One Out of All Things (IC)

[KnightDisciple]

GM

Katkvinna took stock of the situation, and cursed under her breath.

<I'm not getting paid enough for this crap.>

Suddenly, she dashed over to Dragonfly, delivering a powerful palm-first blow to the disoriented heroine's sternum. She then yelled over at the drunk morphing theif.

<Snap out of it, darling, or I'm leaving you here! We've got to move, now!>

If she played her cards right, she ought to at least stay out of prison. She hoped.

<Listen kid, this shouldn't be anything personal. But I guess I'm the only professional in this whole place.>

She tilted her head in thought for a moment.

<Well, the only professional in this fight, I suppose.>

[Fox]

Dragonfly replied by trying to grab the cat burglar by the shoulder, hoping to get her out of the way for a little while - unfortunately, she couldn't quite manage to put a hand on the woman. Not that she'd had just hope of doing so anyway: she was more than a little disoriented, and somewhere in the back of her mind (underneath the dizziness, alcohol-breath-induced nausea, and concern over the varied and assorted warnings and alerts her suit was feeding her about its condition) she was mildly surprised she was still on her feet at all.

[bg=#555555]"Mine now,"[/bg] she managed, though it was directed at the woman who'd been trying to beat her helmet open with the butt of a gun. She was pretty sure taunting the woman wasn't wise, but if she was going down she could at least serve as a good distraction for the others...and she couldn't help but grin a little behind her armor, finding a sort of fierce, perverse joy in annoying her assailants even as she lost the fight. [bg=#555555]"Can't have him back. Wouldn't even get him back if you killed me. Feel bad for you though - sad to see couples separated over their stupid choices."[/bg]

[Avenger Assembled]

"I'll show you a separation!" The thief pulled out her pistols again and opened fire, spraying Dragonfly's temporary savior with a hail of bullets. Sharl started briefly, mostly for the sake of the bullets that were passing right through his body, but luckily he'd entered through a stairwell's door, so the rounds mostly ricocheted harmlessly off where no one could be hurt. "Look, you primitive screwheads," fumed the electronic teenager, "there's nothing you and your ballerina buddy here can do to hurt me unless you're a lot smarter than you look. So if you don't surrender right now, I'm going to track you down and pound on you till you do!"

[KnightDisciple]

Suddenly, a voice roared from further down the hall; literally roared, in fact, as there was a heavy animalistic quality to the speech.

"Fall, damn you! Fall!"

A searing blast of artificial lighting made its way into the rather tempting target of the thoroughly bamboozled morphing burglar. The hairs of all those around stood up on end a little bit as the blast passed by them.

Meanwhile, Fenris was cursing at his armor as alarms kept blaring at him. Thankfully, he had the presence of mind to turn of his external speakers.

'Shut up, damn it! I don't care if I burn out three-quarters of the circuits, that bitch with the gun isn't getting away! Nobody attacks my hospital, my staff, or my family, and gets away with it!'

Externally, the suit just kept emitting growls of various pitches that would make a timber wolf green with envy.

[Avenger Assembled]

The blast singed across the gunbunny's midsection, scoring a seared area along her tightly-stretched outfit. "Ow! You puppy-headed freak! I'm going to-" Citizen intervened at this juncture, stepping into a punch that all but knocked him off his feet: Sharl felt something pull in his shoulder from the sheer force of the blow, his programmed body feeling an all-too-real ache, but his solid magnetically enhanced punch struck the gun-wielding lunatic across the jaw, knocking her off her feet and sending her slamming into the nearby wall. With a groan, she fainted, her eyes rolling back in her head as she passed out.

Citizen pointed at Katkvinna and said, "There are three superheroes here. We can fly. We're bulletproof..." Well, I'm bulletproof, but why let that on? "And we're very, very angry that you've come to this place full of nice people and laid your hands on them." He gave her an appalled look. "What kind of person steals from a hospital? Why do you want things that aren't yours? Surrender now!"

[KnightDisciple]

GM

Katkvinna looks around. None of her teammates are conscious. She has three heroes standing around her; none in perfect condition, but all of them in good enough condition. With a sigh, she raises her hands in the air.

<Fine. I surrender. Not like I did that much to hurt anyone besides you folks; those guards would have woken up in 20 minutes anyways.>

At Citizen's passionate questioning, she can't help but laugh a bit.

<If you heroes hadn't busted in, we'd have been out in even less time! We never cut the power, only the cameras. This lab is fairly isolated, with no nearby patient rooms. No one was in any real danger.

As for why? It paid good money, and should have been fast and easy. We didn't think there'd be heroes to crack down on us. Besides, we're just middlmen. Women. Whatever. Someone else was willing to pay for a few juicy corporate secrets. Maybe I'll tell you who. Maybe I won't. We'll have to see, now won't we?>

She gave them all a coy smile.

[KnightDisciple]

There was a snarl that grew into a rippling growl, a flash of light, the sound of rushing air and metal, an suddenly Fenris was right there. Quicker than one might think, he had Katkvinna's neck gripped in one metallic hand. Moments later, she was shoved up against the wall; he wasn't squeezing hard enough to cut off her air yet, but he was also clearly agitated. He snapped his metallic jaws once before speaking.

"You waltz in here...assault those guards...try to steal all that hard-earned research, all those discoveries people put their life into achieving...risk the lives of people here, including CHILDREN! Then, you expect us to just play nice because you've had enough? Are you as stupid as the drunk one over there?"

His grip tightened fractionally, and he lifted Katkvinna off the ground, dragging her back along the wall. His other hand came up, and the claws started to glow a bit, crackling with traces of the energy he'd been firing before.

"You people take and take, and keep wanting more! Well, you don't get any more!"

The armored hero, whose suit was showing signs of strain, and even a few sparks and fluid leaks in a couple of places, was almost in a trance as he was ranting.

[Fox]

Dragonfly made her way - slowly, as her armor was clearly in as bad or worse shape than Fenrir's, and she'd earned herself no small bit of bruising under all that dented metal and occasionally flickering lights. Still, she could walk, or at least limp a little, over to Sneak Thief to pull her into her own private section of the void of her dimensional pocket. Then she picked her way over to Fenris and Katkvinna, one hand building a visible distortion around it, which she pointed directly....

....at Fenris' head. [bg=#555555] "Fight is over,"[/bg] she pointed out. She sounded hurt, not to mention tired now that the threat had passed, the adrenaline was gone, and the shapeshifting gun-wielding maniac had shut up. [bg=#555555]"Don't get me wrong. Not very sympathetic. But she caused the least damage, she surrendered, she isn't capable of doing any more harm. Deserves a lot of things, but not getting choked to death. Would really, really prefer you put her down on your own; having to make you sounds like a lot of effort. And have better things to be spending my time on right now anyway."[/bg]

[Avenger Assembled]

Citizen wasn't hurt, though he was tired, his shoulder aching with muscle fatigue that was all-too-real to him even if all the normal people around him would just dismiss it as an artifact of his programming. He was real, damn it. And so was this, if it got out of hand. "We beat the bad guys. We did what we came here to do. I don't know about you two," he said, his blue chest symbol gleaming in the light from the overhead fluorescent bulbs, "but I'm going to leave these vultures for the cops, and go get back to helping Miss Americana save that little girl." And with that he stepped back into the hospital's computer systems, vanishing from human sight and popping right back to the program that he'd left. He took the opportunity, once there, to wash his hands in his room's sink.

[KnightDisciple]

For several long, tense moments, Fenris just kept growling. Then, his grip slackened. He let go of Katkvinna, who collapsed in a crumpled heap, fear evident in her eyes.

Before Dragonfly could react, Fenris shot her at near point-blank range. But it was obvious in a moment the woman was alive; it's just that now she was unconscious. Fenris himself walked a few feet down the hall, growling and flexing his hands. At the same time, Dragonfly's suit started picking up a signal. If she traced it, she'd find it was coming from Fenris, somehow.

~Oh Lord. Eira. This isn't about the hospital. It's about here. Damn it Katastroff, FOCUS!~

He slowly, almost painfully turned around. His demeanor suggested he didn't realize he'd broadcast those words.

"I apologize for my behavior. I was..."

~Worried about my cousin!~

"In a frustrated state of mind. I do not believe I have ever had this problem before. I thank you for correcting me. If you will excuse me, I must go."

~Thank goodness my lab is in the basement.~

"I will need to repair my armor. I will contact the Baron Katastroff; he was in a security center, and knew I was in-country for one of my occasional patrols here in Sweden, so he called me in to aid things."

[Fox]

Dragonfly raided an eyebrow - thankfully behind her armor - and let the spatial distortion dissipate. She reached down to add Katkvinna to her little collection of individually-contained criminals, frowning. have been meeting too many uncontrolled people lately - criminals, heroes - uncomfortable to be around - dangerous? - should probably work on my own self control - hypocrisy? - mmh

She winced as she stood back up. [bg=#555555]"Would be a much better liar,"[/bg] she noted as she turned to find her way back to Eira's room, [bg=#555555]"if you didn't broadcast your thoughts over radio."[/bg]

[KnightDisciple]

Fenris jerked in surprise at Dragonfly's comment.

"Wait, broadcasting my thoughts over radio?"

~Wait, broadcasting my thoughts over radio?~

He blinked, and realized his own suit was catching the transmission as well.

"I'll be there soon."

~I'll be there soon.~

He turned and flashed down the hall, quickly entering the elevator and disappearing downstairs. He still had to get this armor off.

*************************************************************

Less than five minutes later, Baron Katastroff walked into the room where Eira's procedure was being done, looking only mildly ruffled. He glanced at Dragonfly and gave her a look that practically screamed "don't tell anyone, please".

"How is it coming along?"

Dragonfly's suit picked up no extraneous transmissions; clearly the Baron had at least somewhat better control over himself already.

[Electra]

The operating room was quiet as a chapel, the tension and frenetic activity of earlier replaced by an expectant sort of waiting. Eira's body still lay in the center of the room, breathing shallowly, assisted by the many pieces of equipment hooked to the frail shell. Now, though, the attention of the techs, the family, and Miss Americana was on a wall screen the size of a large window. In a digital room very like the one where Sharl spent his downtime, a CGI animation of a healthy little blond girl was curled up sleeping in the bed.

Miss Americana turned and gave the new arrivals a faint smile. "I'm still running the final diagnostics and building the tertiary backups. It's looking good though, very good. She should wake up any minute now, as soon as her mind realizes it's not drugged anymore." The beautiful paragon was unrumpled and unruffled as ever, only her eyes showing the weariness of the last intense hours of work.

[Avenger Assembled]

Cleaned up and a little settled, Sharl stepped out of a monitor in the operating room. "Hey guys," he said quietly, not wanting to disturb Miss A at her work. "I checked out the system on the way in, and all the damage Rogue did was confined to non-essential areas. It looks like we're good to go ahead with everything. How's she doing?" he murmured, shooting a glance at the monitor where the simulated girl was sleeping. She didn't look as real as he did, but hopefully she'd look real enough for the benefit of her psyche and her parents. They'd come a long way already! He'd have just walked in there, but he didn't want to look beat up for the benefit for their patient.

[Fox]

[bg=#555555]"Already done,"[/bg] Dragonfly quietly noted, nodding toward the screens. She was leaning against the wall opposite the main monitor while trying to look like she didn't need to be leaning on a wall, and meeting mixed success with that last part. [bg=#555555]"Just have to wait and confirm it worked. Better to wake up on her own - difference between a peaceful morning and a blaring alarm clock."[/bg] fringe science and high-cost mind-mapping technology - and waiting is still the hardest part - ironic? - not sure

[KnightDisciple]

GM

It was about two minutes later when digital Eira first began to stir on her bed. She twiched, then started to shift around. Eventually, she stretched out and sat up, rubbing at her eyes. A moment's shock later, she was staring at hands and arms that had no wires or needles. Then a body that lacked such things entirely. A bed wider than three feet, and a room decorated in something other than stark white, greeted her further explorations. Slowly, she took it all in, then laughed in the way only happy children can. She slid to the edge of the bed, and was quickly standing on the floor. Only then did she look up at the "video screens" that displayed her family and her heroes. She ran up to them and put a hand on each of the two screens, a grin on her face.

Magda and Bernhard were crying tears of joy as their hands reached up to touch the video screen they see their daughter in. Huge smiles light both their faces. Magda spoke first.

Eira nodded and grinned.

Bernhard barely managed to speak, such was his joy and relief.

[KnightDisciple]

Baron Katastrof stood there, weeping silent tears of joy that easily matched Magda and Bernhard. He stepped forward, reaching one hand towards the video screen, giving the little girl who was now the Ghost In The Machine a huge smile.

<Why little Eira, you do look so much better now! Fear not! You shall soon be riding ponies and eating ice cream fit for queens! Or at least a young baroness. I'm sure you and Mister Sharl will have plenty of fun. Now, I just need to take care of some boring paperwork, and then I'll sit down with your parents and talk for a bit, okay?>

When the little girl nodded, he smiled again before stepping through a soundproof curtain that had sprung up. On the other side was the bed with the mortal shell of Eira. The vital signs were already weakening; they'd performed the operation just in time. Or was that the only reason? Magnus frowned a bit as he looked at a couple of monitors, before moving to a computer console. Some hurried typing later, and he was pondering the results.

'Hn. Seems like the upload did something more; her brain activity is way less than what it ought to be even for these vitals and the medical coma. Almost like...it's an empty shell.'

He looked up, frowning. With a sigh, he walked over to the body and delivered one final kiss to her forehead.

Then he nodded to the medical techs present. They went to work; a much larger than normal dose of morphine flowed through the drip, as well as a couple of other complimentary chemicals. Monitors and devices that aided her functiosn were gently powered down. Slowly, the little body breathed slower and slower, until it stopped. Magnus clenched his eyes shut for a moment, before turning his fierce gaze on the techs.

<You know what must be done. Take it to the plot of land I have told you of. If I hear of anything being bungled, you'll never find a job in Sweden again.>

With that, he turned to the computer console. He was about to type, when he paused. Laying one hand on the screen, he closed his eyes and concentrated.

On on of Miss A's discrete monitors, and on the display in Dragonfly's helmet, they'll receive a short text message from the Baron.

The secondary task is done. I will be over there in just a minute. Thank you again.

[Electra]

Miss A smiled as she watched the joyful reunion, even as she kept one eye on the readouts that showed the actual workings of the program that was Eira. <"Very good, Eira,"> she told the little girl encouragingly. <"I'm glad you're feeling so well. I want to do a few simple tests with you to make sure that everything is working the way it should. After that, Sharl is going to come visit you. He will help you decorate your room and find something nice to eat.">

She ran the virtual little girl through a series of simple exercises, from tests of coordination to basic cognition to memory tests. It was important to make sure that nothing had been missed, especially now that there was no going back. As she worked, she briefly acknowledged the Baron's message. They would only go forward from here.

[Avenger Assembled]

Sharl had waited patiently outside the program during the reunion, not wanting to interfere with the little girl's conversation with her family. He knew from personal experience how precious those meetings were. When he was sure she was done, he nodded and said out loud, "That's my cue!" He stepped right into the computer at that, stopping to gather up a few things Miss A had suggested back when they were making plans on the flight over. Standing in the green patch outside, Sharl knocked on her door and said, "Hello, Eira! It's Sharl! May I come in?" When the little girl opened the door, she found him standing there looking as if he hadn't just gotten a beating on her behalf: in one hand was a big blue squishy teddy bear, in the other a box of Swedish chocolates. "These are for you, in your new room!"

[KnightDisciple]

Magnus walked back into view just as Eira was letting Sharl into her room. The little girl gave a squeal that made her parents wince and laugh in the same breath, while the Baron merely gave a wry chuckle and a shake of his head. Eira herself was busy hugging the bear tightly with one arm, while her other hand grasped the chocolate box as she dashed over to a nearby table, putting the sweets down to give the bear a two-armed hug.

Magnus stepped up to stand next to Miss Americana, and spoke up softly.

"Looks like your virtual room is exceeding expectations. This is perhaps our best-case scenario, I think."

Eira had shifted gears, and had already eaten two chocolates. Magda spoke up, suddenly showing a bit of sternness.

Some habits die hard, virtual existence or no. Eira sheepishly nodded and turned to face Sharl, a bit of chocolate smearing one side of her mouth.

Magnus just laughed at it all. It was a laugh overflowing with joy and relief.

[Fox]

For all that it couldn't be seen under her armor - possibly in part because it couldn't be seen under her armor - Dragonfly smiled. It was a happy smile, and it was a sad smile, and it was everything in between. Nothing lasts forever, though, and as Eira adjusted Dragonfly forced her attention back to other things.

Lights danced behind her eyes, barely visible behind the lenses in her helmet, and a curiously polite transmission was sent Miss Americana's way. A radio-less query that none the less paraded as an incoming communication, it - if not told to mind its own business - manifested as a simple chat-like window bearing a user icon of a stylized dragonfly. Not intending to intrude. Didn't seem right to...interrupt the moment, so established a one-way connection. Can't get data back, don't want you thinking I'm stealing secrets. Sharl mentioned a rogue? Am going to take captured thieves outside, for police; don't want them waking and trying to escape while in this part of the hospital. Could transport the rogue, as well. Or just leave them to you. Am assuming you have them securely contained.

[Electra]

"Eira, your uncle Maggy and I need to talk to your parents about a few things now, all right?" Miss A told the little girl. "Sharl's going to show you how to change the way your room and your clothes look, so you can have things exactly as you like. We'll be back in just a few minutes."

Even as she spoke aloud, she was composing a message back to Dragonfly, sent in the same style. Her message appeared with a small cartoon robot face, an inside joke or simply a nod to her specialty. The sentient program Sharl fought is a native of Tronik. I captured her on some of our spare stand-alone memory, so it's good we didn't end up needing it. She's a foreign citizen anyway, so I think we may as well take her back and try and learn more about what happened to her and how she got out.

[Avenger Assembled]

On the screen, the people outside could see Sharl talking to the little girl as he showed her how to navigate her world. She'd been a little unnerved at the first sight of her body in her bedroom mirror, but the novelty of having a working body at all was far superior to worries about what her body happened to look like at the moment. Sharl treated this like teaching a little kid art, a lesson that seemed to pay off nicely when Eira cheerfully turned her outfit into the kind of fluffy pink dress that little girls on Earth (at least in European cultures) generally wore to parties. And this was a party; with chocolate and toys, and with Eira rapidly summoning up toys and games and pictures from the memories that were all she'd had of the old world.

"" suggested Sharl, "" He certainly had, anyway. He'd worried she would freak out with her parents gone, but much to his relief she was too focused on all that was happening to be scared.

"" She hmmed and looked up at him. "

The question surprised Sharl; Eira knew he'd always been a digital program and had never had a body like what she'd once had, but she'd never had any reason to go further. Sitting there on the soft carpeted floor with her, its touch realer beneath his fingers than his holographic body could ever have felt on the outside, Sharl gave the most honest answer he could. ""

[KnightDisciple]

Magda and Bernhard continued to sit there, happily watching their daughter display more energy than she had in most of her life. For her part, Eira was incredibly well behaving, boundless energy or no.

Meanwhile, Magnus crooked an eyebrow and gestured for Miss A to follow him to the opposite corner of the room, for privacy.

"We'll give Magda and Bernhard another minute or two. What did we need to discuss?"

He seems confused, but it's likely because stress and exhaustion, combined with the thrill of having "completed the mission", have blanked his mind on anything that was to occur afterwards.

[Electra]

Now that the procedure was completed and a success, Miss A could afford a little more relaxation and patience. She leaned against the counter, keeping one eye on the action on the screen. "Have Eira's folks decided whether or not they're going to come to the States with us right away? I want to keep Eira's program close to hand so I can monitor her, but I suspect they'll want to be near her as well. We can find accommodations for them near the Lab, or you can put them up somewhere. If they want to stay here, we can arrange a communication link so they can keep in touch. The robot skeleton is done, but we're still looking at six weeks to two months of work, barring any major science emergencies in Freedom City."