Escalation (part 11)
- Location
- Hampden Park
31st May
17:54 GMT
My eyes are shut, but something is trickling down my face. Eye goo? Blood? I don't think it can be rocket fuel; it isn't on fire. The heat isn't really a problem for me… Not yet at least. I might suffer from oxygen deficiency eventually but my insides are nearly as heat-resistant as my outside. My neck aches and I'm sure that if I could see it I would see Major Kelly's fingerprints gouged into my flesh.
Heal.
Fortunately, the pain from my abused neck is being drowned out by… Agh… The pain from my eye sockets. Not at unanesthetised autodisembowelment levels yet, but the day is young.
Heal.
Stay here or get moving?
Heal.
I'm in what I presume to be a castle. One maintained by the British government as a black site. The castley bits of castles aren't usually all that big, so charging out of the doors and smashing my way along the corridors is certainly a viable option. On the other hand, there are almost certainly more robots out there. There may also be regular Human soldiers -only a concern in the sense that killing them might make me look bad- and metahumans of various sorts. I.. am.. in no shape to fight someone in my weight class.
Heal.
I'm not sure exactly how much of the British super-establishment is on board with Project Evil, but… Even those who aren't would probably be on board with assisting in stopping me if they find me rampaging around a secure facility. Doubly so if I'm dripping with the blood of their countrymen. Of Chester's associates, the only one who really worries me is Tri-man. Super speed and super strength are difficult for me to overcome at the best of times, and.. now… Isn't. Fortunately for me, he has Thundermind's problem of being too much a public figure to be able to disappear for long periods of time. A call has probably gone out, but it'll take him a while to get away from whatever's occupying him and.. then travel here…
Heal.
On the 'stay put' side I've got Father Box and a power ring that are currently non-functional. If I can change that then I can either escape or -my preference- wreck havoc upon the deserving. Sinestro?
Heal.
…
Heal.
Nothing.
Heal.
Okay then. "In blackest day or-. Uhuh-uhuh."
Heal.
I wince, then gasp as that involves putting pressure on the damaged tissue around my eyes in a way they are not shy about sharing with the rest of me. OWFUCKINGOW!
Heal!
Okay. Talking out loud is a no-go for now.
Heal.
The flames… I think they're dying down a bit. I don't remember seeing any flammable material in the room, so it's just the quick-burning fuel, robot remains and… Probably Kelly-remains and my eyes.
Heal.
When this is over I'm going to be on my third pair of eyes! Thirty years I lived with one perfectly good pair but I'm on this stupid Earth for a couple of months-!
Heal.
I stab my daiklave into the floor and check myself over with my hands. Something stuck on the left side of my torso… Maybe on that side of my face as well, but I have no intention of prodding it to make sure. The robots had some sort of glue spray? It's still sticky in places while in others it's set like rubber and.. across my left arm it appears to have been burned and crystallised. Heh. If I could see what I was doing, I could use it to put a protective cover over my eye sockets, but then… If I could see what I was doing then I wouldn't need to.
Heal.
No other injuries in evidence. I pick the daiklave up once more and cautiously make my way towards the door. I'm getting a little short of breath as well. The room.. didn't look well-ventilated. Can't hear anything much from the far side-. I nearly trip as my right foot bumps into something. I crouch down, feeling… Part of a robot, I think. There's no chance I could repair it or use it as a weapon like this, but maybe… I grab hold of something on the chassis that feels load bearing. As a shield, it's inadequate. As a projectile, it's… Better than nothing.
Heal.
I rise to my feet. Okay, door should be about three metres that way, nearest wall should be there. I could just stride out of the smoke looking like a killing machine, but I'm.. just not feeling it at the moment. I swing the daiklave slowly, trying to use the flat of the blade to determine exactly where the wall begins… There. I stop to listen again.
Heal.
Nothing.
Heal.
I swivel my waist, preparing for the throw. One… Two… Three. I bring my left arm around and hurl the remains of the robot down the corridor outside. Then I listen. No shots, no yelps and no frantic scurrying to the side. Either whoever is there is exceptionally well disciplined or the corridor is empty. Right then, best foot forwards. I step to the side so that I'm standing directly in front of the opening. I should be visible now. No, still nothing.
Heal.
I step forwards one pace. Then another. As I pass through the opening there's a slight drop in temperature and an equally slight rise in air quality. Running my left hand along the wall I can feel the lumps of stone I sliced through when I cut through the door's anchor points earlier and that is the door itself. Worth picking up? I crouch down, feeling it with my left hand. It's not resting flat on the floor, there should be a handle… My probing hand encounters a wheel mechanism. That should do for the moment. I heave it upwards, metal scraping against stone as it comes upright. The wheel turns under the door's weight before stopping at its furthest extent.
Heal.
Mm. Very awkward. I'm just about strong enough to hold it in place, but the grip is decidedly suboptimal. No, have to make do. I hold it so that it covers a good deal of my chest, then extend my daiklave like a blind man's stick. Which it literally is, I suppose. Tap, wall over there. Tap, wall there too.
Heal.
With me removed from the field, command defaults to Doctor Robbins. The Mountain itself should be perfectly secure, with both technological defences and with the muscles and claws of the Genomorphs. I may have sent Chester to assist Miss Amane but I'm reasonably confident of her ability to look after herself if it comes to it.
Heal.
The one I'm really worried about is Lynne.
Heal.
The Centre for Paranormal Research isn't a military institution. There are a couple of security guards, but they're there to throw out nuisance visitors or protestors, not fight paramilitary units. Against untrained and unarmed metahumans, walking up to them with a gun and shooting them dead before they know what's going on is a perfectly viable technique. And if they can shut down a Father Box they can almost certainly shut down her telepathy.
Heal.
Tap. Tap.
Heal.
And sure, if anything happens to her then this country can forget about a smooth transition of power as I run through Westminster like a blender… But that wouldn't bring her back.
Heal.
Tap. Tap.
Heal.
Why did Major Kelly refer to me as 'alien'? I mean, yes, I am… Father Box?
Heal.
…
Heal.
Okay, I'm not an alien, but I've been telling everyone that I am and I certainly look like one. Why the heck is that a problem for him? Everything these people know about Apokolips comes from me. Doesn't it? They wouldn't know that they should be worried about an Apokoliptian unless I told them, and if they don't trust me why would they trust my information about us not being trustworthy.
Heal.
Tap. Tap.
Heal.
Maybe he's just speciesist. I mean, alien is three syllables, saying my name would actually have been-.
Heal.
"Hello, alien."
Heal.
I stop, turning my head in what I think is the direction of the voice. "Miss Dolmann." Owowow. Fight through. "Would you be so good as to point me to the exit? I've been kidnapped by men of low character and I fear for my safety."
Heal.
"We're going to get you. You're in a secure facility and extra forces are en route. You can't escape."
Heal.
For a moment, I consider doing the 'I'm not locked in here with you' line. But my throat really hurts. "'Kay."
Hea-. No. I try pushing my essence into Father Box, the resolute unflagging drive to conquer married to the intellect to do so intelligently. Nothing.
Tap. Tap.
Heal.
I start walking again. I wonder if I can sense the magic in this structure? Maybe get some idea of where things are? My magic-sense is pretty much limited to 'there is a concentration of power here', but even that-.
"You're going to die, alien!"
Heal.
"Y-. Yep. You said."
Heal.
I rest the knuckles of my right hand against the corridor wall and try relaxing my grip on my own body. Can I.. feel.. anything..? Ugh, sort of. There's power here, but it appears to be all around in more or less uniform strength. It probably isn't, but the distinction is too subtle for me to detect. Drat. I bring my daiklave back to the ready position and start walking again.
Heal.
Then I hear the roar as another rocket fires.
17:54 GMT
My eyes are shut, but something is trickling down my face. Eye goo? Blood? I don't think it can be rocket fuel; it isn't on fire. The heat isn't really a problem for me… Not yet at least. I might suffer from oxygen deficiency eventually but my insides are nearly as heat-resistant as my outside. My neck aches and I'm sure that if I could see it I would see Major Kelly's fingerprints gouged into my flesh.
Heal.
Fortunately, the pain from my abused neck is being drowned out by… Agh… The pain from my eye sockets. Not at unanesthetised autodisembowelment levels yet, but the day is young.
Heal.
Stay here or get moving?
Heal.
I'm in what I presume to be a castle. One maintained by the British government as a black site. The castley bits of castles aren't usually all that big, so charging out of the doors and smashing my way along the corridors is certainly a viable option. On the other hand, there are almost certainly more robots out there. There may also be regular Human soldiers -only a concern in the sense that killing them might make me look bad- and metahumans of various sorts. I.. am.. in no shape to fight someone in my weight class.
Heal.
I'm not sure exactly how much of the British super-establishment is on board with Project Evil, but… Even those who aren't would probably be on board with assisting in stopping me if they find me rampaging around a secure facility. Doubly so if I'm dripping with the blood of their countrymen. Of Chester's associates, the only one who really worries me is Tri-man. Super speed and super strength are difficult for me to overcome at the best of times, and.. now… Isn't. Fortunately for me, he has Thundermind's problem of being too much a public figure to be able to disappear for long periods of time. A call has probably gone out, but it'll take him a while to get away from whatever's occupying him and.. then travel here…
Heal.
On the 'stay put' side I've got Father Box and a power ring that are currently non-functional. If I can change that then I can either escape or -my preference- wreck havoc upon the deserving. Sinestro?
Heal.
…
Heal.
Nothing.
Heal.
Okay then. "In blackest day or-. Uhuh-uhuh."
Heal.
I wince, then gasp as that involves putting pressure on the damaged tissue around my eyes in a way they are not shy about sharing with the rest of me. OWFUCKINGOW!
Heal!
Okay. Talking out loud is a no-go for now.
Heal.
The flames… I think they're dying down a bit. I don't remember seeing any flammable material in the room, so it's just the quick-burning fuel, robot remains and… Probably Kelly-remains and my eyes.
Heal.
When this is over I'm going to be on my third pair of eyes! Thirty years I lived with one perfectly good pair but I'm on this stupid Earth for a couple of months-!
Heal.
I stab my daiklave into the floor and check myself over with my hands. Something stuck on the left side of my torso… Maybe on that side of my face as well, but I have no intention of prodding it to make sure. The robots had some sort of glue spray? It's still sticky in places while in others it's set like rubber and.. across my left arm it appears to have been burned and crystallised. Heh. If I could see what I was doing, I could use it to put a protective cover over my eye sockets, but then… If I could see what I was doing then I wouldn't need to.
Heal.
No other injuries in evidence. I pick the daiklave up once more and cautiously make my way towards the door. I'm getting a little short of breath as well. The room.. didn't look well-ventilated. Can't hear anything much from the far side-. I nearly trip as my right foot bumps into something. I crouch down, feeling… Part of a robot, I think. There's no chance I could repair it or use it as a weapon like this, but maybe… I grab hold of something on the chassis that feels load bearing. As a shield, it's inadequate. As a projectile, it's… Better than nothing.
Heal.
I rise to my feet. Okay, door should be about three metres that way, nearest wall should be there. I could just stride out of the smoke looking like a killing machine, but I'm.. just not feeling it at the moment. I swing the daiklave slowly, trying to use the flat of the blade to determine exactly where the wall begins… There. I stop to listen again.
Heal.
Nothing.
Heal.
I swivel my waist, preparing for the throw. One… Two… Three. I bring my left arm around and hurl the remains of the robot down the corridor outside. Then I listen. No shots, no yelps and no frantic scurrying to the side. Either whoever is there is exceptionally well disciplined or the corridor is empty. Right then, best foot forwards. I step to the side so that I'm standing directly in front of the opening. I should be visible now. No, still nothing.
Heal.
I step forwards one pace. Then another. As I pass through the opening there's a slight drop in temperature and an equally slight rise in air quality. Running my left hand along the wall I can feel the lumps of stone I sliced through when I cut through the door's anchor points earlier and that is the door itself. Worth picking up? I crouch down, feeling it with my left hand. It's not resting flat on the floor, there should be a handle… My probing hand encounters a wheel mechanism. That should do for the moment. I heave it upwards, metal scraping against stone as it comes upright. The wheel turns under the door's weight before stopping at its furthest extent.
Heal.
Mm. Very awkward. I'm just about strong enough to hold it in place, but the grip is decidedly suboptimal. No, have to make do. I hold it so that it covers a good deal of my chest, then extend my daiklave like a blind man's stick. Which it literally is, I suppose. Tap, wall over there. Tap, wall there too.
Heal.
With me removed from the field, command defaults to Doctor Robbins. The Mountain itself should be perfectly secure, with both technological defences and with the muscles and claws of the Genomorphs. I may have sent Chester to assist Miss Amane but I'm reasonably confident of her ability to look after herself if it comes to it.
Heal.
The one I'm really worried about is Lynne.
Heal.
The Centre for Paranormal Research isn't a military institution. There are a couple of security guards, but they're there to throw out nuisance visitors or protestors, not fight paramilitary units. Against untrained and unarmed metahumans, walking up to them with a gun and shooting them dead before they know what's going on is a perfectly viable technique. And if they can shut down a Father Box they can almost certainly shut down her telepathy.
Heal.
Tap. Tap.
Heal.
And sure, if anything happens to her then this country can forget about a smooth transition of power as I run through Westminster like a blender… But that wouldn't bring her back.
Heal.
Tap. Tap.
Heal.
Why did Major Kelly refer to me as 'alien'? I mean, yes, I am… Father Box?
Heal.
…
Heal.
Okay, I'm not an alien, but I've been telling everyone that I am and I certainly look like one. Why the heck is that a problem for him? Everything these people know about Apokolips comes from me. Doesn't it? They wouldn't know that they should be worried about an Apokoliptian unless I told them, and if they don't trust me why would they trust my information about us not being trustworthy.
Heal.
Tap. Tap.
Heal.
Maybe he's just speciesist. I mean, alien is three syllables, saying my name would actually have been-.
Heal.
"Hello, alien."
Heal.
I stop, turning my head in what I think is the direction of the voice. "Miss Dolmann." Owowow. Fight through. "Would you be so good as to point me to the exit? I've been kidnapped by men of low character and I fear for my safety."
Heal.
"We're going to get you. You're in a secure facility and extra forces are en route. You can't escape."
Heal.
For a moment, I consider doing the 'I'm not locked in here with you' line. But my throat really hurts. "'Kay."
Hea-. No. I try pushing my essence into Father Box, the resolute unflagging drive to conquer married to the intellect to do so intelligently. Nothing.
Tap. Tap.
Heal.
I start walking again. I wonder if I can sense the magic in this structure? Maybe get some idea of where things are? My magic-sense is pretty much limited to 'there is a concentration of power here', but even that-.
"You're going to die, alien!"
Heal.
"Y-. Yep. You said."
Heal.
I rest the knuckles of my right hand against the corridor wall and try relaxing my grip on my own body. Can I.. feel.. anything..? Ugh, sort of. There's power here, but it appears to be all around in more or less uniform strength. It probably isn't, but the distinction is too subtle for me to detect. Drat. I bring my daiklave back to the ready position and start walking again.
Heal.
Then I hear the roar as another rocket fires.
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