As the robots began moving again, if they were paying attention to the ships, they may notice a messenger bird flying from the direction they had come from and onto the deck of the lead ship. Due to the lack of subtlety the robots had shown, the locals had been able to quickly figure out which direction they had been going in, and where they would end up.
A few moments after the bird landed, more birds left the ship. These birds, reminiscent of Vultures, had been deployed to scan the area for things out of the normal that stood out. Whenever or not the robots would notice the activities of any of the birds in the air, scanning the ground as they were, was the question.
Meanwhile, the robots were unable to find any caves suitably large enough for their bulky bodys in the first few minutes. However, they may get the sense that something else was watching them. Something more....feral.
Sundowner became annoyed when the robots who had expressed interest in their services ignored them and went walking off with someone else. "Well ok then, fuck you too! Assholes." He got up, his associates following suit. "Anyone else wants real, competent services from a licensed PMC, our door is open." With that, the group left the room.
Lady considered the offer for a moment, then nodded. Seemed fair to her, and she'd get a place to stay out of the deal too, something she dearly needed. God knows she wasn't sleeping in Dante's place. Might swing by to take advantage of the unlimited ammo thing the Cure had mentioned, and to steal some free pizza, but that was about it.
"Alright, that's fair." Lady said. "And I will be needing a place to crash. Not really all that interested in being a duelist, however. I hunt demons. The only people I kill are people who are stupid enough to try to summon them, which tends to be rare, most people aren't that stupid, and they usually get killed by the demon they try to summon anyway. Might be expanding that a bit, if it turns out there are no real demons to hunt. I'll keep you in mind if I run out of work, but from the looks of things, I'll have plenty to keep me busy.
Waller looked at the ape when he asked about extra collars. "Yes, I have plenty more. Apparently the room came stocked with many of the collars. I can give you some to subdue your locals. But ask yourself this first. Have you ever killed anyone before? Do you think you can look a man, or a beast, or whatever we are talking about, directly in the eyes and press the button to end their life in an explosive flash? Because my collars will do nothing for you if you cannot pull the trigger when you have to. if they sense weakness, if they are not 100% sure that you will follow through with your threats, they will come down on you and try to rip you apart. So before we continue, ask yourself if this is a responsibility you are prepared to take."
edited 26th Aug '15 5:08:00 AM by Meanken
Cranky stared at Waller in shock. However, it was not out of moral surprise or shock, but more of......
"What are ya, stupid lady?!" Cranky bluntly said to Waller. "Where I come from, you don't get anywhere near as old as I do without cracking a couple of skulls to survive! Heck, the current generation got off easy compared to back in my day! I'd be worried if the whole lot of them were going soft if it weren't fer the constant stream of invasions our island was getting! And quite honestly I'd be tempted to use those collars of yours as a convenient way to send the whole Kremling race straight to Hell where they belong if my wife wasn't such a bleeding heart! 'Oh no Cranky, give them a chance, a few of just don't know better,'" he said while mimicking a woman's voice, "well the one percent doesn't excuse the rest of the 99!" From the way Cranky ranted, it seemed these Kremlings were bad enough to make the old ape believe genocide was a justifiable option in dealing with them, though more like how an old man would rant about a certain demographic.
Despite Steeljaw's efforts at staying still, what had moved earlier was still coming towards the Decepticons.....and heading straight for them.....
edited 26th Aug '15 7:33:31 AM by UdtheImp
DAMMIT MARK, STOP HOTTING HELPY!!
Waller nodded, and reached for her ear, turning on a hidden communication device. "Deadshot. I need a case of collars."
"Regular or high explosive?"
This question caused her to pause for a moment before she said "Bring both."
Within moments, Deadshot
◊ entered the room, also having on an identical collar to the other two, carrying two cases which he set before Waller.
"Now then, this one has normal sized collars, intended for human sized necks with the suitable amount of explosives needed to remove the head without much other collateral damage. It can be adjusted slightly larger if needed." She said as she pointed to a black case. Then she pointed at a red one. "This one possesses collars with three times the explosives, intended for large things such as him." She said as she pointed at Croc. "I have a third type for abnormally large things, but those I will need time to set up. I trust one of these two should prove sufficient for now?"
edited 26th Aug '15 8:33:31 AM by Meanken
Resistance Base
Misaki instinctively reached for her handgun at the sight of the metallic skeletons. She then realized that her actions might provoke the things, so she quickly put the gun away and faced her palms outwards to gesture she wasn't a threat.
"You weren't joking about the killer robots then," she said to John, looking more than a little uncomfortable. "Are these things working for you or Skynet?"
Common Room
April smiled at Waller's allegiance to the group. The fact that she volunteered to be the pragmatist of the group was very amusing; clearly she had never worked with Contractors before. They weren't short on pragmatists.
"Then welcome aboard, Miss Waller. I'd be happy to give you a tour of our city later."
She then turned back to Optimus. "But first I'd like to get a glimpse of your city, Mr. Autobot. That's if you don't mind, of course."
Tokyo
"So you've lost your Contractor abilities?" Mao asked. He, Hei, Huang, and the white-haired girl had taken seats in Amber's hotel room, across from the ex-Contractor herself and two of her associates: a large red-haired man
and a blonde woman with glasses.
Amber nodded. "After the stars changed again I lost my connection with the past and future. Guess that means I'm a regular human being again."
"So what do you want from us?" Hei asked.
"Your help. It's clear that this new place—Battleworld, right?—is a bigger threat to the city than anything we've faced before. That's why I want you to join forces with the Evening Primrose and help protect Tokyo from the other groups. From what you've been telling us, Hei, it looks like we'll need all the Contractors we can get—even ones who work for the Syndicate."
Huang puffed another cigarette. "What's your problem with the Syndicate, anyway?"
"Now isn't the time to explain that. For now we'll just have to bite our tongues and work together. Hopefully your superiors have learned enough from our conversation to agree with me."
A blue gelatinous-looking blob that had been bulging on the front door suddenly sank into the wood and vanished. Only Huang and Amber failed to look at it.
"Looks like they've learned all they need to." The red-haired man frowned. "The specter's gone."
Amber smiled at her companion. "Thank you for telling me, Amagiri. It's a bit strange not being able to spot them anymore, but I assumed they'd send one. After all, that's why we chose somewhere obvious to meet.
"Now that it's gone though, let's talk about how we can learn more about this Battleworld..."
edited 26th Aug '15 9:09:14 AM by TheodoreHastings
feeling blue
Iris and the Black Cross were just listening to the conversations, though something was slightly bothering Iris.
"Um... Did any of you just hear the Cure speak just now?" she asked.
edited 26th Aug '15 10:39:16 AM by FullMoon
Problem Child
If there was one thing that Rodimus Prime couldn't stand, it was a defensive posting. By his experience, a guard contingent didn't prevent an attack so much as redirect it to a softer target. Better to keep a small team reactive and on the move than to mark out clear points of military concentration to the enemy.
Not that there had been a real, definable enemy of Cybertron for the last few million stellar cycles. Aside from the occasional border skirmish with Decepticons, and a few scares with the Quintesson Co-Prosperity Sphere, the Autobot Commonwealth had enjoyed technological dominance over countless galactic sectors, and influence reaching beyond even that.
And yet, in one inexplicable moment, Iacon had been moved, and thus left more vulnerable than ever. Alien landscapes, like the strange, forested urban centre before him, had cropped up. Their natives were unknown, but orders from the top brass at the Metroplex were to keep the borders secure against any conceivable hostilities. Orders beyond that were scant, but Rodimus preferred it. Some of his best handiwork in the Velocitron Pacification was handled with minimal command oversight hampering on his intuition.
From his position in his makeshift watchtower atop an Iacon administration complex, he peered down through his macro-scopes. With the orbital defences removed, satelite coverage vanished and the sophisticated planetary sensor network rendered useless, it fell to rudimentary guard postings across the border to ensure a strict quarantine. The rest of Team Athena were patrolling in vehicle mode, while he kept the high ground, as the team's leader and sharpshooter.
Other borders were being manned by the Autotrooper law enforcement units, with the entire department effectively press-ganged into the quarantine effort. While they were spread thin protecting the borders, they were at the very least managing their routes thoroughly - there would only be a minute margin of error for someone to slip through.
Optimus listened to Waller, carefully.
"Alright. Maybe patience is the greater virtue here. We focus on finding our feet before anything else. This Cure will watch and listen in on our every move, if what he says is true. Until we find cracks in that, we focus on keeping our people out of harm."
He looked to April. "If you want to see it, you'd better come now."
With that, he turned back to his portal.
"I'll need to return and give a full report, if this meeting is going to mean anything. But don't fear the Autobots. No one with peaceful intent will find themselves our enemies."
Prowl gave one last look around the room, briefly nodding to Iris, before following Optimus through the portal.
As Optimus and Prowl exited the portal, they were immediately hounded by a particularly agitated Bumblebee, darting around them.
"Ratchet told us everything!" Bumblebee blurted. "Is it true, or is he just a few circuits short of a motherboard? Cuz I can totally get behind the whole 'Ratchet is out of his processor' angle way before I get behind the whole 'there's an army of Decepticons about to scrap us all!"
"It's not an army," said Prowl. "If they had a position of strength over us, they'd have made demands. They didn't."
"So... we're going to be okay, then?" asked Bulkhead.
"We won't be in the clear just yet," said Optimus. "There's a lot of particularly contentious organics out there getting ready for war. Luckily, there's just as many willing to co-exist with us. And none of them seemed to buy into Steeljaw's words."
"Do you really think they're going to just show up, arms raised and humbly ask to work with Autobots?" asked Ratchet, derisively.
"I'd rather take that chance than risk letting them out of reach," was Prime's answer. He turned to Bumblebee. "What's the situation in Iacon?"
"At first? Straight up panic, Boss-bot. Then the Cop-bots showed up and dispersed everyone they could find. We, uh... hid." He kicked at the ground. "Then, there was this big announcement. Everyone is meant to stay indoors while the Elite Guard lock the place down. Full border quarantine until they're sure there's no danger from the organics out there. There's an emergency session at the Metroplex being held as we speak."
"Then that's where we're going," said Optimus, transforming into his vehicle mode a moment after, tearing off down the neon streets of Iacon. The other four bots quickly followed suit, Prowl allowing April to mount him if she indeed followed through the portal.
edited 27th Aug '15 6:31:01 AM by SR3NORMANDY
What if there’s no better word than just not saying anything?
The first bird that flew over the heads of Underbite and Thunderhoof didn't attract much attention from either member of the duo; birds were of fairly low concern to them right now. The second bird didn't draw comment either... but by the time that the fourth or fifth carrion bird swooped overhead, even Underbite could tell that something was up, and said as much.
"So... uh... what do you think those birds want with us?" he muttered. You want I should go rough 'em up, 'Hoof? Maybe even beat a confession outta them?"
"They're animals, ya idiot. They don't talk, see?" Thunderhoof planted himself up against a nearby cliff face with the practiced ease of somebody who had spent a lot of time hiding from one authority or another, watching as another bird swooped overhead. "Sure seems like they're lookin' for sumthin', though."
"What do ya think it is?" Underbite waddled over to Thunderhoof's improvised hiding space and knelt down among some of the twisted rocks; with any luck, his own dark, jagged outline would make him seem like a weirdly-shaped outcrop to those who didn't know exactly what the were looking at.
"I dunno, ya glitchhead," hissed Thunderhoof, doing his best to stay hidden from the birds, "maybe the two Decepticons who just trashed a bunch a' humans?!"
"Hm. Oh, yeah." Experimentally, Underbite reached down and experimentally grabbed a rock in his mouth, chewing on it for a few seconds before spitting out the partially masticated gravel. "Ugh. Even the rocks in this place don't taste right. Not enough metal n'... stuff. Gross."
"We got more important things ta do than eat!" Still trying to stay as inconspicuous as possible, Thunderhoof kneeled down and grabbed one of the crushed rocks. Experimentally, he threw the pebble across the coastline, where it clattered to a halt a good distance away from their current hiding spot.
Steeljaw tried not to flinch as the huge underwater thing kept moving around them. He had no idea what this thing was, or if it was even capable of understanding speech. Still, it never hurt to negotiate... and if things went south he could always point out that he had tried to talk his way out of the predicament.
"We mean you no harm," he said, not necessarily intending to keep this promise. "We are lost travellers trying to find dry land; we were sent to your ocean through no fault of our own. We simply want to live peacefully on this new world."
It wasn't exactly a lie, not if you looked at it with the right optics.
Clampdown laughed nervously as he tried to figure out where the noise was coming from."Yeah, that's right! Peacefully, peacefully! We're the most peaceful 'bots what ever lived, ain't that right Steeljaw? Right?"
edited 26th Aug '15 5:51:25 PM by Locoman
The thrown rock had, for the moment, attracted the attention of the carrion birds, who started circling over the area of the blood it his splashed down into. However, the bots would quickly find that they had far more pressing concerns then the birds. From the moment they had entered the wastelands, they had been picked out by the natives. The robotic steel that made up the robot frames had a distinctly unnatural smell to them, a smell that had drawn the attention of those who lurked here.
They had delayed approaching, unsure what, exactly, this new smell was. But more had gathered now, and they were never picky about what they ate. curiously and hunger overcame caution, and they started coming out of the woodwork. These were Tarkatans. But they were unlike those Tarkatans that the robots might have caught glimpses of during their rampage. Not every member of the Tarkatan race joined Shao Kahn's army. Some failed the tests necessary to join the ranks. Some were outcasts, tossed away for committing various crimes against Outworld. And some simply never possessed enough mental capacity to be able to function in any civilized society. These failed members of the Tarkatan race lurked here, in the Wastelands, and the robots had unwittingly drove directly through their territory. It may now occur to the robots, as the beasts started approaching, exactly why the guard ships had strayed so far from this side of the coastline, and why the birds had not dared get too close to the ground.
A guttural roar sounded from one of the beasts, a signal to charge. And charge they did. First one. Then two. Four. Ten. The numbers continued to increase as more and more ran at the robots. They would try to damage them in any way they could, clawing, gnawing, biting at anything they could reach. Some of the more enthusiastic members would attempt to jump on top of the robots and claw at their optics, reach inside any openings they could find, and try to rip it open. Individually, they would prove no threat to the robots. But there was far more then one, and these Tarkatans, with their exceptional strength, speed, and pure bloodlust, would prove a far more deadly opponent then the robots may expect as the waves continued, seemingly endlessly.
edited 26th Aug '15 10:32:58 AM by Meanken
"Regular for now," Cranky said to Waller. "Hey DK, I need you to carry something!" he called out.
DK immediately walked over to Cranky, waiting to pick up on the crates. "Now be careful with those things, they're explosive AND NO THEIR NOT ON A TIMER!!" the older ape yelled at DK as if to remind the younger Kong of something.
Then Iris asked if anyone else in the room just heard the Cure then. Donkey grunted happily while raising his hand.
"Wait, the Cure spoke to you?" Cranky asked, slightly skeptical. "As in, specifically you?!"
DK nodded.
"God help us all," Cranky groaned bitterly while face palming.
The large object coming towards them turned out to be several smaller somethings. An entire pack of somethings.......they came closer, completely ignorant of Steeljaw's attempt at negotiation......
The pack was upon them -
"ARF!"
The pack turned out to consist of goofy looking sharks that barked like dogs
◊, the apparent alpha slightly larger and having a tiger stripe pattern
◊. All the shark circled the Decepticons, sniffing them like canines would, and then the majority of them swam away while a few lingered behind, taking interest in the giant robots. One was affectionately nuzzling Clampdown and another was playful nibbling Steeljaw as a show of affection, clearly not planning on attacking.
To another smaller and organic, these would have been fierce if odd predators. To the Decepticons they were completely harmless.
edited 26th Aug '15 2:19:19 PM by UdtheImp
DAMMIT MARK, STOP HOTTING HELPY!!
Vampire Hunter
Dracula & Carmilla, Common Room
Dracula nodded to Shao Khan as he left and listened as the Cure spoke.
"Hmm," Dracula noted the new map himself, and looked please. "Ah, that is a boon then... We've lost a neighbor and a potential threat and have gained more coastline in exchange."
Dracula finally decided to stand up, and approached Carmilla. "Carmilla, I would like for you to stay here as representative of Castlevania until all the other leaders leave."
"I myself have business to attend to," Dracula said as he left through the portal back home to Castlevania after Carmilla had nodded in agreement. Carmilla walked over to the group enlarging around Amanda Waller.
"How human to make others your slaves," Carmilla smirked at Waller, but then turned towards the group, looking rather annoyed to be treating humans as equals. "There is far too little for us to gain from a war against giant metal golems, so we request a truce with Iacon and the groups and lands allied with them."
"Castlevania will defend itself if invaded, and we shall not wear your explosive collars," Carmilla explained the terms and conditions of the truce. "We suspect Outworld and the Koopa Kingdom shall be more busy battling each other to care about fighting other lands, and Castlevania currently has no stake in that battle."
"We made a deal with Outworld because it is a neighbor as Iacon is," Carmilla sighed and rolled her eyes. "Is that an acceptable truce?"
Alucard & Grant, Outworld Forest
"We apologize for eavesdropping," Alucard replied as he made his appearance through the trees, followed by Grant who was wondering what Alucard was planning. "We had heard a loud, rapid noise, and found, well, you two."
Despite being rather terse in speaking to the cyborg and the Tarkatan, both Alucard and Grant were on guard for potential attack. After all, the cyborg may not bite, but both of them figured that the beast with a mouth full of sharp teeth would.
—-
Death, Outworld Border
Dracula had told Death about the current situation they were in with regards to both their position in Battleworld as well as their agreement with Shao Khan. While Dracula had been gone, Death had observed the other lands and stationed guards appropriately. The majority of the guards were protecting their border with Iacon as that was the biggest threat in Dracula's mind. There was also a number of guards patrolling the border of Outworld though not as much as there was with Iacon. While there were no obvious guards patrolling the border with Santa Destroy, there were a number of hidden spies keeping watch of the border.
Soon enough, Death would show up waiting on the Castlevania side of the border with Outworld. He was flanked by two of his own subordinate creatures... Slogra
and Gaibon! The forces guarding the border with Outworld were Lesser Demons.
Trevor & Sypha, Santa Destroy Border
Trevor & Sypha looked back at where the border of Castlevania was when the officer came up to them commenting that it was dangerous out there. Well, neither could actually deny that even if the border Santa Destroy had with Castlevania seemed eerily peaceful, but they did need to learn about what had been happening.
"We were spending the day with each other when we fell... unconscious," Trevor said to the officer. It was not exactly a lie, but more an omission. They were spending the day with each other and they fell unconscious. They were just near Castlevania when it happened.
Meanwhile, Sypha just looked at the officer cautiously. She was unsure if this hot, sunny place was welcoming of witches especially now that she couldn't hide as a man, but maybe she could pass as a normal human.
Wizard Needs Food Badly
Calamity is a housewife
Ape Home - Caesar's Abode
<"You must trust your father. He has only our best interests in mind.">
<"I'm not worried about that, Mother.">
<"Then what are you worried about, son?">
<"What's to come for us. And if it is too much even for Father.">
<"That is why we must maintain trust and unity with each other. I know your Father. I've disagreed with him before. But he will help us pull through in the end.">
Blue Eyes was about to smile at his mother's warm reassurance when the portal that had only just recently opened saw activity once again. Through it, came Caesar and his guard, unchanged and unharmed.
Blue Eyes rushed to his father, followed by a calcavade of eager apes.
Caesar looked upon his people and sighed.
The apes stirred. This could not be good news.
Caesar had revealed to his people what had happened, but assured them of their continuing survival. In his words, life would continue as it always had. In his words, they would not stand by and let the whims of the Cure interfere with their way of life. War would surely begin soon, and the apes were to prepare.
The women and children stirred in their huts while the willing soldiers of the ape army mobilized, not for invasion, but for a territorial blockade.
Visitors to the forests surrounding Ape Home would certainly have a hard time finding any apes, as they were hiding in the treetops, surveying the surroundings for potential dangers. At the gates of Ape Home, the Gorilla Guardians stood watch as they always had, while the Council had their back-and-forth regarding the recent happenings, and regarding their new home; the Battleworld.
But one ape was missing from the Council. As he discussed and debated, Caesar's glance fell on Koba's empty seat for all but a second.
edited 27th Aug '15 7:01:19 AM by LatverianBadger
"Shake the dust." - Anis Mojgani
"'Ey-yo!" roared Thunderhoof as the first Tarkatans came scuttling over the rocks and rubble, intent on tearing apart the two Decepticons. "Get off'a me, ya crazy meatbag!" He kicked the first Tarkatan squarely in the ribs as it flung itself headlong toward him, sending it on a one-way trip into the ground. Four more leapt up onto his arms and wrapped their arms against his own, pulling, yanking, trying to drag him down, and being a general nuisance... a nuisance that was quickly getting out of hand.
"I said get off!" Free of the nullifying influence of the pacification field, he stomped- and the ground shook in response. A hairline fissure raced along the ground in the direction of the impact, knocking several more of the misshapen creatures off of their feet.
"'Hoof, what are these things?" Underbite was in the same predicament; he reared up onto his back legs and came down on two of more, doing his best to shake off the other three currently clamped onto his haunches and doing their best try and rip his armor plating off.
"How d'ya think I know? Just keep hittin' 'em til they don't get up no more!"
"Do you - ugh! - know - who you're - ow! - dealin' with?" As if he was trying to make a point, Underbite repeatedly slammed his heavy front paw into one of the injured Tarkatans. "I - ate - a - CITY!"
The little sharks weren't quite the unstoppable underwater monstrosity that Steeljaw had expected. note In fact, they seemed almost... tame. Which raised more questions about just who had tamed them, and why. Absentmindedly, he scratched the little creature that was nibbling him with one finger, the way a human might pet a particularly overenthusiastic dog.
"Do you have a master?" he said in the way that he had sometimes seen humans addressing their companion animals. Soft, sweet, ladling affection and praise on every syllable. He wasn't exactly expecting a coherent response, but maybe he could kick-start some neglected fragment of their little brains and get some answers from someone- or something -smarter.
Even Clampdown seemed momentarily at ease... although he still wasn't exactly helpful. "'Ey, Steeljaw. Wasn't there a guy on the ship what looked like these things?"
edited 27th Aug '15 8:14:13 PM by Locoman
Eternal Princess
Sylvia gave Lady a smile.
"Consider it done. We will be placing you in one of the suites at Destroy Resort. I am sure you will find it accommodating. Hmm, so this will be the first time an interdimensional visitor has stayed at Santa Destroy, we will have to roll out some red carpet. It would not do to have us known in other realities as poor hosts. Smile!"
She pulled out her cell and took a quick snap shot of Lady's face.
"I'll make all the necessary arrangements. I am afraid I have a few things I want to attend to, but if you are would like to go now my associate here can escort you."
She placed her hand on Nathan's shoulder. As she did so she took a glance over at the wizard looking turtle creature that just entered the room. He could complicate things if he tried to start a bidding war. Even if what he brought was more or less chump change, the mere presence of another buyer gave the mercs in the room that much more leverage in negotiations. At least the Desperado group seemed to have vacated the room before his arrival. But it was now in her best interest to hire them sooner rather then later. She turned her attention back to Lady and handed her business card.
"Call me if you need anything, whether it be business or pleasure. If you do ever decide to change your mind on becoming a duelist, know we are always hiring and on the look out for exceptional talent. I look forward to seeing your work"
The officer took note of the outfits the two were wearing and decided not to comment. He had a nephew who was also into the whole dress up role play thing and didn't want to embarrass the two by calling them out on it. The woman already seemed to be less then pleased with him interrupting their little play date they had going. At least it explained why they were this far from civilization, have to get the right environment to get into character, or so he heard.
"You guys were way out here when the whole sleep thing hit everyone? That must of been scary. We are still trying to figure everything out. From what we know so far, like you everyone lost consciousness at the exact same moment. When people got up it seemed Santa Destroy under went a drastic geological shift, whatever the hell that is supposed means. Until we get this all sorted out it's best you stay in the city."
The officer began looking around, but seeing nothing but his own patrol car, he turned back to the couple.
"Where is your vehicle at? You guys need to hitch a ride back?"
Jasper stood in his tower looking out at the horizon. He had enjoyed the view from his office for many years. What he was looking at now was not that view. It was something completely foreign, a bad omen, and he hated it. This incident will not be something he could merely brush aside, it was going to demand all his attention. If that was to be the case, then there was something he had to take care of first.
It was a shame really. He had an elaborate scheme he wanted to enact his vengeance with. He would kill that man's closest friend and send him on the path of vengeance. Just when the man would think he had his revenge in grasp, Jasper would display the ruined corpses of all those he held dear. Jasper would break the man there. He would let the man get one last look at the city from his tower and let him know that this will be the legacy of the Batt family. He had built a city, while that man's only contribution to this earth was stealing the lives of better men. In that Despair, Jasper would kill him.
However, while the man deserved to suffer, he needed to die. If things got out of control in the coming days, it was possible that Jasper could miss his chance. If he wanted vengeance, he should enact it right now. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed another who was hurt by that man.
"Hello?"
"51. This is Jasper. The time has come for the Crownless King to die."
He could hear the anticipation the young man had on the other side of the phone.
"Let me do it. You have to let me be the one who kills him! Just set it up. Tell me where he is and I will make sure he pays for his sins!"
"This won't be an official match. You are to kill him in his home. No More Heroes motel, room 201. There you will find Travis Touchdown. Good luck."
He hung up after that and continued to gaze out the window. He to felt excited at the prospect that his family would finally see the justice they deserve.
edited 27th Aug '15 11:30:34 PM by ImmortalNeet
How do you kill that which has no life?
Suddenly, all the Snaggles perked up, sensing something......
A beat.
Just as suddenly they all swam away with surprising speed, as if to run from something......
The one nuzzling Clampdown was not fast enough, as something in the darkness grabbed it and pulled it into the shadows -
"YIPE YIPE YIPE YIPE YIPE YI - "*SQUELCH*
...............................
The resulting silence was deafening, almost tangible in its thickness........
edited 27th Aug '15 3:47:44 PM by UdtheImp
DAMMIT MARK, STOP HOTTING HELPY!!
"They work for the Resistance," John pointed to a large modern looking structure, "That is the recaptured Skynet factory, with it we've been able to mass produce plasma weaponry and even our own Terminators."
"Such as myself," Uncle Bob noted walking out.
Various trucks pulled up and out stepped Derek and Marcus, who observed the returning party, "I see you brought a new friend..." Marcus remarked.
"Derek Reese," was Derek's only response to Misaki before holding out his hand.
Common Room
April sprung on Optimus' invitation and the two agents followed their hosts into Iacon. The sight of more Autobots was reassuring; assuming of course that they could all stay friends. As much as she didn't want to get on a giant robot's bad side, politics didn't always work they way she wanted...
The yellow bot definitely seemed the most outrageous. It was fascinating to learn that these creatures had personalities like humans did, even if this particular one was a bit too campy for her tastes. The black and gold robot seemed more to her liking: stoic and calculating, just like a Contractor.
April's eyebrows raised when the robots started turning into human vehicles. These things were full of surprises! She accepted the motorcycle's invitation to ride and propped July on the end of her seat and ordered him to hold on tightly. He obeyed and April prepared to rev the engine (if she even could) and follow Optimus' lead.
"So these Decepticons you keep talking about are just like you, correct?" she asked the vehicle over the wind. "Do you know why you're fighting them?"
Tokyo
The Meiji Shrine resembled much of the city by now: dark and abandoned. Hei figured that the government hadn't taken the sudden change lightly, since it was clear that a curfew had been enforced and more police were patrolling the streets than ever before. It was incredible that Huang hadn't been caught driving out of the Observatory, but it was a damn miracle that he managed to get Hei to this point without detection.
The shrine was free of specters for the moment, but Hei kept a close eye on the area to ensure his meeting with the demon hunter wasn't disturbed. He had just finished his third sweep when the Cure suddenly made an announcement: an entire territory was gone and replaced with a new one. A monster just murdered an unknown number of people on a whim, just because he wanted to play God with everyone's lives. Hei's teeth clenched just thinking about it.
He placed a finger to his ear to activate his ear piece. "Amber, the Cure just wiped Outpost 343 off the map. There's a new territory called Paradise in its place; I don't know where it is."
Amber's voice chimed in his ear. "Copy that, Hei. I'll tell my contacts in the Observatory. Looks like they're trying to piece together everything they can about Battleworld; they could definitely use this."
Hei considered asking what they would use this information for, but he decided against it. Maybe it was his past experiences with her, or maybe it was a trace of sentimentality, but he trusted Amber would help him as much as he helped her. It was a very human thing to think, but what other choice did he have?
At least the Syndicate seemed to accept this alliance, even if they didn't participate in it just yet. Of course, the only evidence he had was that nobody had tried to kill him yet, so maybe he was being optimistic. Regardless he found himself wondering how the others were faring; while he was standing there waiting for an appointment, they were off scouting.
Akihabara
Mao couldn't believe their luck; the one quarter mile where a blockade on the city line hadn't been formed yet, and they walk right into it! Now he and Yin could claim to be inhabitants of this land, even if his Doll companion was the one that did all the talking.
The urban-gone-rural world bordering Tokyo seemed like someone had decided to make an abandoned factory a haven for roleplay...except it was an entire city and the inhabitants seemed way too committed to their characters. Mao just hoped the other worlds Hei named weren't this ridiculous, though if the reps included giant robots, talking chimps, and spiked turtle things, the black cat didn't hold his breath.
As the two walked down one of the more deserted streets of the city, Yin turned her head up towards the roofs of the office buildings.
"Someone's up there," she said.
"There's people everywhere, Yin." Mao mumbled, trying to keep his voice down in case someone overheard them.
"They're not like the others." the Doll replied. "They shine."
Mao looked up to where Yin was looking. There was definitely something—two things, actually—that were reflecting light unlike anything else around them; the rusted and moldy buildings had definitely lost all luster. From what the cat could hear, the things could be talking to each other, though it sounded like gibberish from this distance.
"Don't look at them." Mao ordered. "It's possible they're scouting out the area just like we are. Let's find some water and see if we can get a better look."
With that, the pair walked under the street Airazor and Divebomb were "scanning" and went towards the nearest well.
Resistance Base
Misaki sighed in relief when John explained the killer robots in front of her weren't a threat. However it made this Resistance group seem all the more intimidating; perhaps Contactors could stand their ground against these machines, but the citizens of Tokyo definitely couldn't. If it were possible to barter for some of these machines, Tokyo could be better protected.
Mr. Reese broke Misaki's train of thought. She recognized the gesture and shook the man's hand. "Misaki Kirihara, Chief of Tokyo Foreign Affairs, Section Four. Your base is absolutely incredible; the world I come from could never dream of manufacturing these weapons. I can only hope that we have something to offer you."
Was she kissing up to a stranger? A bit. But it was better to stick to formal flattery until she knew more about how these human rebels would react.
edited 27th Aug '15 7:36:28 PM by TheodoreHastings
Problem Child
"The Decepticons were Cybertronians who attempted a rebellion on Cybertron against us Autobots," explained Prowl, taking care to ensure that April and Julie remained mounted on him as he darted and weaved through the neon streets of Iacon, following the rest of the team. His vehicle mode wasn't ideal for such small passengers, but he was able to keep his balance effortlessly, clearly well practised in the control of his body. Interestingly, there seemed to be no way to control the Autobot. "They and their leader Megatron were defeated and exiled to the edges of Autobot space. Ever since the Great War, sightings have been rare. They're a pack of dangerous, lying would-be conquerors."
The five-vehicle convoy made their way across the built-up highways, all conspicuously empty - devoid of other Autobot vehicles.
"They weren't kidding about locking the city down," said Optimus.
"It's a full curfew and quarantine," said Bumblebee. "Which, uh, we're breaking right now by driving around. And bringing organics in. Seriously, are we just not going to address the organics Prowl picked up? What are they, like his new pets?"
edited 27th Aug '15 9:04:47 PM by SR3NORMANDY
What if there’s no better word than just not saying anything?
feeling blue
"So, you heard him talk to you." said Pamela, to Iris, regarding the Cure's announcement, to which she replied with a simple nod, prompting Pamela to sigh "Then we really have to work with you, you're the only one getting those announcements, plus he must have some reason for choosing you of all people."
"But what do we do now?" asked Schirach, looking around the room "This is not exactly a very active place."
"Maybe return to our room?" suggested Lecht, timidly
"But that's so boring!" replied Rink.
"Well, our best allies would be the Autobots or whatever they're called. They left already, but the portal is still there." said Iris.
"Getting a look at their world before forming alliances would be wise, as we can get a better idea of who we're allying ourselves with." added Eifer.
Pamela stopped to think, on one hand they couldn't just sit down and do nothing, that wouldn't impress the Cure in the least. They had to take some action, but at the same time going into the machines's world without them to guide was risky as they seemed to be much stronger than most of the other people that gathered in the meeting. If what Optimus had said was true, they shouldn't have anything to fear from there, but whether to trust him or not was the big question.
She then looked at her group "... I suppose we could take a brief look. Let's make an effort to not be seen in order to minimize the risks." she glanced over to Schirach in particular "In terms of raw power, you're the strongest of us. If things do get dangerous I'm counting on you to fight them."
"Aye, captain." said Schirach, with a confident smile.
"This is exciting, yet, worrying..." said Iris, looking conflicted about the whole idea.
One way or another starting at the place that looked the strongest and most easily manipulated was a good start, especially when Prowl had already fallen to Iris's act, already leaving an opening for her to start acting.
"Shall we head in there, then? It sounds scary..." said Lecht, clutching her book in nervousness
"Don't worry sister, I won't let anybody hurt you!" said Rink, enthusiastically.
Pamela nodded, then looked over at the portal Optimus and his gang went in "Let's move on then. Right behind me, everyone."
She then started marching towards the portal, the other five all following her.
Problem Child
Iacon: Omega Hangar
As Pamela, Iris and the rest of the gang stepped out of the transformer-sized portal, they would find themselves atop a large metal platform running along the side of an enormous hangar, housing a yellow and red starship. Out the hangar opening there was a shining metal and blue neon cityscape, with thousands of lights scintilating rapidly. Everything about Iacon was huge, from the streets to the buildings to the lamp posts. And it was also empty. Eerily so.
There was not a soul in sight. Or spark, for that matter. Apart from the hums and beeps of the machinery all over the city, there was no noise at all, and no sign of any Autobots.
edited 27th Aug '15 9:46:52 PM by SR3NORMANDY
What if there’s no better word than just not saying anything?
Derek cocked a eyebrow and looked over at John, who shrugged before saying "We got transported into another realm and are now to entertain a demented being of otherworldly origin or we all die."
Marcus scoffed, "Is that all?" he looked over at John, all in all he was taking it well.
"Trust me Marcus, after all the time travel shenanigans we have gotten into-" John started before shooting a quick look at Cameron, who instead of the cold attitude opted to wave, "-A being outside of our realm of existence demanding we entertain them doesn't really surprise me anymore."
Bob returned after having talked to a few of the soldiers in the trucks, "The factory is still functional, we will be sending out Micro H Ks to try and scout the world. No Skynet signals found."
John nodded, "Alright, Cameron, Marcus, come with me, we're going to give Misaki the tour. Derek, how're the garages doing on fixing up a motorcycle for Bob?"
"Nearly done," "Good, get Uncle Bob here loaded up, I'll be making a announcement to everyone here soon enough," "Roger that."
Derek and Bob climbed into one of the trucks and drove off, leaving another for John, Cameron, Marcus, and Misaki.
The Resistance members climbed in and started it, "Where to first?" John asked.
Waller noted that most of the people now appeared to be leaving, and turned to face the vampire who had addressed her.
"Slaves? Hardly. These criminals lost their right to freedom when they broke the laws set by society. Furthermore, no one is forced to be a member of the task force. I have no use for disruptive members, and so each member is offered a choice. Join and serve a reduced sentence as part of my team, or rot in jail for however many years they have been sentenced to. Most choose the former."
"As for your terms, so long as you do not make a nuisance of yourselves, I will not pursue you. This, of course, will change if you break the terms of the agreement. So I will agree to your truce then. I cannot speak for anyone else, however.
The cyborg turned to face the two as they came out, assault rifle over his shoulder. "Huh. Interesting outfits you two got on there." He said as he looked them over. "So, clearly you ain't from around here. Knowing how Shao Kahn works, he'd probably be ordering me to shoot you two right around now. But I ain't getting payed to shoot people right this moment, and I don't see him around. Where you two from? One of them new places that suddenly popped up next to Outworld? Weird ass shit, even by Outworld standards.
Meanwhile, the grunt continued furiously sniffing the air, then pointed at Alucard. "You! What you are? No human!"
"You'll have to forgive that one, brain the size of a peanut, I think. You're lucky you can understand him at all."
Death and his minions would be greeted at the border by a waiting escort, who took him through the forest (Not passing anywhere near the area that the others were currently in) and to the city gates. Death would enter to find himself in the Outworld market, where the last bits of debris were being cleaned up, all other evidence of the rampage having been erased. Then they would be approached by a giant of a beast with 4 very large arms.
"Ah, good, you are here. I am Goro. Shao Kahn has ordered me to escort you to him, and to answer questions you may have." He glanced at the minions behind Death. "He told me only to expect one. Who are they?"
Meanwhile, Baraka had left, and been told about the portal system by Shao Kahn, who told him to use said portal system to get to Catslevania. Those remaining in the common room would see the yellow skinned, large toothed beast exit the Outworld portal and then enter the Castlevania portal, where he expected to be met by whatever guards this vampire had deployed.
The Tarkatan Underbite was busy smashing did not seem to understand whatever it was the robot was yelling about. Indeed, most of them did not seem to understand them at all. Only one word seemed to get through to any of them.
"Ate..." One of them repeated.
"Food!" Another yelled.
As the Tarkatans were flung backward, their numbers began to drop ever so slightly. However, only those who had sustained crippling injures that prevented further movement stayed down. The rest got back up and ran back at the robots, their bloodlust preventing them from being stopped by something as insignificant as pain. Meanwhile, the vultures, noticing the commotion, flew away, silently returning to the ship that had deployed them.
Lady took the card, glanced at it for a moment, then put it into one of the pouches on her belt. Nodding at the woman when she mentioned a resort, she turned back to the other man she had indicated was to be her escort. "Alright then. I don't have anything else to do here, so I think I'll go and get settled in then. Let's get out of here."
edited 28th Aug '15 6:54:57 AM by Meanken
The two Decepticons were up against a wall, literally and metaphorically. It wasn't like the swarm of Tarkatans were particularly well-armed or dangerous by themselves, but they were horrifically tenacious... and multitudinous. For every one that Underbite and Thunderhoof kicked, stomped, punched, squished, or mangled, there were two more, just as feral and ready to take the place of their fallen comrades. The Cybertronian duo had eventually been pushed back by sheer force of numbers up against the bottom of one of the high mountain plateaus that framed the strange water feature.
"I need... metal!" wheezed Underbite as he squashed two more of the wretched things underneath his feet.
"Didn't you just load up on metal n' stuff back at th'steel mill?"
"I need MORE metal!" roared the Chompazoid; rearing up on his back legs, he forcibly smashed two Tarkatans against one another and pile-driving them into the ground. "Ya don't think that all this fightin' is wearin' me out fast?"
"We can't keep doin' this forever," said Thunderhoof, permanently rearranging one of his attacker's features with one heavy metal foot to the face. "We gotta find some way to distract 'em, or cut 'em off so's they can't get at us no more."
"Ya mean like this?" Underbite donkey-kicked the cliff behind him, causing a shower of heavy rocks to fall forward in front of several more of their attackers. Hopefully, the sudden, brief landslide would buy time for the duo to regroup...
Steeljaw's very brief feelings of relaxation abruptly dissipated when the small fish-creatures darted off into the murk. Then the slowest member of the bunch, whining with what sounded oddly like fear, was abruptly snatched away by something else before either Cybertronian could even react. The secondhand horror stories he'd heard about Aquatron started flickering before his optics again. All those tales about being stranded underwater in the gloom, pursued by things that no Decepticon in their right mind would even think about going up against. Just like what had happened with Megatron.
"Move. Now." Clampdown was too terrified to even try and string a rational thought together; stuttering and stammering like a stalled engine he obligingly flipped into his little suburban coupe alternate mode and did his best to power his way up the slope toward the shore of the island. A second later, he was followed by Steeljaw, back in his armoured dune buggy form. Don't try to talk, don't try to think about whatever's probably following you, huge and hungry and probably as mad as the Pit. Just drive.
After a few minutes of scrambling from rooftop to rooftop, the two Minicons were still confused by the strange sights of this overgrown city and what it all meant.
"What in Quintus Prime's third optic is this place, huh? Some kind of hangout for... for..." Divebomb scratched his head with one huge claw as he tried to put two and two together.
"Aliens, maybe?"
"Nah. These aren't aliens. Aliens don't act like this."
"Monsters? Humans in weird costumes?"
"Sure. Let's go with that."
It took a few more seconds of scanning before the two thugs spied a duo that looked just as out of place as they did; a relatively note normal human and her scrawny cat wandering the craggy, abandoned streets of the city, disbelief and astonishment plastered on her stupid meat face. Neither were all that versed in feline emotions, although after a few seconds of mutual contemplation they independently settled on the conclusion that the cat was also probably stupid. At any rate, it was made out of meat.
"Looks like they're in the same boat as us, huh?" Airazor scuttled down the wall on all four of his limbs, ducking behind a nearby trashcan and looking at the two. Didn't really look like all that much of a lead... but Master would probably like to know more about where they came from and why they were here. Plus, Airazor knew that the boss didn't exacly care how they got that information. Nothing like a good interrogation to cheer him up.
"Heh-heh... looks like you're right. Whaddya say that we tail 'em?" Divebomb bounded down from the roof, shimmied his way down a rusted drain pipe, and landed in a pile of dead leaves, peering around the same rusty trash can at their potential quarry. From there, it took a few seconds to find an appropriate form and replicate it holographically. Divebomb clambered onto Airazor's shoulders with a practiced ease as the hologram flickered to life around the two Minicons.
The exuberantly dressed anthropomorphic cat that emerged from the alleyway walked with a haphazard, stuttering saunter, as though its feet note weren't quite hitting the ground when they should. At least once, it looked as though the creature was about to simply fall apart as it rounded a corner too sharply; one part of its body slid at a bizarre angle that no normal vertebrate should logically be able to replicate.
It looked as though it should fit in with the other strange humans, creatures, and miscellaneous fantastical things that populated this abandoned wreck of a city... but at the same time it seemed rather intent on tailing Yin and Mao as they explored Akihabara, following them as stealthily as possible.
edited 28th Aug '15 4:58:01 PM by Locoman
Iacon
April frowned at Bumblebee's comment; she definitely didn't like that one. "We're representing Tokyo, a city to the north of you. Your leader proposed an alliance and the boy and I are here to solidify that.
"I take it your name is Prowl, then?" April asked her vehicle. "Name's April, and this is July. A pleasure."
Resistance Base
"If you don't mind, I'm very interested to see how these machines are constructed. Could we visit there first? On the way we can discuss what Tokyo can do for you; we can offer you vehicles, for instance. I might be drawing conclusions too soon, but it looks like Tokyo is similar to the cities of your world before Skynet. We'd be very happy to share our modern resources if you like—along with a few Dolls and Contractors if we can spare them."
Akihabara
Mao and Yin didn't look behind them; it would be far too obvious. Instead the pair walked through a garden or public park in the ruined city where a small brook snaked through the area. Yin sat down by the water and removed her shoes to dip her bare feet in. Mao went off to wander on his own; maybe there was a city hall or something of the sort that could tell him more about who ran this place.
If the minibots had followed their targets into the park, a small gelatinous-looking orb would have stretched out of any body of water—the same brook, a coi pond, a puddle, anywhere a drop had formed. The figure could not be seen by human eyes; probably not even Cybertronian eyes, unless they could detect the tiny trace of radiation. The thing just stayed with the water, watching the robots as they watched Yin. It allowed the Doll to see the creatures following them as if with her own eyes.
"They're dressed as a cat-man." Yin said to apparently no one, though Mao heard her through their earpieces. The black cat, who had left the garden to find the city's center seemed to frown slightly. For some reason, he found that particularly insulting.
"Same here," Cranky Kong said to Carmilla. "Any aggression you get from our island is either reactionary from any attacks by your people, or from those not affiliated with us Kongs in any way other than location. If its the latter, we will most assuredly hand the perps over to you for you deal out any punishment you deem necessary. We also will not assume that if Mr. Skull and Steroid's people attack us, your people don't have anything to do with it unless proven otherwise. If your people did, consider yourselves open season as much as Outworld. Got it?"
Meanwhile, Donkey Kong dividing his attention between scowling at Killer Croc and curiously looking at Deadshot's gear, going as far as poking the man's gun gauntlets.
There was no sound.
There was no sign.
All that the Decepticons knew, they were suddenly grabbed and picked up by a massive tentacle each, only realizing their wheels no longer touched solid ground seconds after the fact. In the strange, eerie boundary between where sunlight can pierce the water and where it was blocked, Steeljaw could make out that he was being held by a massive tentacle, its flesh as thick and heavy as metal. And then came the eyes
◊......
Gigantic eyes, almost as big his vehicle mode, staring him down, observing him.....
Like someone would look inside a food can for some tiny morsel within........
edited 28th Aug '15 6:23:58 PM by UdtheImp
DAMMIT MARK, STOP HOTTING HELPY!!
The portal, as the king found out, had moved to the front of a small fortress on the outskirts of the kingdom. Bowser had summoned his Clown Car to bring him and his kids back to his castle, and now paced in his throneroom, plotting. Or attempting to anyway.
"No, we should use the electric slime on the robots!" Said one of the Koopalings.
"Just because they're robots doesn't mean electricity will kill them." Retorted another.
Bowser inhaled, preparing to break up the argument, when a message was broadcast into his head.
"Paradise?" He asked dumbly. The Koopalings and Junior looked at him oddly. "Apparently there's a new place here, named Paradise. Sounds like an even worst tourist trap than Isle Delfino. Might build a beach palace there if it doesn't have those weird tree people."
"Sir." Kamek said. "If I may, I believe we should first obtain a lay of the land. We don't know what technology or magic these other lands possess. If one of them is willing to ally with us, or is weak enough to defeat with minimal effort, we may be able to gain a significant advantage."
"That can wait." Bowser growled. "Right now I'm going to go over there and beat that skull-faced jackoff to death with my bare hands. Ready the airships!"
There was a long pause.
"What?"
"Uh..." Junior spoke up first. "The Mario Brothers... sorta... destroyed all our airships last time. With Super Stars."
"..." Bowser sighed deeply. "Oh fine. Guess I can wait until we build more."
"Excellent. Now I'd like to - with your permission, of course - go and meet these other leaders, if they're still available. No offense, m'lord, but you aren't exactly the best at negotiating."
"Got me there." Bowser grinned. "Some of 'em should still be in that meeting room. Think you'll be okay alone, Old Koopa?"
"I daresay I will." Kamek adjusted his glasses, and smiled back at his king.
From the Koopa's portal came a blue-robed figure, eyes hidden by glasses.
His beak and clawed hands marked him as a Koopa, and he carried a wizard's wand in one hand. In the crook of his other arm he balanced a stack of five jingling coins, each half a foot wide and made of solid gold.
"Ahem!" He cleared his throat to get attention. "I don't suppose any of you are interested in allying with the Koopa Kingdom?" He jingled the coins again for good measure.
edited 25th Aug '15 9:08:39 PM by kagescorpionakki
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?