ic The Last World War (IC)

[Avenger Assembled]

January, 2013

When the Young Freedom students got back home from Christmas break, or rather found themselves on campus again steadily for the first time, there was a message for them from Citizen, calling them to meet with him at the 13th Floor right away. Citizen had been very busy in the weeks and months leading up to the break, working with the school and his mentor Miss Americana, on the project they'd all signed on for: the stealth mission to the Erde variant where an enslaved city of Tronik was a cybernetic captive of a collapsing Nazi regime. The shiny, glossy headquarters of the sometimes-troubled team looked busy and lived in as the team got there, and Sharl ushered everyone in with a tight look on his face. The various holo-emitters in the main conference room were all playing images as they arrived, familiar images to those who'd taken their other-dimension classes: massive Nazi super-tanks moving across the landscape of a battered United States, heavily-armed and armored German super-soldiers in combat with determined Resistance fighters, and a thousand other scenes of a world at war. Sharl waved his hand to silence all the machines, leaving only the grim images playing out behind him. Without preamble, he said, "We have to go. We have to go now."

He coughed nervously, his image flickering, and added, "Over the holiday, Miss A and I made contact with Erde-Sharl and the leaders of the resistance movement in that universe's Tronik. Their Reich is running out of Ubersoldaten, so they're building an army of combat droids to take out the Resistance. Plague weapons, chemicals, anything designed to destroy organic life. And the worst part is, they're planning to use Tronikians as the software. A sentient program can do things even the best non-AI can't, especially when you destroy the sections that allow for emotion and personality." His jaw tightened. "They've already started. Miss A is in New York getting the last of the parts we'll need for a real gateway, but our departure time is tomorrow." Sharl strongly suspected she was watching, but his relationship with his mentor right now wasn't such that he could ask. "A...defector captured by the Liberty League last year gave us the plans for the base in what the locals used to call Missouri, and the other Tronik gave us the passcodes we'll need to get in without bringing all the Ubersoldaten down on us. The school's been cleared on it and we're all good to go...if you all are still in, that is," he added, a little belatedly. He was a little out of breath, but that was what happened when you still thought you needed to breathe: program or not. "Even though we're not going to get in trouble now that the school signed off on it, we are still putting ourselves in a lot of danger."

[Thunder King]

Mali couldn't hope to properly understand the scope of everything. Other dimensions, Nazi robots, biological warfare, sentient computer programs in need of help? It was all so crazy. Probably over her head, probably more than what she thought she'd get into when she put the costume on. Stop some muggers, maybe foil a robbery or two. All these aliens and alternate universes and Nazi robots still seemed so far beyond her, so different from her life at home. Still, there were people in danger, people who needed help. Mali was in a position to help them, and to her, that was all that really mattered. Saving lives, making the world a better place. Even if it was a different world she was making better. Maybe getting the chance to punch out some Nazis just sounded like a neat bonus. She was nervous, maybe even a little scared, but she was going to help, because that's why she became a superhero.

"It sounds like there are people who need help, and it sounds like we can help them. That's why I put the costume on, so I'm in."

[Scuffles]

The concept of other dimensions was enough to give Kristin a headache despite all the classes explaining the subject. Even an inter dimensional excursion hadn't made her entirely comfortable with the idea. A war-torn world where a powerful Nazi Reich could pose such a threat was so far out of her comfort zone that she could barely comprehend it. In truth she was frightened. Not that it mattered.

I will protect those who cannot protect themselves.

A faint smile played around her lips. It might have been a quote from a novel, but it summed up her feelings perfectly. As dangerous as the mission sounded, it was a chance to make a difference. Besides, if her friends were going to stand in harms way then...

"You'd have to hit me with an awful big stick to get me to stay home," she said as she flashed Sharl a grin. "I'm in."

[Electra]

Koshiro's eyes were wide as he looked at the images of violence and war playing out on the screens, but to admit to fear in front of his teammates, especially less seasoned, attractive female teammates, would've been unthinkable. Instead he slicked cool over the nerves, standing hipshot with one thumb hooked in the pocket of his jeans. "Sounds like fun," he told Sharl with a wry quirk of his lips. "Your pretty boss going to give us some fancy equipment to take with us too? I think a couple of tanks would stand us pretty well, maybe a rocket launcher or five. Going in with just an extra pad of paper for backup doesn't seem like a victory plan."

[Fox]

"I...agree," Indira said, looking over the images with a very quiet anger. She'd known this was coming, of course - she'd even prepared for it, for all that this wasn't much warning. But now that the time was here, even if she was perfectly willing to join her friends, the prospect was daunting. "I understand that we are a...'strike team'?...and not an army, but we would be in their territory and on short notice, and very outnumbered. We would benefit a great deal from any advantage we can get."

[Gizmo]

"If those creepazoids are messing with the Tronikians' floppy disks right now, can we wait for better gear?" Kimber asked, floating around in a circle behind the gathered group, flitting from projection to projection to see what everyone was looking at in turn. "If we just get them to all shoot at me, we'll be fine! I was thinking I could make myself look like the ghost of Mackenzie King to really freak them out!" She pumped her arm enthusiastically, trying to buoy the spirits of the worried group. The situation was dire enough without everyone psyching themselves out before they'd even arrived. When she didn't get the desired reaction, the poltergeist sighed. "Fine, Roosevelt, maybe. Churchill?"

[Avenger Assembled]

"Well, we're bringing a full load of up-to-date computer interface technology," said Sharl as he thought over what was set aside for the team. "We have the specs for their system, as much as the Tronikians could give us, so it'll just be a matter of physically interfacing with their system. People inside willl definitely notice something's up, but there's no 'secret' to keep there. It's just a matter of-" He hesitated, caught on to how the others were looking at him, and added, "Anyway! We'll be going in with a stealth vehicle, a heavily-armored one that's designed to stand up to punishment from a mundane army, and that should be able to pass right by most of the sensors we know the National Socialists have around their base. It's decently armed, enough that we can at least fight our way out if something bad happened." Despite all his promising words, Sharl still looked nervous, and when a gesture over the table revealed their vehicle, his nervousness made sense.

"Yeah, yeah, it's the Wonderbus, but we got the systems up and running again!" he said defensively as the still-70s themed vehicle turned in holographic display before everyone. "It's freaking powerful! Chameleon cloak from a Lor starship, quantum cascade lasers Miss A installed, gravity engines, a connection to our portal here..." He touched the holo-bus as he spoke, cloaking device in the rear, lasers in the front, and engines in the back all lighting up as he touched. All the upgrades were on the inside, it seemed; it still looked just like a VW Bus to the naked eye. "Summers came out to personally inspect it to make sure it was up-to-date and ready to go. Even brought his daughter, the..." He noticed the girls looking at him and said, "You know, his daughter. They did a full inspection, and she's ready to fly."

He pointed a few more times, 'unpeeling' the hologram to show what lay inside. "There's food, there's medicine, there's enough for us to spend a couple of nights there. But with any luck, we won't have to. In and out, save the day, and rescue millions of people who no one else gives a darn about. That's Young Freedom," he said with a little smile. "Anything else you guys think we need?"

[Scuffles]

The schematics certainly looked pretty impressive, and Kristin looked at them with interest as Sharl listed off the weapons and defensive features the vehicle carried. She couldn't however resist the opportunity to tease just a little. "I think we should let Mali check the supplies you've got loaded. You saw how she packed for the last trip, right?"

"Can't say I ever expected to be going to war in a super-Combi-van," she continued with a chuckle. "Looks pretty awesome though. Why would the headmaster's daughter be checking it out for us? Who's she? I don't think I've met her?"

[Avenger Assembled]

"She's his assistant, Callie Summers?" said Sharl, shrugging a little. "She seemed nice enough, and certainly very competent. You've probably seen her around campus. Miss A thinks she's going to take over if Mr. Summers ever retires." That didn't seem like a likely prospect, given how vital and active the man was even at his advanced age (for a human anyway), but the thought was still there. "Anyway, everyone who looked the Bus over swears it checks out. We'll have a direct connection to the dimensional portal Miss A's building in the lab, so we can trigger it as soon as we're back in the bus with the Tronik database. Not too close to their base," he went on, pulling up a somewhat sketchy holographic map of a town no one on the team recognized. "The base was built in the forest near a town called Branson. Something about it being a big tourist destination, so they could hide the traffic for it there. We'll be going in through the woods, so we shouldn't have to pass through the town itself." Gina had thought that was funny, in a grim sort of way, but Sharl hadn't really gotten the joke.

[Thunder King]

Mali gave a chuckle at the good natured teasing, and listened intently to Sharl. The plan was dangerous, but not without preparation, if they were the right combination of lucky and good, it should be a rather easy in and out situation. She nodded to Sharl, letting him know she'd been paying close attention.

"Just let me know when and where I need to do what." She said, looking at the others. "I think, with the Wonderbus and everything else, we should be able to do this. I hope, at least..." She probably seemed as nervous as she felt, but this was why she signed on, to help people.

Still, might get crazy.

[Electra]

"We've done more dangerous things with less preparation," Koshiro pointed out with a crooked smile. He put an arm around Mali's shoulders and gave her a quick, friendly squeeze. "And now we've filled out the roster with ace fighting-types, we've got nothing to worry about. You said everything'll be ready tomorow, right Sharl?" he asked his roommate. "We may as well go back to the school, get loaded up on food and sleep, those of us that need it, and meet up here fresh in the morning. You're going to have clothes for us, right? We're not exactly going to blend in our Prime clothes, if what those guys we met this fall are any measure."

[Fox]

"It is a good point. If clothes are supplied, I would not mind a set myself," Indira requested, rather unusually. "I do not know that I will be familiar enough with the style to make them myself after only a day; clothing is...relatively difficult, especially the coloring."

Her eyes flickered over the town and surrounding woods, the alien trying to build the area up in her mind. If something went terribly wrong, that would be her second or third choice for a place to hold off pursuers...it might be worth ducking out to the nearby forest and trying some things out. "I will do what I can to prepare, even if I do not eat or sleep."

[Gizmo]

"Woo, Wonderbus!" Kimber cheered as the image of the hand-me-down vehicle appeared, pumping her arm enthusiastically. "I can stick around and help pack stuff if you like," she offered, flexing her arms demonstratively, a more comical gesture since she'd floated between Indira and Mali. "I'm getting pretty good at moving heavier stuff around with my teekay! I don't have anything to prepare for myself and I'm wired enough I'd probably just distract Indira while she's getting into 'the zone'." The phantom was indeed bouncing anxiously in the air, doing her best to contain her nervous energy.

[Avenger Assembled]

"I used our morphic molecules fabrication machine and made versions of all your costumes that can pass for clothes on Erde. Except you, Kimber, obviously, but I'm sure you can adapt as needed!" He took a breath, a conscious reflex while he was projecting. "OK, great, sounds like we're all ready." At those words, Sharl felt that brief twinge of fear that he'd become more and more accustomed to over the last several months. He'd risked so much for this mission; his relationship with Gina, his studies at Claremont, and even though both had survived despite a rather rocky turn lately he was still taking himself and his friends into terrible danger. "Most of the packing's done," said Sharl, who today appreciated the ebullient Canadian phantasm's enthusiasm more than ever. "And I don't think you'd get much out of Miss A and I talking science." Miss A had made it very clear that he was to know every detail of the transdimensional gateway they'd built in the bus, and that failure to know what was going on would end their plans right there.

"If you really want to help pack something," he suggested, "there is something you could do. We're leaving behind a surprise for the Resistance when they get around to liberating Branson. A box with a signal attached that broadcasts on the frequency they use. Lots of, you know, MREs and medical supplies; nothing the Reich is likely to bother looting if they find it first, but it'll be really helpful once they get around there. We can't help them win their war, but we can at least make fighting it not suck so hard for them. It's in the doctor's office at school, and they'll let you in there to get it packed and ready. Add other stuff if you want. They know we're going to do something 'more dangerous than our years deserve,'" he said, his voice falling slightly into a Mr. Summers speech pattern.

"Let's do this, people."

[Scuffles]

"I can help Kimber collect those supplies if you like," Kristin offered. Physically small though she might be, heavy lifting was something of a speciality for the Australian teen, and even though it sounded like a pretty tedious job it still sounded better than sitting around waiting to go. It would help keep her mind off how nervous she was about the upcoming mission. Waiting was always the worst part and besides, Kimber was always fun to be around.

She shot the cheerful spirit a grin. "Team Teekay!" she suggested. "We can have that stuff packed and drag it all back in no time at all! Eve will be so proud about how we're putting all that practice to use!"

[Thunder King]

Mali listened to the others, and nodded. While helping with the packing might be a way to pass the time, she knew that tedious work would only get her more worked up, so the best thing she could do would be to go get something to eat, make sure her gear was all set to go, and train a little to get the nervous energy out. There was no point in letting anticipation overwhelm her, or cloud her judgment.

"Well I'm going to go get something to eat, make sure my stuff's all ready to go, and maybe train a bit to help keep me from bouncing off the walls. I'm really on edge right now."

She briefly considered other options, but frankly, her mind was going into 'combat mode' and she'd prefer training over other distractions. Training, at least, would be something physically demanding, which would also help her sleep. Otherwise, she'd stay up all night and could end up in trouble when she'd otherwise need to focus.

[Gizmo]

"Ah! Relief supplies! That's perfect," Kimber enthused, snapping Sharl a loose but heartfelt salute and a ear to ear grin. She didn't want to say anything out loud, but she was grateful for something to keep her occupied. Unlike the others, there was no last minute preparations that would make a difference for her or any final perfect night to sum up her life before heading into a potentially deadly situation. She was already dead. He chances for such moments had already long since come and gone and she'd probably never know if she'd taken advantage of them while she could. Better, then, to keep herself distracted making sure others would survive. "C'mon, Kristin! I'll race you!" she challenged the Australian with a laugh already floating through the wall of the room.

[Avenger Assembled]

The next morning, Citizen buzzed around the Wonderbus in the first-floor gateway room Miss Americana and he had spent most of the night building. He'd already said his goodbyes, both to Miss A and Gina, and with her words still ringing in his ears he was carefully focused on making sure their vehicle was safe and sound. Painted a dark blue and white, the Wonderbus looked as ready for action as a refurbished interdimensional craft could be. The dimensional resonators were in place on the outer skin and synched with their counterparts on the black and white gateway circle he and Miss A had built, the backup universal quantum drive that would be keeping Erde's Tronik safe was humming away inside the bus's extradimensional passenger compartment. Everything's ready... he thought, feeling his heart pounding at the realization that all the work, all the frustration, all the fear, was coming to a head that very day, no, that very hour. What would Mom and Dad think now? he thought, realizing with a guilty thought that he hadn't actually mentioned this during his weekly communications with his parents. Bad enough I'm in what they think of as _this_ dimension, he thought, what would they say about going to another one entirely?

Before he could dwell on that, or the hour or two he'd spent getting his program deep-scanned by Gina before he left, his team started arriving. "Come on, guys, get in!" he called. "We're all ready to go, and there's a major thunderstorm on the other side of the link! The sooner we get there, the sooner we can take cover and get to work!" Inside the souped-up Wondermobile, the team found the decor wasn't too much different: a late 60s and 70s look better-suited to a hippie crash pad, albeit now much cleaner and less musty (and free of Cholaxian hair), though now the 'rec room' had their suitably civiliany Erde uniforms hanging on neat little hooks, as well as local maps and other displays showing more about where they were going.

"I'll get the startup going," said Sharl, disappearing into the front cabin. "We're starting as soon as everyone's on board. Kimber, you guys just load the crate into the back." Hanging on the wall was one last gift from Bigfoot, a mounted guitar that bore the slogan: This Machine Kills Fascists!" Once inside the cabin, Sharl began activating circuits, speaking to Miss A via the cabin's radio as he began firing up the dimensional circuits. The gateway was beginning to fire up now, the dark and light material ahead of them rotating faster and faster as the dual-edged quarks they were firing began tunneling their way through dimensional matrixes. "Better strap in back there, things are going to get a little bumpy..." When everyone was on board, the teenager grabbed the throttle and threw it forward!

[Electra]

While Sharl did the warmups on the bus, Koshiro boarded and took a look around, then changed into his clothes for Erde. Sutbly different from the outfits the others wore, his was modeled more closely on what his counterpart had worn on the trip to Prime. There was no disguising his ethnicity, but with some luck and some brass, it might work for him. The outfit had plenty of pockets, which he quickly filled with his particular brand of paper ammunition.

"Still smells like patchouli in here," he commented as he sat down in one of the harness-equipped seats. "But at least the chairs don't look like they're gonna hack up a hairball." He strapped himself in and began nonchalantly folding more cranes, a convenient way to disguise his own case of nerves. As the engine kicked in, he looked up and out of the window, his forehead creasing as the world streamed away.

[Avenger Assembled]

Continued in A War-Torn World in the Lands Beyond