Remove ads

Ex Machina (Worm Tinker AU)

Status
Not open for further replies.
Reader mode
Banjofrog said:
I felt myself backing up in shock, staring up into the sky, now covered in a roiling dark mass of thunderheads.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Banjofrog said:
Behind him, I could see Cricket, fiddling with her little scythes, kamas, I think they were called, and pacing back and forth, glancing back at the two of us with a frequency granted by the urgency of the situation.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Banjofrog said:
I shook my head and stood up asking Viktor what we were doing now, shouting to be heard over the sirens blasting over the city.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Banjofrog said:
coordinated by almost hysterical-looking members of the BBPD trying to direct them in a manner which would prevent any of them from being trampled by the mass of people.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Banjofrog said:
Without a word, the two of us followed him as he navigated his way through streets, buildings and alleyways, taking what I could only assume was the fastest possible way to our destination.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Banjofrog said:
Legend, with his perfect physique and skintight blue bodysuit, was talking with Armsmaster, who was compensating for something with a second halberd slung across his back.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Banjofrog said:
At some point I was handed an armband by one of the out-of-town Wards,
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Banjofrog said:
prattle on about something related to the geological surveys of the area.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Banjofrog said:
joining most of the Protectorate heroes present, a few of the out-of-town Wards and hero groups, and some of the other capes here that I didn't recognize.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Banjofrog said:
Blasters and Brutes would be forming the main offense; Movers would be transporting people and… bodies; those with applicable Shaker powers or forcefields would be managing the Endbringer's title waves.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Banjofrog said:
When the Movers were called I felt a stirring at my side.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Banjofrog said:
From what I'd read, most injuries caused by Leviathan were trauma-related, which would be easy enough to stabilize until someone like Panacea could get to them.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Banjofrog said:
"Who's the new guy?" he called out rather bluntly,
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Banjofrog said:
I turned back to my current patient, that same Ward who had given me my armband earlier today.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Banjofrog said:
I stepped backwards, letting Reynolds, the medic who had been by my side almost this whole time take the cot the Ward was on and wheel it over to the healers, another well-used cot brought in to take its place.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Banjofrog said:
Leviathan had immediately lashed out upon unfreezing, catching Kaiser and a few others with a surge of water from its afterimage, crushing them against a building.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Banjofrog said:
She looked down to see that its source was a flame-wreathed dragon larger than the Endbringer, shouting out its warcry as it charged toward Leviathan.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
 
I'm honestly surprised Lung died, that's pretty rad. I don't think it could ever happen like that, since Lung even survived Scion, he must have hit the core or something.
 
Last edited:
Well Lung at least died happy; he couldn't save Kyushu, but he saved Brockton Bay. An Interlude from him might be appropriate.
 
munchkinomatic said:
So what happened to Lung's brain in this scene? What in the name of god possessed him to fight the most powerful macro-hydrokinesis creature in its own turf?

I mean, I know common sense is a superpower and all, but, really?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It's especially odd considering Lung canonically did his best to avoid facing Leviathan underwater at Kyushu:
Interlude 22 said:
The ground parted, and Lung could hear the water rushing in to fill the void. The landmass had parted, and ocean water was streaming in from miles away.

Leviathan tried to drag him closer to the chasm, no doubt wanting to fight in that churning abyss. Lung planted toes in the ground and resisted.

Alexandria was there in a heartbeat, helping, keeping Leviathan from finding his way inside. She drove the monster back, bought Lung purchase.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
and when Lung did fight Leviathan underwater, because Kyushu had sank around him, Lung almost died:
Interlude 22 said:
The landmass disappeared beneath the pair of them, the shards of land drawn beneath the waves, and Lung was now fighting Leviathan in the monster's home ground.

For an instant, he thought he would die. But Leviathan, wounded, broke away and fled into the depths.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Although I'm not entirely sure Lung can drown given he survived sinking to the bottom of the ocean, or at least down to however deep Kyushu send up, and sitting there until Alexandria rescued him:
Interlude 22 said:
Lung only sank, too dense to float, growing wearier by the second as his power left him, the fight over.

He'd expected a feeling of satisfaction, but he knew he hadn't delivered a killing blow, that he had been a long, long way from it, though he'd done more damage than anyone had in years.

His enemy couldn't be killed. Lung had become something more terrifying than the Endbringer, but there had been nobody to see. None of the public to recognize him, to respect and fear him.

He sank, feeling a kind of despair. Too tired to move, he touched bottom.

Alexandria found him in the depths and brought him to the surface.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
 
UberJJK said:
It's especially odd considering Lung canonically did his best to avoid facing Leviathan underwater at Kyushu:

and when Lung did fight Leviathan underwater, because Kyushu had sank around him, Lung almost died:


Although I'm not entirely sure Lung can drown given he survived sinking to the bottom of the ocean, or at least down to however deep Kyushu send up, and sitting there until Alexandria rescued him:
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
That might be the point; Leviathan ran when Lung faced him underwater - Lung went down there knowing he would die.
 
werehippy said:
No heroes down at all
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yeahhhhh not quite. I didn't list every casualty because long lists of names tend to bog down the story (Poetic Edda anyone?) and because the PoV characters either wouldn't care enough to draw attention to certain names called, or were too distracted in their duties. Next few chapters we'll find out the fates of many of those who weren't mentioned.

RexHeller said:
As far as I remember Noelle hasn't come up yet in story. So either Levi killed her when he collapsed Coil's base or she's free.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

She hasn't been mentioned, but the Travelers were in BB, so one can only assume that she was in Coil's base when Levi hit. Whether something little like a few thousands of tons of concrete can keep her down is a different question altogether though.
 
There is a good chance that only the armband got destroyed. After all, lung when ramping up, gets lit on fire, there is a good chance that eventually the armband melted, hence the "Lung deceased" message. After all, Taylor got the fake death in canon too.

Wonder if this time around Armsmaster set up Kaiser death or not? And if he did, chances is he is going to get away with murder again free.
 
Blackmamuth said:
There is a good chance that only the armband got destroyed. After all, lung when ramping up, gets lit on fire, there is a good chance that eventually the armband melted, hence the "Lung deceased" message. After all, Taylor got the fake death in canon too.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I doubt it. Lung was fighting Leviathan underwater. You'll need epic plot armor for surviving that.
 
munchkinomatic said:
Someone once pitted the idea of a fic where, whenever Coil had tp choose between a good and a bad timeline, the good timeline always end due to the dumbest reason, like Coil tripping his own shoe laces, or choking on ice, or get crushed by a horse falling out of a plane. So, he's constantly forced to pick the worse timeline
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I'll just mention some 'headcanon' of mine (not headcannon). Coil's power is very good precognition, of the future based on if a certain decision is taken or not. He only actually gets the information on the option he doesn't take, and he gets it delayed so he gets it in 'real time' alongside the real timeline. Now my headcanon is that his precognition is only good for short term use, up to a few days or a week at most. So I theorize that if he doesn't 'end' a split for a long time the 'precognition' timeline gets more unlikely and stranger until he's finally 'killed' by something ridiculous.

Day 1.
Timeline A. Coil has Cheerios for breakfast.
Timeline B. Coil has Frosted Flakes for breakfast.

...

Day 15
Timeline A. Coil goes to work as consultant at the PRT.
Timeline B. Sudden unseasonal snowstorm causes traffic jams.

...

Day 30
Timeline A. Coil stays in hidden base.
Timeline B. A crash between a gas tanker, a milk tanker, and a grocery truck somehow leads to outbreaks of custard rain across Brockton Bay.

...

Day 60
Timeline A. Coil sees a therapist.
Timeline B. The weather starts off purple with hints of angst, although later in the morning a cold font brings a deluge of dubstep. Coil dies after confusing one of Bakuda's bombs with a hemorrhoid suppository.
 
Well, this is a pretty interesting situation you've created. While we don't have the complete casualty list yet, there are some things we can predict form this. The ABB is dead. Lacking both Lung and Bakuda, they will disintegrate. I think the Empire will have a little civil war in the wake of Kaiser's death. I think Purity will try to keep her friends safe while still trying to stay true to her desire to get out, so she'll form a "moderate" faction. Krieg, as the Gesselschaft liaison, will probably lead the hardliners. The pressure on Rune and Pandora to pick sides could very well be a driving force for the next few chapters. Of course, Taylor also has to deal with the possibility of changing sides. She insists she's a merc and has no real ties to the Empire and her primary motivation to stay is more or less gone (Kaiser's dead, E88's financial base is eroded and Coil is probably (maybe) dead). Armsy, at least, seems to be keen on having her in the Wards. And the PRT/Protectorate do have a lot to offer her. She hasn't actually committed any crimes, so there shouldn't be any legal/bureaucratic issues. They can offer her a Tinkering budget, protection for her dad and an immediate opportunity to do some good (fix Clock). She would have to abandon Brooke, however, and I don't think she would.
 
ptbptb said:
I'll just mention some 'headcanon' of mine (not headcannon). Coil's power is very good precognition, of the future based on if a certain decision is taken or not. He only actually gets the information on the option he doesn't take, and he gets it delayed so he gets it in 'real time' alongside the real timeline. Now my headcanon is that his precognition is only good for short term use, up to a few days or a week at most. So I theorize that if he doesn't 'end' a split for a long time the 'precognition' timeline gets more unlikely and stranger until he's finally 'killed' by something ridiculous.

Day 1.
Timeline A. Coil has Cheerios for breakfast.
Timeline B. Coil has Frosted Flakes for breakfast.

...

Day 15
Timeline A. Coil goes to work as consultant at the PRT.
Timeline B. Sudden unseasonal snowstorm causes traffic jams.

...

Day 30
Timeline A. Coil stays in hidden base.
Timeline B. A crash between a gas tanker, a milk tanker, and a grocery truck somehow leads to outbreaks of custard rain across Brockton Bay.

...

Day 60
Timeline A. Coil sees a therapist.
Timeline B. The weather starts off purple with hints of angst, although later in the morning a cold font brings a deluge of dubstep. Coil dies after confusing one of Bakuda's bombs with a hemorrhoid suppository.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I have no idea how his power work, but I would assume creating and destroying realities at will is a bit of a stretch. I would love to continue, but I think that would be a derail.
 
Banjofrog said:
"Pandora, Biomechanical Tinker, and a recent… acquaintance of mine,
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Banjofrog said:
Name's Caduceus, and my tactless brother is Asclepius, this is Scapegoat and Haoma,
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Banjofrog said:
and everyone knows Panacea.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Probably irrelevant, but I felt like bringing this up. I'm no linguist, but I'm fairly sure most of those names are either of Greek origin, or at least tangentially related to it. Which is an interesting trend for capes capable of some form of healing.
 
Asclepius/Asklepios was the Greek god of healing/medicine and father of among others Panacea. The Caduceus was the staff he wielded. The Scapegoat is rooted in Jewish tradition, I believe. No idea about Haoma, though.
 
U guys r all forgetting the biggest gang in town! There aint no power vacuum, the bestest and strongest and smartest are going to fill that hole immediately. Who are these super smartsy guys you may ask? The Merchants! of course.

:V
 
Robafett said:
U guys r all forgetting the biggest gang in town! There aint no power vacuum, the bestest and strongest and smartest are going to fill that hole immediately. Who are these super smartsy guys you may ask? The Merchants! of course.

:V
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
No, the Empire's still around, and they aren't splintering. No Hooky or Kaiser means it devolves to Purity, I think.

And she'll gladly use this as a excuse for pest control.

Blackmamuth said:
Wonder if this time around Armsmaster set up Kaiser death or not? And if he did, chances is he is going to get away with murder again free.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It's possible, but I doubt it.
 
Reader mode
370 more messages…
Status
Not open for further replies.
Remove ads
Back
Top