Futuristic Sparked

[Prospero]

"These robots are stopping us from getting anywhere. I've gotta get em out of here..." Johnny muttered before an idea crossed his mind. One that he was sure would work. [Melancholy Hill] wrapped one of it's massive tree-trunk like arms around Johnny's waist and held him close to it's stomach, a feeling Johnny didn't much care for as even while this thing seemed to be under it's power/an extension of him, he still wasn't feeling 100% safe around it. Digging the soles of it's black steel toed boots into the ground, it burst forward, seeking to blast past the two robots to continue after Matthew. Swinging it's remaining arm to keep knocking the bullets aside and to smash into the robots once it got close enough.

"HE'S ALMOST WITHIN RANGE....ALMOST....THEN...HE'LL BE OURS."

"THOSE ARE MY ROBOTS, YA DAFT BOY!"

The Bruce Lee robots, seeing Johnny coming at them simply moved to the side to get out of the way, screens blank before one displayed to the first.

?

It shook its head and displayed the following, pointing towards the remaining guards.

!!!

Both screens turned red as they spun and went back on the attack.

The third remained in a protective gesture, over Rochefort and the would-be shotgun victim.

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

Despite embedding themselves and the shattered remains of the warbot a few feet into solid steel, they seemed fine enough outside of being dazed. They accepted a hand up with a shaky, relieved smile as they stumbled to their feet. "I'm... glad you're ok too, professor-"

Across the room, Matthew's response to MJ was surprisingly(ish) childish; he covered his ears and kept running as something spun on the ground behind him-

*BLAM*

There was a burst of light so bright it felt like it burned MJ's and Johnny's eyeballs as close as they were, and dazzled everyone who was even vaguely looking in that direction. The sound was a deafening, high pitched blast that hit their ears like a haymaker. By the time they were able to see and hear again, the only adversaries left in the room were the two guards, equally as stunned as the prisoners had been right before the unaffected robots clobbered them, both of which were sitting patiently with not quite all of their weight pressed upon the guards' chests. The last controlled robot was pulling itself towards the group by its arms, its front to legs sheared off by the massive door closing behind Matthew as it tried to give chase.

"...Crap."

Their erstwhile rescuer jogged towards the door and reached towards the watch on their arm, turning a dial on it a few degrees before they backed up and wound up a punch. The movement was awkward and jerky, like a toddler's first act of violence.

*BOOM*

If said toddler could dent steel. The sound continued to reverberate through the room as they continued with more awkward smashes, seemingly intent on busting through the door with extreme manual prejudice while the others were recovering from the flashbang

 

[MidwayLives]

The flash took Johnny for quite the loop. If said loop involved his eyes watering like nobody's business and a headache coming on that felt like it was going to split his head open. Before the flashbang had gone off, he'd heard [Melancholy Hill] exclaim that Matt had finally been within 'eating range.' But due to the disturbance, he'd gotten away. "[Melancholy Hill]!!!" Johnny screamed as the power lashed out but it was too late. Matt had once again escaped it's range. Upset and understandably stunned by what had happened, Johnny was pulled up to his feet by the creature. He still couldn't see very well, only being able to make out vague shapes.

He'd heard bits and pieces of what [Melancholy Hill] was trying to say to him. But it was nothing coherent anyway. "Got......Range......Make....Disappear." Johnny assumed that whatever his power was talking about, it was referring to Matt. Or atleast that's what he thought until he heard the constant booming ringing off the walls around them as the shotgun victim pounded away at the door that separated from Matt. Johnny could make out the clanging thuds but he'd have to leave it up to [Melancholy Hill] to assist. It likely could have simply phased through the door due to it's incorperal nature but it still would have been bound to only being able to manifest within 2 meters of Johnny.

Floating beside the surprisingly strong prisoner with the rock hard abs, [Melancholy Hill] began to pound on the door as well. All while Johnny continued to clutch at his eyes and whimper as snot ran down his nostrils and over the palms of his hands as he attempted to sniffle. The grenade that had been swallowed would have torn him apart. But he couldn't see, he could barely hear, it hurt so bad!! He wanted to tear down this wall and make sure that guy never did anything like this ever again!

"DARE DARE DARE DARE DARE DARE DARE DARE!!"

 

[MyrtenRose]

Across the room, Matthew's response to MJ was surprisingly(ish) childish; he covered his ears and kept running as something spun on the ground behind him-

*BLAM*

There was a burst of light so bright it felt like it burned MJ's and Johnny's eyeballs as close as they were, and dazzled everyone who was even vaguely looking in that direction. The sound was a deafening, high pitched blast that hit their ears like a haymaker.

"Oh fuc--"

She wasn't able to even turn away before the blinding flash seared her eyes. Her grip on the shotgun slackened and it fell to the floor with a loud clatter...albeit one that paled to the sound of the flashbang. Her teeth gritted together as she dropped to her knees, hands moving from rubbing at her blinded eyes to reaching out for her ears. They weren't bleeding like her nose had been, so there was that small comfort. Still...the sounds of the repeated punching against the door were faint, if heard at all. It sounded like it was a thousand miles away in comparison to the shrill pitch still ringing in her ears. Worse than that, the experience of the flashbang...

When her sight somewhat began to return, it was off. And not with the spots she'd likely be seeing for a long time. No, it was all shifting. Brief flashes, flickering. One moment she was kneeling here, wherever the fuck here was, hands pressed to her ears. The next she was seeing that warzone again, in an equally unknown place. Back and forth, back and forth it shifted. A low groan escaped her lips as she fell onto her back, eyes sliding closed in an attempt to shut it all out. The flashbang, that must have brought it back to the forefront of her mind. The motherfucking flashbang, she thought in pained annoyance.

"...Mom. D-Dad...Edward...anyone...help..."

 

[Kitsune Mask]

Scrambling like a mole in sunlight, Veronica ran trying to avoid the chaos behind her. She had managed to avoid being caught in any attacks, but hadn't the faintest clue that this was due to her new 'enhancements.' Like apparitions they appeared on her back--a pair of blue/green wings. The wings glowed and flickered like an odd, static image on a television screen with a poor broadcast signal. They gave a single, powerful flap that pushed her forward once before vanishing. Veronica was unaware of this sight that had appeared behind her. From her own perspective, it felt as if a gust of wind had pushed her body forward. Sure, it freaked her out, and she even yelped, but her current circumstances were so bizarre that she didn't ponder the gust. It wasn't as if she had much processing time when a flash of light hit her eyes anyhow.

Already a bit off-balance due to her surprise push forward, the the dazzling light tripped Veronica up just enough to send her tumbling to the ground. She groaned and gripped her head. Not as close as MJ and Johnny were to the light, it wasn't enough to blind her. The force of her head hitting the ground, however, was more than enough to disorient her. Ver tried to stand up, but her movements were a bit too quick and she dropped onto her knees from a rush of dizziness. With no plan in mind to combat this sensation, she waited it out. Waiting for her senses to return was all she could do for now.

 

[Corvette]

Gunnar was perhaps farthest from the flashbang at the time it went off, but all the same, he might've been the most adversely affected. His hearing was not only impeccable, but indeed, thousands of times more sensitive than a human's.

He'd felt pretty satisfied with himself in the moments leading up to now, with the mangled, eviscerated remains lying in a fizzling heap in front of him. He was feeling powerful, no doubt about it. He even grinned, for the first time since waking up.

But there is no time like the crest of the hill to find out that the descent is steeper than the climb. The flashbang activated, and Gunnar went down in less than a second, his incredibly light-sensitive eyes and staggeringly sensitive ears lit afire (figuratively, luckily for him, though he wouldn't have been able to tell the difference). It was like someone had stabbed him in the eyes and ears and then twisted, and he screamed protractedly, his huge hands gripping his skull, trying to keep his brains in as the flashbang's aftereffects wrought havoc on his senses. He writhed on the floor, thrashing against anything in reach--namely, for now, the floor and the pieces of robot.

Back when he was fully human, Gunnar had never felt pain like this. It was like staring into the sun, but more painful, and like hearing a glass-shattering frequency, but the glass was his brain. He must've had some great night-vision for a bright light like that to lay him low like this, and some equally great hearing for him to be so immediately deafened. These thoughts laid at the back of his mind as the front was preoccupied with surprise pain management.

Every wild smash of his fist, his knee, his foot, against the floor left a dent in the same shapes as his appendages. He might be able to appreciate that sort of strength later, when he wasn't crying on the inside quite so much as now. As it happened--and he couldn't know this yet--he actually lacked tear ducts in his new form.

A shame, because he'd certainly have made use.

 

[Prospero]

Despite embedding themselves and the shattered remains of the warbot a few feet into solid steel, they seemed fine enough outside of being dazed. They accepted a hand up with a shaky, relieved smile as they stumbled to their feet. "I'm... glad you're ok too, professor-"

"Well-"

Old instincts, rusty and unused suddenly creaked a warning as his skin tingled and his eyes widened. His eyes tracked a black, bouncing thing and the old soldier in him froze in fear. But not for long as he screamed.

"FRAG OUT!"

And irregardless, even if his lab assistant just tanked a shotgun blast to the chin and more, he'd tackle them to the ground as he gritted his teeth and prepared to experience shrapnel as he blocked him with his body.

BLAM*

There was a burst of light so bright it felt like it burned MJ's and Johnny's eyeballs as close as they were, and dazzled everyone who was even vaguely looking in that direction. The sound was a deafening, high pitched blast that hit their ears like a haymaker.

.....Rochefort wasn't dead. There was no pain as he expected, nothing like he had been thinking and he opened his eyes sheepishly, his ears ringing but a small price to pay considering anything else it could have been. Getting off, he cleared his throat and slapped his palm to the side of his head, trying to work past the pain and the aches. And then...

"...Mom. D-Dad...Edward...anyone...help..."

He couldn't read lips and he couldn't hear what she was saying, but her expression was enough as he moved forward to assist, hands moving absently for a medical bag that no longer hung from his side as he crouched and patted her shoulder to get her attention. Once he did, he held up his hands to indicate his unarmed state as he moved them forward to massage around her ears as he mouthed.

'Breath. Slowly.'

It was faintly nostalgic, and his thoughts drifted to his mentor in the corps. A grizzled, gray-haired woman who demanded the best from them due to their choice of profession. He could well recall her now, in perfect clarity where before he hadn't thought of her in ages.

"Soldiers kill. You will not I hear, nor pick up a gun. Why?"

"I'm a pacifist ma'am. I don't believe in killing anyone nor could I if I tried. But I want to do my part."

"Some might call that traitorous. Defeatist. What kind of man won't pick up a gun?"

"....A doctor, ma'am."

"Breath..." He said gently now, for his own benefit as much as his before he deigned to look around more. His robots had done their job and he nodded once, his eyes sparking as he looked at them again. He could see the pattern now, with patches and holes...But easier than before. It was a feeling like being unleashed in a world of legos and knowing you could make anything you want. Whatever he had? He could only call it one thing.

Possibility.

 

[MyrtenRose]

He couldn't read lips and he couldn't hear what she was saying, but her expression was enough as he moved forward to assist, hands moving absently for a medical bag that no longer hung from his side as he crouched and patted her shoulder to get her attention. Once he did, he held up his hands to indicate his unarmed state as he moved them forward to massage around her ears as he mouthed.

'Breath. Slowly.'

It was faintly nostalgic, and his thoughts drifted to his mentor in the corps. A grizzled, gray-haired woman who demanded the best from them due to their choice of profession. He could well recall her now, in perfect clarity where before he hadn't thought of her in ages.

The sudden pat on her shoulder, unannounced and unexpected, got her to open her eyes in an instant. There was a blurry/hazy shape of somebody there and she rolled away, scrambling up to her feet on pure reflex, ready to...seemingly relax when she looked more clearly. That wasn't Matt or any guard or robot. No, that was the older guy, the one with PTSD who had been screaming earlier. The one who...

She winced, looking away for a few seconds in uncertain apprehension before she dared look back at him.

"You're the one who lost his leg, right?" She mouthed.

 

[Kitsune Mask]

When her senses returned to a degree closer to normal, Veronica blinked repeatedly. She then rubbed at her eyes with closed fists before looking out at the scene before her. She saw others, in the same boat as herself, but really didn't know what to make of them. Normally, she avoided other people, but right now she craved to have someone she could trust. Breathing deeply, she approached the shapes of Rochefort and MJ cautiously--who still appeared a bit blurry.

She wasn't sure if they'd hear her, but she wanted to speak out regardless.

"What... now?" was all she managed to ask, her expression entirely bemused.

Prospero MyrtenRose

 

[Prospero]

The sudden pat on her shoulder, unannounced and unexpected, got her to open her eyes in an instant. There was a blurry/hazy shape of somebody there and she rolled away, scrambling up to her feet on pure reflex, ready to...seemingly relax when she looked more clearly. That wasn't Matt or any guard or robot. No, that was the older guy, the one with PTSD who had been screaming earlier. The one who...

She winced, looking away for a few seconds in uncertain apprehension before she dared look back at him.

"You're the one who lost his leg, right?" She mouthed.

He couldn't read lips. But he got the general gist and he smiled and nodded, before he moved his own hands to his ears and went through the massaging motions to indicate what she should do, before pointing at her and her hands. Pointing back to her, he gave another small smile and turned absently to the other.

"What... now?" was all she managed to ask, her expression entirely bemused.

That expression didn't need any kind of translation and his smile turned somewhat strained as he looked around at what they had. Two robots, technically-oh no!

The legs! He winced in phantom pain and gestured his new buddies closer. After a few moments, he hesitated and pressed his hands against two of them. Once more with feeling...Not just reprogramming-something else. He was a scientist at heart and a creator. And there was something he wanted, more than anything right now.

I need something to help me get these kids out of here.

The screens flickered on the robots faces, static and white noise crackling from them as Rochefort closed his eyes.

Something protective...

One of the arms disassembled, the pieces hanging briefly in midair before they began to spin and convert into something else. The other robot strode forward to the cells, new arm up as a laser activated and sliced off pieces of the cell walls themselves-using the doors, the protective pieces.

And then came the sound of what echoed like the biggest, lego set of all. Rochefort opened his eyes.

From the three robots, something had been made. Whatever it was, it was...Beautiful.

A walker, four legs and two arms for stabilization. Almost spider like, with the former cell bits sliced off converted into a makeshift protective front. At the least, it would shield anything from the front and would carry up to three well enough. The tv-screens themselves would be at what was undoubtedly the drivers seat, which he examined with awe before realizing what else it could do.

There were buttons and he pressed one in a daze before the screens flickered and a familiar, classic quote echoed from speakers.

"Please put down your weapon. You have twenty seconds to comply."

Rochefort laughed and got in before turning to them as he spoke.

"Anyone for a lift?"

 

[MyrtenRose]

When her senses returned to a degree closer to normal, Veronica blinked repeatedly. She then rubbed at her eyes with closed fists before looking out at the scene before her. She saw others, in the same boat as herself, but really didn't know what to make of them. Normally, she avoided other people, but right now she craved to have someone she could trust. Breathing deeply, she approached the shapes of Rochefort and MJ cautiously--who still appeared a bit blurry.

She wasn't sure if they'd hear her, but she wanted to speak out regardless.

"What... now?" was all she managed to ask, her expression entirely bemused.

Prospero MyrtenRose

"WHAT?"

A walker, four legs and two arms for stabilization. Almost spider like, with the former cell bits sliced off converted into a makeshift protective front. At the least, it would shield anything from the front and would carry up to three well enough. The tv-screens themselves would be at what was undoubtedly the drivers seat, which he examined with awe before realizing what else it could do.

There were buttons and he pressed one in a daze before the screens flickered and a familiar, classic quote echoed from speakers.

"...Dude...that is wicked." Hearing being temporary fucked and her being stuck in this hellhole aside, she could appreciate some cool shit going on right in front of her face. That was like something out of one of those really ancient movies with the truck and the awkward dude and the eye candy.

Rochefort laughed and got in before turning to them as he spoke.

"Anyone for a lift?"

"Huh?"

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

The crash of Beckett's and Johnny's (ish) fists against the door were finally followed up by a thunderous crash, as the massive door finally cracked at the bottom and fell against the wall across from it. It exited to a hallway, the same dim but all encompassing lights revealing it. Beckett gave a sigh of relief and turned around only to jump backwards in surprise at the sight of the robots having voltron'd into a larger one.

Unfortunately, it seemed like they'd misjudged how far a 'jump' was going to send them, and they ricocheted off the ceiling with a dull thump and thud in quick succession. They reached for their watch and turned the main dial on its face, and stood up with a small wince. "...So... I guess your power's not just reprogramming robots?" They asked with a glance at the doctor, a small smile of relief on their face before they took a deep breath. "It's definitely gonna have to crouch in this hallway though. But to answer your question-" She said as she turned towards Veronica "-now we get out of here. Johnny, you and your, uh... friend?" They said with a leery glance now that they finally had a calm moment to observe it "Sure, friend. You and him check if the coast is clear, I'm gonna see if the other doctor's ok."

They moved towards them and tried to gently place a hand on what looked like what was probably his shoulder, leery about getting cracked but also keenly aware they were the one here who probably wasn't going to die if that happened.

 

[MidwayLives]

"I like them...Let's not eat them. For now..." [Melancholy Hill] murmured playfully after the prisoner had turned their attention elsewhere. It was at that point that Johnny had finished wiping at his eyes and exhaled a long sigh. He threw a brief glare at his power for that casual comment. This thing was Johnny and Johnny was it and yet the reigns still needed to be established or else Johnny would never feel 100% safe. It may have been impervious to non-powered weapons/entities as far as it'd shown so far. But it'd made it very clear to Johnny before that powered individuals could not only see it but interact with it. Which meant that if that prisoner who'd shown off their power with being able to tank a shotgun blast point blank and then tackle down a massive robot turned against them or had a reason to fight Johnny? It'd be a very short fight. The latter feat being something that Johnny could barely accomplish with [Melancholy Hill] and he was left with bloodied knuckles to boot. Lowering his head, Johnny started to make his forward with [Melancholy Hill] floating beside him, the soles of it's boots not touching the ground.

"When we catch up to that guard. If we ever do, I mean. We're still agreed on what we're going to do right?"

[Melancholy Hill] didn't respond and Johnny knew why. There were seeds of doubt beginning to blossom within him. Having to fend off bullets with a massive undead cat-like specter that looked like something out of his nightmares and then getting teargassed? It all felt so surreal and Johnny was very, very tired. What Johnny knew, his power knew and vice versa. They were one in the same and thus there was no need to state the obvious. Lowering his head until it was side by side with Johnny's, the creature's maw opened and the portal that lead to the dimension that only it and Johnny knew of was on full display. It was a bright sight with mystifying turns and spirals within it. While only powered beings could see/interact with [Melancholy Hill] when one was on death's door, Johnny wagered that the last figurative kick in the pants would be seeing this thing's ugly mug right before it devours you. Insight into a world beyond your own before it all comes to a bleak and undignified end.

"Will he die in this dimension? Melancholy Hill?"

The being's maw closed and saliva dripped from it's vile rotting fangs as it's face twisted into a sickening grimace. It's milky eyes turned over to look at Johnny as words finally began to escape from it. Ones that only Johnny could hear, so far as he knew anyway. "Who knows? As I said before, neither of us know what happens to something that's sent there. All we know is that it's a dark place. But what you see is what you get. Fears come in different forms, Johnny." It placed one of it's hands atop Johnny's shoulder and shifted it's expression into a devilish grin. "Isn't that right?" Johnny brushed off the hand and [Melancholy Hill] took it's place back besides it's master/other half, it's hands hanging wistfully at it's side. Johnny's gaze hardened and as they continued forward, searching for any other kind of threats, it continued speaking.

"The only way you leave is to look your deepest fears in the eye and tell them they no longer control you. But we saw what this one did when he lost control. Some are made of sterner stuff, others? Not so much. But you knew that already, didn't you, Johnny?" Johnny's brows were furrowed and his hands were balled up into fists. If they went through with this and devoured Matt and he didn't have what it takes to escape? He'd probably be tortured,hunted down, and then maybe killed. Maybe. It'd be a murder that nobody would ever know about. Nobody but Johnny that is. Is that what a 'good guy' would do? Even after seeing how much of an asshole that guy was? From what Johnny had heard, this place was unforgiving. A place to make you face your greatest fears and stomach them.

Or die.

"Guess we'll see what he's made of, huh?" Johnny quipped and a low rumbling laughter escaped from his companion as they continued forward. "We certainly will..."

 

[MyrtenRose]

"...So... I guess your power's not just reprogramming robots?" They asked with a glance at the doctor, a small smile of relief on their face before they took a deep breath. "It's definitely gonna have to crouch in this hallway though. But to answer your question-" She said as she turned towards Veronica "-now we get out of here. Johnny, you and your, uh... friend?" They said with a leery glance now that they finally had a calm moment to observe it "Sure, friend. You and him check if the coast is clear, I'm gonna see if the other doctor's ok."

"Oh." By now, the ringing in her ears had subsided enough that she could actually make out what others were saying. "Yeah...getting the hell out of here, good call." MJ nodded in agreement, gaze turning towards the hallway out of here. Matt was probably long gone by now, the fucking tool. However...

MJ bit her lip in thought. Yeah, this power or whatever, it gave her an intense nosebleed...not to mention that damn flashbang. Straining herself further, maybe not the best idea but stumbling around blind? That was most likely worse. Instead of getting into that robot right away, she turned and stepped over towards the other two down and out guards. The young girl knelt by the closest one, one hand reaching with index/middle fingers extended to press against his unconscious head as she did her damnedest to focus and only go through his memories. No one else's.

The general layout of this place, the easiest path to the exit, if there were any dangerous security measures around (she couldn't help but think how much she really didn't want to fucking die locked down in some hallway while a grid of lasers cut her to pieces, like in that other old shit film with the smoking hot Russian)

"That would make the top ten worst ways to die list, for sure." She muttered...and then another thought came to her and she also went looking to find out what the hell this place was, who these guards worked for. Useful for later.

 

[Kitsune Mask]

Veronica felt her legs tremble when she rested eyes on the trick Rochefort pulled off with the robots. She wasn't afraid, no, this man was in the same boat they were in. She was just shaking from exhaustion, not fear. This crazy situation and all that she saw was more than a little bit of a sensory overload and she felt mentally drained already. Ugh, why had she even bothered to go to the Founder's Fair in the first place? If she had only decided on staying home maybe she would've avoided getting caught up in whatever was going on in this place...

"It's definitely gonna have to crouch in this hallway though. But to answer your question-" She said as she turned towards Veronica "-now we get out of here. Johnny, you and your, uh... friend?" They said with a leery glance now that they finally had a calm moment to observe it "Sure, friend. You and him check if the coast is clear, I'm gonna see if the other doctor's ok."

"I'd love to get out of here," Veronica agreed wholeheartedly. However, she wondered if escaping this place would be possible. What if there were more armed guards and other people with 'abilities' like they had? Still, they had to try.

"Anyone for a lift?"

"I think... I could use one," she replied, exhaling. Veronica's legs still hadn't stopped shaking. She was tired, and currently unaware that her own brand of powers required a recharge. In fact, she wasn't really aware of what her capabilities were at all yet.

 

[Prospero]

"...So... I guess your power's not just reprogramming robots?"

"Its like I'm in legoland! Boy, I see objects and something just-well, it responds like this!" He laughed again and gestured towards his crude creation as he added. "It can only go so far and I can't do too much just yet before I start getting severe migranes. This is something that requires circumstances-." He cleared his throat, realizing he was getting warmed up as he spoke. "Er, but perhaps another time."

"I think... I could use one," she replied, exhaling. Veronica's legs still hadn't stopped shaking. She was tired, and currently unaware that her own brand of powers required a recharge. In fact, she wasn't really aware of what her capabilities were at all yet.

"Oh, well we can fix that." And Rochefort moved to pick up Veronica, like the medic he had been as he placed her gently afterwards if allowed onto the constructs back seat...He leaned back and lamented the lack of more comfortable seats, but this would do nicely. And with the shielding up, would ensure that any front-facing fire would be stopped well enough. No weapons however.

The guns he had subconsciously discarded though the cutting laser remained, if only to get through. He hoped it wouldn't come to that, as he moved to check on the guards. A quick examination of their bodies made him sigh in relief before he looked about for anyone else who needed a ride.

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

It seemed that getting out of their cells was going to be the hard part of this escape. While the way the red lights in the hall were pulsing implied some sort of alarm was going through the complex, it was a short walk to the elevator that had brought Beckett down to them, and MJ's poking around in the guard's memory had scrounged up the code to operate it during emergencies. The ride only took thirty seconds, though the pull they felt on their innards as the elevator shot up the shaft told them that a short ride did not mean a short distance. Wherever they'd been had been deep.

When the elevator doors slid open in silence at the end of their ride, it was to a stark contrast to the sleek black metal they'd been surrounded by. Dull, grey plaster laid in ruins around them, the 'ceiling' of the squat building riddled with holes and missing chunks that laid on the linoleum floors, allowing moonlight to stream in from above. "Follow me" Beckett murmured as they jogged out through the rubble and around a corner. The door came shortly after, then across the street, around another corner, then another, till where exactly the building had been was almost impossible to remember. they exited out at the next block to a large van, its engine whirring in a dull, low pitch hum. A man leaned out the driver's side window and adjusted his glasses before he beamed. "FINALLY! Took you long enough Beckett, load them in! I'd rather not be followed!" He started to slide his head back in before he paused to add "Good to see you're not dead, Rochie! Surprising, but good!"

The man's glasses and beard (save for the fact that the bottom half had been singed off) looked astoundingly familiar; It was the scientist who's demonstration had quite literally blown up in their faces. Their almost fellow prisoner was also familiar now that they weren't fighting or running for their lives, save that their hair was white now instead of brown; the assistant who'd been up there with him.

Their rescuers were the very people who'd likely gotten them into this mess.

They only had a few seconds to ponder that as Beckett opened the back doors and hopped in before looking back at them expectantly before a drone whizzed by over head, a red light shining down across the streets and barely missing the van behind the building it was parked.

Did they risk getting in the van with a mad scientist(s?), or did they try to escape their captors on their own?

 

[Prospero]

"Good to see you're not dead, Rochie! Surprising, but good!"

The man's glasses and beard (save for the fact that the bottom half had been singed off) looked astoundingly familiar; It was the scientist who's demonstration had quite literally blown up in their faces. Their almost fellow prisoner was also familiar now that they weren't fighting or running for their lives, save that their hair was white now instead of brown; the assistant who'd been up there with him.

Their rescuers were the very people who'd likely gotten them into this mess.

Rochefort already knew. Why wouldn't he?

Considering he hired the Becketts to the point he considered them a family friend, what with all their interactions. Which is why he felt fully justified as both a doctor, a noted pacifist and a man of peace for his first reaction being to go right for his friends throat. His hands moved out to grab his collar, shaking him as he snarled.

"MAXWELL JAMES BANT, YOU EXPLOSIVE-HAPPY LUNATIC, WHAT LAWS OF SCIENCE DID YOU MAKE CRY IN THE CORNER THIS TIME?!"

That wasn't what made him angry as he gestured to their rescuer.

"I COULD FORGIVE THAT IF ONLY BECAUSE I CAN DO THINGS WHICH WILL REQUIRE MANY EXPERIMENTS LATER, BUT THESE! ARE! CHILDREN!"

With every punctuation, he shook him and then let out a deep breath before letting go and brushing him off.

"Talk later, run now." He needed that though and before he left, he turned and cleared his throat. Once everyone was off his walker, he spoke. "Umm...If you could cause a distraction somewhere else, that'd be wonderful. Be as noisy as possible."

The walker simply stared and then the screen played the gif of a robotic hand sinking into molten metal, as a thumbs up was offered. Rochefort chuckled despite himself.

"Good luck to you too."

And the Walker turned and charged off rapidly.

Rochefort would be strapping on his seatbelt.

 

[MidwayLives]

Johnny was understandably conflicted. He'd come to the convention to die. There was no dancing around it. He'd hoped an accident would occur and that it'd only take him out and leave others be. Nobody would miss him. But in the end others ended up suffering and he got stuck with a spectral monster standing beside him. That same monster it should be noted also had a portal that lead to a hellish dimension that one could only escape if they conquered their fears. If he didn't get a good grip on his power, who's to say it simply wouldn't lash out and hurt his relatives, uncaring and abusive as they might have been to Johnny.

"..."

"Better the devil you know..." [Melancholy Hill] chattered though that was Johnny speaking through the creature for once. Allowing it to vocalize his thoughts made what he was about to do feel a bit better. It was as if he got a second opinion when in reality it was simply regurgitating what he'd already thought. [Melancholy Hill]'s boots finally touched down upon the ground and sprang forward, causing Johnny to yelp as he flew through the air and landed in the back of the van's floor. "Ugh.."

 

[MyrtenRose]

He started to slide his head back in before he paused to add "Good to see you're not dead, Rochie! Surprising, but good!"

"MAXWELL JAMES BANT, YOU EXPLOSIVE-HAPPY LUNATIC, WHAT LAWS OF SCIENCE DID YOU MAKE CRY IN THE CORNER THIS TIME?!"

After all the stuff they had just gone through in that messy prison break, the last thing she expected to be taken aback by now was a simple exchange of names. Her eyes widened in surprised shock as she did a double take at both of them in turn. Those names, she knew them well. Maxwell Bant...his work in the field of particle physics was nothing to scoff at. And if Rochie was a nickname for what she thought it was, then this guy, the soldier with PTSD and now some kind of hacking power...he's Stephen Rochefort. Another known scientist, an expert in robotics. Mom would never admit to it but MJ knew that some of the work she did was influenced by some of his concepts, his designs. Their names and others, practically drilled into MJ's head from the lengths her Mom went to make sure she was not some brainless idiot. Hours and hours spent poring over research papers, published works, experimentation summaries, blueprints, theory papers.

Memorizing the number of elementary particles in the Standard Model Theory, 61. The neuroscience that would be needed to have actuators respond to signals given out by the nervous system. Notes on the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, the only spin-polarized photon collider ever built, and the possibilities voiced by critic hypothesis that such a device could produce such catastrophes as creating a black hole or even a false vacuum. Even things as far back as Mendel's work on plant hybridization and biological inheritance.

Her surprised eyes rapidly shifted to undisguised excitement. Mom and Dad had dragged her to that celebration, not even bothering or caring to ask her what she wished. The family reputation that they cared so much about, no care left for the actual family. It left a bitter taste in her mouth and she did her best to seem thoroughly disinterested and bored by all that science and engineering crap, just to get back at them in some small, petty way.

Privately though?

She didn't need the ominous red light of the drone zooming overhead or the robot walker charging off to make her decide to hop on in...which she did with clear and present enthusiasm. The look on her face was one that would not look out of place on a Comic-Con visitor getting to take a selfie with a celebrity idol or a favorite social media star. There was some brief hesitation considering the situation and an awkward cough/clearing of her throat before she chose to go with the option of oh, to hell with it and she spoke.

"Erm...you're not the Maxwell Bant and the Stephen Rochefort, are you?" MJ asked, hoping she could now put faces to the names.

 

[Corvette]

Gunnar Garrett, Ph.D., had never been a leader. His parents had pressured him into science--his greatest rebellion was going into zoology instead of medicine. But that was only because it hadn't really mattered which scientific field he'd gone into, as long as he became a doctor. Their advice wasn't bad, and perhaps was even good, but it had never been Gunnar's plan. He'd always wanted to be an actor, a man of the stage, a thespian. But he was meek and avoided confrontation more than he strove for happiness. So he'd become a doctor of zoology at Adehntu University, and he was good at it, and hell, he didn't even dislike the field, but it had never been what he wanted.

Most of that to say, his choices had never much mattered. Now, though, each decision was life and death, and it was his prerogative to choose the option that would keep him alive. In this case, the will of others as well as his own contributed to his choice... to get in the van, however well he could do that, being several hundred pounds and several times larger than anyone else inside. He was gangling and lanky in this new form--at least, compared to his stout and portly body when he'd appeared fully human--and he clambered laboriously into the vehicle, doing his best to completely avoid touching anyone else. The look in his eye was like a beaten dog--forlorn and dejected, like he'd never know kindness again.

Obviously, he could never know that for sure, but since he now held a nightmarish new form and was surely terrifying to look at, much less interact with, it seemed a foregone conclusion in Gunnar's mind. Not to mention, he couldn't even speak to defend himself, yet. He had to get used to his new anatomy, without exterior lips or teeth to form syllables. He hoped he'd be able to find a way.

 

[Prospero]

"Erm...you're not the Maxwell Bant and the Stephen Rochefort, are you?" MJ asked, hoping she could now put faces to the names.

"In that order? Unfortunately and yes." Rochefort spoke, though now with his anger having had a minor outlet he no longer felt quite as pent up. He threw a sharp glance to the side, looking at MJ with a disconcerted expression at seeing her own before he asked.

"Er...Have we met before young lady? I feel honor-bound to tell you, I am terrible with names and generally only remember mine because my assistant takes pains to write it on my coffee machine." It was a poor joke, but somehow he felt better for it as he laughed as if it was good humor as he shook his head and added. "This morning, I had no greater thought then harvesting my tomatoes and demonstrating my medical drones abilities. Now I'm here...Treating machines like tinker-toys and alongside beings that wouldn't be out of place in some of the more wild stories."

 

[MyrtenRose]

"Er...Have we met before young lady? I feel honor-bound to tell you, I am terrible with names and generally only remember mine because my assistant takes pains to write it on my coffee machine."

"Oh no, no we haven't met before. My parents, they..." She trailed off, thinking about how to put it while also not really wanting to delve too much into that topic. "...well, let's just say I know your name because of them. My mom, mostly. Evelyn McKinney. One of Adhentu's top mechanical engineers and scientific expert in the field of biomechatronics/neuroscience, to hear her put it. Dad's not quite as smart but still clever and important and full of himself." She finished with a whisper.

"Between the two of them, well, they have certain...expectations for me." She shook her head. "Anyway, yeah, I've read some of your stuff, that's how I know you. Didn't know your face until just now but yeah." : D

 

[Schnee Corp Lawyer]

Bant blinked at MJ's question, because he absolutely did have a reputation.

It just wasn't a very good one.

In the upper echelons of the scientific community, there was a fine line between genius and raving lunatic. It often depended entirely on whether one's theories panned out, and Maxwell Bant's last couple hadn't exactly panned out. Not his last couple theories, his last couple decades of thinking them up. Something had been calling to him. It wasn't one discovery that had led him to believe it, but rather hazy connections between unrelated knowledge and theorems that no one else seemed to notice. He went from an up and coming voice in the radiation and physics community, to cutting edge revolutionary, to an absolute crackpot in the eyes of his peers.

"...Nope. Not him."

"Uncle." C.D. reprimanded as they pulled the doors closed behind everyone.

"Ok, I am him, but don't worry about that! We have more important worries than the 57' awards!" he said as he started to turn around, before he paused and turned back. "Though I still swear up and down that Dr. Moses was not human that night!"

"Uncle."

"RIGHT. Driving!"

No lights turned on as they started down the darkened streets. Rather, the windscreen flickered and the way forward as as clear as day in a bluescale sheen. They drove straight, left, right, left again, till a good fifteen minutes had passed. "Okay. I think we're safe. Don't think I'll need you all if we're attacked." he said as he reached under the seat.

"What does- Wait what is that for-"

Both of CD's questions died in their throat as they managed exactly one cough before the gas hit their lungs and they slumped downards. Maxwell Bant turned towards them with a rebreather in his lips, the last thing they saw before blackness overtook them

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the second time in an hour(?), they woke up somewhere new. The ceiling above was high enough that it disappeared in the darkness, the lighting coming from stand up construction lamps and an array of screens that took up an entire wall of the large room. Lab equipment filled the rest in a haphazard organization, with the group in the center of it all.

Unlike before, they woke up in a massive pile of blankets and pillows, one of them stuck to Dr. Gunnar's horn.


"GOOD, you're awake!" Came bant's voice from nearby as they started to come to. It was in fact, right next to them. Coming from a head that was caught between CD's body and elbow, the lab assistant's visage a picture of dour frustration as they didn't quite choke their uncle, but certainly wasn't letting him go anywhere. "As I was TRYING to explain to my brother's child, the gas was a necessary precaution! I have important knowledge to share, and this is one of the few safe places I know won't be found! Considering the abilities some of you have shown, who knows who else can do what?! The last thing I need is Helcorp getting their hands on a mind reader and a corporate killsquad's suddenly in my kitchen."

 

[MyrtenRose]

...It was him! Both of them!!! "Oh my gosh I have such a ladyboner right now." No, Bant in particular hadn't been touted as an intellectual worth respect in...well, going on decades now. But genius and madness are two sides of the same coin, as they say. When that coin's flipped, there's no telling how it'll go. And no lie, even though many or even most of the respectable/highly praised scientists and engineers derided him as nothing more than a madman skirting along the fringes of their community? When she was buried knee deep(literally) in books, papers and notes, a lot of things blurred together. Not everything was super intriguing or interesting...but she could say without even a hint of a doubt that he always stood out. Regardless of if that was a good thing or a bad thing, it was always an interesting thing. Doc Brown in the flesh! Kinda.

"Hey, do you think I could--" She cut herself off, her brain's thoughts just now catching up with her mouth. Yeah, no, you brainless idiot. Not when he's driving!

That whole drive, she tried to figure out where they were headed but to no avail. And it wasn't just because of the confusing direction.

It was no tiny confining cell she woke up in this time but the fact remained. "Aight, that's getting real old, real fast." MJ made her annoyance clear, glancing over towards Bant stuck in the headlock, her eyebrows raising. Not at the safehouses thing, that made sense for a mad doc, but the other thing. "Whoa wait wait, there's a telepath here?!" She looked around at the others. "One of you's like Charlie X?"