Nuclear Depths (IC)

[Supercape]

GM

 

The top floor of Neutron Industries was resounding with sirens and flashing lights. The heat vortex had clearly caused minor damage but nothing to serious. A few sparks on a few machines looked rather pretty. 

 

More worrying however, was the central reactor, a throbbing globe held in mid air by invisible magnetic flux clamps. This did not look too healthy. It glowed green in a blotchy way. In a blotchy, unpredictable way. 

 

Green was not his usual cool cold self. He was sweating, frantic, and cursing. If the blueness of his words was a cold-blue, then no doubt the situation would be quite under control. 

 

There was, however, no such luck. Green was shaking the coolant tube he had used to flush out Marie and Bonfire, and succeeded in only a faint splutter of nitrogen crystals that evaporated completely ineffectively. 

[olopi]

And the downward spiral had just belly-flopped through another floor. So Green hadn’t planned for this. He truly was an idiot. With how much Cass understood of nuclear reactors, this would really only mean that soon all of West Freedom would be a nuclear wasteland. And that really wasn’t good for either one’s reputation. So the whole “Ending it now” part would probably have to wait. This would be an end, yes, but not the one anybody was really looking forward to. Apart from some radiation powered super-villain, probably.

 

It was time to figure out how to stop this thing. ASAP. And chances were that Bonfire could not do that alone. He’d certainly need Green’s help, and possibly Marie’s. Marie, who was currently bleeding out or already dead, after being attacked by Bonfire. Oh yay.

 

It was time to communicate with Green. A valuable chance to catch him unaware lost, but this was too much trouble for Bonfire to handle by himself. And he certainly wouldn’t be able to get away. So, he simply yelled out, as loud as he could manage. This was bad.

 

“No time to fight now. Can we run, or is this blast going to turn all of Freedom into a wasteland? And how do we stop it?”

 

 

 

Edited May 21, 2016 by olopi

[Supercape]

GM

 

Green was too shocked to be shocked further. 

 

"Do I look like a damn nuclear physicist?" he snapped back. Out of pure instinct, his blaster pistol was already in his hand. "I get paid to shoot things, not repair reactors!"

 

Dials wobbled. Warning lights flashed. Sparks crackled. 

 

"Where's your terrorist girlfriend?" he asked. "She used to work here, maybe she can patch things up. Otherwise, I need a ton of liquid nitrogen. A minute ago" he demanded, pointed to the drained coolant tube. 

 

"And don't blame me, hot head, you are the trespasser. And don't think your little firestorm back there helped any, either!"

Edited May 23, 2016 by Supercape

[olopi]

Oh great. At least it explained why Green had thought taking away the coolant was a good idea. He had no idea of nuclear science either. So nobody in this building was both conscious and had an idea what to do. And cooling was literally the exact opposite of what Bonfire could do. At this point running felt like the safest option. Hopefully the building itself was somewhat protected. It would bring a lot more problems, but it probably was the only option. And Cass didn’t really trust Green with it. He’d probably just take the chance to finish off both Marie and Cut-throat. Or leave them in here to die. And those weren’t favourable either.

 

“Currently bleeding out due to knife-related injuries. I think we just have to run. Cooling things is the literal exact opposite of what I do. So how about we just grab the two people that are unconscious down there and get out? We’ve got no way to stop this un- . Hey, you don’t have any Uranium-7 in here, do you? That might be the only way to actually stop this. “

 

Edited May 23, 2016 by olopi

[Supercape]

GM

 

"Uranium-7? What do you want that for?" asked Green, a fleck of suspicion in his voice. "Your girlfriend stole our last batch" he pondered. "We probably have some reserve down in storage. If you hadn't melted the stair case, maybe we could get some" he snapped, sarcastically. 

 

He glanced at the glowing reactor, looking progressively more infected with a fetid green. 

 

"Running might cost me my job. But I'd rather run than melt" he conceded. "This thing will probably bring the whole building down, or worse..." he mumbled, almost ashamed. "Neutron industries never have safety as their top priority..."

 

It was a bold and horrible admission. 

 

"Damn the lot of them, and your terrorist girlfriend! Get me out of here!" he yelled. 

 

[olopi]

Oh yay. Oh very yay. This was it, wasn’t it. This was the end. This was where Cass’s streak of luck would finally end. He could just run. Yes, and it was tempting. But it wasn’t heroic. It would cause even more trouble. And Green didn’t look like the guy to carry out two unconscious people he had just tried to kill mere seconds before. Marie was probably fine, at least towards the radiation. But Cut-Throat? He wouldn’t make it. And Bonfire had literally no way to interact with him. Not that he’d listen, most likely. Maybe by causing enough heat he could avoid a big blast? Or would that cause the exact opposite and just make the thing go off even more? Cass didn’t know. Green didn’t either.

 

“I don’t know. Just run for it, that’s all I can help you with. “

 

What now, what now. There had to be something. Just … ugh. What could he do, what could he do. Maybe a lot of heat towards the reactor would work? Something something physics. Cass had no clue, but this was the only thing that sounded … not reasonable, no. But possible, maybe, with a low percentage.

 

And so, Bonfire took a few seconds, took a big breath. This was it. Cassidy Bauer hadn’t planned to die today, and if there was any chance, he wouldn’t. He mentally prepared himself to take another nuclear blast straight to his smoky face, then started to work on creating even more heat, and drawing as much as there was in the room in. He just had to focus all this heat and fire right on the reactor. And then, it was up to physics to not fail him, and not kill him.

 

Edited May 25, 2016 by olopi

[Supercape]

GM

 

"What are you doing? Are you insane?" yelled Green, pulling up his blaster. 

 

But by then, it was too late. Light and heat rolled over the room like a tsunami. Green couldn't see to pull his trigger, and by that time, whatever was going to happen, would happen. 

 

And as it happened, Bonfire was not insane. Or perhaps he was, but spiced with good fortune. The metal and plastic of the reactor melted. Spinning molten steel, caught in odd magnetic flux, rotated and whirled. Lights of all types shone brightly in the centre of the inferno. 

 

And then, with a whooomph noise, the whole thing collapsed in on itself. A brief dark void appeared, giving a glimpse into a realm of pure speculation, before that too was gone. 

 

Green was slack jawed but quick thinking, pulling his blaster on Bonfire. 

 

"Thanks for saving my life kid. Now I'm gonna save my career! And that means taking you or your girlfriend into custody to lock away. Hell, ill take you both in if you are offering! Whaddya say?" he asked. 

[olopi]

It worked! Bonfire would not die today! The reactor was gone, and so was the threat! Sure, Cass was about to collapse due to both exhaustion and having sustained himself on just coffee for multiple days, but at least he was safe. The reactor had been dealt with, it … melted, probably, and hopefully all those explosions he had caused before outside would mean that emergency dispatch would arrive on the scene soon. And until then Cass could just take a nap.

 

And obviously Green had to ruin it. Bonfire was just about holding onto consciousness, and he had a gun pulled on him again. He’d just saved this guy’s life, and this was the reward? Getting shot while almost going unconscious to begin with. He had hoped Green would just run the second he’d see what Bonfire was about to do, but that wasn’t the case. Great. Just great. One thing finally goes right, and then this.

 

With some heavy breathing, and part of his vision going dark due to the exhaustion, he addressed the chief of security. Maybe just buying some time would be enough for whatever dispatch there was to arrive. It was a far stretch, but probably Cass’s best shot.

 

“Oh, come …. on. After … all this destruction…. do you really think they won’t …. fire you and get some … mercenaries to silence you so this all … is covered up? ... Your best … bet is to … just leave now … and act like you … never were here. I … dunno, think … of something. There’s … probably people … out there that … pay better. …. And … won’t have a … huge stock crash … tomorrow. …”

 

Edited May 25, 2016 by olopi

[Supercape]

GM

 

The gun wavered for a still moment, silent in the insidious heat of the melted reactor. One could only wonder what other strange invisible energies lingered. 

 

"No...." said Green, unsure but solidifying. "...I'm not saying Neutron won't do that. They have done worse. I should know. But its not my best play"

 

He gripped his gun again, tight, nerves hitting him. 

 

"Thing is, Neutron Industries are rich enough that the odd reactor or two won't hurt them. Reputation hurts them. They need somebody to pin this all on, and that means you and your girlfriend. I may add, kid, that on this occasion, they are entirely justified..."

 

"And bringing in a nuclear terrorist, that will earn me some coin. And Neutron Industries. Maybe even a promotion. Shows initiative" he said, firmly. He was persuading himself. 

 

"So, a head on a spike it is. That means you, or your girlfriends. Or both, if I have to. But its been a long day. I don't want to fight you. Give me your lady friend, fly away, and let me feed her to the vultures. You walk with a clean slate. Or at least, one less tarnished. What do you owe her anyway? She was the one behind all of this..."

[olopi]

“Her? … I owe her …. nothing. That’s … true. But … this isn’t about her. This isn’t about Neutron, even. This is about what I believe in. When I first met her, she was being chased by mercenaries. Getting shot at, lethal weaponry and all. Don’t get me wrong, I plan on turning her over to the police after this thing’s done. She’s done quite a lot, and her means didn’t justify the ends. But I’m not going to turn her over to the folks that tried killing her before. And that’s why I can’t turn her over to you. I’d rather see her get a fair trial than what would come from this. You said it yourself, Neutron has done worse. And if they have her I doubt they’d even hesitate to go all the way. I can’t just do something like that and walk away, knowing that whatever injury or death would come from it were entirely my fault. “

A small surge of energy. The last bit of energy Bonfire still had, he used it. This had to sound reasonable. This had to sound convincing. And lots of stuttering and heavy breathing wouldn’t have helped him in this case. He gave it his all, pushing forward every word with the determination to at least finish talking before all the strain these past few days had taken on his body would finally overwhelm him.

Edited May 26, 2016 by olopi

[Supercape]

GM

 

Green fingered his pistol, unsure. 

 

"You know, I believe you" he said, fixing Bonfire with a grim stare. 

 

"So now, it boils down to this. Just how much juice you got left? Enough to burn me, or just to put on a pretty show? Because if you aren't gonna back down..."

 

He swallowed, nervous. 

 

"So what have you got, kid? enough to fry me? I don't wanna burn. But I do want to keep my job. Or do I just keep stalling and hope the cops arrive to pick you both up?"

[olopi]

“Honestly? I don’t know. Maybe … I’ll just drop unconscious … in a second. Maybe I can still …. burn some things. After these … past few days … I can’t really tell myself. I’m … running on coffee right now. Don’t really know how much I … can push this however. We … can just … both stall for the police. Same effect … in the end. Was my … plan too. Forgot to account for … them wanting to take me in. So, do we … just wait? If you … want to turn her in … to the police directly … I have no objections. You keep your job and ... I ... get what I wanted too.  “

 

Maybe Cass could still avoid a bad fight.  Would be a lot nicer than the alternative. Sure, he’d probably have enough power to fling himself out of a window, heat would get through the glass fine. But then, he’d just be unconscious and burning somewhere outside. And that wasn’t that favourable. If he could simply convince Green that for now, he wasn’t going to fight him, that’d turn this entire thing from really bad to just not that good. Sure, Cass was still really angry about the entire thing, but neither him or Green were in a fighting condition.

Edited May 26, 2016 by olopi

[Supercape]

A moderate amount of time later...

 

Freedom City Police Station, Special Circumstances Cell...

 

The room was pleasant, for an interrogation cell. Nice and clean. Nice blue beige colour, soft lighting, cool water, some chocolate biscuits, and some innocuous classical music. Even the seats had cushions. 

 

That said, the room was reinforced. Fire-proofed. Lightning-proof. Probably cosmic-energy proof too, as much as anything. Cameras and gas vents in the ceiling. 

 

The arrests had been swift, and respectful. Green had surrendered, and Bonfire had heard him start his story about stopping nuclear terrorists. Marie and Cut-Throat had been carted off to the nearest hospital, with a police escort. 

 

Bonfire, being a fine upstanding citizen who also sprouted high intensity fire, plus was accused of the not-insignificant crime of nuclear terrorism, was in the special circumstances cell, complete with AEGIS guards outside, and two suits of Super-Max armour ready to delpoy. 

 

In walked a short woman with grey hair but fine complexion. Steel eyes and olive skin. She must have been in her fifties. Wearing a neat black and white trouser suit. A cup of strong coffee in one hand, brown paper file in the other. 

 

"Good morning", for it was the early hours, and fatigue was in the air, "My name is Agent Dartwood, AEGIS special division" she opened. 

 

"I would like you to tell me all you can about this woman...." she said, opening the file and showing a picture of Marie, complete with bruised, battered face, incubated, and unconscious. 

[olopi]

And here Cass was. In a special containment cell. In a high-tech police station. So this was where all those people he fought ended up after their trip to the hospital. Surprisingly cozy, to be honest. This entire thing had resolved itself better than he’d expected. He had considered running from the police, but that would’ve only let to him being deemed a proper super-villain. Maybe this way he could at least get some of his reputation back. And also, he was able to nap in the police car. Which was nice. He was still quite tired, but it wasn’t as bad anymore. A bit of sleep had helped. And hopefully the fire would dissipate sooner or later.

 

For now, he still had to talk his way out of a lengthy trip to Blackstone. He really didn’t feel like ending up on an island, or in a prison. Or both, combined, even. And all of this wasn’t an easy task. He had, mostly rightfully, been accused of a pretty massive crime. And even bringing in a criminal gang leader didn’t soften that up too much. Maybe he could pin the blame on Marie. Which was a rather bad thing to do, but some self-preservation was fair.

 

“Oh, it’s a long story. I guess I’ll start at what I believe to be the chronological beginning. She used to work for Neutron. Then, at some point they experimented with her body, from what she’s told me, which lead to her eyes becoming … whatever they are, her life being limited to a few more years, and her quitting her job and starting to fight against the company.

Then, at some point she hired the Cut-Throat gang to steal a bunch of Uranium … 7? From Neutron, during which a bunch of the gang died, which caused the name-giving leader to start having a grudge. Then, sometime later, after fighting the gang myself, I ended up in a bar, where she had deposited the Uranium because she was being chased by a bunch of ex-military mercenaries around the sewers. I ended up helping her because hey, these people had hired mercenaries to kill her, that’s enough of a reason to stop them.

You got everything so far? Anything I should elaborate on, or do I just continue?”

Edited May 26, 2016 by olopi

[Supercape]

GM

 

Dartwood listened attentively. Her mouth was not exactly a smile, nor exactly a stone. 

 

"Plenty. This is serious business. Neutron Industries have a file. Nothing they do is against the law. But we have general concerns about their safety. And when it comes to nuclear reactors, safety is everything"

 

She leaned back, a more relaxed pose. 

 

"The thing is, the world needs power. Its running out of oil. Its running out of gas. If not now, then soon. And short of chaining you up to a powerplant, nuclear is the only option. So, we have to tolerate industries like Neutron, because they are part of the solution. You see the delicate balance...."

 

"This, Marie. She might help. But from the sounds of it, she is pretty angry. Dangerous. Extremist.  Had an eight inch stab wound in her sternum, just missed the aorta. Still needed sedation in the hospital. Calls herself Fallout now, or at least, she did before the sedatives kicked in". 

 

 

"From what I understand, she was right about her cancer. We can try to treat her, but from what I understand..."

 

She shrugged, without any particular warmth or coldness. 

 

"Thing is, you got yourself mixed up in something big. Some calling for your head, some calling to give you a medal. Me, I think you should walk out of here and think twice next time..." she said, slowly and deliberately. 

 

"But from now on, we have a file on you. A file we can use. Leverage" she explained, politely. "And if we do you a favour now, then you owe us. Which means when we require a favour from you, we hope you will oblige..."

 

~ Fin ~

Edited May 26, 2016 by Supercape