A Spider in The Bay! A Marvel/ Worm Crossover

[bluekun]

[X] "By wandering around you mean you're not from Earth bet are you?"

That was the first question out of Lisa's mouth. Call it childish curiosity but ever since Professor Haywire made his breakthrough there always has been this,,,fascination with interdimensional travel. And if what Mars is saying is true, that means people can travel to alternate Earths and not just pass data to each other.

"Yeah? I'm not exactly a native of Earth-9505, you all know that already. I just stumbled across this one while traveling after leaving my earth." Mars answered flippantly. "Seemed like a good place to visit and sight-see, blend in with the locals y'know? Last thing I expected is to be caught up with this."

"Wait, Earth-9505? You mean Earth Bet right?" Taylor chimed in while asking. Excited by potential number of earths out there. Slightly terrified about number.

"Was there any other? Earth 9505 or Bet, whichever one you call it isn't exactly the center of the multiverse you know. That dubious honor goes to Earth 616. And maybe sometimes Earth 1610. Usually it's 616 thought." Mars answered straight. Not lying. Has visited before? Sentence implies familiarity with mentioned Earths. =eRrOR==403=

"Fuck," Lisa found herself muttering as another migraine threatened to make itself known while Taylor glanced towards her in concern. "It's fine," Lisa found herself brushing off Taylor, "Just a reminder not to push myself that hard."

"And by all means, what you call Earth Aleph should be called 9504 due to your Earths being right next to each other and whatnot."

"So if you traveled here, does it mean we can travel to other earths as well?" Taylor asked.

"Weeeeell, you could. Theoretically. I mean the spell I used to travel here can be applied to a baseline human but even if it did work, it'd have a chance of ripping your body apart." Mars explained while drawing out the 'e'.

"Wait, spells? You're kidding right?" Lisa asked Mars skeptically. Oh great, another one of those who call their abilities as 'magic'. She groused to herself. Of all the people, Mars was the last person she had expected to use that terminology.

"Okay have it your way wise gal. I'll simplify it so your whatever passes for brain cells in your head don't overwork itself. What I call magic is in a nut shell, modifying the source code for reality which after I'm done all that junk data is dumped in the Backyard. Done!"

"Wait, what?" Lisa and Taylor found themselves asking at the same time.

"And here I thought you two were the sharper ones." Mars snarked. "Should I repeat myself slowly this time? I. Modify. Reality's. Source. Code."

"We get the point!" Lisa cut Mars off before she could say any further. That alone was enough to shake the world. But the other thing was...

[X] "You seem to know something about the Backyard don't you?"

"Before I answer that question, tell me, would you like the long or short answer?" Mars asked with utmost seriousness that caught them off. After a quiet look shared by the Taylor and Lisa, they gave their answer.

"Short version it is then! The Backyard is where the physical data of the world is stored at and also used to power what I call 'Magic'." She wasn't kidding whens he said short...."Tell you anything more and you might go off the deep end here."

"But because you all asked for the short answer, I'll give you guys one last free question then. So ask away."

[X] "Can you explain further what's a Gear?"

That seemed to cause Mars's mood to darken slightly. Afraid of providing full answer. Afraid of reaction? No. Aware of possible reaction. Stigma attached with Gears? Unknown.

"So here's how it goes. A gear is a modified lifeform. Could be any living beings taken in and then modified and whatnot. The process to even make one though, was already lost to history. The basic premise was that Gears were intended in my world, to be advance human evolution and whatnot. Three guesses how well that turned out."

"Someone attempted to weaponize it didn't they?" Taylor asked in a soft voice, realization hitting her.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure I'm one of the last prototype Gears out there. That'll be enough questions for now." Mars spoke before getting off the crate.

"Oh yeah, what do you want to do with these two Valentines anyway?" She asked while gesturing towards Elphelt and Ramlethal.

[] Stay with the Undersiders for now. At least you can keep an eye on them.
[] Send them to the Protectorate. They'll freak out alright. But hopefully Elphelt can talk them down?
[] They're on their own from here on out. You're done with their brand of crazy.
[] Write-in.

Welp. Lack of tiebreakers mean making things up. In the next chapter, a shift back to Gwen! A possible fundraiser? A cell to point and laugh at both Lung and Bakuda! What fun times. Happy voting and maybe and extra side-material tomorrow?

 

[veekie]

[X] Send them to the Protectorate. They'll freak out alright. But hopefully Elphelt can talk them down?

 

[Madou Sutegobana]

Is it okay to write in:
[WI] Send them directly to Dragon, as she has expressed a belief in treating non-hostile Cyborgs and Androids somewhat better than the Protectorates policy decrees.

 

[wingstrike96]

[X] Send them to the Protectorate. They'll freak out alright. But hopefully Elphelt can talk them down?

Let Piggot have a new headache

 

[Spoit]

Wait, they're sentient aren't they? The only choices that they could really make are staying with the undersiders or

[X] They're on their own from here on out. You're done with their brand of crazy.

 

[bluekun]

Is it okay to write in:
[WI] Send them directly to Dragon, as she has expressed a belief in treating non-hostile Cyborgs and Androids somewhat better than the Protectorates policy decrees.

Click to shrink...

The write-in is fine, I don't mind it. It's just I have to ask, how exactly do we get Dragon's attention to handle this exactly? Send them to the Protectorate first then let them know about their real nature? Something else? I really need to know so could you please elaborate? Many thanks if you are able to.

On another note, have an extra.

Your Mother Should Know

Seated at the table, empty plates and a satisfying dinner. Wiping her mouth clean, Fortuna turned to Morgan. She had explicitly forbade her to use her power when in social situations like this. As what Morgan had explained, "Less reliance, better application." She hadn't understood what she meant all those years ago, only now she was starting to understand, somewhat.

"Our ears on the ground have recently received a...troubling report." Rebecca was the first to speak up.

"What sort of troubling exactly?" Morgan asked as she set her glass down. The place was secluded and money did a long way towards ensuring a private meal for the three of them.

"Faultline and her team are about to make bigger headway into investigating the Case 53s. Apparently, they have recruited a new member to help them with their investigation. Thanks to Newt's help, we have managed to identify the person that allowed them to make this breakthrough."

"Curious, very curious. Who was the individual?" Morgan asked while leaning forward.

"A person that didn't exist several months ago. Her name is Marissa Yang." Rebecca answered before taking a sip from her glass, observing Morgan, and waiting to see her reaction.

Morgan was quiet for a few seconds before Fortuna heard laughter. A few more seconds before she realized it was coming from Morgan. That seemed to catch Rebecca off guard if the surprised look on her face was any indication.

After a few more seconds, Morgan had managed to reduce it to a restrained chuckle. "Marissa Yang you say?" She asked.

"Yes. Do you know her per say?" Rebecca asked. It took every bit of Fortuna's willpower not use the Path right here and then to get the answer she wanted.

"Yes. I do know Mars Yang and her inquisitive nature. Once she finds something interesting enough, she devotes her full attention towards it. Nothing we do will be able to curb her investigations at all. As for how to deal with her, I suggest leaving a convoluted trail for her to track. Once she reaches whatever conclusion we give her, part truths and what not. But be warned, do not approach her as a member of our little group. Instead Rebecca, approach her as either the Chief Director or as a member of the Triumvirate" Morgan ordered.

"We cannot remove her from the playing field?" Rebecca asked.

"No. We cannot. Her unique nature makes her not worth the effort. In the meantime, the Valentine units and Newt will monitor her progress and growth."

"Fine then. Are you sure their 'Mother' can be trusted still?"

"We have both reached a mutual understanding about this. Both of our long-term goals align and we both can provide something each of us wants. So all of us walks away happy. Now stop referring to her as 'Mother' and use her actual name will you?"

"Fine. Newt will keep his ear to the ground for the moment and keep us informed about her activities. What about Phase Two for Swordbreaker?" Rebecca sighed out before asking.

"Phase Two starts in a week's time. By then, most of Central Europe will definitely fall into chaos. Not to even say the fallout that going to hit the States. Friday has already left a back door in all their systems and everything is in place. Now to see which stage would our 'friends' would prefer." Morgan clarified.

That's when Fortuna finally spoke up, "If there is nothing else, shall we discuss this matter further in later tonight?"

"That sounds good. Rebecca? Get Friday to help you here, compile everything we can get on Mars Yang. Spider Woman was a factor that we could guide to some extent. Ms. Yang is a different ballgame altogether. Are we in agreement?"

Both of them nodding their heads in agreement, Morgan stood up from her seat. "Now if you'll excuse me for now. I have to be ready for an interview with Piggot in several hours time and I'd rather have all my bases covered before hand. Good night. Door me."

 

[Kalvin_Drake]

[x] Send them to the Protectorate. They'll freak out alright. But hopefully Elphelt can talk them down?

 

[bluekun]

Waking up in the morning should be added to your list of things you despise most. After teen pop music of course.

Ow, you still feel sore all over after that round with Oni Lee the other night, but what about the ABB now? You did your best in quelling the riot and the Protectorate actually managed to keep Bakuda behind bars this time, but can they say the same about Lung?

Stepping out of the shower, you switch on the news and what you saw wasn't what you had expected. The PRT managed to keep Lung in custody with assistance of MI in a suit that looked a lot like your Stark's designs except, more...refined somehow? The talking heads (bless them) still did their jobs reporting while speculating about everything that was caught on camera.

That was definitely a big suit of power armor. One that actually went toe-to-toe with Lung and came out on top if the footage was any true. Maybe you should log in to PHO later for more info?

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Leaving the apartment you swing out into the city.

"Let's see what you've got for me today Brockton Bay." You say to yourself as you plummet pass the buildings. While you're swinging through the city, you take in sights of the city. No surprise, after what happened yesterday, can the ABB even be considered a gang anymore? There was Oni Lee, but form what you've seen, does he even have a personality or was he one of those 'Empty Shells' you've seen on TV before?

Merchants gone, ABB is practically finished, now all that's left was the Empire. Yup. Gonna have to roll with Star Wars jokes now. Not the Original Trilogy, the 'Prequel' of course! That means, who would be Ol' Palpy? Kaesar? Eh, he seems close enough.

Well, seems like the city's finally calming down after all that excitement form the past few days. The only thing left was the E88 and considering they actually put a bounty on your head means they must be really desperate alright. And the fact that you beat down those would-be comers, means a big slap right in their faces and their pride.

And no matter how hard you tried, the PRT just can't seem to be able to keep that over-sized fishing hook behind bars. They just kept intercepting his transport. At least they managed to keep Krieg behind bars properly now. Another web line connected as you pull yourself up, you just wonder what sort of trouble will you get yourself into this time?

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"Seriously Spidey, how do you keep doing that?" Assault asked you as you shared a bite together in a park with Battery. Cute name alright, you still find yourself snickering whenever you try and say their names together.

"Whatever do you mean my good sir?" You ask as innocently as possible while hanging upside down next to the two of them, happily munching on your sandwich.

"That creepy thing you do. You know, taking the 'Spider' part of your name too seriously? I'm pretty sure the PR guys would've thrown a fit if they had ever saw how you carry yourself for your day-to-day." Assault tells you before his wife bops him on his head. "Play nice now," she cautions him.

"Fine puppy, I won't bite. But later tonight," Assault teases,

"Ugh, you're incorrigible."

"That's why you stuck with me through all these years Puppy."

"Sometimes I wonder how."

"My charming personality of course! You know you can't resist it."

"Please, you two keep it up with your lovey-dovey couple thing and I just might catch diabetes from this." You snark before taking another bite from your sandwich.

"Hush now Spidey, the ahem, adults, are talking." Assault cuts you off. Shaking your head, you finish the last of your sandwich before getting the last say in.

"Might want to pick up your exercise regime again Assault. I thought I saw your costume bulging at your stomach, and not in the good way. Otherwise, Battery might decide to dump you and try for another guy, like I dunno, Beardmaster?" You said as you flip back right side up.

You managed to catch him just choking on his sandwich at your statement while Battery was doing her best to hold in her laughter before you zip back up to the rooftop. Nothing feels better sometimes than getting the last say. Maybe one day you should try for a Last Say Competition? You never know.

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It's been a few months already since you've ended up here and the night sky around you a stark reminder of that. You grabbed a short break during your patrol, visited Betsy and Mars. While Betsy was glad to see that you're alright, Mars seemed to be grumbling about something under her breath that you couldn't catch.

A nice dinner with them at Betsy's place before all of you went your separate ways. Mars apparently was rooming at Taylor's place due to 'apartment renovations' or something like that.

That's why you found yourself swinging across the city now. Bets to burn of those calories from dinner since Betsy's mom sure cooks a mean lasagna. Oh hey, something interesting's finally happening! A good ol' fashioned car theft!

As the two police cruisers chase after the pickup, you swing on down from above. The guy leaning out the side shooting at the cops didn't even know what hit him until he found himself hanging upside by a strand of your webbing, disarmed of his pea shooter.

"Indiana Jones!" You shout as you barrel into the drivers compartment sending the driver tumbling into the passenger seat.

'How exciting for you!" You remark while grabbing the steering wheel with both hands. "You're just driving by, minding your won business, and oh my God, Spider-Woman just dropped in! Wow!" You casually remark while the thug was jerkily pointing his gun at you as he was trying to say something.

Jamming hard on the brakes (Thank you stick 'em powers) his head smashed into the car's dashboard. "And that's what you get folks, for not wearing your seatbelt." You remark cheerfully as you climbed out of the vehicle, the other two cruisers pulling to a halt.

"Officers! I trust you'll educate this fellow on the importance road safety now, toodles!" You say to the approaching officers before taking off.

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The next day, you woke up to the sound of your phone ringing. Groggily, you fumble for it until you managed to grab ahold of it. Checking the caller ID it was:

[] Bug Girl.
[] Taylor.
[] Mouse Protector.
[] Write-in.

So here comes another try at slice of life and slowing things down a bit to do more talking and whatnot. I hope this was a somewhat decent read this time around and I'll see you guys on the next update. Happy voting.

 

[NemoMarx]

[X] Bug Girl.

 

[veekie]

[X] Bug Girl.

 

[Spoit]

[X] Bug Girl

 

[JeffJway]

[X] Bug Girl.

 

[Captain Hunt]

[X] Bug Girl.

 

[wingstrike96]

[X] Mouse Protector.

Dangerously cheesy

 

[bluekun]

[X] Bug Girl.

Huh, why was she calling so early in the morning anyway? Just as you were about to answer the phone when you belatedly realize that it was from Taylor's 'Skitter' number. Wait, did she want to talk to you or Spidey? And shouldn't she be in a Protectorate debriefing room or something?

Bracing yourself, you hit the answer button. Let's find out then.

"Spider-Woman?" Came the halting voice of Taylor from the other end of the line. Hastily pulling your shirt up to give the impression that you were still wearing your mask, you answer.

"Hey Bug Girl, long time no see! How's the White Hats treating you? Any super secret information you want to pass to me instead?" You ask with forced cheerfulness. Yeah, she had good intentions when she wanted to go undercover within the Undersiders. Yes, she had to rob a bank to kinda gain their trust and whatnot. But it still felt like you were responsible to some extent for her lack of faith in the Big Hats. It reminded you too much of Peter.

"No. Actually, I....I was wondering if we could meet in person. I need to tell you something. This is really important and....Outside of the Protectorate and the PRT, you're the only person I can trust right now. I...I need to get this off my chest and I can't say anything else over the phone." She seemed to be arguing with herself over soemthing.

"Alright then Bug Girl, do you want me to keep calling you that or would you prefer Skitter now?" You ask her.

"Skitter huh?" She asked over the line, "Did the press stick me with that name?" She asked.

"Nah, I'll tell you when we meet alright? Where do you have in mind?" You ask her.

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Rushing to get yourself cleaned up as fast as possible wasn't anything new for you at all. Arriving on the place Big Girl asked you to meet her at, it was a rooftop on a building closer to the dockyards and she was already there waiting for you.

"Yo." You greet her casually as you land on the rooftop. She didn't seemed startled at your appearance at all. Taking a step towards her you decided to start the conversation.

"So, Bug Girl. You finished your whole undercover thing yet? Got a pat on the back, a nice thing to put on your report and whatnot? Because I'd really wouldn't like to sock you in the face as much as I'd have to next time." You start up.

She shuffled on her feet looking...embarrassed, or something like that?

"I needed to gain the Undersiders's trust!" She protested, albeit a bit weakly. "Tattletale already reassured me, no one was going to get hurt. All we had to do was go in, scare them into not alerting the cops and get away before the police arrives!"

"Did Tattletale also predict that Panacea was there as well?" You shot back. "How about the Wards? Or even anyone that could've been caught in the crossfire? You do know that Glory Girl is a walking pile of collateral damage waiting to happen."

"It wasn't suppose to end up like that at all! I...It was all supposed to be big game Cops and Robbers. We-" Cops and Robbers? What the hell has Tattletale been feeding her? Next time you see her, you just might want to punch her a bit harder next time.

"Oh, it's all fun and games at first," You cut her off. "Everybody does their thing, you robbed the bank, got your fifteen minutes of fame. Then what happens after that? You and your 'gang' traumatized a lot of people for life! Sure there are therapies to help, sure they can eventually recover but what about those that can't? What about those that get caught in the crossfire between you, your team, the Wards and Glory Girl?" You found yourself getting angrier by the second.

"I-wha-" Bug Girl was practically shaking in her boots now. You would feel bad for her on any other day but right now you were downright pissed.

"And you want to know what's the next thing that happens after that to the victims you traumatized? They feel powerless, afraid. So what do they do? They go out and hurt other people just so they can feel in control again. So that they don't feel afraid anymore." You begin to calm down now after getting it off your chest. Wow. How did this conversation go south like this?

=======================================================================================================================

Taylor Hebert
Rooftop (Shaking in Your Boots)

I could feel myself tearing up already. Every time I saw her over the news, I never saw her lose her temper or cool at all, always a witty retort ready. This was the first time I saw her angry with a touch of...disappointment?

But Spider Woman said, it cut deeper than any insults Emma threw my way in the past few months. What made it hurt more was that what she said was also true as much as I want to reject it...

"And you want to know what's the next thing that happens after that to the victims you traumatized? They feel powerless, afraid. So what do they do? They go out and hurt other people just so they can feel in control again. So that they don't feel afraid anymore."

And when she said that line, I remembered meeting Mars when she just finished her suspension. Passing me a notebook with her scribbled notes inside it. When I returned home and read it, there were a lot of reasoning behind the words, but one page stood out in particular.

Emma Barnes. Main perpetrator of bullying campaign towards Taylor since beginning of school year despite evidence indicating previous friendship.

Main Question: Why?

Hypothesis: Possibly suffered major trauma during summer. Definitely gang activity.

Most likely suspect? ABB. Possible racial motivated assault? (Unknown)

Conclusion: After extensive investigation, Emma Barnes was injured by an ABB attack on her before being rescued by Shadow Stalker (Pre-Wards). Observations has shown that Shadow Stalker has a near Darwinian outlook on life (Mentions of Predator and Prey) and most likely Barnes latched on to her as a pseudo 'Role Model' to look up to in order to overcome trauma and adopting a similar mindset as well.

Note: At least now I know why Barnes doesn't seem to like me.

Was I forcing what I endured over the past six months onto the rest of the world? Was everything I did so far just me sinking down to their level in a different sense? Does it mean that in the end I was no better than the Trio int he end?

"Hey, hey. Stay with me here." Spider-Woman spoke up trying to comfort me. I knew on some level, I should hate her for forcing me to face the truth and breaking the little bubble I had built around myself. But right now? I was too tired to care anymore.

"Look. I know what I said earlier was harsh, but it's all true. And after everything you've done so far, there's still time to make it right. You have all this power, right here at your finger tips...And if things go bad, it's on you."

What do you plan to do about this revelation?

[] Stick to the plan. You came here to talk to her about what you know and your future.
[] Masks off. You already messed up bad. Time you tried to make this right.
[] Walk away. Do you really deserve her time after what she told you?
[] Write-in.

Update is here. Hope I made the perspective switch a bit clearer this time. And shouting! Talking! And after all that, can Taylor ever take one step without escalating things? Heck if I know. Happy voting and good night.

 

[NemoMarx]

[X] Stick to the plan. You came here to talk to her about what you know and your future.
-[X] Unmask as you do, so she knows you're sincere.

 

[veekie]

[X] Masks off. You already messed up bad. Time you tried to make this right.

 

[bluekun]

[X] Stick to the plan. You came here to talk to her about what you know and your future.
-[X] Unmask as you do, so she knows you're sincere.

"I-I understand what you're talking about. That's why I need to talk to you today. This is really important. I can't hold it any longer." You found yourself telling Spider-Woman.

"When I went undercover, I discovered who was the Undersiders's employer, which was some woman called Cipher. But that's beside the point. She has the Mayor's niece, a girl called Dinah Alcott with her."

"Okay, and Cipher is holding her as blackmail material for the mayor?" Spider-Woman asked you, one of her lenses widening as well. You could almost see her jumping to the same conclusion you did two days ago.

"No! No. It's not what you think! She's-It's just...Dinah's a Parahuman. One of the strongest Thinker anybody's have ever seen.. She said she went to look for Cipher for protection because the E88 caught wind of her abilities. She's...she's afraid of what will they do to her if they got their hands on her." You take a short pause to let that sink in before resuming.

"Why I came here was because I wanted to let you, the PRT and the Protectorate in on this. Dinah said her chances of going back to see her family increases if I tell you. It drops by several per cent when if I go to the PRT. The odds increases again if I let the Protectorate in on this. I'm just afraid with after what happened at the bank, the Protectorate will arrest me the first chance they get."

She seemed to be in deep thought at the information you told her, mulling it over.

"You're meaning to say that I have the best chance of ensuring that Alcott girl is able to return home to her parents as soon as possible?" Spider-Woman asked incredulously.

"Yes. Dinah said if I rope you in, it jumps to 89%. At this point, I really need your help already, please." You haven't felt this weak in a while already. Not since the Trio. And pleading just made it feel worse.

"Please. Just, I need your help. A young girl is being reluctantly kept away from her family," You were beginning to feel desperate at Spider-Woman's lack of response or expression on her mask. Probably why most Protectorate and Wards wear half-masks? Desperation itself gave you this crazy idea.

"Look, I'll just prove I'm sincere about this alright?" You tell her before undoing the straps holding your mask.

"Bug Girl-" Spider-Woman says before you pull the mask off your face.

=======================================================================================================================

Gwen Stacy

"My name, my real name is Taylor Hebert. I'm a former student from Winslow. Three months ago, I got the ability to control bugs after being shoved into a locker." She tells you while gripping her mask in both hands.

"Is this enough to prove that I'm not lying to you here?" You can practically feel the desperation around her as much as you can see the determination in her eyes.

"I know I messed up with the bank robbery, but now's my chance to make things right. Can you help me?" She asks you.

But wow. The mayor's niece being held by a crime lord to prevent her kidnapping from another crime lord. And if what Taylor said was true, that Dinah girl can see the future in percentages or something like that as well as the amount of clout one could get from rescuing or keeping her.

This was not you were expecting when you climbed out the window this morning. Maybe Taylor turning herself in, ending the whole undercover fiasco, but from what she said, it doesn't look like she'll be doing that anytime soon.

What do you answer with?

To Mask or Not to Mask?
[] She showed you a sign of trust by unmasking herself. It should be right to do the same thing.
[] You'd rather keep your business and pleasure separated thank you very much.

Big Band Plan
[] She's desperate for your help. Desperate enough to unmask herself. Agree to play peacemaker between her and the Protectorate for now.
[] She's got a good objective but what's her plan to reach the objective?
[] She must have a plan somewhere. You need more answers. (Write two questions to ask)
[] Write-in.

Let's keep going with this shall we? And answer some questions about Dinah's condition? Happy voting.

 

[veekie]

[X] She showed you a sign of trust by unmasking herself. It should be right to do the same thing.
[X] She's got a good objective but what's her plan to reach the objective?

First point out the extremely bad idea of "wing it, I'm sure it'd work out when I have two villain Thinkers and one enslaved Thinker dealing with it"

 

[Captain Hunt]

[X] She showed you a sign of trust by unmasking herself. It should be right to do the same thing.
[X] She's got a good objective but what's her plan to reach the objective?

 

[bluekun]

Well, my muse is being stubborn again so have this instead I guess.


Several Months Ago

"Now, with great honor, I present to you, the CEO of Milestone Industries, Elizabeth Martin!" The speaker announces. Cheering from the assembled students.

"Alright, show time Martin." Mutter to myself.

Walk out onto stage, wave at the crowd. Smile on face, genuine pleasure in speaking to these students. Potential hope for the future, all of them.

Now I'm crossing the stage, approaching the Dean, arm raised. A friendly shake, acknowledgment of his authority here. I'm merely the guest here.

Now I'm at the podium, I take it all in. All the students from the Engineering Division here at Cornell. I begin my speech.

"Building a future. Wow, that's quite the milestone for everyone involved. But I can attribute that the goal itself is a pipe dream. And as far as pipe dreams go, what better way than that?" A pause, let that sink in.

"You already know about the advent of Parahumans so I won't bore you with those details. But the moment the first Tinker stepped out into the open with his fancy toys, our jobs, as engineers got harder. Why? Because Tinker Tech essentially laughs in the face of conventional science and previously we had the monopoly in that department." Lighten the mood, a bad joke here and there does wonders to maintain attention.

"But because of that, the need for engineers increased exponentially. The reinforced building that saves someone's life when a Brute smashes into it. The improved equipment that ensures another PRT trooper makes it back home to enjoy dinner with his or her family. That is part and parcel of the job. We build and invent things like this, to ensure someone else gets to have a tomorrow."

"I know the value of Tinker Tech as an engineer, industrialist and businesswoman and I can say this. It is absolutely worthless in nearly every single sense of the world." A pause, let the sense of shock sink in for a moment, resume.

"I know this wasn't part of the speech and all that but can anyone explain to me why Tinker Tech is utterly worthless? Ask room, engage in crowd participation Let's see what they're made of.

"They can't be reversed engineered?" A student asks while raising his hand.

"Correct, somewhat. Brownie point for you. Any other answers? Ah, you there. Jumper."

"Tinker Tech cannot be mass produced?" Jumper Girl half asks half answers.

"Correctomundo! Another brownie point for you. One more, come on people!" Rule of Three after all.

"Tinker Tech requires constant maintenance?"

"And there you go! Yes! We look at this from both an engineering and industrialist perspective, Tinker Tech is just not viable at all. What's the point of selling a clean energy generator if you're going to spend the next week trying to maintain it? You people get me here? Yes. We as engineers, cannot rely on Tinker Tech as a crutch for too long, otherwise, we get rusty, we start taking it for granted."

"That's why, in the past few decades, there have been very few breakthroughs in terms of engineering or technological advancements that are not derived from Tinker Tech. I want you all in this room to change that. I personally don't hate Parahumans but from an engineer's perspective, Tinker Tech is rather horrible to watch no matter what the folks in Brockton Bay would have you believe about Armsmaster's printed pants."

More levity, soften them again. Could be my own bias influencing the direction of this speech, but to some extent it is the truth.

"What Milestone Industries have done so far is trying to bridge that gap. Tinkers already had a several decade headstart, it's about time we caught up. Now, I look at everyone of you in this room and I'm confident that all of you will one day build a brighter future. Thank you." Close speech off, amphitheater applauds.

Head backstage now. A meeting with a Bunko Akita. Very promising papers she had wrote. Very, very fascinating theories involving applications of certain materials in a specific manner. Will need to get her onto the R&D Team the moment she graduates before the other companies nab her.

There she is. "Ah, Miss Bunko, a moment of your time if you will."

Vote for Two Interludes:

[] Aces High.
[] Four, Five Seconds.
[] Volare.
[] Crocodile Rock.

Well, assignment time is here. Which means I'll have to drop the update rate for this Quest for now at least until I finish and hand them in. I'll still do what I can to get the next part up on Friday, so until then, happy voting.

 

[veekie]

[X] Aces High.
[X] Four, Five Seconds.

 

[Marked_One]

[X] Aces High.
[X] Four, Five Seconds.

 

[Captain Hunt]

[X] Aces High.
[X] Four, Five Seconds.

 

[bluekun]

[X] Four, Five Seconds.

"Evade, evade!" Home Plate could be heard warning him through the comms. Not that he needed much warning if the blast of energy flying towards him was any indication. Banking hard, he avoided the attack.

"Those where warning shots there, they're hailing me again. What's the game plan boss?" He found himself asking as he re-orientated himself.

"Stick to the plan. We're dispatching backup to your position already. EVA's got the other drone's sync and ready. ETA 10 minutes."

"Oh, that's reassuring. Does that mean I get to answer their hails now?"

"Do what you want but you remember the rules."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't give my name, training exercise, yadda, yadda, yadda. Am I right?"

"You're good to go then War Machine. All systems are green, your reactor's stable and all weapons green. Base Plate out."

Sighing to himself, he waited as the radio hailed him one more time before he hit the 'transmit' button while slowing down his speed. Can't exactly talk while maintaining his previous speed.

"Unknown flyer, you are currently trespassing in Imperial China territory. You have ignored previous hails, land now and submit to the authorities and we be merciful." An accented voice spoke over the comm. Eying the display, drone arrival in 9 minutes. Should be enough.

Looking around, he finally spotted the best possible landing spot available, a clearing right next to a massive compound he had seen in the briefings before and during the flight here. The Yangban Compound, or at least one of them. Readying himself, he went in for the landing.

Landing with a loud clunk right in the middles of the clearing, a group of similarly dressed people began to approach him. his HUD marking them all as Yangban. Several more arrived, this time, their insignias clearly marked them as Imperial Army. Dismounting their trucks, one of them looked like the one in charge approached cautiously, loudspeaker in hand.

"War Machine, you have violated the sovereignty of Imperial China. Exit the suit now and you will be treated with mercy. Resist and the Yangban will deal with you." Breathing in to himself, Rhodey cursed himself for what he had to do next. Was it the right thing to do? He didn't even know anymore. "EVA, hijack all Yangban and Imperial China communications." He ordered.

"Communications hijacked. You are clear to broadcast." EVA responded a second later.

"Longing. Rusted. Seventeen. Daybreak. Furnace. Nine. Benign. Homecoming. One. Freight Car." He found himself saying over the radio, the system translating whatever he said into flawless mandarin. Several Yangban members around him twitched at that. Several Imperial Army soldiers as well.

"What did you say? Repeat, what did you say?" The officer asked in confusion when several of them spoke at once over the comms in flawless Russian. "Zakazy ser?"

Drone arrival, 6 minutes.

Raising his arm, he could feel the cannons warming up as the system targeted those not affected by his transmission. The officer was backing away now shouting orders into his radio to no avail. Dealing with Saint was a good thing. Something right. This? Morgan was asking him to help kickstart a civil war in China for crying out loud! But then, it was to overthrow the people behind the Yangban and ensure what they did never happened again.

Drone arrival, 4 minutes.

"Initsiirovaniye operatsii Zakhoroneniye otval." He said. Everything around him erupted into chaos. His arm cannon roared, clean hole through the officer as his corpse was sent flying back from the shot. Yangban and Imperial Army soldiers alike turning against each other.

Taking off, Rhodey directed himself towards the closest Army depot. EVA was helpful enough to suggest where was the most likely place the recently deceased officer had come from. The first part was done, now came the next part. Opening fire with the micro rockets and cannons, he quickly reduced that command post to rubble, the troops stationed there was barely any resistance.

Then, his suit shook as something smashed into it. Turning around, he found one of the Yangban members, (Tong Ling Ta) gesturing as mounds upon mounds of earth rose up from the ground around him. "Not good," he found himself muttering right before another pillar of earth rose from the ground below him, uppercutting the suit.

Before Tong could even press her advantage, the high pitched whine was her only warning before her head exploded as the drones hovered before her. Alright, debate this with Morgan later, for now, he had a job to do.



Right, late update is here, expect updates after this to still be sporadic at least until about a week or two for now. I'll see you guys until then.