Shoot First (Worm/Games)

[Kadmus]

AN: Sorry that this one's a bit lackluster. Had a very long day at work.

---

Spoiler

Professionally – 10 Votes
Also Upgrade Gear – 7 Votes

Armsmaster agrees with your assessment; upgrading your powers is a good idea. He provides the required materials within a few minutes, and you waste no time in completing the upgrades. There's a few seconds of glowing hands and shimmering lights for each upgrade, and the big reels of silver wire and the cumbersome solar panels disappear in flares of colour.

The spell upgrades take a few more moments; the second you initiate the upgrade, you start to go through the steps of some bizarre ritual. You chant nonsense words, waving your hands in arcane shapes, and your eyes glow in an iridescent rainbow.

It's... terrifying, frankly. Everyone knows magic isn't real, and yet you just did it. You can feel the changes pulsing through you in spurts and sputters, multicoloured sparks dripping from your fingertips. But you feel good, afterwards, like you've stretched somehow. Metaphysically, most likely.

Console duty is surprisingly interesting; you help to co-ordinate the Protectorate night patrols – Velocity and Battery, tonight, with Armsmaster and Assault taking the swing shift – and the Wards patrol. Most of your down time is spent getting tips on how to do your job properly from Aegis, who's manning the Wards console, and Triumph, who's sitting in the Protectorate lounge and alternating between room-shaking snores and reading his university textbooks.

You thought being Command would suck, but it looks like being on call as backup is even more boring.

You manage to help the teams interrupt a few muggings and assaults, and they even bring in a few gangsters. You know that your fight last night was a rarity; the gangs rarely field their capes unless they're certain they won't be facing powered opposition, because the opposite is a good way to lose your heavy hitters.

The Wards spot Lung at one point, but you quickly order them to back off. He took down the entire Protectorate lineup when he first arrived in Brockton Bay, and there's no way the kids could handle that. Plus, you're pretty sure he'd have no qualms about straight-up murdering them if they got in his way.

Frankly, it's exhausting; it's a high-concentration job, keeping track of not just the locations of the Protectorate and Wards, but also all the PRT forces out on the streets and all the crime reports and police dispatches. You're taking it seriously, and you're really not sure where anyone finds the time to do other work while they do this. Practise, most likely.

It's shockingly uneventful, all in all. No cape fights, no injuries.

You suppose that's a good thing.

Of course, that all goes to shit after shift change. You're on back-up duty, and Armsmaster calls in.

There's a fight with Lung, and he wants minimal backup.

How do you approach it?

[ ] Bring everyone. Everyone!
[ ] You're tough and pretty skilled. He's just a dragon, you can handle it alone.
[ ] Pick a few guys for a strike force.
- List two capes to bring (Wards or Protectorate)
[ ] Write In.

 

[Kadmus]

AN: Yeah, the options I give are not always good ideas, in universe or out.

Spoiler

You're tough, take him alone – 11 Votes
- He did say minimal – 10 Votes
- Check he actually said that – 4/6 Votes

"Uh, confirm request for minimal backup, Armsmaster." Triumph sounds hesitant, stood at the console.

"Confirmed. This is Lung, the more people we throw at him, the stronger he'll be."

You see Triumph grimace, but he turns to you. "Are you up for it? You're the new face here, you might have surprises he isn't ready for."

You return the grimace. You really don't think you're a match for a man-dragon, but you'll do your best. And you certainly have the element of surprise. Or rather Surprise!, which you suspect is distinctly different. Not that you're going to use your new spell unless you have to – you have no idea what you'll make with it, other than the reverse gravity field. It needs further testing before you can know how you want to adjust it.

You're moving as you think, maintaining a steady run as you head towards the helipad; the chopper will get you to the city within minutes, and the Docks are directly opposite from you.

You can't see any fires there yet, from the roof of the Rig. That's good, because you know that Lung will be visible from orbit if he gets too ramped up.

"Dakka, I have the new tranquillizers I've been working on for Lung. All I'll need is a distraction so I can get into position. I'm not sure who he's fighting at the moment; I'm still a couple of blocks out."

"Acknowledged, Armsmaster."

This is a terrible idea, you're sure. You're also sure you're the only cape in the city who's probably as hard to permanently kill as Lung. You're certain you can't actually die from random injury, and have a strong inkling that anything that kills you will wear off, eventually.

You aren't rushing to try it, though.

The helicopter is smooth and steady, the calm spring skies making the trip easy, and you're in the city within minutes.

You know where Lung is, now; Armsmaster has him pinged on a map, and you can see gouts of flame as the gangster fights someone.

Showtime.

How do you enter the fight?

[ ] Cautiously. Get off the chopper onto a roof and lay down some suppressing fire, keep mobile.
[ ] Recklessly. Airdrop electro-shock gloves first onto the man-dragon.
[ ] Write In.

 

[Kadmus]

Spoiler

Recklessly – 9 Votes

Welp.

This is probably really stupid, but you don't want to endanger the helicopter pilot. You unclip your harness and tell them to get you over the fight.

You're at least a hundred feet or so into the air, but you know you've taken significantly nastier hits than a fall like that – hell, you lost limbs multiple times to Bakuda. The drop isn't even going to slow you down, at this point.

It's going to hurt. But that hardly means anything, any more. Pain is something that happens to other people, mostly.

As the chopper passes over the fight, you jump, aiming carefully as you fall. The Thing coughs in your hand, four times, splashing the man-dragon with all of its doses of anaesthetic.

You have a second to take in the battlefield – Lung is about twelve feet tall at this point, covered in silver scales and wreathed in flame. He's currently throwing an enormous thing, all muscle and bone and sharp teeth, the length of the street.

Another jumps at him, and he bats it aside like it isn't even there.

And then you hit him.

You feel your ribs and hips and spine break as you impact, but you wrap your arms around his neck, pressing your gloves to his body and clinging on as hard as you can. You can feel him bucking and convulsing under your hands, but you can't see anything beyond the swathe of silver scales and the fire.

You feel him claw clumsily at your back, tearing you open, but that'll heal soon enough. He doesn't seem to be slowing down much, but you think you're making headway. He doesn't seem to be moving too much, either, and you thank your lucky stars that the upgrades to your gloves seem to be disorienting him as promised.

He hasn't managed to gather together the wits to throw you off, yet.

What now?

[ ] Ride that dragon. Electro-shock gloves to the face, until he drops.
[ ] Shockgun to the back of the neck, pull the trigger 'til it runs dry.
[ ] You're pretty distracting, right now. Let go and lure him away.
[ ] Write In.

AND

The first person to post an option, roll a D10. Higher is better. Bonuses will be applied for upgraded equipment.

 

[Kadmus]

Spoiler

Ride that dragon – 11 Votes
Roll: 9, Tier 2 upgrades. Extreme Victory!

Lung really isn't reacting well to you filling him with lightning. And not in the 'trying to viciously murder you' way, either. In the 'rocking from side to side and sounding woozy' way.

Maybe those anaesthetic shots are helping, or maybe it's the new upgrades, but either way, he's barely reacting to you at all.

"Dakka, are you in position?"

You let out a pained groan, realising that Armsmaster probably missed all of that. "Yeah. He's pretty distracted right now."

"ETA is 10 seconds."

He comes around the corner on his motorcycle, a massive beast covered in all sorts of flashy Tinkertech, and pops a wheelie as he charges it along the street. His halberd is under his arm like a lance as he closes in, and he roars down the street towards the burning dragon-man.

You hold onto Lung the whole time, and by now, the ABB leader must have taken a good twenty seconds worth of electro-shocking. You're honestly astounded he's still alive, let alone standing – these things pack a serious punch.

Just before Armsmaster hits, you gather your feet under you and leap.

The halberd crashes into Lung's chest, flinging him backwards, and then Armsmaster runs the motorcycle over the downed gangster as you turn in a graceful flip. You come down hands first, driving Lung back into the tarmac as he struggles to rise, your electro-shock gloves firing again.

This time, he stays down.

BOSS DEFEATED!
NON-LETHAL TAKEDOWN! DOUBLE XP!
NON-LETHAL TAKEDOWN! SPECIAL ITEM ACQUIRED!
100XP!
How To Light Fires And Incinerate People obtained!
All Weapons Fully Reloaded!
Level Up!
Level Up!
Level Up!
Level Up!
Level Up!

Armsmaster skids his motorcycle around into a stop, already dismounting as it turns, and starts to pull out some metal poles. You stay on top of Lung, who's still struggling weakly under your gloves. You really don't want the Dragon of Kyushu to get the chance to recover.

You remember the only other time you've been near when he's been fighting. You could feel the street shake when he walked, and even though you were blocks away, you could feel the heat. You managed to get him while he was relatively weak, and you're fairly certain he's not going to let you get away with it, if he escapes.

The metal poles turn out to be some form of restraints, which Armsmaster uses to lock down the captured gangster.

"Good work." He claps you on the shoulder, once, and then starts to call up the PRT to collect your defeated foe.

"Uh, who was he fighting? Are they alright?"

Armsmaster points off in a direction. "Over there. Please check them, and take statements. Careful, I saw Undersiders on site."

You nod and look where he's pointing. You're pretty sure that, after Lung, you can deal with the Undersiders if it comes to it.

The person who was fighting Lung is a kid, or seems to be, at least. They're dressed in a costume, and probably have powers, so you approach them calmly.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Who is it?

[ ] Write in.

You get a perk for hitting level 15!

[ ] Dhalsim Is My Spirit Animal: Increase melee reach by a further 5 feet!
[ ] Skin Like Iron, Bones like Steel: Increases resistance to damage! Now bullets bounce off you!
[ ] Baggage Handler: Increase Grenade Capacity by 2.

 

[Kadmus]

Spoiler

Getting Lung back is more important – 13 Votes
- Give her contact details – 13 Votes
- 'Hey, come for a tour when you're free, wanna be friends?' - 9 Votes

"Well, if you're sure." You materialise a business card from your inventory. They're nice; gold letters on black card. "Here, take one. Give me a call if you need anything, alright? I know what it's like to have to deal with insane powers all of a sudden."

You turn to go, but stop once again. "Oh, and I'm happy to give you a tour if you'd like. Show you around the base, introduce you to some people? Just give me a call."

She nods, and waves as you leave. Nice kid. You hope she's going to be alright.

The PRT van arrives just as you finish talking, and you help Armsmaster and the troopers haul the insensate form of Lung into the back, then spray him down with containment foam. He's shrunk back down to his 'normal' size by now; still well over six feet tall, and heavily muscled, but recognisably human. You're surprised his mask has stayed on so well, but then again, if you're an unkillable man-dragon ganglord, you can afford the best.

The journey back to the PRT base is quiet and subdued. Armsmaster follows the truck on his motorcycle, and you ride on the roof, easily keeping your balance as you keep an eye on the streets around you. It's not like the van's going very fast, only ten or fifteen miles an hour.

Lung's icon stays greyed out in the van beneath you, and you arrive without incident; you suspect that any ABB response is going to come in the next few days, once they've had time to get over the shock of losing their supposedly unbeatable boss.

The sun is broaching the horizon again by the time you finish the paperwork, and by the time Lung is secured in one of the highest security cells the PRT has. The one you were in, coincidentally. He's been treated for the venom, which might have caused issues otherwise, and is currently sleeping off the tranquillisers. That's the second ABB cape in as many nights; they only have one left, now.

Of course, the paperwork for Lung is a hell of a lot more complicated than for Bakuda. It's just a shame you can't get any money out of it; the PRT sometimes pays independents when they bring in big villains.

The big problem is that you're going to have to double patrols in ABB territory, now, and have capes on permanent guard duty on the PRT base, so that Lung and Bakuda are kept incarcerated. They're both headed to the Birdcage the second they get in front of a jury, and the other gangs are going to be pushing into ABB turf hard.

You resolve to check the drop from Lung, and to make sure you stay involved with the process of helping to clean up the city. What's the most important thing?

Pick one:

[ ] Guard the prisoners. Make sure that they are sent to trial and imprisoned permanently.
[ ] Keep the streets safe. Patrol ABB turf to intercept attacks from the Empire, Coil's mercenaries, and the Merchants.
[ ] The ABB are weak. Let's put them down for good, then we can work on the other gangs. Look for Oni Lee.

 

[Kadmus]

Spoiler

The ABB Are Weak – 9 Votes

The first thing to do, is, of course, to examine your new loot.

'How to Start Fires And Incinerate People'. Not the most heroic of titles, but you pull it from your inventory nonetheless. It appears in your hands, a huge, heavy tome, bound in what feels and looks like dragon skin. The title is sloppily scrawled onto the front of the book, and when you open it-

Every page just has the words 'USE FIRE' on it. Inspirational.

Do you want to learn the spell 'Dragon's Breath'?

You can't select 'yes' fast enough, and the new spell pops up in your quickbar, a stylised dragon's head belching flame.

Dragon's Breath
Mana Cost: 50 to initiate, 5 per second to maintain.
Effect: Create a continuous cone of flame from a point six inches in front of your mouth. It can be as short and narrow as a pin, or 50ft long and covering an entire 90 degree sector, or anything in between.

Can currently burn through wood without resistance.

Neat. Not necessarily the best thing to use in a fight with normal people, but it'll certainly have use later. Plus, it looks like it can be upgraded for more heat and control, if you're guessing right. And it can be used precisely, too – a pin-wide bar of fire fifty feet long could definitely be very useful.

You've made up your mind about the other thing that was bothering you, too – a solid decision on where you'd like to be posted, what you'd like to achieve. You think that taking down the last of the ABB capes is the best choice. While Oni Lee might not have the sheer presence of Lung, the power to keep all the disparate nationalities vaguely classed as 'Asian' working together, he could certainly keep the core of the gang working. Even if he could only hold the Japanese or Chinese gangsters – you suspect Japanese, based on the 'Oni' part of his name – he'd still have a hardened and experienced group.

Of course, that will cause war. There's no way around it, though, not really. You fucked the status quo by capturing Lung, and there's no way back. By removing the ABB as an issue – and taking out their last cape will certainly do that – you can free up resources to fight the other gangs, and maybe even start a push that cleans up the city. For the moment, at least. The endemic poverty and simple fact that the USA is a failed state mean that the gang's won't stay away, but any change for the better is worth the effort.

Things don't improve if you never try.

That's the easy part, though. The hard part is convincing the others, the Protectorate and the PRT, that this is the best way forwards.

How are you going to achieve this?

[ ] Armsmaster's the vital link. Appeal to him to help get this idea pushed through.
[ ] The Director, Emily Piggot, is the one in charge. Go straight to the top.
[ ] Group pressure will achieve more than anything else. Talk to your colleagues, get them on side.
[ ] Write in

AND

The first to select an option, roll a d10 with it.

 

[Kadmus]

Spoiler

Go to Armsmaster – 15 Votes
Roll: 10

Well, you should talk to your immediate boss. That makes sense; he'll know what needs to be done, and if you can convince him, he'll help you make sure it happens.

He is, inevitably, in his lab. Tinkering. In both senses of the word, in that he has his halberd disassembled on a workbench and is fiddling with it, muttering about heat distributions and stress tolerances. He loses you when he starts using n-th dimensional mathematics with irrational numbers, and appears to have redefined pi as exactly 3.

Well, if it works for him?

"Hey, uh, Armsmaster?" Strong opener. Solid.

"Hmm? What do you want?" He doesn't even look up. You aren't really surprised, although Dragon waves at you from a monitor on the wall. You wave back.

"Uh, I was thinking it might be good if we used me as bait to draw out Oni Lee so we could put down the ABB for good?"

He hums under his breath, murmurs something about eighty-seven pointed triangles, and keeps working. "That sounds like a good plan. Do you think your power will manifest the Shaker power if you fight him? It didn't with Lung."

You think for a moment. "I think it was because I wasn't the one to initiate the fight. He'd already been engaged when I arrived. So it's a- Well, I think it should, if we need it to."

He nods, and uses what looks like a torture tool to adjust something. "If we can capture him with minimal collateral damage, it will be a major PR victory. Are you prepared for this? He's dangerous, and we know he's got Tinkertech grenades from Bakuda."

You shrug. "I'm tougher than before, and I picked up a new skill from Lung. I can handle it."

He grunts. "Fine. Just remember who helped you, Dakka. We'll do it tonight, make a big show of it. I'll get Piggot to sign off on it, we'll use the old trainyard. Lots of derelict space there."

"You think he'll actually show?"

"Yes. He's predictable, if nothing else; you're a treat and an enemy, and you captured someone he respects. He'll stop at nothing to try and kill you."

That thought makes you wince a little, but honestly? Death doesn't hold the weight it used to, any more. Not when it's about you.

What do you do to prepare for tonight?

[ ] Write In.

 

[Kadmus]

Spoiler

Get upgrade materials for all of the 1 thing you can upgrade – 7 Votes
Get handy gear to interfere with LOS etc – 7 Votes

You order up a handful of coal dust and some bat guano to upgrade your Dragon's Breath spell, and perform the upgrade while you walk down to the armoury.

It's like a candy shop in there, but you're pretty restricted on what you can take out – no containment foam, for one. Something about capes using it makes people very uncomfortable, unless you're Miss Militia.

You do manage to wrangle a couple of tear gas canisters, with the proviso that you can only use them if the Shaker effect starts. The Director could have signed off on more gear, but Armsmaster doesn't have that authority, so you have to basically make do with what you have.

Which is still, you know, enough weaponry to wipe out a small army.

You spend the rest of the day going over plans with the rest of the Protectorate and the PRT, getting the placement of support and containment units arranged, and making sure that they'll be out of sight for the start of the fight. The last thing you want is for Oni Lee to serial-bomb all the backup positions right before he hits you; it's not that it would give you too much more difficulty, but it would kill a lot of people.

You won't have any Protectorate backup other than Armsmaster, who will be on site but at a remove, ready to take over if you fuck up. There will also only be a light PRT presence, a single transport van and the driver. It's good, in a lot of ways; less chance for collateral damage, less chance of people getting hurt if you fuck up. But it's also really fucking bad, because if Oni Lee decides not to stay and fight, if the boss arena doesn't form, there'll be no chance of catching him.

That, and he can take out all your backup with a couple of teleports.

In other words, the plan hinges on you being enough of a target that he'll head straight for you, and try to kill you immediately. Intel says that's how he's likely to act, and everyone seems to agree with that assessment.

Most of the rest of the forces in the city will be deployed around Bakuda and Lung, or patrolling in gang territory to keep pressure on them. The last thing you want is Kaiser crashing your fight.

There's nothing else to do, now, so you head to the trainyard.

It's a desolate, rusted wasteland, a couple of acres of scrapped rails and old trains in various states of collapse; some of them are almost intact, others little more than an axle. It's the perfect location for you to fight, with the limited visibility and ubiquitous cover. Your minimap will be extremely useful.

You have a little while before they start to broadcast your presence here and the challenge to Oni Lee. How do you spend it?

[ ] Make sure to get the lay of the land.
[ ] Start moving things to make an even better kill zone.
[ ] Write in.