ic Here There Be Dragons [IC]

[trollthumper]

There were nine in number when Velocity found them - the same nine who'd set out that morning, so that was a relief. Five were dressed in field gear; two of them were laid up on the ground with clearly improvised splints, not in the best condition to move unassisted. The other four were clearly with the more military side of UNISON, spread out at the compass points around the fallback site. Their attention was split between the horizon and their rifles, but as Velocity approached, they relaxed their guard. 

 

"Good thing you're here," said one of the soldiers. She was French, built to last, and clearly very eager to get off the island. "There isn't exactly a 'normal' on this island, but even going by that, things have been weird lately. The scientists could explain it better to you."

 

She beckoned towards the group, and one of the scientists, a North African man in his mid-forties, came forward. He looked like he'd received his share of scratches and bruises, but he was still on his feet. "The island..." he said. "The island is going mad. We may... we may need to get back to our lab. I have a thesis, but... need to make sure, or we could make it worse..."

[Thevshi]

Velocity was relieved to find all the members of the team, at least alive, if not unhurt.  The speedster keyed her communicator to transmit to her fellow team members as well as the George Washington.  "This is Velocity, I am with the team now, all nine members accounted for.  Two have injuries that require they receive assistance to move."

 

She then looked at the lead scientist with a bit of a frown as he came forward and made some rather cryptic remarks about what they had discovered.  "That doesn't sound too good.  But do you mean the island itself is somehow going 'mad'?  Or the creatures on the island?"

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel's voice sounded in everyone's ear for a moment.

 

"Inbound at high speed, on-site in a moment."

 

And indeed, in a rush of air and a far-off sound like a sonic boom, he was suddenly floating to the ground next to the others.

 

"Handy to be able to fly sometimes. Now, what's this about the island going mad, and just where is the lab and how hard will it be to get to it?"

[Fox]

"Well, that's one task down," Gaian Knight optimistically noted as he carefully brought his stone platform down out of the air. He wasn't keen on being near the ground, what with this place's reputation, but they needed answers more than they needed a little extra safety. "And all nine of them, no less - not bad at all."

Tiamat was off the platform before it even reached solid ground, muttering something about preferring to fly under her own power; as Gaian Knight closed his eyes and sunk his thoughts into the earth, she stood vigilant guard between him and his plant-shaping teammate, red eyes scanning the area for threats. "Awfully quiet for a place so close to an island full of monsters," she mused, sounding almost disappointed.

[Avenger Assembled]

The slowest of his group, Comrade Frost drifted into the clearing amid a faint shower of falling leaves, his rapid chilling passage having sent a few falling right off the trees as they perceived what seemed to be a radical change in season. He'd missed all but the tail end of the conversation, but given that the found civilians were far more important than his own personal comfort, he had no grudge about that. "Ah, so nice to see everyone together. And what lab?" he asked, having missed most of the conversation. Dratted tropical winds he thought peevishly. "Should we contact other group, or is matter we can handle ourselves?" he asked solicitously. "Is your team, not mine," he added. 

[Electra]

"If a monster does show up, we'll rely on you to deal with it," Fleur assured Tiamat with a faint smile. She hopped off the platform and began to walk around, examining the foliage as she went. "It's really very pretty here," she commented idly, "the volcanic ash enriches the soil and makes for great growing land. If it weren't for all the kaiju, it'd be a lovely vacation spot." Kneeling in a small patch of cleared earth, she reached out and wrapped her fingers around the stem of a young hibiscus. Using the eyes and ears of the plants wasn't as effortless here as on Sanctuary, where she'd personally grown nearly everything, but it was still a good way to get a feel for the situation in the area. Not to mention get an advance warning of any monsters! 

[trollthumper]

Through the plants of the island, Fleur was quickly able to get a sense of the UNISON group, as well as the other heroes. "There... may be a need for backup, yes," said the lead scientist. "We are not sure yet. I should start from the beginning. This area, where we traced the seismic activity, has... been on our radar for some time. For one thing, it's almost a biosphere within a biosphere. Mainly botanical - there are plants found within its boundaries that aren't found anywhere else on the island. It's the same forest, same plains, as other parts of the island, but these specimens aren't anywhere else on it."

 

He let out a wry laugh. "And then there are the larger specimens," he said. "The species of titans on this island are limited, usually due to large swaths of territory and their somewhat competitive nature. But many of them have been shying away from this area... and lately, the ones that are drawn to it don't seem to be leaving. Some --"

 

A massive screech rent the air, as if in answer. Off in the distance, the group could see a silhouette almost like a giant condor taking to the sky, swooping through the air in vigilant circles. 

 

"-- like him. The Simurgh, we've called him. Just a month before, it considered the entire island its airspace. But now, it just stays there. It could be nesting, but... we've counted five distinctive specimens that have been reluctant to go beyond its borders. It's as if they're protecting something..."

 

"We've got a cornucopia of samples," said the soldier. "Soil samples, plant samples... samples I would rather not discuss... and a number of theories. But until they get this stuff back to the lab, all we have to go on is conjecture."

[Thevshi]

Velocity frowned slightly as the scientist gave something of an explanation about what they had learned so far, and at the mention of some samples they did not want to discuss more.  Not that the speedster had any particular reason to believe the scientists were engaging in something improper, but given her last experience with some UNISON operatives, she could not help but be a bit suspicious.

 

"Yeah, that really doesn't make things sound much better."  She commented.  "We could probably due with a more concrete explanation if possible, especially as we have two teammates looking further into the seismic activity after they determined it wasn't the volcano."

 

"So unless Comrade Frost or Gabriel are going to help with transporting any of you off the island, we should probably get back to the beach so the nearby US carrier can get transports here to pick you all up."

[Electra]

Fleur gave herself a little shake as she pulled free of the plants and opened her eyes to her own awareness again. "The scientists have started to narrow down the source of the seismic activity," she reported to her companions. "Apparently there's an especially weird spot on the island with strange plants, and that the animals behave oddly around. It doesn't seem like we're going to find a lot where we are, so maybe we should just catch up to the other group and all go together." With the assent of GK and Tiamat, she teleported them all to the beach, popping them out from behind the fans of a giant fern. 

 

"Hey everyone," she greeted the others cheerfully. "Thought we might be more use here, having a look at the mini-biosphere all together." 

[Fox]

"A very, very careful look," Gaian Knight grimaced, his attention still partly elsewhere and his eyes faintly glowing through the lenses of his goggles. While Fleur had been talking to plants he'd been feeling his way through the soil and stone, trying to get a better idea of what in the world was going on here. "Whatever's causing trouble out there is....you know, I'm not even sure, and I'm not sure it makes sense. It's like something that's either huge or hugely powerful is out there shifting around, causing trouble with the fault lines. But whatever it is, it isn't that far from us."

[Avenger Assembled]

"Better to deal with it now than in weeks when mountain caves in and takes ocean with it," said Frost seriously, peering above the treeline with narrow red eyes, as if trying to stare his way through all the solid rock beneath them by sheer force of will. As the transports roared in from the carrier, their engines briefly cutting down on conversation, he shouted, "Suggest we gather what we need and go there directly! No time for delays, but cannot fight monster on island with civilians around. Is bad fortune." Memories of his previous trip to Kaiju Island were still not far from his mind as he paced, sand crunching under his soft leather boots. "If creature is summoned to the surface, can it be confronted?" he inquired of the others. "Or would that simply trigger cataclysm we all seek to avoid? Confrontation through solid rock will be thornier problem than in open air." 

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel tapped his chin in thought.

 

"Fleur, we do have a couple of wounded here. Perhaps those who need or wish to could be returned to the ship, and then you could rejoin us to move to the laboratory?"

 

He was clearly posing the idea to both teams, though he felt it was a fairly reasonable one.

 

"As far as the underground threat....yes, I would rather face it above-ground. If it being above ground makes it damage the fault line less, that seems like the way to go. And if it's a giant monster, I guess we'll just have to tame it. Possibly by hitting it in the face with plants, rocks, ice, sound, and such. Whatever it takes to prevent the whole place going up and wiping out the Pacific coasts."

 

He almost grimaced at his own words.

 

'Why do I get the feeling I might end up the one with the most injuries? Oh, right, there's a healer on our team, and it's me.'

[trollthumper]

"We would be happy with transfer for the others," said the scientist. "The soldiers can provide support --"

 

"Damn straight we will."

 

" -- but we'll only need a few to process the samples. And I believe some of you might be able to speed up the process." 

 

Once the wounded and support staff were back on the George Washington, the group set out for the lab. To cover more ground and allow for maneuverability, Gaian Knight was able to free a small chunk of the clearing and propel it across the island, like the world's most earthen hovercraft. In the distance came the roars, shrieks, and mating calls of the island's giant inhabitants, but they seemed to be staying well out of sight. 

 

"We're approaching the perimeter," said the lead soldier. "Stay on guard. We have no idea what --"

 

She was cut off by a cry overhead. The Simurgh had taken off from its mountaintop perch, and was tracing circles in the air. 

 

"We should be okay," said the scientist. "The Simurgh has been vigilant as of late, but not necessarily offensive. As long as we don't strike at it, we should be --"

 

He was cut off by the sound of rushing winds. The giant predator - some strange mixture of bird and reptile, like an archaeopteryx the size of a T-rex - was swooping down towards the platform, talons outstretched. 

 

"Everyone's wrong some time, doctor," said the soldier. "Take position! Earth mover, I don't suppose you know any evasive maneuvers for this thing?"

[Fox]

"It flies like a stone," Gaian Knight quipped; bits of the oversized platform broke apart to form a ring around the group - protection or projectiles, it wasn't quite clear - as he tried to divide his attention between the Simurgh and finding a place to set down. "I'll do what I can, but with it so big and with so many people on board it isn't going to be that agile in the air. She, on the other hand...." He trailed off, jerking a thumb in Tiamat's direction.

The redhead was grinning and, utterly without warning, launched herself off the back of the platform. Yet there was no crash, no body left behind on the ground. Instead there was a rush like fire and the beat of leathery wings before an honest-to-goodness dragon soared out ahead of them from under their conveyance.

[Thevshi]

Velocity had been running along on the ground below the flying platform of rock that Gain Knight was controlling to transport the remaining scientists and UNISON soldiers when the massive creature the that the UNISON personnel had dubbed the Simurgh started swooping down towards the rock platform.  The young woman frowned slightly.  It was times like this that her powers left her at something of a disadvantage.  The creature was currently too high in the air for her to reach with the only ranged attack she did have, and while she was considerably faster than the massive winged creature, she had no way of gaining altitude to be able to engage it right now.

 

So, the yellow clad speedster opted instead for zigzagging around on the ground below the flying rock platform, hoping to perhaps distract the Simurgh from the others.  Velocity rather doubted how successful she might be at that, particular given that Tiamat had launched herself into the air and returned to her dragon form, likely making her a much more attractive target.  But just in case she did succeed at drawing the Simurgh's attention, the speedster focused on making herself as hard to hit as possible as she ran.

[Fox]

"I'd say to hold on, but, well, there isn't a lot to hold on to," Gaian Knight apologized. It soon became clear why: the platform the group was riding fell out of the sky, dropping toward the ground at an alarming - if technically safe - speed, coming to rest only as it touched the ground.

The geokinetic hero immediately spread his feet, centering himself and trying to concentrate less on the possibility of being eaten and more on keeping other people from the same. As a soft golden glow built up where his boots touched stone, the edges of their platform began to warp and twist and grow into new and more protective shapes....

[KnightDisciple]

Even as the stone began to rise around them, Gabriel crouched down, bizzarely with a grin on his face. Almost like he was looking forward to what was about to happen. 

And then he was good distance into the air, though probably about halfway between the main group and Tiamat's altitude. 

 

There he floated, his eyes glittering with defiance as his voice rang out, heard by all of his fellow heroes. 

 

"Brothers and sisters! We face here a mighty creature indeed! But fear not! We shall be victorious! We control sound, and speed, and rock, and plant, and cold! We have with us one who is a match for any of the beasts of this island, a mighty lady whose warrior heart beats true! Strike fast and true!"

 

Coming from most anyone else, that level of...melodrama...would probably just induce laughs. But from Gabriel?

The sheer belief and sincerity echoed in the bones. Everyone there could feel how sure he was of their victory, and it stirred a certainty in their own hearts!

[trollthumper]

The Simurgh's eyes tracked the platform as it sped over the land. It was sizing up its prey - nearly as large as it was, moving fast, with several little protrusions on it, but mostly unarmored. It stretched its talons and brought its wings in close, preparing to dive bomb the moving rock. It swooped in, growing larger with every second. The soldiers trained their rifles on the approaching beast, preparing to open fire and praying that it would do something -- 

 

-- but Gabriel rose to meet the beast, shouting words of encouragement all the while. That was enough to draw the attention of the Simurgh. It sped towards him rather than the platform, trying to seize him in its beak - but he was too fleet, and the bird ate only air. 

 

"Is he mad?" asked the scientist.

 

"He just saved us all," said the soldier. "I do not care if he thinks he's Joan of Arc."

[Electra]

"It's all right," Fleur told the crowd of scientists and soldiers with a quick smile. "This is why you brought us along, right?" She tugged the crown of flowers from her hair and tossed it down onto the platform, then leapt free of it before Gaian Knight's rocky covering finished growing. She took in the entire scene, the Simurgh far overhead, deftly handled by Gabriel and Tiamat but far out of her own reach.

 

"The fight's going to have to come down here," she murmured to Gaian Knight. "We'd better be ready for it." She threw her prepared handful of seeds onto the earthen outcropping the terrakinetic had already created. Plants sprang up, vines and trees and sturdy shrubs, forming a surprisingly sturdy barrier that concealed and added a layer of extra protection to the already-formidable barrier. Even if the fight came to them, their charges would be safe. 

[Fox]

Tiamat bellowed a challenge, one monster rising up into the air to meet another.

The 'rising up' part proved to be somewhat problematic, however: gaining height when reliant on muscle for flight was both more difficult and slower than gliding or diving, even on wings as mighty as a dragon's; the Simurgh's altitude advantage made it far too easy to dodge or counter an attack from below, and Tiamat's bellow ended on a sour note of frustration as she had to turn aside at the last moment, one grabbing limb barely missing the Simurgh's body and foiling her attempt to drag the creature closer to ground level.

[Thevshi]

Velocity could not help but feel a swelling of confidence at Gabriel's words.  The only problem was that the creature was still rather high up in the air, and currently engaged with both Gabriel and Tiamat, meaning she could not do too much to help out at the moment.  As much as she liked her powers, dealing with flying opponents was often quite difficult.

 

So, the yellow clad speedster began circling around the landed platform, which both Gaian Knight and Fluer were busy shielding on the chance that the creature would turn its attention back to those on the platform.

 

"Not a lot I can do at the moment while the fight is up there."  She stated into the team's comm. as she continued to circle, ready to dodge should the creature for some reason choose to target her next.

[Avenger Assembled]

Frost didn't hit the great beast so much as he collided with it, but that did the trick all the same - with a puff of mist, ice began forming on the wings of the monster, the beast snapping and biting without effect at the patch of freezing cold that enveloped its body. Only a few people still alive knew Frost had once been a veterinarian, many long years ago, and Dimitri regretted having to cause pain to the animal with which he fought. But he'd put down enough wild dogs, and fought enough giant monsters, to know that you couldn't pull your punches at times like this. "<Come on,>" he called in Russian as he slid over it like the patch of fog he was. "<Fall down!>"  

[Fox]

Gaian Knight's platform finally finished rearranging itself, arms of stone rising up from the edges, pulling Fleur's foliage along for the ride as they came together in a great protective dome. It was clearly designed more to keep things out than in - the space between the bars of the cage-like construct were far enough apart to let a grown man squeeze through, but it'd hopefully keep the seeking claws of oversized avians at bay.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please keep arms and legs inside the protective barrier at all times," Gaian Knight advised, a piece of the platform detaching to lift him up through the top of his creation. "I think Fleur's right - we're going to want to bring the Simurgh down to ground level, and I don't think it's going to be very happy about that."

[KnightDisciple]

If asked later, Gabriel would probably avoid answering one way or another if he'd been frightened when the great flying beast had nearly gotten a grip on him. Certainly it wouldn't be a subject he'd actively bring up.

 

Because truth was he was practically scared out of his wits right now. Then again, he felt he had some solid backup, so it wasn't a total loss.

 

That didn't mean he was sorry to put more distance between himself and the Simurgh. As he dropped through the air, he at least made sure his trajectory took him away from the protective shell around the scientists and guards. He raised his right hand, sighting down it as if using a firearm of some sort or another. 

 

"You're a big, gnarly beastie. Time to soften you up a bit."

 

And with that, a lance of sonic power screamed out from his pointed fingers, hitting dead-center on the creature. The energy quickly washed over its whole body, trying to vibrate its thick scales just so such that they lost some of their strength and cohesion, at least for a while. A creature that large likely had plenty of grit to go around, and would probably end up healing fairly quickly, so he wasn't overly concerned about what small damage might occur from the attack. 

[trollthumper]

The blast washed over the girth of the mighty beast, but it didn't seem to have much effect on its hearty flesh. It tore past Gabriel with the speed of a helicopter and swept down on the island, talons outstretched. The mighty claws lashed down at Gaian Knight's edifice, trying to scrape away at the rockface that was keeping it away from its targets. One of the talons managed to lash through the vines on the exterior of the cage, however, and was picking away at the rock underneath. The scratching was especially loud right over the scientist's head; he took the opportunity to back away into a corner before things got worse.

"We're still open," said the soldier. "We should be a few miles out from the compound. If we get there, we can activate the perimeter defenses. Soften this thing up."