ic [IC] Fight the Power

[Supercape]

Synth (as Knuckles)

 

"Good advise" replied Synth intently; clearly Cynthia had more experience of the brutal world they were in that he did. Although given he had none, that was not hard. But credit to her, she seemed to know the grime and the knocks of the landscape. 

 

In which case. 

 

He downed a drink. He downed another. 

 

"More....More....MORE!" he demanded, drinking as much as he could, possibly even enough to cause intoxication of a synthetic organism. If it happened, so be it. He was not actually sure what such high quantities of alcohol would do to his body. He didn't drink a lot, and had not noticed any effect when he had. But tonight, the facade demanded a very great deal of alcohol indeed. 

 

As he quaffed, he stumbled, he slurred. 

 

"zzzzMORE!" he demanded, slumped over the bar. 

 

"Im hear to ZzzzELEBRATE! I am zzzzuuuh GREATESHT!" he said, pouring a drink from height into his mouth. 

 

And then, he fell backwards, out cold. 

 

Or so it seemed. Instead, Synthetic brain started taking over synthetic body. Lowering pulse, lowering blood pressure, slowing breathing. In all manner of appearances, he looked out cold. Eyes closed, but ears and nose quite alert. 

[olopi]

GM

 

Cynthia simply nodded, before turning her attention back towards her soda. Clearly she felt like Knuckles could handle himself. As he returned, he got some strange looks, from what he gathered thanks to his hearing, it was rare that somebody actually managed to exchange more than a sentence with Cynthia.

 

Once Knuckles got to drinking even more, the mood shot up even further. Cynthia glanced over a few times, looking quite unsure about what was happening, but not letting it change her evening much. People around Knuckles joined in, downing so much beer Gus had trouble keeping up. Gus, who now, looking quite happy. A bit surprised at Knuckles suddenly drinking as much, but clearly pleased.

 

Knuckles falling over caused some differing reactions. A second of silence. And then, laughter all around. People joking, people making fun of him, and one or two perhaps being worried. Gus let out a not very credible sigh. “We’re a few minutes away from closing up. Jeb, take over here. I’ll make sure the Champ gets back up. “

 

A few seconds afterwards, Synth felt somebody grab him. Judging by the smell, it was Gus. He carried-slash-dragged him away from the crowd, away from the bar. He opened a door. If the smell was any indication, it usually acted as some sort of either storage room or kitchen. It was a short trip all things considered, before he opened another door.

 

The smell was unmistakeable. The streets of Freedom. But it wasn’t the only thing. Exhaust gas. Which corresponded with the noise, like an engine running close-by. Plus, the smell of other people. Two? Three? It was hard to tell, the exhaust gas was quite strong.

 

“There you go.”

 

And with that, Knuckles felt two sets of arms grabbing him.

[Supercape]

Synth (as Knuckles)

 

Through the back door. Into the stinking streets of Freedom City. 

 

Sounds like Gus had some kind of deal going on. Not surprising. But here was something pretty unambiguous. He was delivering Synth to somebody. 

 

He dare not open his eyes. Not now. There was a food chain to climb up, and no point risking that road. Instead, he just slumped in the arms, mumbled a little and, for effect, drooled over his vest. He vaguely complicated a little vomitus for effect, but that, he concluded, would be a step too far. If nothing else, he needed his nose sharp. 

 

He concluded that he was being driven somewhere. And he would play his drunken slumber until that drive was complete. 

 

[olopi]

GM

 

Knuckles was loaded into the vehicle through what, almost certainly, was the back, so this was some sort of van. Doors closed behind him and the people carrying him, being shut. And then, the car accelerated. The two carrying him set his body down on something. It was a diagonal surface, the head area padded with some sort of pillow, perhaps?

 

It wasn’t entirely uncomfortable, a fact that changed when the restraints came into play. Both … guards (?) worked their way, restraining first Knuckles’ arms, then also his legs, and finishing it off with a strap of, judging by the smell, leather, over his chest. Unescapable, for mundane people at least. For Synth? Not so much, probably.

 

The drive wasn’t all that long. Even if, perhaps, Synth was starting to feel the effect of all the alcohol downed during the past few hours. After what at best was a few minutes, the car stopped, and the doors were once more opened. Whatever Synth was on was rolled out of the van, and onto the pavement. From there, more movement, through another door this time. The smell inside this new room was … something familiar. Sterile. Similar to one of the first smells Synth had ever known – that of a research facility.

[Supercape]

Synth (as Knuckles)

 

Synth started to mumble. There was only so much a nose could tell you. 

 

No need to drop the facade yet, but time to start awakening. 

 

He opened his eyes, still mumbling, still dribbling, still slurring. 

 

"What the hell! What did I drink? SOmeone doped me...mushta...mushta doped me!" he complained in a poorly articulated way, as if his lips were numb and his tongue paralytic. 

 

He tested the binds - gently, easy enough to slip out of, but best not to let that morsel slip out. 

 

"Hey, where am I? What is this? This my prize?" he said, more loudly this time. 

 

[olopi]

GM

 

The lights were bright. Really, really bright after a few minutes of having his eyes closed, but also bright regardless of situation. It was a short hallway, which led into a fairly large, open space. Filled with various machinery, the ceiling higher up than in standard size rooms, but still very brightly lit.

 

Turning his head wasn’t really possible, but Synth managed to catch some glances of the two people escorting him either way. Fully equipped, mercenaries perhaps? Black outfits, wearing ski-masks to cover their faces. As for him, he was currently restrained to a vertical board, as he’d assumed back in the car. By the time he began to speak, he’d already been wheeled a fair ways into the room.

 

And with impeccable timing, somebody stepped out from behind one of the many machines. A middle-aged man, starting to bald, in a labcoat. He mustered Knuckles, then began to speak. “Up a bit early, are we? Anyways! Allow me!”

 

He clicked a button on a remote he was holding, turning on a tv screen, directly in Knuckles’ field of view. “This isn’t your prize no. Well, not directly. What if I told you that what you can do right now is just the beginning? You have the potential for so much more. So, so much. “

 

The screen went black for a second, then showed a picture of some of Freedom’s Finest, in the middle of combat, each of them using some sort of power. “Each of them is special. They’re like us. But they’re not us. They’re still different. “

 

“Well, what if I told you, I can make you just like them. Strong enough to take on a small army! Versatile enough to not have to worry! Smart? Strong? Speedy? Just one, or all of them? You can be just like them!”

[Supercape]

Synth

 

"I'd ask you why?" replied Synth. Perhaps the facade had not dropped completely, but it was no longer complete. 

 

"Why make me faster, why make me stronger?"

 

Lots of good reasons to make the human race smarter, though...

 

"If you can do all that, why aren't you down the hospital healing the sick and raising the dead?" he ventured. Perhaps he was pushing his luck. Perhaps his luck should be pushed. 

 

"Looks to me your business is war, what with the boots and guns here. And looks to me like you might be asking, but you aren't exactly waiting for a reply either" he suggested, giving a soft tug on his straps. 

 

"Not saying no, mind you, just wanting to get the picture..."

 

[olopi]

GM

 

“Ah, a good soul! Why am I not helping the people that would need it? Well, it’s quite simple. They don’t want me, do they? “Oh, but it’s too expensive. Oh, we can’t do that yet. “ Do you have any idea how long it takes to get one of these processes through testing? There’s so much involved! By the time a bunch of people on the other side of the continent have decided what is and isn’t viable, I could have already done so much more! Why wait for them? Why not start now? Clearly, you are somebody worthy of being the first! You have everything that’s required, and you should be able to do something with your powers! Besides, every second spent waiting is a second wasted! “

 

He took a few steps around the room, looking at the various pieces of machinery behind him. “Speaking of which, it’s time to get this started! Boys?” At that command, the two guards once more grabbed the platform Knuckles was restrained to, and wheeled it up. Whoever the man in the labcoat was, he had in the meantime walked over to a desk, and grabbed a Syringe there. He turned to Synth, a certain glare in his eye – one that suggested nothing good.

 

“Now, I think it’s time for you to sleep again. It’s safer. “

[Supercape]

Synth

 

So you are just another pawn in the chain, are you? 

 

Synth had no desire to be experimented on. Preparing himself, he altered his muscles from their normal hyper efficient state to the hyperelastic ligaments and tissues that would allow a quick escape. Hopefully. 

 

Not one to anger easily, human experimentation was an area that made his synthetic blood boil. 

 

"I'm not your petri-dish" he said simply, before wrenching his limbs free. 

 

"I grew up in a petri dish. But I'm not going back...."

[olopi]

GM

 

The man was about to move in towards Knuckles. And then, Knuckles slipped out. Slowly, but still fast enough for the man to not cover the distance. By the time he was close to Knuckles, the shapeshifter had already firmly planted his feet on the ground, ready for whatever was happening. The man barely had time to say something.

 

“Oh no…” but he didn’t just freeze. In an attempt to still make this work, he charged forward, stumbling more than running, needle first, directly at Knuckles. It didn’t take any effort to dodge that, it was a misguided attempt in the first place. As he stumbled past Knuckles, and barely managed to catch himself before hitting the ground first, he dropped the needle. The two however, looked more proficient. And within moments, both of them had sprung into action. Both of them pulled out some sort of baton, most likely metal, electricity cackling in the air, and began to move in.

[Supercape]

Synth

 

Synth, or Knuckles, was no fighter, but every muscle was strong, and every nerve was fast. He simply stepped forward like a bolt of lightning, and planted his fist in the face of the first, like a biting cobra. 

 

Without a pause, without even waiting for the man to fall or stumble, he dropped like a cat, and rolled to one side in a fluid slick movement, like a tumbling ball, springing up again to one side. 

 

"Fast? I'm fast already? Strong? I am strong too" he explained, keeping his head. No need for the flush of adrenaline in his blood and sinews yet. At least, unless those needles came near him...

[olopi]

GM

 

The fist connected straight with the guard’s jaw. It wasn’t a nice impact, neither for him nor for Synth. But, even after that hit which, all things considered, was pretty hard, he kept standing. He didn’t look much worse for wear, even, immediately bringing up his baton over his head and striking it down towards his opponent while he was still close. And as Synth tried to dodge it, the second guard’s baton struck him in his back, sending electricity pulsing all throughout his body.

 

This, in turn, allowed the other guard’s hit to connect, causing the same effect, but this time right at Synth’s head. Which, all things considered, was not a pleasant feeling at all. Even if the guards seemed a bit discouraged by what they heard coming from their opponent. While all this was happening, he could see the labcoat, fluttering in the wind as it’s wearer was madly rushing outside, through the front door. He didn’t get too far, what with having to get up back to both feet first, but he was certainly creating some space.  

[Supercape]

Synth

 

Synth felt a tonic gripe throughout his body. 

 

"Gnnnaahhhh!" came the grunt, as muscles squirmed from the shock. These men were brutes, and he had little sympathy for them. His adrenal glands were already wired to fire from the pain, and once again he let them shoot into overdrive. 

 

He stood up, eyes wide, pupils dilated, like a bolt of steel. He did not hold back, grabbing the first man and ramming his fist into face, even harder than before. He turned, teeth in a grimace of grit, eyes furious. There was a long second, a pause whilst the fury burned. Then he slammed his fists into the other mans gut and chest, knocking him away. 

 

He did not stay to enjoy the fruits of his pugilism. Instead, he turned to follow the labcoat, the man with real answers, and started after him, fleet of foot. 

[olopi]

GM

 

This time around, the hits were more effective. The first attack connected at the same spot as before, only that this time the guard didn’t tank it and continue standing. Instead, the fist brought him off-balance completely, first stumbling backwards, then falling over his own legs, and hitting the ground with a rather nasty sound.

 

The second man managed to somewhat make it through the assault. Fists hit him hard all across his body, but even then, he didn’t go down fully. He remained standing, clutching his mid-section, gasping for air. But, he remained standing. Still, he was in no condition to stop Synth, who ran past him with ease.

 

Synth was running faster than the man he was chasing. But, said man had managed to get a fair lead. And since he’d already turned a corner, Synth had to slow down somewhat. As Synth chased after him, through the door to the outside, he could see the man, just jumping into the back of a blue van, probably the one that had brought Synth here. It’s engine was already running, as it began to drive off…

 

They were in an alley of some sort, dark and not well-lit. But still, where the alley met the street not too far away, in the distance the van was driving, Synth managed to spot a motorbike, standing there unoccupied.

[Supercape]

Synth (as Knuckles)

 

Synth couldn't tell exactly where he was, although it had to be Freedom City. He had stomped enough streets picking up garbage to know most of it, but things were a little different in the current circumstance. 

 

The man was getting away. That would not do. 

 

With a mighty leap he heroically missed the van, tumbled, rolled, and collided into some trash can's. Off target! Too much alcohol! he would normally have made that, but he felt his balance off ever so slightly. And for this, he had left his skin and blood on the road. 

 

Superficial wounds only, at least for Synthetic flesh. Still stung, but time to worry about that later. Instead, he picked himself up and ran to the motorbike...if he could get that started...

[olopi]

GM

 

The van accelerated at a steady speed. It wasn’t going too fast yet, so when the man behind this all saw Synth jumping at him, clearing a clearly not mundane distance, the expression of shock on his face was clearly visible. But Synth didn’t have time to watch it, he had to keep moving. The bike was a bit out of the way, and by the time he’d arrived there, the van had already managed to get out of the alley and onto the street. This late, there wasn’t a lot of traffic, so keeping an eye on it was easy, as Synth tried to get the bike working.

 

Clearly, luck was on his side today, as it had not been locked. All it took was one swift motion, and the bike’s engine ignited, the deep sound suggesting that this should be fast enough to catch up. And so, Synth made his way onto the street, following the van off in the distance. For now there wasn’t anything that was too difficult, the road was mostly unoccupied and straight, and with a bike like this, Synth had the advantage.

[Supercape]

Synth

 

Driving around Freedom City was second nature to Synth, thanks to over a year of hauling garbage. His motor control and reflexes were well beyond that of a human, and he knew how to handle a vehicle. 

 

It should be said that the vehicle he knew how to handle was an enormous garbage disposal truck, and at speeds of generally under 10mph. 

 

But still. 

 

Now was the time for speed. He could not risk the man slipping away. So he pressed on the accelerator, determined to catch the van. He sped as fast as he could reasonably get away with, his caution still present but ripped and tattered to the demands of expediency. 

 

He was sure he could catch up, but disabling the van was another issue. And the police would not be far away...

[olopi]

GM

 

The street leading away from wherever Synth had been brought to ran straight for a fair amount of distance. Buildings, two or three stories on average on both sides, the occasional intersection, but nothing that really slowed him down. And on long straights, any bike worth it’s money beat a van. So, while the van continued driving away, Synth got closer every second. Soon it wasn’t just the silhouette of the van that was visible, but the back of the thing itself.

 

The scientist (was he a scientist?) seemed to be sitting on a bench built into the van’s side. Through the sound of the, all things considered rather loud bike, and the van, Synth barely managed to make out a few words, belonging to the voice he was chasing. “You …more distance ….” And then, he saw the motorbike’s headlights coming after him. This time, it was a lot easier to hear him. “****. Turn, now!”

 

And as announced, at the first intersection that came up, the van turned. At a speed higher than what was a good idea, all things considered. Synth had however managed to catch up significantly, and the turn wasn’t really a challenge. With his body fully in it, he turned the corner without losing too much velocity, just managing to see the labcoat flutter, and to make out the two pieces of metal attached to wire fly towards his body.

[Supercape]

Synth

 

Ouch! Again!

 

This time the fasciculating muscles did not bother him. Instead, he grabbed the taser dart from his chest firmly, pulled it out, and wound the wires around his fist. Pumped full of adrenaline, he could barely feel the electricity. 

 

He stepped on the gas, ever so slightly, and pulled the taser towards him, winding the wires around and around his fist. Either the man inthe lab coat was stronger than him (which he doubted, but with all this talk of enhancement who knew for sure?) or he would relinquish the taser. Or perhaps the wire would snap. In any case, he didn't fancy being shot at again. Sooner or later, and probably sooner, the effect of the raw adrenaline would wear off. 

 

He shouted a primal roar at the Labcoat, more from rage than for any reason. But it would perhaps signal that it would take more than a taser to stop him. 

[olopi]

GM

 

The Labcoat looked more and more shocked. He probably hadn’t expected to hit with the taser in the first place. But when it hit, and didn’t cause any reaction whatsoever, that was when he began to really freak out. His hands were shaking, and he wasn’t exactly holding on too well, so as soon as Synth pulled on the wires, the teaser left the man’s hand, and dropped from the van onto the ground.

 

He looked around the back of the van, desperately trying to grasp onto something, Synth managing to get closer all the while. After a few seconds of scrambling, he lifted up a fire extinguisher over his head, and threw it downwards, at the road, roughly towards Synth. A problem for most people, but Synth managed to pull the bike slightly towards the side at such a high-speed, the extinguisher hadn’t even touched the ground yet. It did, however, take a bit of acceleration out of it.

 

And then, as the two vehicles continued down the road, two bright flashes from the roadside. And immediately afterwards, the sound of sirens from behind Synth.

[Supercape]

Synth (as Knuckles)

 

Damn the police...

 

He couldn't see a good way out of this problem. At best, he would be arrested for speeding. That was at best. He had no driving licence, and wasn't actually a legal person. And it looked very much like he was chasing the van in an aggressive manner. 

 

So, this needed ending, and quickly. He was not keen on violence, and that went doubly for the police, who were only doing their job, and doing it (by and large) with selflessness and dedication. 

 

Jumping onto the seat of the motorbike, he paused for a moment, gauging the distance, and then...

 

He leaped through the air, propelled by the motorbikes speed and his own power, sailing for a moment through the streets of Freedom City, and reaching out for the roof of the van...

[olopi]

GM

 

While Synth was still in the air, the motorcycle slowed down massively. The sirens were off in the distance, but they’d have a rather nasty surprise once they’d get to this point. Hopefully they had headlights. Or were very good drivers. Or, preferably, both. Either way, Synth soared through the air. This being the second time, the labcoat wasn’t as shocked. But he still seemed rather uncomfortable about it. His scrambling around the room was stopped, as he prepared himself, only to see Synth pass by him, on the way to the van’s top.

 

“Swerve!” And immediately, the command was followed. Synth landed somewhat stable, the alcohol’s influence certainly not making things easier, but before he’d gotten a stable stance, the van swerved to the right, shaking Synth, and making him trip. He just managed to grip onto the roof’s sides with his fingers, part of him now dangling downwards, by the van’s side. The side, where, below the shine of the streetlights, Synth could make out the words Knight & Williams Research.

 

The car continued to swerve, but now that he had gotten a proper grip, it would take a lot more than that to shake off Synth. And meanwhile, from behind, the sirens still approached. Until, only seconds after Synth had jumped, there was a nasty *crunch*. Judging by one of the sirens going quieter, it probably was one of the cars meeting the bike. Still, the other sirens continued to approach, and now weren’t far off. And, as Synth’s hearing told him, there were more sirens, coming from the direction the van was heading in.

[Supercape]

Synth

 

This was not going well. But at least I'm still in the chase. 

 

Time was running out. The police would be here, any moment. And who knew what other tricks the scientist had. 

 

He poured energy to his muscles, making them swell and expand. His tank top and jeans half-ripped as his limbs and chest expanded, turning him into a steroid weight lifting freak. He looked like a sack of melons. 

 

With new strength, he grasped the roof of the van, and, with veins popping, sweat dripping, dug deep, fingers clinching into the corners. He needed to get inside, and, before the adrenaline crash, he wanted to do it by ripping open the van...

[olopi]

GM

 

The van continued to swerve down the road, right to left, and then back to the right. Something which became a lot more difficult when the vehicle entered the area below one of the rainclouds drifting above Freedom this night, the water starting to make everything more slippery.

 

Fortunately, by now Synth had, quite literally, dug his fingers into the metal. And as he was starting to deform the metal around him, to the sound one would expect of such a feat, the sirens became ever louder. Still, even with (or perhaps because of) the rain and the pursuers, the driver didn’t think of slowing down. Down another street, around another corner. And by now, Synth had managed to tear a small hole into the van, part of it on the side, part on the roof.

 

The labcoat saw this, and, this time even more fear in his eyes, simply lifted his hands in front of his torso, ready to push anything approaching him away, and tried to step backwards, only managing to hit the wall separating the compartments with his back. He just about managed to get out a few words, all the while quivering like Synth had not seen too often before.

 

“Uuuuh.”

[Supercape]

Synth (as Knuckles)

 

The ripping and rending of the Van roof had taken its toll. He was drenched in sweat, his muscles worn and tremulous. He could not sustain this flush of strength for long, and now he had to cash the cheque he had written. 

 

He gripped the hole he had made, catching his breath. With his muscles swollen and fatigued, he could not squeeze through the hole he had made, but he could put his head through the hole. 

 

"Mister, the police are on our tail. Its going to get ugly, very ugly. You are in far far over your head. Now, I can help you get out of the mess you got yourself into, or I can dig you a hole to tumble in with a whole banquet of mess for you to digest..."