No.4560
>Date: November 4th, 2017
>Time: 8:04 AM [Relative]
>Location: Unknown Base
>The interior halls of the mechanically constructed stronghold continue to buckle under the pressure and seismic force being exerted in the training areas. As the intensity of the forces continues to ramp up, the buckling and groaning of the nanite-reinforced metals continues to increase, the pitching whines and groans of the material getting louder and louder.
"That's enough, Sophus."
>A figure in a black bodysuit and faint orange light, draped in an ornate and elaborate cloak, simply stares down from his position high above a metallic scrap - looking over their target with interest. The man down below, wearing a simple skin-tight black bodysuit and wearing a stylish chrome helmet with sapphire blue lenses, simply sighs as he murmurs to himself.
"The topological effect radius has increased by roughly sixty-seven percent. That alone is insufficient for a full scale operation."
>The hooded figure slowly hovers down to the ground, with the orange light continuing to flare in intensity - now being more clearly visible as supernatural flames. The arcs of the flames sputtering from his hood are obscured by his position, standing off to the side of the helmet-clad man and his line of sight.
"The intention was never to rely solely on you - as I'm certain you've suspected. All I need from you is what any good general needs from their infantry - competence. The ability to follow orders and execute precisely towards your given parameters."
>Sophus, the psionic being wearing the chrome helmet, nods slowly as he reaches for his helmet - intending to take it off. In that moment, however, it remains stationary on his head as the hooded figure waves his finger.
"Ah, ah. Not yet. The device has not strained your cerebral cortex for a satisfactory increase in psionic energy output. If you're going to be effective against those psionic buffoons in Sanctuary City and abroad? Your training must continue."
>Silent, Sophus then slowly lowers his gloved hands away from his helmet, instead closing his eyes as he feels the energy of the mind and all of its potential continue to slowly work its way through his brain, saturating it.
No.4561
>>4560>Turning their attention away from his psionic underling, the hooded figure begins walking down the halls of their underground base, watching as flanks of soldiers in magitek armor, similar to that of Eukaryon's continue their logistical and strategic operations. There are numerous vehicles being filled with supplies, material objects being constructed from fabricator devices and more.
>As they reach the end of the nearest hallway and find themselves in a hangar bay, the hooded figure then raises out one hand, as a supernatural mass of seemingly sentient matter spontaneously appears from their gloved fingertips. The material, a sentient, biological-magical mixture; an abomination to both magic and science - spontaneously replicates itself, growing larger and larger before it manifests in a humanoid shape.
>The humanoid shape of the bio-magic matter rapidly refines itself into the appearance of two human beings. Both of them, a man and a woman, are tall and well built. They wear stylish black outfits, indicative of leather jackets, black jeans and boots - with unique masks hiding the upper halves of their faces."Even after their modifications, the Lux twins were barely-effective mercenaries. Then again, I should not be surprised that Laplace would outsource our world's technology to these primates on Earth."
>Looking over their creations once more, the hooded figure then states:"Fortunately, I had the luxury of sampling their genetic material after their inevitable failure. I trust that you two won't underperform in the manner that they did."
>The two beings, perfect copies of Lucifer and Lilith, the artificial Meta-Humans created by Placebo, both nod at their creator, with smirks forming on their faces."C'mon boss. When've you ever made a bad judgment call?"
>Lucifer says in amusement, as his voice is dripping in deliberate sarcasm. Beside him, Lilith stifles a laugh as she then says:"Ignore him, Master Infernus. We'll set the stage for the operation, as expected."
>Infernus crosses his arms, as his mind thinks back to the surface of the Moon, and the amused face of Eidolus staring down at him from above. A flicker of another memory surfaces, the image of Kagemusha nearly killing him in his own base.
>Then, he snaps back to reality as he states:"I've spent far too much time assuming the worst of my enemies, and the highest of my own capabilities. I am many things, but I am no fool. To win this prolonged engagement of warfare, I must adapt to the situation."
>Holding out his hand, Infernus then manifests another seemingly sentient blob of magical biomatter, which hovers in his hands."The wonders of scientific knowledge, paired with the unassailable truth of magic. The raw power of the primordial and the unknowable. A synthesis that could only be created by a mind as brilliant as my own…."
No.4562
>>4561>Location: Paradise City - "The Belfry">Time: 9:00 AM
>The central organizational structure of the Meta-Human Response Division within Paradise City, is known both internally and colloquially as "The Belfry" - the city's counterpart to the infamous Sanctuary City command structure known as "The Spire".
>It's here where the central Commander of the MRD presence within Paradise City, the officially sanctioned heroine known as "Panoptica", handles her work and administrative functions as the premier "official heroine" of Paradise City."Jessica, you're gonna wanna see this."
>A woman with bright hair, neatly stylized and tied back into a ponytail quickly walks into the main office inside of The Belfry. The woman, wearing a professional suit, buttoned up white shirt, dark skirt and heels, places a manilla folder on the desk in front of her."MRD agents noticed a convoy making erratic stops throughout the backend portions of the Industrial District of the city - primarily around the junkyards."
>A brunette woman with long, stylish hair and a gold-framed visor with a ruby-red lens simply raises her eyebrow. The rest of her outfit being a combination of tactical sapphire-blue and gold materials, with exposed portions for "flexibility" as she would call it."That's nothing new, Ayaka. We've dealt with everything from the TechSects to wannabe technopaths trying to scrounge around there for parts."
>Ayaka shakes her head as she flips open the manilla folder, showcasing detailed photographs of the convoy vehicle being open, and masked figures carrying out strange looking technology."Yes, but we've never had people scrounging around what looks to be alien technology in the middle of the day. It's such a brazen act that I can't help but come to the conclusion that's an intentional diversion, Jessica."
>Jessica Winters, the heroine known as Panoptica, slowly raises her gaze to look at her lieutenant, telling her:"Assuming your instincts are correct, Lieutenant Kobayashi, are you suggesting we trail the unidentified vehicle to a specific touch point with other potential collaborators that they may have?"
"Already done, Commander. I took the liberty of informing the reconnaissance teams of the "recent developments" before informing you, based on the potential threat that the situation posed. Standard operating procedure within the MRD's own protocols."
>Rolling her eyes behind her visor, Panoptica then says:"Well I'll be damned if my cousin gets to be both MRD Director
and also have a more effective response unit. I'll leave the operation up to you then, Ayaka. Besides…."
>Turning her attention towards the wall, where large pictures of Hyperia are present, Panoptica then says:"I still need to turn my attention towards learning more about our city's resident vigilante…."
No.4563
>>4562>Location: Haven City - "The Cenote">Time: 9:12 AM
>Around the same time in Haven City, the sister "stronghold city" to both Sanctuary City and Paradise City, the central command center known as "The Cenote" - has its own debriefing.
>The MRD Commander of the city, Minako Kamezawa (also known as Magnetar), is standing in the middle of her command center. The Japanese-American woman in her mid 30s has her arms crossed beneath her long coat as she carefully examines the data being presented to her by her subordinates.
>Her chief lieutenant, Tabitha Hamilton (also known as Roulette), is the first to speak. She brings up a picture of a similar convoy unit to the one found in Paradise City, similarly loading up alien-looking technology into the vehicle before speeding off. "Our drones picked up an anomalous energy signature emanating from the junkyard at approximately 1800 hours last night. Given the intensity of the energy signature and its quick emanation period, our analysts have concluded that the technology incorporates some sort of signaling beacon into its design. One the 'signal' was given, whatever it was, the device was quickly loaded onto the convoy and sent away."
>The second lieutenant, Heather Vale (also known as Halcyon) then speaks up."I used my retrocognition to look into the past, around that period of time. I was able to simulate a potential pathway of movement for the vehicle based on known traffic data and electromagnetic signal data recorded by our drones. It's a rough estimate, but it should give us an idea of the likely other stops the vehicle made along the way."
>Thinking to herself for a second, Minako then looks at her two lieutenants and nods, with an approving grin on her face."Fantastic work as always, you two. Get the pathway trajectory that Heather constructed and relay the information to all active personnel around checkpoints Aleph, Bet and Gimmel in the city's streets. Those are the three major ingress points into the city from the external shoreline, so our perpetrator likely would have to pick points during the day with low activity around the checkpoints to mask their arrival - and their planned exit."
No.4564
>>4563>Location: Sanctuary City>Time: 9:30 AM
>Chase sits at his desk within the MRD Spire complex, as his technological data assistant, Aion, hovers beside him. They're both watching as Valkyrie gives her report on the matter, having taken the data from both Paradise City and Haven City in order to deliver a more comprehensive report on the matter."….As you can see, Director, this is likely a coordinated operation of some kind. The three major 'stronghold cities' in the United States, known for their exceptionally high Meta-Human populations, were deliberately chosen for this purpose. Whatever the perpetrator behind this operation aims to achieve - we know that it involves this unidentified technological cache - as it has also been found in Sanctuary City via our drone and camera network."
>Mirage, standing on the other side of Valkyrie, then speaks up as the images focus on the zoomed in visage of the same type of non-descript convoy."We don't have an ID on the vehicles. No driver's license, no general manufacturer chassis or design to speak of. These vehicles were custom built, and are highly resistant to remote electromagnetic pulse scans. The only signature we could receive was from the devices themselves."
>Chase thinks for a moment as Aion, hovering beside him, turns to face his master user.["Query: Is it possible that the perpetrator is likely engaging in a 'shell game' of sorts? A protracted exercise in diversion to potentially obfuscate their true agenda and goals?"]
>Looking at Aion with an amused look on his face, Chase then replies:"You took the words right out of my mouth, Ai. Jessica's lieutenant has the right instincts. This has 'distraction' written all over it. Something this elaborate and planned, operating simultaneously across three major population centers, with the exact same structural procedure cannot be coincidental."
>Leaning forward in his seat, Chase rests his arms on his desk as he examines the footage more carefully."It's also too brash and audacious to be a sincere attempt at covert operations either. It's an intentional gambit - betting on the idea that we'll take the bait. Unfortunately for them, we're not hungry fish who're looking for a line."
>Chase then stands up, nodding at Valkyrie as he says:"You're taking point on this one, Dianna. Coordinate with the other regional MRD Commanders and get me a preliminary assessment of the actual strategic targets. Find commonalities between Sanctuary, Paradise and Haven. National Banks, Supply Chain Distribution Centers, Technology Companies. Anything valuable that could be simultaneously found across all three cities. We'll need that info if we want to figure out what's happening."
>As Valkyrie and Mirage nod and leave the office, Aion then speaks to Chase, stating:["Query: Are we certain that the MRD can effectively parse the strategic and logistical aims of the perpetrator before they initiate their true operational goals?"]
>Sighing, Chase then picks up the phone on the table and begins to dial a number, saying:"As much as I like my subordinates, Aion, they're not equipped to figure out a multi-pronged, multi-layered, structural operation on a scale this large and this quickly. The perpetrator knows that. But they also likely anticipated that we'd figure this out eventually. Which means we've only got one option left."
>Chase then finishes dialing the number as he states:"We need to go for the unforeseen variable. The factor they likely know about, but also hoped we'd take too long to bring in. Them."
>As Chase brings up the phone to his ear, he gestures with his free hand towards the wall showing the various vigilantes of Sanctuary City, Haven City and Paradise City with investigative notes and strings connecting them to various villainous figures and notable locations."Can't say I'm surprised though. We always end up relying on them to clean up the messes one way or another."
No.4613
>>4564>Location: Paradise City - Residential Sector - Grayson Household>Time: 9:45 AM"In a moment, Sam! Phone call first!"
>Phoebe says as she walks into the hallway, her long blonde hair being flicked from side to side as she finishes placing on her stylish apparel."I told her that she doesn't need to worry about PR concerns. As far as the world's concerned, Titanomachia is a newly reformed public citizen, who is reacquiring her law license with the Bar Association."
>Continuing to finish up her appearance, Phoebe then moves at superhuman speeds - instantly reappearing in the hallway with her pristine wig and designer hat now on her head. Placing on her sunglasses, she then goes back to her phone call as she brings the phone up to her ear."I'm telling you Deliah, we didn't graduate from Ivy League Law Schools to get caught up in some second rate tabloid crap. Let the papers say whatever they want. She'll prove herself with her actions."
>Phoebe then ends the call as she hears loud tinkering and mechanical whirring from the living room. Rolling her eyes and forming a smug smile of amusement on her face, she slowly begins turning - orienting herself in the direction of the systemic and methodical noises. "Still having fun playing structural engineer with expensive leather furniture?"
>Phoebe's words, dripping in a combination of smug amusement and genuine affection, catch Virgil off guard as he continues constructing a complex machine in the seating area - hovering off of the ground via anti-gravity technology."Oh! Sorry Phoebe, I didn't see you coming…..Sorry, I'm still focusing on the quantum echolocation device."
>Virgil continues focusing as he takes out his Quantum Tuner device and redirects an energy stream found within the internal casing and electronic component structure of the machine. "I just finished going over the information I received from your brother regarding Selathiel….sorry,
Ouranos. I know my cousin better than you think."
>Virgil then sighs as he slinks back in his chair, his mind racing and his hyper-advanced neural structure already producing a cacophony of parallel processing action potentials. His thoughts, a nesting doll of nearly infinite recursions of thoughts, finally clears itself as he senses Phoebe's hand on his shoulder."I think it's the sheer honesty. That's what I love the most about you Sammy."
>Virgil feels his face turn bright red for a brief moment, as he tries to hide his embarrassment. No.4614
>>4613>Phoebe looks over at Virgil with a hint of intrigue in her eyes as she then nods at the quantum device in front of them both."And you think this is the key to figuring out what he's been up to?"
>Virgil nods slowly as he then replies, stating:"Likely, yes. Ouranos outside of his egotism and solipsism, has a profound and almost crippling desire for both validation and self-identity reinforcement. He has demonstrated on multiple occasions that he has no qualms regarding the undermining of innocent lives to achieve his ends."
>Virgil then turns on the news on the TV, beginning to see the MRD report to the public about the mysterious and suspicious vehicles with gear being loaded onto them. "Sanctuary….Haven……even here, in Paradise City. It's a targeted and coordinated diversion tactic."
>Phoebe squints as she looks through the video footage, unsure of what to make of it."So they test a fancy signal beacon and then load the tech into the van before bailing. I don't see the issue here. Simple grab-and-go operation, right?"
>Virgil slowly nods, taking his Quantum Tuner and using it to scan the data of the video recording."Exactly. Whoever did this chose an operation so mundane and simplistic in structure that it has to be a form of psychological diversion. I would say beyond any kernel of doubt that Ouranos is the one masterminding the situation. Those devices aren't the concern - it's rather the fact that they've been loaded onto vehicles."
>Leaning forward, Virgil slowly narrows his eyes as he begins rapidly going through the potential extrapolations."City ransom? No, too sudden and deliberate. Not orchestrated enough. No slow burn. Biological or Chemical transmission vector attack? Also unlikely due to sporadic movement patterns via vehicles. Minimizes dispersion facto."
>Silent for a moment, Virgil then looks up at Phoebe and says:"The target vector isn't chemical or biological. It's psychological. He's using the vehicles as a deployment factor for something small enough for the world to ignore - nanotechnology and picotechnology that is far more advanced than anything currently in MRD hands."
>Phoebe then leans down and gives Virgil a kiss on the lips as she then states:"Let's get going then. I'll get my 'suit'."
No.4615
>>4614>Location: Haven City - Archeon Complex>Time: 9:45 AM
>Jonah continues sitting in his chair in his office inside of Haven City's Archeon campus. The repetitive and thudding sounds of the raindrops falling onto the windows and the rooftop keep him out of a mental stupor. His eyes are scanning the local MRD reportas he thinks to himself:{"Wow. Commander Kamezawa is far more efficient than I thought. Her team's already compiled a list of potential organized groups whom may be connected to the perpetrator - to Ouranos."}
>Jonah then looks down at his ring, contemplating his next course of action as he then states to himself:"Might as well make my way over then in a few minutes."
>Jonah then presses the ring on his left finger, not waiting for the fabric to fully expand in size until a gold and ruby red blur appears where he used to be - Scalar.
>Scalar takes one look at the information compiled by the MRD as he then says:"Yeah we're gonna need to beat them to the punch."
>Jonah as Scalar then moves in bursts of blinding speed - phasing through his apartment with ease as he continues to make his way towards Sanctuary City. No.4616
>>4615>Location: Sanctuary City - Residential Sector - Grayson Manor>Time: 9:45 AM"You know, I didn't expect to end up spending most of my day off like this, but I'm not complaining."
>Aiden is sitting on the couch, lazily drinking a large glass of cola soda. Sitting beside him is Stella, whom continues to try and goad him into trying the food she just cooked - a late breakfast banquet or buffet on her plate."Well, you're the one who insisted that I take a moment to relax and unwind after the world-shattering problems that you had to deal with."
>Aiden corrects Stella, stating:"That
we had to deal with. That
we went through, Stella. No one's taking that away from us, not when we still have the potential to do good."
>Stella sighs and shakes her head slowly, saying:"These people barely seem able to go a single
day without Mosaic's help, or Omnius's help, or Speedrunner's help. It's always coming down to you and the others at the end of the day, and honestly? I'm tired of it."
>Stella then slowly turns Aiden's face to look at her own, as she gazes with intense and sorrowful eyes."I spent countless years being trapped in a prolonged cycle of manipulation, escalation, de-escalation and further manipulation. We're doing something different now, Aiden. For the very first time, either of us can just walk away. You don't need to do this.
>Sensing Stella's growing frustration with how Mosaic seems to take up more and more of Aiden's time as a person, Aiden then finally relents, stating:"Alright. How about this. If we can go
one day without the situation escalating to the point of disaster - then I'll put a moratorium on Mosaic beating up criminals on a Sunday Night."
>Satisfied, Stella gives Aiden a kiss as she says:"Smart choice."
No.4617
>>4616>Location: Unknown Base>Time: 9:50 AM"Time is of the essence, Sophus. After all, we wouldn't want a repeat of your initial struggles, no?"
>Infernus stands over the seated form of the agitated psion, watching intently through his fiery eyes as he looks over his technological amplifier device. He can see the synaptic connections in the Meta-Human's brain as he struggles to push his abilities further beyond his initial constraints. A plume of bluish-purple psionic energy begins to emanate from the helmet once more, creating a pulsating feedback loop of undulating waves; sinking in, then rising up at greater and greater amplitudes, and faster and faster frequencies.
>Slowly, Infernus begins to laugh - as the charcoal skull of his helmet remains unchanging in its design. "Well done, Sophus - and not a moment too soon. Signal for the field agents to begin their assignments."
>As Infernus slowly turns around and begins walking towards the exit of the large room, Sophus weakly turns his attention towards his master, asking him with a coarse tone in his voice:"…What…what will you do with me after the task is complete? Will they be safe? My family…."
>Infernus turns towards Sophus once more, staring at him for a moment before answering with a surprising degree of clarity and conviction:"They already are. I am many things, Sophus, but most of all - I am a man of my word. Their terminal conditions have already been remedied."
>Sophus weakly reaches out to sense the minds of three figures, as he has done many times before in the past few months. The minds of a woman, and two young children in hospital beds inside of Haven City General Hospital. His mind, used to moments of despair upon hearing nothing but the background hum of neuron activity - is instead shocked at the symphony of neural electron potentials and myelin sheath reinforcement that he now witnesses.
>Tears fall down Sophus's cheeks from his obscured helmet as he then says:"….I will do whatever you ask, Infernus. Task or not. I am now yours to command."
>Infernus nods slowly at Sophus as his hooded cloak drapes over his shoulders."Believe not in what I say, Sophus - but the actions that I perform. The miracles that I provide."
>Infernus then disappears in a plume of supernatural red and orange smoke, leaving Sophus in his own thoughts - as the revelation of his family's renewed life provides him something that he has felt the excoriating absence of for what seems like a lifetime now.
>It has provided him with hope. No.4618
>>4617>Location: Sanctuary City - Financial District>Time: 10:00 AM
>A series of ear-piercing alarms blare within the large expanse of elaborate and tall buildings - the financial district, and the hub of consolidated corporate power and affluence that defines Sanctuary City's upper class.
>The MRD hovercraft, having heard the tripped alarms 5 minutes prior, are already en route towards the crime scene. As the vehicles slowly glide over the large cityscape of the home of Meta-Humanity, they are oblivious to the more insidious actions going on beneath their view.
>The large, unassuming white van continues to make its pitstops across the city - ending up having visited the local library of the Historical District, the Zoo of the Wildlife District and other interesting areas of the city. By the time it reaches the Financial District, the advanced technology with it has disappeared."You think they fell for it?"
>A tall woman with olive skin, long stylish black hair, a well-defined physique and a stylish black-and-white bodysuit with red accents looks out from the shotgun seat of the van. Her expression has a degree of boredom and disinterest, entirely contrasted with the more amused expression of the man driving the vehicle."You kiddin'? Those bureaucrat bozos couldn't find a needle inna haystack! They ain't gonna find shit!"
>Pyre, laughing at his own confident assessment of the situation, continues driving the car towards the target. As he does so, Maxima looks down at her hands, thinking of the words from a masked man that have never left her mind:{"That feeling of helplessness and terror is how most regular people feel around superhumans. Consider this a warning to find a new area of employment. Preferably one that doesn't involve shaking down innocent people as a glorified thug. Because if you don't?"}
>Maxima's eyes narrow as her face morphs into an uncomfortable frown:{"You'll wish this was worst pain that you've felt."}
>Beginning to internally tense up, and feeling her heartrate increasing, Maxima tells herself:{"….I shouldn't have stayed with them. He's going to come back, and when he sees me, I'm screwed. I'm completely screwed. God I'm fucked!"}
>Unable to take the pressure anymore, and her fear of a certain masked vigilante now overwhelming her judgment, Maxima then turns to Pyre and says:"Sorry bug, but I can't let myself make the
second biggest mistake of my life here!"
No.4619
>>4618>Pyre looks at Maxima in a combination of shock and disbelief at her sudden statement."What the actual
fuck are you takin' abou-"
>Before he's then kicked out of the van which is moving at high speeds - causing him to immediately activate his jetpack."Agh! Bitch!"
>As Pyre immediately begins flying back towards the van at high speeds, he sees that Maxima has taken control of it - as she begins quickly driving it through the maze of hectic street cars on the road - causing near accidents as people begin to steer clear of the van."You ain't getting away from me Maxi! I'm gonna burn ya' fuckin' hide for this one bitch!"
>Pyre begins blasting at the tires of the van, causing them to sizzle and burn as Maxima takes the next turn, crashing the van into a parked truck as she flies through the glass window - narrowly avoiding the resulting explosion, but still being impacted by its shock and blast radius. As Maxima is sent flying into a nearby store, Pyre appears hovering above the wreckage.
>Aiming his blaster at Maxima, he then says:"End o' the road bitch."
>His blaster shot from his wrist is immediate and swift - a lance of deadly golden energy in the form of superheated ionized plasma; but the blaster shot disappears in an instant."Huh?"
>Firing again at the space in front of the kneeling form of Maxima, Pyre watches in confusion as the shots continue to disappear."What the fuck kinda bullshit is thi-"
>Pyre's golden energy shots then suddenly appear from behind him - striking him in the back as his jetpack is damaged - causing it to crash into a billboard in the sky. Screaming before his impact, Pyre is then knocked unconscious as his body falls down to the ground - only to fall into another invisible portal, and appear beside Maxima, slumped on the ground.
>Stunned, Maxima looks around only to see another, now visible portal appear. A bright gold-blue portal appears with a man in a blue and silver bodysuit slowly walking out. His silver lenses staring down at her."Who are you?"
>Maxima says, stunned. The man in blue-and-silver attire then places both hands on his waist as he says:"I'm from out of town, and I wasn't even expecting to deal with any crooks today, but I'll humor you."
>The figure then crouches down on both knees, resting his arms on them as he stares Maxima in the eyes."Name's Fractal. I'm going to ask
you some questions now. What exactly were you doing with the runaway van, and who's your friend here?"
No.4620
>>4619>Maxima slowly rises to her feet, looking between the downed form of Pyre, and the new figure in front of her - presuming him to be a vigilante."Look, kid. I'm not even supposed to be here. I've already pissed off the wrong guy,
twice now. If he sees me out here…"
>Fractal looks somewhat offended by the first remark."….
Kid? Lady I'm not some pre-teen."
>Seeing Fractal getting annoyed by the remark, Maxima then groans and says:"Yeah, fine whatever. The point is, I'm not supposed to be here, and I need to bail. Thanks for the assist, kid. I owe you."
>Fractal then looks on in confusion as Maxima quickly flies away - with Maxima herself now confirming that criminality is not for her anymore.
>Ignoring that encounter, Fractal then turns and makes a gesture with his finger, creating another unique portal that he quickly jumps into, and disappears from the area in an instant. No.4621
>>4620>Location: Sanctuary City - Financial District>Time: 10:05 AM"Looksssss like we'rrrrrre on a rollinnnnnnnng s-s-sssscheduuuuule nooooowwwwwwwww…."
>The slurred, strange speech of the humanoid figure in white clothing, sealed with black accents and glowing indigo eyes alerts the rest of the robbers to the changing developments."The hell happened, Ecton?"
>Recoil, one of the other members of the villain-for-hire group known as the Haymakers, continues to load up boxes of precious minerals and printed bills into the large bags that they've brought with them."Maaaximaaaaa…."
"What about her, ghosthead?!"
>Weathervane, a former Helixer and now a member of the Haymakers, uses her atmospheric powers to generate wind twisters inside of the bank vault - funneling money quickly into the back of the truck - stationed in the large hole that they blasted into the building."Sssssheeeee…Haaaaaassss…..Betraaaaaayyyyyyeddddd…"
>Rolling her eyes, Weathervane mutters to herself:"Ugh, that two-faced bitch. First Spectra, now her? At this point why don't we
all mutiny and abandon this little operation?"
>Recoil glares at Weathervane for a moment, stating:"Are you fucking stupid? You remember what Hildebrandt's got on us right? Witness testimonies. Intel reports. Video evidence of criminal behavior. He's got us dead to rights if we ever turn tail."
>Weathervane rolls her eyes as she then says:"Didn't stop Spectra and Maxima from bailing on us."
No.4622
>>4621>As the criminals continue loading up materials, they're confronted by a pair of MRD agents - the first responders on the scene."Hands up you three! Drop everything and get on the ground! Now!"
>Weathervane and Recoil look at each other with annoyed expressions, as Weathervane says:"Deal with them Ecton. We don't have time for this."
>The hovering humanoid spectral being laughs softly with an unnerving cadence to his voice as he says:"W-w-w-wiiiith pleeaaaassuuuuuuuuuureeeeeee…."
>Ecton then immediately loses visibility, as he flies forward. Before either of the MRD agents can react - Ecton immediately flies into the body of one of them, completely possessing their body and their mind. The supernatural hijacking is immediate and instantaneous, as the MRD agent turns his head to face his partner's own - and knocks him out with a carefully aimed smack with the blunt edge of his rifle.
>Turning his attention back to the others, the MRD agent under Ecton's possession then begins activating his communicator."Agent Branson reporting on behalf of Platoon #213. No sign of intruders at the target bank. Partner has been downed by debris - requesting permission to pursue."
>A few seconds later, a report comes in, loud on the speaker of the helmet."Affirmative #213. Rendezvous with personnel on the intersection of Jackson and Van Buren. Hostile fire reported in the area. I repeat, hostile fire reported in the area."
>The MRD agent then knocks itself out as Ecton quickly flies out of his body."Moneeeeeyyyyy is loadeeeeeeeeeed. Wheeeeeeeeeree tooooooooooo?"
>Weathervane and Recoil move to the front of the vehicle and get inside, as Weathervane says:"Hildebrandt just gave us new orders. Sophus's device is almost fully charged up, and he's going to set the plan into motion. Boss needs you to go around and pick off any stragglers trying to interfere with the plan. MRD's gonna be on your ass once they realize what's happened. Vigilantes too, probably."
>Ecton then laughs as he says:"Ohhhhh ifffff onlyyyyyy myyy deaaaaaaar broooooootheeeeerrrr weeeeeeere hereeeeeeee…"
>Recoil looks at Ecton from his position in the driver's seat, saying:"Phantasm made his choice. Your little brother got cold feet."
>Weathervane rolls her eyes once more in response, stating:"A family of Meta Ghost freaks with the power to phase, turn invisible, and take over people's bodies and minds - and your little brother used it to get into a fight with Omnius. Hilarious."
>The van then drives off as Ecton remains hovering in place, still amused by the situation as he says to himself:"Hmmmmmmmmm. Whoooooooo tooooooo haauuuuuunt fiiiiiiiirrssstttt?"
No.4623
>>4622>Location: Sanctuary City - Business District>Time: 10:10 AM
>A man with bright hair, red eyes, and a somber expression continues smoking a cigarette as he leans back in his chair. Staring up at the ceiling in front of him, he remains silent until the door to his office opens."Mister Schwarz? The board is ready to see you now."
>The man with the bright hair and ruby red eyes nods, as he slowly puts out his cigarette - tapping the ash onto the tray as he stands up, adjusts his jacket, and walks towards the open door. A few minutes later, he's seated in the large board room of the skyscraper building overlooking Sanctuary City. As the man takes his seat in front of the table - he's met by a dozen other figures, older men and women in professional suits, some with glasses on their faces, and all of them with stacks of papers."Ah, it's good to see you Kieran."
>The man, Kieran, nods slowly - his expression mute and uninterested as he takes a seat. The man with glasses at the center of the table across from him, an older man likely in his 50s with temples of gray hair, continues to speak:"We were just discussing the remarkable degree of compounded growth that you've brought to the corporation. Sustained, annual growth of this caliber for a company this mature within the Northeast is remarkable."
>A woman with blonde hair, neatly stylized, and wearing glasses - gestures to the screen behind her, showing a series of complex bar graphs and mathematical formulas that Kieran couldn't be bothered to attempt an interpretation of."It's quite honestly unfounded. I'm still not sure what method you used to convince prospective suppliers to work with us instead of other local datacenter providers, but we've expanded rapidly into the market thanks to your efforts. Hyperscalers are now utilizing our cheaper, open source frameworks and cloud computing solutions."
>Another man, this one without glasses, coughs gently into his fist to clear the air and center the attention on him. He then states:"Of course, we still have a ways to go. DataDrive is our chief rival in this space, regarding regional market share - and we're still dwarfed by Archeon and their competitors world-wide. However, we believe that your central strategy as CEO and the roadmap that you've presented to us, provides us with an unprecedented growth opportunity to 10x our earnings potential and revenue generation. Free cash flow and net profitability can follow suit."
>Nodding, Kieran waits for the rest of the presentation to finish, before deliberation occurs and the predicted result is done. The meeting was quick, as they always are. Once it's finished, he then stands up and shakes the hands of every corporate board member in the area, as his mind continues to focus on other interesting things. No.4624
>>4623>Once the meeting has been fully adjourned, Kieran casually walks away back towards his office, when his phone rings."Yeah? What is it?"
>The other person on the line begins speaking, as Kieran's eyes widen with interest."Sophus is almost done? Finally….."
>The voice continues speaking, as Kieran slowly walks over towards the front of his desk, saying:"Well then find me something else to do. I didn't take over this corporation because I actually cared about their work. I did it because you told me to, boss."
>There's silence on the other side of the line for a moment, before the voice speaks once more. Nodding slowly, Kieran then states:"Right, so the Paradise City and Haven City groups had to stop because of the vigilantes? Shit, in that case….Sanctuary's the only one left then?"
>Nodding again, Kieran then settles back in his chair and places his boots onto the desk, saying:"Yeah, no problem Infernus. If that Speedrunner babe shows up, I'll turn half the city against her. As for the others? Weathervane and Recoil are en route to protect the final device. They won't get to it."
>Looking at the city skyline from his large windows in his office, Kieran then states:"C'mon, boss. I'm only called Blackout when I'm on the field, right? Besides, what do they need me for anyways? Like I said, if the speedster girl shows up, I'll step into the Astral Plane and attack her from there. You of all people know that it takes a psion to really stop a psion."
No.4625
>>4624>Location: Sanctuary City - Industrial District>Time: 10:20 AM
>In an abandoned warehouse, a blurry figure moves at speeds beyond conventional light-speed, assembling a massive device the size of a half-sized antenna tower. The large structure is a mass of electronic circuits, elaborate dimensional components and advanced physics-altering machinery. "I'm almost done. Stop rushing me, you moron."
>The figure comes to a screeching halt in an instant, wearing a familiar insectoid battle armor, sleek and stylish with a black and red color scheme, and glowing golden bug-like lenses.
>Proto-Beetle, having been reconstructed with the same means as Lucifer and Lilith, answers his comms link in his helmet as he speaks with an annoyed tone of voice."The Tuning Fork is almost constructed as per Infernus and Sophus's exact specifications. If you stopped interrupting me with these useless calls, then I would perhaps already be finished with its construction-"
>Falling silent, Proto-Beetle listens to the voice, as the subject in question piques his interest."Infernus thinks they'll show up attempting to destroy the device? Interesting…."
>Listening to the voice as it further explains the situation to him, Proto-Beetle feels his stance further stiffen, as his mind races with anticipation."Yes….Yes that could work. That vigilante. Speedrunner. Her powers are non-Newtonian in a way that even our technology cannot reproduce. Proximity to her would allow me an attempt to at least observe her powers more closely. Fine. I'll humor you and serve as bait."
>Now walking with his hands behind his back, Proto-Beetle says:"No. She is a buffoon as are all the other heroes on this planet. The best way to draw them out is simply to endanger the lives of the primates of this city. She and the others will come to us, provided we make good on our declarations of harm towards them."
>Proto-Beetle then ends the call, now looking up at the large structure before him and giving a single scoff. "Ex sartagine et in ignem…"
No.4626
>>4625>Location: Sanctuary City - Downtown District>Time: 10:30 AM
>The entirety of the downtown portion of Sanctuary City has become an active warzone - as Lucifer and Lilith fly in the skies above - bombarding the ground with volleys of powerful energy blasts from their ranged weapons. Lucifer in particular is laughing hysterically, as his large obsidian wings flutter in the air with a controlled grace."Ahahahaha!!! I ain't never had this much fun before!"
>Several buildings are on fire, and structures below on the ground floor have been blasted into flaming chunks of rubble and metal. On the ground below, a clone of Vulcan continues cranking up the heat as he creates miniature volcanoes on the ground below - with streets of molten lava beginning to flow in the quickly evacuating streets."I heard the other me quit and gave up in New York City. Ain't that a bitch?"
>Laughing, the malevolent clone of the pyrokinetic Meta-Human continues blasting huge flares of intense flames and heat into the surrounding environment, trapping innocent people in large cages of controlled flame constructs.
>Weathervane slowly hovers down from above, creating lighting strikes that compliment Vulcan's flames and begin uprooting entire structures and nearby vehicles, lampposts and signs. Her eyes glow pink and fully obscure her irises and pupils as she generates ionic lightning storms above - making the skies equally dangerous to match the destruction on the ground below."The others are on their way! Keep thrashing the place!"
>Pyre, having repaired his jetpack, quickly flies into the area, blasting energy beams that slice through buildings - causing their structural integrity to weaken as he rendezvous with his team, informing them of what's happened."Maxima bitched out and turned tail!"
"We know, Ecton told us."
"Yeah? Where's Casper then? Ain't he supposed to be here fucking shit up with us?!"
"What makes you think he isn't here? For all we know, he finished his assignment, and is just waiting for the right body to hijack to help us."
"And Blackout?"
"Same thing. He's watching from a distance. Anybody shows up who doesn't have mental protection is gonna wish they stayed home."
>Nodding, Pyre then says:"So we're hitting the big corpo buildings after downtown right? Archeon, UP, Hoyokazi and that Valkyrie place. All o 'em?"
>Weathervane slowly smirks with malicious intent as she says:"I need to get back at Mosaic for what he did to me at Archeon. I'm sure you all have your grievances with the 'good guys' as well. Killing them is part of the plan."
No.4627
>Between-Space
>Selene Whateley walks into a room in the void,
"I hate when these things happen, they get in the. . ."
>Selene's voice drifts off as she notices someone lying down on her couch.
". . .oh, what are you doing here? Actually. . ."
>Selene takes a small bandage out of a drawer in one of the cabinets.
". . .that's a good thing, you can deal with the mess outside."
>The person on the couch lifts her head up slightly, then shakes it.
"Don't wanna."
"What do you mean- I'm sorry, I mean, respectfully, wise one, your aid would be greatly appreciated and. . ."
>The woman on the couch chuckles.
"I prefer your natural way of speaking, but why should I?"
"Well, things like this delay me every time they happen, and this one could cause problems."
"It won't."
>Selene tightens the bandage, wincing as she does.
"What makes you so sure about that, huh?"
"Equinox already gave us a prophecy of our plan happening, and it isn't exactly happening now, is it? That means that even if this plan does work, it'll only be temporary. . ."
>The woman leans backwards, taking a more relaxed position once again.
". . .it's simple math, really. Besides, unless you want me to just fix things, and I don't like squashing ants personally, we've got. . ."
>The woman closes her eyes for a moment.
". . .Equinox could do it, but she's already making sure The Hollows and our tunnels aren't affected by it, Ada doesn't do errands, Bridget would just kill all the humans now if she could, and my cute little Thiton doesn't like the spotlight. So. . ."
>Selene sighs.
". . .ok ok I got it, so we just leave it up to someone like Speedrunner to sort it then."
"Oh no not Speedrunner, she's busy handling a crisis elsewhere, the world doesn't revolve around America like you Americans think, you know?"
"Oh. . ."
>Selene goes silent for a moment, then adds:
". . .aren't you American as well, though?"
No.4628
>>4626>Vulcan is suddenly grabbed by the back of the neck and slammed into the ground. Before he can even attempt to get back up a heavy boot slams into his head, pinning him down. Omnius stands over him, craning his head."Hello, Pebbles."
>Omnius raises his foot and then stomps on Vulcan's head again before grabbing him and tossing him toward the direction of the harbor. He swipes his hand at the captured civilians, dispelling the flames. "Go, get out of here. I'll cover you."
No.4629
>>4628>Vulcan screams in pain, his voice echoing as a warped distortion of gravel and charcoal as he's flung into the air - and towards the rapidly approaching expanse of water that is the Sanctuary City harbor. "ACK! YOU FUCKIN' ASSHOLE!"
>Vulcan shouts in anger as he charges up a thermal updraft of superheated fire and flames from his molten and glowing golden feet - blasting back towards the city with a renewed sense of anger and frustration in his voice.
>Pyre, flying in the air on his jetpack, notices the arrival of Omnius as he then shouts:"Aw great! The shithead psion's here! Blast him!"
>Pyre charges up his plasma beam and fires off a large burst of superheated plasma at Omnius.
>Weathervane's eyes widen as she looks at Omnius and immediately recognizes him. Her posture instantly stiffens as her breath catches in her mouth."Nononono fuck! Not
him! We need to run,
now! I'm serious!"
>Summoning more ionic bolts from the atmosphere, Weathervane immediately begins firing them at Omnius in a desperate bid to keep him at bay. At the same time, she begins focusing her efforts on altering the atmospheric pressure of the air - using displacements in air temperature to create convection currents that quickly create air shields around herself.
>Lucifer and Lilith both look around, and then notice Omnius down below. Their eyes narrow behind their masks as they each react to Omnius's arrival.
>Lucifer speaks first, clearly annoyed at Omnius's presence."So that's the bastard who did us in last time. Where's his buddy?"
>Lilith then speaks after her partner, her voice far more measured and amused, with a hint of interest in her eyes."Never mind the sour patch, where
is his friend? I'd love to give him a proper one on one confrontation…."
>Lucifer starts firing from his energy blaster guns at Omnius as he says:"In a fight, right babe?"
>Lucifer looks at Lilith as he then says:"…..
Right?"
>Lilith shrugs and gives a coy and smug smile as she states:"I suppose his friend will have to do instead…."
>Lilith then fires a blast of energy from her blasters as well - with her and Lucifer's twin demonic wingspan covering a large portion of the sky around them as they quickly fly in sync. No.4631
>>4630>Pyre curses to himself as he frantically grabs for an emergency harness within his suit - activating it at the last moment as he's able to activate his afterburner jets within his wrist blasters - aiming himself down towards the ground and crashing into a truck, knocking himself out by the force of the impact.
>Weathervane, narrowly sparred the collision with Pyre, quickly turns around and begins firing large bolts of electricity at Omnius from the gathered storm clouds above."Let's go people! This shit isn't worth it!"
>Vulcan, having been sent flying further back again, is beyond irritated as he instead decides to blast down into the ground below, and quickly burrow himself underneath the Earth - blasting up from below and right underneath Omnius's position as he begins firing a large conflagration of high intensity heat, flames and plasma at Omnius.
>Lucifer and Lilith both wince and grain under the force of the gravimetric pressure now being exerted on them. Lucifer is the first to respond to the attack by stating:"Argh! To hell with this!"
>Grunting in pain under the pressure of Omnius's attack, Lilith concurs, saying:"For once, Lucy, I agree with you!"
>The two figures then quickly begin to morph into a glowing, liquid substance as they allow themselves to seep into the ground. A few seconds later - the glowing substance reforms from the ground, a dozen meters away - now reforming into Lucifer and Lilith once more.
>Lilith blows Omnius a kiss as she then says:"Oh, we forgot to mention, Psi-Boy. But we're not quite the same as the winged pair that you previous encountered."
>Smirking, Lucifer then lets out a loud bellow of a laugh as he aims his guns at Omnius, saying:"Yeah! They're last year's model! Us though? We're new and improved! Version 2.0! And ready to blast your tin can to hell!"
>Lucifer then fires off a large volley of energy blasts from his gun, each blast having the force equivalent to a tank shell going off at hypersonic speeds.
>Weathervane's lightning from above, Vulcan's flames from below, and Lucifer's armor-piercing anti-tank round energy blasts from in front - all lead to a wave of attacks that directly converges on Omnius with a combined force.
>In the distance, a lone figure in white with black accents slowly hovers in the air - observing the situation with interest. No.4633
>>4631>>4632"I don't care. Polishing a turd doesn't make it less of a turd. Watch."
>To make a point, Omnius drops his barrier and holds his arms to his side allowing all the attacks to converge on him at once. They all slam into him simultaneously, effectively annihilating the surroundings in an electrifyingly explosive blast.
>Smoke, ash dust and flames kick into the air obscuring the environment - only to suddenly be funneled upwards and away from the street by a now hovering Omnius remaining in place over the destroyed ground. His armor is dirty, with some scuffs and scratches but otherwise intact."Now. Sit."
>A psionic command ripples through their minds, commanding their bodies to obey. No.4634
>>4633>As the villains are all subdued by the vigilante's psionic persuasion, they all instinctively crumble onto the ground, moving with the slow and disorienting movements of controlled mannequins. Their expressions are hazy and somewhat confused for a moment, as they then sit in silence.——————————————————————————-
>Location: Downtown District - Corporate Headquarters
>From within his office inside of the large skyscraper building, Kieran feels his body work up a cold sweat as he senses the condensed psionic power emanating from Omnius, miles away. Letting out a choked gasp, he then regains his composure as he says to himself:"….Fucking hell. Why do I even stay in this hellhole of a city?"
>Thinking to himself, Kieran then projects his thoughts outward to the specific figures that are in the most immediate danger.{"Beetle, get that fucking contraption of yours up and running, ASAP! Omnius is thrashing our forces and Recoil's going to be a sitting duck."}
>Sighing, Kieran braces himself as he then makes another psionic "call" to another figure.{"…..Sophus? It's me, Blackout. I think it's time. We can't afford to wait any longer. We're going to need your device to activate - rip a hole in that dimension you were talking about. Send something big to the chrome dome's location."} No.4635
>>4634>Location: Industrial District - Abandoned Warehouse
>Irritated, Beetle simply slams a technological tool from his gloved hand and right into the ground below in a single, unified demonstration of frustration and anger. The resulting impact leaves a small crater roughly the size of a table onto the floor."Humans….Always finding opportune times to sabotage…"
>Turning his attention back to the machine, Beetle then activates his comms array and begins speaking.["Infernus, this is Beetle. The tuning array is almost complete."]
>After getting confirmation of his next set of orders, Beetle then immediately gets to work, using his FTL movement speeds to construct a separate device that can serve as a gateway to another dimension - a backup escape, in case things go awry.
>Once he's finished, Beetle comes to a halt and taps the side of his communications array in his helmet, saying:"Extra-dimensional gateway established. Rerouting all existing dimensional vector calculations through trans-temporal space. This will be sufficient power to draw those psionic beasts into the world."
No.4636
>>4635>Location: Unknown Subterranean Base
>Infernus looks up into the large holographic display at his central command room. To his side is Sophus, wearing the psionic amplification device, his makeshift helmet, on his head. As he slowly fastens an advanced computer chip to his helmet device, Infernus speaks to him - though his gaze never leaves the hologram."The pieces have fallen where they may, and the board has been set. All that remains now is for the conductor of the symphony to step forward."
>Acting almost on instinct, Sophus slowly steps forward and stands before the hologram - his hands now bracing the edges of the table with a white-knuckle grip. His heartrate elevates, as Infernus can casually sense - and he feels his pupils dilate ever so slowly as his gaze falls upon the entirety of the hologram's outline."Will this endeavor be worth the inevitable suffering and pain that it causes, Master?"
>Infernus crosses his arms as he continues to look at the hologram before him - a large purple rectangle that zooms in and expands, revealing a vast expanse of energies, constructs and other supernatural phenomena."All of human history has been an exercise in the post-hoc justification of the actions of a few - for the sake of the many. We are no different, Sophus. For that initiative, that desire to act pre-emptively, is what makes us amongst the wisest of men."
>Turning towards Sophus, Infernus then says:"When I first found you, Sophus, I saw a man trapped in a cage of his own making - tormented by his own warped and self-perpetuated pain. You were broken and shattered when I had encountered you. Your psychiatric evaluation had diagnosed you with Dysthymia - mere depressive episodes. But I knew better. I knew you were merely seeking atonement for your sins."
>Sophus looks at Infernus for a moment, and then turns to look closer at the glowing hologram of the vast expanse of energy before him; a mental font of immense possibility - closer than ever before. He then closes his eyes behind his helmet, and he thinks back to the frailty that he once possessed. The osteoclast degradation, the weakened connective tissue - every facet of his unlucky hand dealt in his life. He remembers the pain, the struggle to breathe, to even walk."…..Wisest of men. Now I understand."
>Opening his eyes, Sophus now looks down at his hands, at the renewed strength and biological energy and life that he now possesses."Then let us begin, Sophus. Show the world that you are no longer broken. Show them that now,
you are in control."
No.4637
>>4636>Location: Sanctuary City
>A bright purple light suddenly begins to emanate from the Industrial District - a light so blindingly bright and powerful that it immediately disrupts most electronic scanning technology tuned to detect psionic energies.
>Inside of the MRD Prism, alarms immediately flare as Chase and Aion, who were watching the news to see Omnius's confrontation with the villains, then get automated alerts."Psionic energy levels are skyrocketing Aion. I think we've found out the real intention of our mastermind here, whoever they are."
["Query: Detected psionic energies match the recorded parameters for containing Meta-Humans of the Alpha-Level classification. Is requisitioning of the advanced response unit now deemed acceptable?"]
>Chase rubs his eyelids behind his sunglasses as he then says:"I think we've gone past that point a while ago, Aion. But sure, scramble the teams - have them monitor the situation and attempt an on-field analysis of the situation."
>Now looking out of his windows in his office, Chase then mutters to himself:{"Seriously, where are you people? Omnius may be enough to stop whatever's coming, but do you all really want to take that chance?"} No.4638
>>4637>Location: Sanctuary City - Downtown District>Time: 10:35 AM
>A massive conflagration of purple psionic energy violently breaks into existence and 'glitches', creating ruptures in the fabric of space-time itself. Patches of space-time, looking like shattered glass, shimmer and break - revealing a glowing purple light that pulsates from within the hole in existence.
>A large armored figure, ornately dressed in armor that is colored ruby red and amethyst purple slowly surges forward; hovering through the large hole. The figure is roughly 10 feet tall, and very muscular, a humanoid figure with an imposing physique.
>The figure remains hovering in place, his bright white eyes glowing behind the obscured shadows of his helmet - hiding his face. After sensing a powerful psionic signature, the figure then immediately snaps their head downwards - looking straight at Omnius."You. Are you the one who summoned me, boy?"
>The figure then remains still, as the entire city block around them immediately begins buckling under the weight of a manifested remote telekinesis wave. The combined psionic pressure of the attack immediately flattens the road and sends the criminals flying into the air, as the armored figure slowly hovers to a ground level, right above the actual ground."I can sense your power. Raw, but untamed….."
>The figure then slowly reaches out with their "mind", a powerful psionic construct that instantly pulses information from electronic devices and public facing figures with a thought."Ahh, I understand now. You are no mere miscreant vigilante. Your power would disprove this notion. However, you are still merely an uncontrolled storm. A force of nature that must be subdued."
>Holding out his hand now, the figure then speaks:"My adversaries named me Contagion. A name borne out of fear of my sheer mental strength. They deemed it a sickness, a plague. But I am so much more, and you may become more as well - if you surrender your mind to me." No.4639
>>4638>Omnius looks up at the figure, being several feet shorter than the giant. Behind his helmet he wears an unimpressed expression."Am I supposed to be scared? You're tall and you can think hard, big deal."
>He begins to lift into the air, becoming eye level with the towering figure. "Anyway, I'll give you a warning this one time since we haven't met. Stop trying to flatten the city. Or else."
No.4641
>>4640"How about you go fuck yourself instead, Tinhead?"
>Omnius suddenly bursts forward and kicks Contagion backwards. Before he can travel more than a few feet the space around the pair begins to fracture and crack - only to suddenly shatter like glass as reality appears to dissolve around them. "Surprise. I know how to work the door. Welcome home asshole."
>A series of psionic attacks converge on Contagion from all directions like a storm of punches striking him at supernatural speeds all at once. No.4642
>>4641>Contagion slowly begins laughing as his armor barely withstands the seismic force of the accelerated strikes. Portions of his gleaming ruby metallic armor begin to bend and contort, twisting into undulating waves of psionic pressure."Hmmmm. Stronger than I expected. No matter."
>Contagion, in that moment, immediately dematerializes himself into seemingly ethereal strands of psionic energy, reappearing a few meters away, with his armor now pristine."Returning me to the natural domain of the mind. I would hope that there is a grand strategy that your are employing. Otherwise, it would be wise to surrender."
>Contagion then makes a faint gesture with his helmet, slowly nodding forward as ripples of distorted space appear around him.
>In a manner of seconds, a series of sickening 'crunch' sounds emanate from the empty space of the psionic realm - before a low level laughter begins to appear, seemingly from all directions.
>After a moment, the space of the Astral Plane around both figures shatters - as ruptures in space-time for the mental world begin to cave into black holes. In that moment, a series of nightmarishly ghoulish humanoid figures pile in, running on all fours and laughing hysterically."Hollows. The warped and twisted malevolence of dead psionic beings, given form. They are exhumed here in the place where all is possible through the mind; they have been given freedom - and they are very, very hungry for fresh minds to consume. Such as your own."
>The Hollows begin appearing in the dozens, possibly hundreds, swarming towards Omnius from all sides as their loud, sickening laughs echo like those of wounded hyenas - their distored and monstrous faces being equally sickening to look at. No.4643
>>4642>An explosion of psionic energy fires out from Omnius in all directions, blasting away the Hollows. "They can starve."
>Omnius races towards Contagion and grabs him by the "throat". "You think I brought you here by accident? Or that I was being stupid? Your ability to affect the physical world from here is minimal. And you're not the only one who's stronger on the Astral Plane."
>Omnius hurls Contagion away and then begins remotely attacking him again. This time bouncing him around in multiple directions, before causing him to fly back towards Orion who finishes with a clothesline. No.4644
>>4643>Contagion's psionic body seemingly shatters into energy, turning into a disembodied voice which begins speaking at Omnius from all angles."An admirable attempt, but one that you will find wanting, vigilante."
>The world of the Astral Plane then begins shifting around them, with the localized area suddenly shifting into a massive, seemingly infinite repeating maze of large walls and hallways.
>The polished linoleum of the floors and the mute lighting of the abandoned corridors further reinforces the seemingly sterile and "laboratory" esque nature of the area. Constructed entirely out of the essence of mental energy, the maze continues to shift in all directions, rapidly expanding its distance regardless of where Omnius moves."If you truly are that powerful of a mind, that I wish to subsume - then you will use not your eyes, but your power, to truly see the path forward."
>More Hollows suddenly start to appear from the nearby walls of the large maze, slowly swarming into the area. There are multiple paths before Omnius - at least 5, each of them shifting slowly, mimicking the behavior of surface waves, turned on their sides as walls."If not, make peace with your mind as it is now, for it will be the last time you ever ultimately 'be'." No.4645
>>4644>Omnius grabs the nearest Hollow by the throat, violently crushing it. The Hollow's body begins to glow from the inside out, and he throws it at the nearest portion of the swarm - causing it to explode and take out dozens, as well as the near-by walls."You expect me to play your little maze game? It's already obvious where you are. You're in the center."
>Omnius flies through the hole in the wall towards the next, and slams his fist forward shattering the wall. This continues as he races forward in a straight line, rapidly approaching the center. "You haven't even tried to lay a hand on me yourself! Afraid I'll bite?"
No.4646
>>4645>Contagion stands in the middle of the large apparatus of the maze, an orbital platform that functions as a stationary plane - stretching on for seemingly miles.
>As he senses Omnius's arrival, Contagion turns around and looks at Omnius, stating:"Quite the contrary, vigilante. I was observing the tapestry of the mind, and how it relates to you."
>Contagion then hovers up into the air, waving his hand as the entire maze apparatus disappears - in its place the empty void of "space" with bright nebulae and stars in the background. As he waves his hand, large crystaline structures appear, with humanoid forms. "Siliconoids, psionic creatures trapped purely in mentalic crystal - the sediment of the mind."
>The Silliconoids immediately begin to swarm Omnius - producing large structures of psionic crystal, along with barrages of razor sharp (and mentally single-minded) crystaline mental constructs, each designed to attack the conscious mind in some way."I wonder if you have put together the purpose of this exercise? Surely I am biding my time for an opening, am I not?"
>Contagion says, with malice in his laughter as he slowly fades into non-existence, his psionic signature now being detected as moving back towards Earth; with his amplified strength in the Astral Plane being the reason he can now freely move between planes. No.4647
>>4646>Location: Sanctuary City
>Contagion returns from the Astral Plane, having used the last feint of the attack on Omnius to distract him, long enough to execute his plan to return.
>In that moment, he is then met by the psionic signatures of other psionic beings, such as Blackout. Curious, he turns his attention towards the figure - teleporting into his office."What the- who are you?! What do you wa-"
>Contagion grabs the Meta-Human by the neck, dragging him up into the air. "An anchor is what I need. That amplifier device I sensed - a fine tuning fork it'll make for this occasion."
>Blackout, instinctively fighting back, begins exerting the full force of his psionic abilities - attacking Contagion on both a mental and physical level, due to Contagion being a purely psionic entity."I don't….care….what you are! Hands off!"
>As the psionic energy around them both continues to build, a bright glowing purple light emanates from them both - enveloping the entire room as they both disappear. No.4648
>>4647>In the middle of Sanctuary City's Downtown District, a bright purple flash of light appears - and the slightly modified form of Contagion appears.
>His appearance, still in a state of constant metamormophosis, has shifted to become smaller and thinner. His color palette has inverted, shifting more towards Blackout's civilian clothing - as the newly merged psionic entity hovers above the ground, with his cape flowing behind him."Much better…Far more….stable….for me."
>The voice, a seemingly perfect and barely discernible fusion of Blackout and Contagion's distinct tones, looks up at the sky. His new helmet casts a shadow over his eyes and upper face, as his lower face shows his mouth now slowly smiling.
>Psionically, he reaches out to the boss of his human half, stating:["Change of plans, Sophus. I'm taking charge of the psionic energy ruptures. That tuning fork's served its purpose."]
>Still hovering in mid-air, the new figure waits patiently for Omnius to return. No.4649
>>4648>Omnius re-appears in the same position he was before. He notices Contagion. "Oh you possessed someone. Alright I guess."
>Reality shatters again as Omnius once more shunts the pair, now trio into the Astral Plane. He immediately flies towards Contagion and begins throwing strikes at him, left and right.
>His fist slams into Contagion's stomach and then again into the face."Fight back you bitch. Fight back."
No.4650
>>4649>The caped figure withstands the force of Omnius's strikes - but not without significant strain. Smiling underneath his helmet and mask, he then wipes away some blood from his lip as energy begins coursing through his body."Or what? You'll throw a tantrum?"
>The caped figure then grabs Omnius's wrist as he makes his next strike - before pushing himself and Omnius both back with the force of a telekinetic surge."You might wanna check your senses again, tinhead. This ain't no possession."
>The hooded figure smiles once again, with his hand now tapping his new, modified helmet, saying:"Fusion. Gestalt. Two become one. The external minds who were warring for the briefest of moments were broken down and reformed into me."
>Giving an inquisitive hum, the figure then says:"…Me not having a name. I suppose 'Psyker' will have to do, wouldn't you agree, hothead?"
>Psyker then forms a fist with a crushing motion, causing the Astral Plane to shatter like before - only far more violently and chaotically this time. Entire portions of the nearby spatial area begin warping themselves into entirely new geometric structures.
>These seemingly sentient regions of space-time that twist and turn, shattering existence even further as they rush towards Omnius with a malicious, and almost primal instinct and urge to consume him whole with a vengeance. No.4652
>>4651>Psyker holds out his hands, generating an equally powerful psionic forcefield barrier around himself - beginning to strain against the strength of Omnius's own powers. While he's able to negate some of the psionic barrier shards, more of them pierce his own field of protection - stabbing into his body and giving him a psychosomatic shock.
>Psyker screams in pain, as the unison of the two beings, while permanent, is still unstable. Echoes of his nature as Onslaught begin to surge outward in a blaze of power - jettisoning portions of the shattered reality apart."Damn you, vigilante!"
>Shouting, Psyker then opens out his palm and blasts Omnius with a massive surge of psionic power - causing a feedback redirection that crashes into his field.
>Before he can rush forward, another voice appears from the Astral Plane itself.{"Return at once, Psyker. I grow tired of this weary display of ineptitude."}
>Eyes widening, Psyker's face slowly morphs into one of fear and terror as he says:"….Master Infernus?! I have Omnius right where I want him!"}''
>The disembodied voice continues speaking:{"You are a rabbit chasing your own tail. Your lack of skill is only matched by your newfound penchant for headstrong attacks. To that end, I have decided that you are of no use to me as a blunt instrument. Return at once, or both of your aspects will rue the day they learned defiance."}
>Turning his attention towards Omnius now, the voice of Infernus then speaks:{"And you, the psionic vigilante. You may not remember our first encounter - but I promise you. Both you and that partner of yours - Mosaic, you and your compatriots will all suffer for your transgressions against me. But not today."}
>The voice of Infernus then disappears as the terrified form of Psyker looks at Omnius - genuine fear petrifying him, as he's then disappeared into nothingness in an instant, leaving Omnius alone in the void of the Astral Plane. No.4654
>>4653>Location: Unknown Base
>Psyker remains kneeling at the base of the large platform leading towards the observation panels of the chamber. His mind is silent, reeling from the combined embarrassment of his defeat, and the unrelenting terror that he feels in the presence of his master."Your insubordination has nearly cost us the entirety of my design, 'Psyker'. For that transgression alone, I should smite you in a manner that even your Old Testament God would find 'excessive'."
>Psyker closes his eyes behind his helmet and braces himself, only for the attack to never manifest. The danger never comes, yet the harrowing sense of failure and unrelenting shame remains. Feeling a tightening within his throat, Psyker wills himself to gulp as he keeps his breathing steady. Looking up into the waiting eyes of his master, the measly psionic servant quietly begs."P…Please master. I wished only to prove my capabilities to you. My worth as a-"
>Infernus holds his hand out, silencing his subordinate, who then remains ever still - paralyzed by fear once more as his master speaks once again."As I have stated to Sophus before, I will not repeat the same mistakes that my ignorant counterpart has so shamelessly demonstrated. I will also not burden you with a contrived and grandstanding monologue regarding my intentions; for brevity is the soul of wit - is it not?"
>Before Psyker can even answer, Infernus slowly begins walking forward - and then past Psyker, as Infernus then states:"The plan has not changed. The heroes will come for Beetle's tuning device, if they have not already. It served its purpose."
>Psyker slowly rises from the ground, turning to face Infernus, while beginning to walk behind his master, in perfect lockstep rhythm as their boots synchronize their movements throughout the hallway of the underground base."If I may, master. Why has the plan remained unchanged?"
>Infernus then speaks up, as he continues to casually stroll through the hallway, maintaining an air of confidence in his movements."Because the weakest link has been rectified by the plan as expected - you."
No.4655
>>4654>Infernus continues walking as he then reaches the main psionics chamber of the underground base - a large underground network of advanced psionic equipment and electronic circuitry, all hotwired towards a large cylindrical container full of glowing purple energy.
>At the foot of the device, is Sophus - meditating in mid-air as the amplifier helmet is still on his head."Master. I've done it."
>Sophus says, slowly lowering himself to the ground below as he slowly turns around to face Infernus and Psyker."The majority of the Astral Plane energy leaking into reality, has been captured and contained."
>Nodding, Infernus then hears Psyker slowly murmuring to himself as he looks Infernus dead in the eyes - showcasing a look of profound terror of his master, but also sheer disbelief over the conclusion that he has finally reached."The others…They were just pawns for you. This whole time. You never intended for them to actually
defeat Omnius."
>Psyker then looks at Sophus as he continues to mutter under his breath:"….You just needed to distract them, so that Sophus could-"
>Infernus then interjects, slowly walking in front of Psyker as he says:"So that Sophus could funnel a substantial amount of psionic energy into our dimensionally transcendent spatial containers, yes. Contagion's arrival and manifestation in reality was an acceptable side effect. His decision to merge with you however was most opportune. We will use this to our advantage."
>As Infernus speaks, a FTL black and red blur rushes into the area, stopping directly to the side of Infernus as they speak:"The data report on the psychic excavation, master."
>Proto Beetle says as he hands over a fancy chip, which Infernus holds it up - as it projects a glowing holographic display of psychometric energy readings from the Astral Plane - downloaded and recorded by Beetle's device that he built earlier."All we have to do is reverse engineer the signal, should put almost every strong enough psionic being with range into the same mental trap - neutralizing them for now."
>Infernus nods slowly as he then says:"The first movement has concluded, and the symphony begins with a stark display of power. Now, the second movement begins."
>Infernus says, placing a hand on Sophus's shoulder as he says:"Impactful, it very well may be."
No.4656
>>4655>Location: Sanctuary City - Downtown District>Time: 12:20 PM
>Various MRD troopers and first responders are cooperating to handle the damages caused by the Meta-Human villain attacks, which occurred earlier in the day. As the professionals and some volunteer civilians are working to find injured people and coordinate properly repair - a single lone figure looks over the situation. Draped in a new, red and blue outfit with black accents and white lenses, the vigilante contrasts the dark greys and charcoal blacks of the damaged city streets below them."I've gotta say, Mr. Khyber did a really good job with this suit. I'll have to thank you later for the connections, boss."
>Arachnid says to himself under his breath, as he opens and closes his hands, feeling the strong and stylish, but also form fitting nature of the material breathing in air around his muscles. After examining his new costume for a bit longer, Arachnid then sighs as he turns his attention down to the city below."…..Still, I really have the worst luck when it comes to undergrad class hours. I guess lunch break's all that I've got to work with then."
>Arachnid is currently porched on top of the edge of a large building, overlooking the damage from afar. His magnified lenses soon inform him of an interesting quirk of the surrounding area - residual traces of energy."….Shunted in from another dimension? What? How's that possible?"
>Leaping off of the tall building, he quickly begins web-swinging towards the nearest energy signature, a large burn mark on the side of a local convenience store. As he sticks to the side of the wall, his suit begins to activate. Although the material fabric and outer design have changed, the core functionality remains the same; as it begins analyzing the energy signature more closely, returning a mathematical formula for spatial-dimensional warping that is consistent with Meta-Gene abilities."So it
is a Meta-Human who did this. But who?"
>Looking around, Arachnid scans everywhere from the nearby city streets, to a large overhead billboard in the distance, to a few dark alleys between buildings - and finds nothing. Sighing again, Arachnid then turns to stick to the wall from his back as he says to himself:"Well, back to patrolling it is. I've still got that substrate protein binding paper that I need to refine…….I wonder what Bella's doing right now?
>As Arachnid swings off into the air once more, he continues his thoughts, saying:"I don't suppose she'll mind if I swing in to talk to her for a bit. Unless all corporate types are balancing income statements and legal papers while eating fancy 5-star meals…..Nah, she probably won't mind since it's me."
>With Arachnid swinging off into the distance, a figure appears from a white energy portal, directly in front of the same billboard that Arachnid previously observed. The figure is clad in a familiar sapphire-silver colored suit, with expressive lenses, a full face cowl, and a similar body structure to the web-head."………."
>Fractal then crosses his arms as he thinks to himself:{"Huh, not the suit that I was expecting, based on what I've heard about him. Still, that's probably Arachnid, so I should probably steer clear of him while I'm in Sanctuary City. I'm not leaving until I get what Aunt Dana stole from you, Mom. That's a promise."}
>Fractal then snaps his fingers as a white energy portal rips open in the fabric of space-time beside him, and he walks though, as it closes behind him.[To Be Continued]