You've already met? Aww. I guess that makes me a terrible host."

Knievel turned back to the hallway full of heroes, and placed his hands on his hips. "I guess it also means the cat's out of the bag. Oh well, time to let you all in on the fun." Knievel thrust his finger out towards the heroes. "I don't want to see ANY of you miserable @#$%s hurting Mr. Snugglebots! Do you hear me?"

Knievel looked up at his robotic companion. "You see, Mr. Snugglebots is very fragile!" Knievel pouted, "So we've installed a bit of an insurance policy in him ... and in the rest of the city." Knievel's voice suddenly grew very threatening. "Elsewhere in Freedom are no less than 10 buildings wired to implode." He held up 10 fingers for the heroes to see, and to make his point. "Every time Mr. Snugglebot's systems become damaged, either by sheer force, or by for instance altering the engine temperature at all, it will automatically trigger one of these detonations at random. If Mr. Snugglebot ceases to function entirely, it will trigger whatever detonations remain automatically." Knievel sneered at the heroes, confident his plan would work.

"Oh but here's the best part. There's only two shut down switches for this guy. We've removed him entirely from all of the other systems in the building, the city, and by any satellites." Knievel pulled a small remote control out from a small pocket in his costume. "One of them is here. The other one is embedded in Malice's suit. If they are both destroyed, Malice has programmed him to rampage." Knievel rammed his fist into the remote control, shattering it. "Woops, did I do that?" Another sneer, and this time, his teeth gave off an audible *SHEEN*.

Knievel laughed, "Why don't you just let us walk out of here with the all the information we've got downloaded, and we'll gladly shut him down for you. Otherwise, there's going to be some ass kicking." His hands made a dull smacking sound as he rammed them together. "So another words...You're all @#$%ed!!!"

[Taar]

Sarah stared nonplussed at Knievel's peformance, before turning to Archeville.

"So, I don't suppose you could manage to isolate what part of Malice's armor the..."

She vanished, appearing in front of Knievel where she launched a strong thrust at him, then returning to continue, "...switch is located in so we can try to avoid targeting it? Or maybe figure out how to replicate it so it doesn't matter? We are planning to not let them go, right?"

[angrydurf]

Phalanx frowned at the blatant disregard for life this scum exhibited. He snarled as he shot towards the monstrous ego given form. "Bad move cap." he growled, "You just dumped the one thing that woulda kept me from kicking every square inch of your ass." letting slip a rare swear word as he fired off a devastating uppercut connecting cleanly with Knievals grinning face.

[quotemyname]

...Or at least he would have, had the giant robot next to Captain Knievel not thrown itself in the way at the last minute. Phalanx's fist connected with the hardened steel shell of the robot. After a thunderous clank, the robot stumbled, and tripped over it's own feet. It was obviously disoriented by the blow. Another clank sounded as it's rear made contact with the floor.

"Did I, Phalanx?" Knievel's voice was cold and threatening. "Or did I just draw out an attack that could potentially have wrecked a city block? You'd better watch yourself, Bucko." Knievel thrust a finger nearly in Phalanx's face. "Mr. Snugglebot doesn't like getting punched!"

[Dr Archeville]

"Knievel's not bluffing!," Archeville called out as he adjusted his Screwdriver with one hand and fished around in his labcoat's many pockets with the other. "On de ozher hand, since I haff been flooding dis entire structure mit microvaves since ve got here, interfering mit all unauthorized radio signals, de bombs should not go off as qvickly as he vould like. Und dey should only go off if Malice or de Giant Robot are damaged, but not if dey are simply restrained!"

At least he got one thing right.

... pardon?

He blabbed out his ultimate plan right at the start. Classic villain move.

... that does not really help us, now, does it?

He turned briefly to Sarah, "Keepping dem distracted und off me vill aid me de most. Ah, I hope you have some non-visual means of locating target," he aid as he drew a small pellet from his labcoat, then tossed it amongst the villains. A thick cloud of dark smoke exploded out form it.

Okay, Jack's energy senses should let him navigate through the cloud, and if Phalanx can see through walls, he should be able to see through it, too.

And with the Schraubenzieher blocking their radio signals, Malice won't be able to rely on any radar his suit might have.

So maybe we can end this before anyone else gets hurt, or before any of those bombs go off!

A few quick adjustments to the Screwdriver, and it now functioned as a tech scanner as well as a radio wave blocker. "Now, let us see just vhat ve are vorking mit here..."

[Geez3r]

Firing up his jet engines, Malice took flight out of the smoke cloud, finally finding his vision to no longer be obscured. "This is why we don't give away the plans with the mad scientist in the room!" shouted Malice back over his shoulder at Knievel. "Things tend to go south from there." Turning his attention back to the heroes "Villainous coworkers: evil, loyal, smart. Pick two. What are you gonna do?" he asks with a shrug. "Oh right: This." he says as he fills the corridor with mini energy blasts. The heroes avoid them without much difficulty, but the energy beams double back with extreme precision and look like they'll hound the heroes until they hit their mark.

[quotemyname]

No sooner than Malice's barrage of energy blasts had peppered the assembled heroes, Captain Knievel dove out of the cloud. He rolled into a kneeling position, and punched the air between himself and Dr. Archeville. A small beam of radiation invisible to the naked eye shot from the Adrenaline Cannon. It struck Dr. Archeville in the chest, and sent him staggering.

"For the last time, Doc! Stop @#$%ing with my @#$%!!!"

[Ecalsneerg]

Seeing everyone disappear into the smoke among the chaos, Arrowhawk hesitated, unwilling to walk into a situation he'd be so vulnerable in. Then his dilemna was solved as Knieval burst out of the cloud of smoke.

Not reacting fast enough to stop Knieval from shooting the Doktor, he could put him down for good still. Dropping to one knee, he started drawing and firing in rapid succession. "Hey, Knieval," Arrowhawk snarled. "You ever stop to think that if you blow up all those people... I'd let you walk out of here with your spine in one piece?" His eyes blazed under his mask. "You're a wild dog that needs put down."

[quotemyname]

"Damn it, Arrowhawk! I'm working here!" Knievel yelled at the expert bowman as he ducked under the first arrow. Coming up out of his crouch he started mouthing off once more. "Why don't you take those arrows and shove them up your-" But he was forestalled by an incoming hail of arrows. Most of the attacks he managed to avoid, but immediately after rolling away from one arrow, another struck him square in the chest. The impact sent him sailing into the reinforced walls of the room. He slid to the floor, collapsed. He was conscious, but reeling.

[Taar]

"Ah, I don't actually have any to see in that murk. I'll just stand here and play meatshield for a bit," said Sarah.

She placed herself between Archeville and the combatants, rasing her sword into a guard position.

[angrydurf]

The smoke was no impediment to Phalanxes enhanced sight and he watched in satisfaction as Knievals ranting was cut short by the well timed barrage of arrows. He swooped out of the smoke making a bee line for the marauding mechanized menace, "Time to put away your toys boys." he quipped as he rapidly looped around the robot and wrenching its limbs behind it with herculean might to slam the robot to the ground pinning it helplessly.

[Dr Archeville]

Knievel's nearly-invisible radiation blast punched through Archeville's force field, shorting it out and causing the super-scientist to reel!

$#@&

Calm down, calm down; we can handle this.

Calm down? He broke my shield!

And now he thinks we are defenseless-

Because we are!

Oh, do cease your histrionics; we both know there are backups in the Belt for just such an emergency. And as I was saying, while he thinks we are defenseless, we can finish the scans of the bomb controls.

"Nice von... Taylor," the Doktor grunted, referring to the barely-conscious Knievel by his birth name. "I t'ought I had... fortified meinself... against dat attack... since de last time you... you used it on me. Seems I haff... more vork to do."

Okay, keep talking to them, I have almost got the scans completed....

Don't tell me how to manipulate people.

"Und you, Erik," he grunted, turning to Malice, "vhen did you break out? It cannot haff been dat long ago... I dink I vould haff heard of... of your escape by now."

As he talked, the Doktor used his Electromagnetic Screwdriver to rapidly scan through Malice's armor. In moments he isolated the bomb control components, and the frequency it operated on.

Got it!

Good, I was starting to get bored.

Suddenly Archeville straightened up, reactivated his force field with his right hand, and with his left held up his wondrous techno-wand. The lights flashing on one end matched a few blinking lights on Malice's HUD -- the one for the bomb controls. Which had all just gone off.

"Guess I vill haff to tell de men at Blackstone to do a better job at holding you vhen ve send you back. Seeing as how I just overrode your control of de bombs... und now dey are all under mein control! Muah hah hah hah hah!"

[Geez3r]

"Huh... I'll be damned. He did. Kudos." said Eric actually sounding rather impressed. "Well, we're completely hosed here. I give. I'd rather not get a concussion today thank you very much." he admits as he sets down. After hitting a button on his arm, the giant robot stops flailing about in its tussle with Phalanx. The armor begins to power down as is it steadily folds away revealing the man beneath the armor. "Oh, so now you're all going to look at me like I'm crazy? Threatening a building full of people to achieve some vaguely defined villainous plot is completely understandable behavior, but surrendering before you get punched in the face apparently crosses the line."

Eric continues his rant, mostly to himself as he gets out of his armor, his appearance has changed quite a bit since the last time he was seen. His hair is a bit longer and a fair bit more dull, he's added a full beard as well. Of course the detail everyone is paying attention to is the robotic arm at his shoulder. In comparison to his armor, the technology that comprises his arm looks incredible thrown together and half-assed. The scientists in the room know he's capable of better; it's just as if he never put his mind to it.

"So anyways, now that my armor's down, the system should be restoring itself and the panic rooms will be unlocking. Oh and Doc, to answer your question; I've been out for, cripes, I think it's got to be 7 months already." says Eric once he's fully removed himself from the armor. The armor itself is now folding itself up into an attache case.

[quotemyname]

For a few quiet seconds, the tension in the room began to dissolve. Knievel had been knocked loopy, Malice was surrendering, and the Giant Robot had began to deactivate. Phalanx felt the robot begin to go limp in his arms, the powerful hydraulics that governed it's motor functions beginning to shut down.

"Error! Error!" The Gaint Robot's audio projectors announced. Suddenly the hydraulics powered up once more. "Error! Control systems deactivated. Berserk mode active!" The robot began struggling against the superior strength of Phalanx once more. "Self destruct systems active!"

And there it was, all the tension that had begun to bleed out of the room snapped back all at once, like a swordfish pulling at a fishing line.

[Dr Archeville]

"Seven months? Really? Mein gott... but, I vould know dat," Archeville said with a hint of regret, "had I visited you more often. I-"

Oh, what now?

It appears the robot is about to explode.

Yes, I can see that!

Then why did you-

Shut up!

"Right, everyvon get close!" the Doktor yelled as he furiously readjusted the settings on his Gravimetric Belt, "I should be able to open a vormhole big enough to teleport us all-"

A flash of light, a feeling of vertigo, and everyone was up top again. Arrowhawk, the Doktor, Jack of all Blades, Malice, Phalanx, Sarah Prescott... but no Knievel!

"Vas?! He should haff..." he quickly reviewed the logs of the Belt, "some energy field around Knievel interfered mit de vormhole! Probably a crack in de power core of his Adrenaline Cannon..." he thought aloud, then snapped back. "I can go back in, correct for de interference, und-"

[quotemyname]

A muffled, thunderous, bass sound met the ears of the heroes collected outside the complex. Moments later, the ground shook violently. Then all was quiet.

Dr. Archeville never had time to finish his sentence, let alone try and retrieve Knievel. It seemed that it was too late, and the world famous adrenaline junkie had scored himself his last high.

The flashing alerts and alarm bells on Dr. Archeville's belt gave confirmation that, indeed, there WAS no more sub-sub-sub-basement. The entire thing had been demolished. Worse still, the main foundations of the remaining structure had been severely compromised. What was left of the high tech research facility would soon collapse, with it's workers still trapped like rats in the panic rooms that were meant to protect them.

For the tired heroes, it seemed that the day was not quite over yet.

[Dr Archeville]

"Nein!"

My building!

Knievel!

What? Why do you care about him? Even you found him odious!

There was still numerous corrective therapies which could have been attempted, or at the very least a study of his brain to see if his extreme personality had some physical -- and surgically correctable -- cause!

Well, it has been physically corrected now... permanently.

"Phalanx, Arrowhawk, Jack, mit me! Sarah, guard Erik!" Archeville yelled as he flew off towards the building. "You help me secure de building und you two see to evacuations!"

Between Phalanx's superhuman strength and the hard light constructs from Archeville's Electromagnetic Screwdriver, they were able to hold the building up enough for Arrowhak and Jack of all Blades to get everyone out.

[quotemyname]

Though the heroes succeeded in holding the bulk of the building up during the evacuation, it was a certainty that the foundation would not be stable enough for occupancy without extensive work. The structure of the above ground building was severely weakened, to say nothing of the underground sections. After further examinations via Dr. Archeville's many scanners, and Phalanx's all seeing gaze, it was clear there was nothing left of the underground levels. The access shaft had been ruined beyond repair, and whatever rooms lay below had been reduced to nothing more than pockets of caved in loose rubble. There was no movement below, not even from the metallic droids they had encountered earlier. Everything was in ruins.

---

One Week Later

"Oh...The @#$% hit me?!" Captain Knievel groaned. With great effort, he managed to pry himself out from under an enormous chunk of bedrock that had fallen from the ceiling in the large chamber Dr. Archeville had kept beneath his compound. "Where am ..." Suddenly, the events of the fight came rushing back to him. Their plan, the setup, the freaks from the academy, everything. Even the explosion that had killed him. His face ashen, he turned to look at the center of the room. The room had originally been a giant hemisphere, with the level floor forming the base. Now, however, the floor seemed absent. In it's place, there was a crater nearly the size of the domed ceiling above, turning the room into nearly a full on globe shape. There was no doubting the fact that a blast like that should have killed him.

Knievel gazed at his own hands in disbelief. He glanced over the rest of his body. Not a scratch. He should be dead, and yet he was whole.

A single word escaped his mouth, "Archeville."

With the press of a button on his wrist, Captain Knievel evaporated into thin air.