Anti-Gnosis Weapon
Stadium
"Uh... thanks for the save, Spider-Boy," Martin started, a little surprised that he wasn't colliding with the field or crowd below and had instead been securely caught by a superhero.
"There wasn't a 'reason' behind it, per se," he continued quickly. "He and his pals took the box seats hostage, they were twitchy, and an attack by some squirrels set 'em off. There's two left up there, one mole-looking guy who can melt holes in the floor, probably by superheating, and one wimpy-looking guy with an uzi."
"I'd ask if you could go deal with them, but a lot of the people in that box... let's just say the city'd be better off without them. Carmine Falcone, for instance. Besides..." He glanced down at Magneto, Master of Magnet, and over at the black-suited monster and floating wizard. "It looks like you were in the middle of something?"
GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs
Zero said nothing and just tilted his head. Decloaking next to him was his hoverbike, the engine roaring as he climbed on and shot up to where Jason was headed. Perhaps he could get some answers as to what crazy time he was in, and why the King Of The Blaze had sent him here.
Stadium (Spider-Boy)
"..."
Spider-Boy looks down at the imminent fight between Blood, She-Venom and Magneto.
"...Trust me, they're qualified. But if nobody's up there helping out..."
Spider-Boy swings to an adjacent set of seats, depositing Martin into one.
"Sorry, leaving people ain't my style. Even if they're, uh...not great. Not how I roll. Now get somewhere safe, I'm pretty sure you're an important charity guy, right? We'll do a photo op later!"
Spider-Boy swings back towards Li's box, the same thug Squirrel Girl just kicked getting struck from his other side by the famous Arach-Kid.
"This a private party? Or ya got room for a celebrity guest?"
This post is sponsored by Amalgam Comics.
Stadium
Magneto looked ready to unload upon Pete when Magneto called his name and challenged him to a fight. The master of magnetism looked around at his webbed-up goons, approaching police vehicles and the commotion from the VIP box and looked back at the demon.
"Not today I think." Magneto said towards Anne and Jason Blood, crunching a police helicopter above them and sending it falling towards her and Etrigan, before standing on top of a discarded metal baseball bat and using his powers to levitate it up towards the VIP box.
"Ooof!" the Mutant Leader groaned as Squirrel Girl's foot collided with his back. He went sprawling onto the ground, seemingly down for the count after that assault and the fact that Martin Li proved a bit more resilient to falls than he'd been thinking initially. He wasn't quite unconscious but he didn't seem to be going anywhere fast, although he did give a moan of acknowlegement as Magneto flew by him standing on the bat.
Didi, as she entered the building, would find a chaotic scene that was quickly becoming more ordered. The most chaotic thing, obviously, was the police helicopter that was currently falling out of the skies. Morlocks and cops were exchanging fire but it quickly became clear that the Morlocks, what few were left standing, were no longer in control of the stadium and would lose soon.
Tunnel Near Baxter Building
It would become evident to Eddie, although not readily, that this tunnel went on far. Unfortunately for him, it went so far that unless he had some other plan other than "keep going", that he was quickly going to run out of food, air, water, and light. No matter how many steps Venom took, it would seem that this particular tunnel would keep going. Going back for supplies, help, or some kind of subterranean vehicle would be prudent although he could certainly keep going if he wished.
Skull Stash House
As far as Red Skull saw, no man, blonde or otherwise, escaped from the burning wreckage, leaving him free to grapple to the rooftop and converse with Zero if he wished
Stadium
"Okay, she's got the big guy covered...hey, old guy!"
Pete fires a web line from his pistol at Magneto, increasing his personal gravity and keeping a tight grip on the weapon (with Spider-Strength, no less) so the Master of Magnetism can't move it and throw his aim off. Should he successfully hit the old man, Pete will increase his personal gravity even more to keep himself anchored to the floor, plant his feet and yank.
"Get over here!"
Baxter Building
{Eddie. This plan is stupid.}
"Yeah, yeah, sounded better in our head. 'Least we've got a lead."
Eddie starts making his way back towards the entrance of the tunnel, keeping the symbiote around himself in case anything comes at him from the behind.
{You watch too many movies.}
"You were the one who wanted to marathon the Alien movies."
{I felt a kinship with the title character!}
"You're...not supposed to."
This post is sponsored by Amalgam Comics.
Well, no signs of the asshole yet. Still, you know what they say. No body, no proof. Hopefully that guy burned to death, but he did seemed like a tough nut to crack in the fight. Shaking his head, he then focused towards, looking at him up and down before speaking.
"Appreciate the help, I suppose. Got a name and a reason why you're here, skull guy?" He asked Zero.
Zero pondered what to tell him, this was eating up runtime coming up with excuses. Zero relaxed his posture and looked to the Red Hood. "You can call me Zero, I'm the Ghost Rider."
He adjusted his image parameters and assumed his more covert look of his old face. "Long story short, I'm from the future on a mission from The Ghostworks to prevent some disaster. I have no idea what it is and they haven't deemed it important enough to tell me."
He looked over Jason. "What about you? Ain't got no shockin' record of you in 2109."
Andreas
He scowled as first Squirrel Girl, and then that Spider-Youth suddenly leaped into the fray. It was all quite confusing, and he was really itching to hit something, and that was before Mags showed up. Andreas was no coward, but he'd already had his "Punch The Hulk" moment with the old guy, and there was no point in doing it again. So instead he worked on hustling Baby Osborn and the intriguing Miss Gordon out. He might have gone for the eye with the fork instead of the shoulder, but that was semantics.
Glancing into the corridor, he noticed another Morlock backing down the corridor towards him, clearly concerned about the police pressing in outside. The man (who was sporting a large cockatoo-like crest of feathers on his head) was looking from side to side but might turn to see them at any time.
Andreas looked around desperately for a weapon. He could tell by the position of the man's shoulders that he was holding some kind of firearm, but it might be anything. Gesturing for the "civilians" (what am I, a cop?) to stay quite, he began edging his way down the hallway. If he got to the Morlock without being noticed, he'd try to quietly choke him out, praying there weren't any annoying mutant powers to deal with while fighting. If he did get noticed...well, that would be interesting.
A time traveler? Normally he'd raise a eyebrow at that, but at this point, this seems like a reasonable thing. The formely dead guy can't judge, after all.
"Your bosses really must suck if they didn't even bothered giving you intel about whatever that is." He snorted, before Zero asked him who he was. And did he just say shocked? ...Future profanity must be rather interesting. "Call me Red Hood. Just some bitter guy with guns teaching a lesson to crime."
Zero looked over Red Hood. "I can see that part. I'm technically a criminal in my time, but only because the Pus-bags in charge insist on "urban control". Ya get plugged into their system and don't even get an opt out."
"Got plugged by a gang of augment addicts called the Artificial Kidz, got saved by the A.I.s called the Ghostworks while I was hooked to the Net and they gave me a new lease on life. Later met the King Of The Blaze, apparently I'm the latest 'Ghost Rider' who Mr. King himself was a part of, apparently he rules hell now... or will if I got my Time Travel right."
Zero scratched at his head. "He freed me up from those wacky AI pusbags when he took over and then tossed me here. Gotta say the tech of this time is primitive to all hell. The shit I run makes it like comparing a smart phone to an abacus. Thousands of years difference."
Stadium
Outside the VIP booth, Barbara and Harry looked understandably flustered as Andreas herded them out of the building. Harry was doing his best to put on a brave face and walk slightly ahead of Barbar - trying to walk ahead of his girlfriend as if to prove that chivalry was not dead. For her part though, Barbara had picked up a food tray and looked ready to bash the nearest invader that came her way. Which she, of course, did when she saw the cockatoo-like Morlock. The man's head reeled back, making it fairly simple for Andreas to attack him without consequence.
Meanwhile, slightly outside, Peter seemed to have unlocked a trump card. Magneto was indeed the Master of Magnetism but, as it turns out, magnetism is hardly the strongest force in the galaxy. In fact, it tends to be weaker than the force of gravity, which Spider-Boy used to great effect to yank the old man to the ground, putting him down for the count.
"Fool! I'm here to save us al-" Magneto shouted as he was being yanked before hitting the ground hard and falling silent. He wasn't making a move to get up and the police had finally seemed to have rounded up the last of the Morlocks.
Popcorn, Get Ya Popcorn!
Jason— Stadium
As the crushed helicopter tumbled toward him and Anne, from his place floating above the stands Jason spread his arms wide, hands contorting strangely, and chanted quickly. He hadn't summoned Etrigan, for good reason, and he didn't have time to even if he wanted to. So it was quick and dirty, quick and powerful. He should do a ritual that was days in the making one of these times. It wouldn't throw out his back, at least.He spoke words of arcane power, crimson fire smelling of brimstone actually leaking from the corners of his mouth, black smoke clustering around his hands. His coat flared, and caught fire, red-purple swirls of magical power rising from him and forming elaborate geometric designs, wards powerful enough to hold the metal contraption plummeting toward him.
The ten or twenty foot wide nets of arcana met and melded together, blindingly fast, knitting a patchwork quilt of wards that bent to disperse momentum, to catch and contain the falling helicopter.
Blood braced as flames ate away at his clothes, and he dimly saw Magneto be taken down a peg by Spider-Boy.
Good lad, he thought distantly.
Stadium (Spider-Boy)
The Wall Walker maintains a tight grip on his pistol, breathing heavily for a few seconds before relaxing when he notices Magneto isn’t getting back up.
“…That’s…what I thought…”
Spider-Boy fires another few shots to web up Magneto, just to make sure the Master of Magnetism can’t move.
Looking around at the cops rounding up the Morlocks, the masked vigilante flashes a thumbs-up to both them and his more grim superhero associates below.
“Thanks for the assist, guys! Took care of the big guy for ya - teamwork makes the dream work, amiright?”
He’s also - quite obviously - adopting a well-rehearsed “hero posture” that looks good for both video cameras and newspaper photographers alike.
Baxter Building
Retracting the symbiote into a facsimile of a leather jacket, Eddie climbs back out of the truck with the mysterious green rock in his pocket.
“Really hoping this thing isn’t radioactive…”
{If it is, nothing we can’t fix!}
And with that, he pulls his phone to just…Internet search for a local geologist or similar lab.
Edited by ZodanTheUnbounceable on Aug 5th 2022 at 10:06:03 AM
This post is sponsored by Amalgam Comics.
AKA Nixer
Squirrel-Girl: Stadium
For good measure, Doreen squeaked out a command for her squirrels to make sure that their felled opponents weretruly out for the count, before noticing Spider-Boy nearby hogging the spotlight and feeling her heartbeat pick up. So cool! Unable to resist the urge, she scampered towards him on all fours before leaping at him in a cuddle lunge of pure squirrelly fangirl.
"SPIDER-BOY!" she crowed, before quickly hopping up onto her feet before anyone could take too many embarrassing pictures of her football tackle. "That was awesome! We totally brained those guys! Heroically, though. Super-heroically, am I right?"
She turned grinningly towards the cops, before realising how lame her line was and quickly looking away again. Yeesh, that was clunky. Great Lakes material, she wasn't. Which was saying something, given the standards of the GLA...
She shook her head, before quickly moving to help Spider-Boy up with a goofy buck-toothed smile on her face, ushering her squirrels back to clamber onto her like she were some kind of tree. One perched itself on top of her head, cleaning its paws as it squeaked at Spider-Boy.
"He says you look colourful. Like a flower," she giggled at the animal, before lifting it off of her head and cradling the squirrel in her palms. "This is Monkey Joe! He's my buddy! Aren't'cha, little guy...?"
Monkey Joe proceeded to verbalise an elaborate soliloquy in regards to his first time meeting Doreen, their increasing bond, and his eventual decision to resume contact with his estranged extended family and encourage them to move in with a new friend in an effort to regain a sense of connection with them. Unfortunately, Monkey Joe was a f$%#ing squirrel, so it just sounded like a handful of squeaks.
She-Venom: Stadium > Baxter Building
It seemed as if the situation had been mostly taken care of, with Jason Blood successfully catching the helicopter and the Morlocks being rounded up by the authorities. Somewhat relaxing (and relieved that she didn't have to brutalise more thugs for the moment) Anne stood upright once more and stretched; crouching down like an animal all the time was not advisable for her back at her age.
"I... have something to do. I can't stick around..." she verbalised, her mask becoming a more neutral black visage again as the symbiote's grotesque mouth closed up and melted away. "I sense... something. I'll keep in contact with you."
Without any time for a response, she had leapt into the air and swung her way out of the stadium on a black webline, heading straight towards where she felt the anomalous "duplicate" was located. Lady was anxious, and it was making Anne anxious too. What could this be? Another member of her kind? A sibling? Did symbiotes have siblings...?
Feeling that she was getting close, she landed firmly atop a truck and crawled over to where she sensed the anomaly was near. Cautiously, she peeked her symbiote-coated head over the back of the truck, unable to hold back her curiosity. Her lack of monstrous appearance may be helpful in coming across as non-threatening.
Hopefully.
bork
Stadium (Spider-Boy)
{Wow this is actually working out pretty well. Stopped the bad guy, saved a local celebrity and my cool reputation remains-}
WHAM
Spider-Boy, having lowered his gravity to normal at the exact wrong moment, gets knocked off his feet by the charging fangirl.
“Oof! What the-oh, hey Squirrel Girl…nah, it’s fine, wasn’t…wasn’t using my legs at all, don’t worry…”
He sheepishly scratches the back of his head as Squirrel Girl helps him up.
“Didn’t realize this was a team-up…”
It’s hard to stare in wide-eyed disbelief while your eyes are covered by a mask by the Arach-Kid manages it while Monkey Joe goes on his high-pitched diatribe.
“…Can I pet him?”
Baxter Building
As Eddie begins to climb out of the truck, he hears the distinct impact of something landing on top of it.
“…What was-?”
{Eddie! The other! It is near!}
”In that case…”
Looking down from her perch, Anne will see a symbiote-covered hand reach out from inside the truck, clutch the edge of the doorframe and begin pulling a black-clad individual from inside the truck.
”We know you are up there.”
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VIP Skybox
With remarkable agility, Norman dove for cover moments before the Mutant Leader and Martin Li barreled through the window and crashed into the open air. Norman slid across the ground with his arms covering his head, and it wasn't until he came to a complete and final stop that he dared to look up, catching sight of Spider-Boy's daring rescue of Li.
Clambering to his feet, gaze darting all around, Norman took stock of his surroundings. In one direction, a shattered window lead to open air and quite probably many super-people fighting. In the other direction, his son and son's girlfriend headed off into a claustrophobic exit route, which might have had some Morlock guards patrolling but would overall be less risky. Osborn weighed his options, calculated the risk...and chose the hair-brained option.
Taking a deep breath, Osborn ran for the open window and jumped straight out. By some mad instinct, he knew that by the time he hit the ground, his legs would be sturdy enough to survive almost any drop. From there, he planned to duck between the seats and scurry beneath notice towards the exit, at which point he could call in air support and get himself to safety.
Edited by LizardOfAus on Aug 7th 2022 at 11:33:20 AM
Andreas
He blinked in surprise at Barbara's surprise attack on the Morlock, almost missing his chance to take advantage. Thankfully, the bird-man seemed to have a glass jaw, and dropped after a few forearms to the jaw and a swift flip onto the ground. His weapon proved to be an old double-barrelled shotgun, which young Strucker checked for shells before he snapped it shut. Guns weren't a favorite (Andrea had always been a much better shot and in fact had had a keen sniper's eye). He resolved not to use it except as a blunt object unless needed.
Andreas' mind briefly drifted to an image of himself and Ms. Gordon fighting together. Swordsman and...Flechette? I wonder what she thinks of folks in costumes? He shook it off with a muttered German curse and proceeded down the hallways. The sound of more conflict outside made him wonder if he should proceed out to meet law enforcement or stay inside the stadium to avoid more patrols.
Red Hood gave a small whistle as Zero explained himself. Well, most of the stuff was gibberish for him, but what he got? The Future sucks ass so hard if he's telling th truth. Well, that sure is motivating and -fun-.
"Would had called you crazy back then if I heard that, but death sure makes a man more open minded." He shrugs, staring over at the scene of paramedics carrying the wounded and officers barricading and securing the perimeter.
"Fels like doing anything can label you a 'criminal' over there, but hey, guess you got a easier time here compared to future-land. Long as you get used to the 'tech primitiveness', as you put it."
"Amen to death making one more open minded," Zero commented.
He scratched at his 'nose' a bit as he looked over the authorities rushing about down below. "Honestly, I'd rather be a criminal than a cop, I ain't gonna withhold help because the corp told me to sit down. Ever heard of Alchemax? Probably don't exist in this time right now, biggest stranglehold on the country with countless shocked up bioweapon projects. Even worse is that what they do is Legal, same with D/MONIX. Some pus-bag one day waved enough creds at some politician to say "Whatever companies do is legal". Add in the pigs being privatized."
He decided to turn the discussion back to the Blondie. "The hell was that guy? Seemed like he had some wire in his head, nothing fancy course."
Edited by EchoingSilence on Aug 22nd 2022 at 4:41:39 AM
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
With Spider-Boy and Squirrel Girl
Before Spider-Boy could pet Monkey Joe, a flash and the programmed sound of a shutter interrupted. Lowering her smartphone with a grin, the black-clad goth girl with the silver Ankh Pete had met earlier leaned against the open doorway.
"Awww, you two look so cute together!" she cooed, eyes crinkling happily. "Thanks for the pic! I'm sure my hot date tonight will appreciate it; he's a big Spider-Boy fan! Hey, can I get a pic together with each of you, too, as momentos? Oh! And can I say hi to your squirrel friends, Squirrel Girl? They're super adorable!"
GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs
AKA Nixer
Squirrel-Girl: Stadium
"You absolutely super-duper can!" Doreen gaped and nodded in eager acceptance of Spider-Boy's request, giving Monkey Joe a squeaky commandment before letting him sit in both of her open palms. She held him out proudly for Spider-Boy to pet, her own tail unconsciously flicking back and forth in anticipation, and was so intent on what he was about to do that she shrieked in surprise as Didi snapped a photo of them.
"U-Uh, y-yup! You can pet them too, sure. I'm happy to take a photo with you too..." Doreen said in a daze, blushing intensely as Didi complimented them. She couldn't help but glance at Spider-Boy as she said that. Did the girl actually mean it...? She hoped so. It made Doreen feel all... fuzzy.
...
Like a squirrel-
"I-I'm so super happy to meet you, Spider-Boy. I never thought I'd bump into you out on the field...!" Doreen stammered out on a whim, practically shaking with sheer glee as she gave him a buck-toothed smile. "Geddit? The field? 'Cause we're in a stadium, like a— oh my god I'm nerding out that's so embarrassing...!!"
She-Venom: Baxter Building
"You..." She-Venom hissed instinctively as the figure inside the truck slowly began to pull themselves into view, and she backpedaled a little as she crouched low on all fours. Her mouth split apart as the symbiote's fear overtook Anne's desire to be negotiable, and the claws on her fingers and toes dug into the metal surface of the truck with a piercing groan. "You're... like us. We could sense you. Not like family. Like a..."
The jagged lenses that were the eyes on her liquid mask narrowed with suspicion, as She-Venom dared to creep a little closer.
"Who are you...?"
bork
Stadium (Spider-Boy)
Didi's photo seems to completely take Spider-By by surprise, as he even jumps a little when the shutter goes off. That's...weird for a supposed celebrity, this guy's photo is usually everywhere!
"Gah! O-oh, really? Yeah, I'd...be happy to take a picture with you! Heck, I'll even sign it, really impress the guy!"
{Why do I feel like I'll regret this later?}
He then turns to Doreen, petting the squirrel in her hands almost without even realizing he's doing it.
"Eheh, yeah, you too, Squirrel Girl..."
{Not the team-up I was expecting, really...}
"And hey, it's not that big a deal...I mean, I only hosted SNL the one time..."
Baxter Building (Venom)
{Pretty sure we told her already, didn't we?}
{We did, I am certain of it.}
{Ah well, tell her again.}
The other symbiote user fully exits the vehicle, glaring up at his counterpart and even seeming to smirk a bit.
"We...are Venom."
Anne...there's traces of a familiar voice in there...but that's impossible! Eddie's dead!
Edited by ZodanTheUnbounceable on Aug 27th 2022 at 10:31:04 AM
This post is sponsored by Amalgam Comics.
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
With Spider-Boy and Squirrel-Girl
"Sweet!" the goth girl cheered, moseying over and waiting for Spider-Boy to finish petting Monkey Joe before offering the squirrel her hand to sniff, and then, if the critter seemed to find her acceptable, stroking her fingers from his fuzzy head down to his tail. "Hey there, Monkey Joe! You don't remember, but we've met before! Yes, we have! You take good care of your friend, here, okay?"
After a bit more of that, she straightened up, and threw an arm around the arachna-lad's shoulder. "Alright, you're up first!" she said with a grin, holding her phone up and trying to get a good angle for a selfie.
"By the way," she added conspiratorially, "did you know you're a Nexus, Spider-Guy? That's pretty rare! Anyway, say cheese~!"
GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs
AKA Nixer
Squirrel-Girl: Stadium
"What...?! You've met her before...?!" Squirrel-Girl gasped, looking down at Monkey Joe as the squirrel just shrugged and happily accepted the pets from Didi. "Wooow...! This is a huge coincidence...! Why didn't you tell me, Monkey Joe...?"
The squirrel proceeded to go on a lengthy explanation of high-pitched squeaks as Doreen nodded along and listened with absolute fascination, her ears only pricking at Didi's mention of Spider-Boy being a 'Nexus' before the squirrel finally finished. Only then did Doreen actually register what Didi had said, and looked confusedly over towards her and Spider-Boy.
A... did she just say Nexus...? A nexus of what...? Abs...?
She-Venom
So we didn't mishear.
Anne and Lady's thoughts were very rarely unified, but they were very much so now that the other symbiote and its host had confirmed their name. She-Venom tried to stand tall to match the height of her counterpart, but it was near-impossible: this other Venom was more comparable to The Hulk, and despite herself Anne found herself trembling slightly from intimidation.
She could've sworn she'd heard Eddie's voice. She assumed it was just her mind playing tricks on her. Like it had done ever since he—
"...I want to know who I'm speaking to. Not both of you at once. Who are... either of you...?"
Glancing around, She-Venom got tentatively closer to the looming figure, before ducking her head and allowing the mask to pull back from her face in order to reveal a messy mop of blonde hair. She shook it free from the symbiote, lamenting how tangled and dirtied it'd gotten, and wide blue eyes stared up at Venom with a mix of fear and curiosity.
"...m-my name is Anne. Now... wh-who's your host...?"
bork
Stadium (Spider-Boy)
Spider-Boy hears the familiar crashing of shattering glass as he looks over to see the plummeting Martin.
"Fight you in a sec, saving time!"
Another web line is shot from Spider-Boy's web pistol, the Arach-Kid swinging over...a bit faster than the laws of physics should allow, really...
{Thank you, gravity powers!}
...and snatching Martin from midair.
"Yoink! Any reason those guys wanted to defenestrate you?"
Baxter Building (Venom)
{...That's odd. Another..."us."}
"The heck's that mean?"
{The hive mind - they are attempting contact. They want our identity.}
"Well...give 'em what they want."
Eddie's symbiote sends a message back through the hive mind connection, a growling mix of its own and Eddie's voices.
{We...are Venom.}
Edited by ZodanTheUnbounceable on Jul 22nd 2022 at 5:32:59 AM
This post is sponsored by Amalgam Comics.