CrackedCosmonaut
I am not angry.
- Location
- East
I have no idea what you're talking about, and I've certainly never done this before.
Stark Transcendent (Iron Man/Marvel Quest)
- Thread starter Roarian
- Start date
I have no idea what you're talking about, and I've certainly never done this before.
Arc 4 - Chapter 28.2 - Armour Like Tenfold Shields
- Location
- Netherlands
[X] Combination : Combine elements of options below - but beware confusion or the possibility of possibly compounding negative effects.
-[X] SHIELD knows Best : Employ fliers and long-range fighters for a sea assault, with short-range and less mobile fighters in NY to act as backup in case things don't work out. This is likely the most effective employment of forces, if perhaps not the safest.
-[X] Peter has a Point : Relegate the small-time melee combatants, least likely to be helpful against a big-ass dragon, to help civilians in the city, assisting with evacuation and protecting against rioters and other problems. This would likely exclude them from directly affecting the central battle, but may save lives among the unpowered population.
[X] Cyclops
Chapter 28.2 - Armour Like Tenfold Shields
"...I agree."
You stared at Fury in disbelief. Did he just…? Judging from the uneasy expression on the man's face he wasn't too comfortable that he'd backed you up either. Go figure. You tapped your radio. "Jarvis? You listening to this?"
"Yes, sir. Broadcasting now on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s frequencies."
"Right! Attention!" you said sharply, as half a dozen people jolted in surprise at the sudden voice in their ear. "Listen up - this is a message to any melee fighters that will be unlikely to affect an aerial battle. Please attend to ground-side evacuation and assistance in the city, since you'll be much more effective there than inside a helicopter - we have gunners aplenty already, there's no need for superpowers there. S.H.I.E.L.D. will coordinate your efforts on the ground. Keep the peace and make sure there's something here to get back to for the rest of us. We'll try and prevent this from spilling over into your laps."
Fury grunted something unintelligible, but probably positive, as he stalked off towards a S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjet. Responses to your announcement spilled over the airwaves, but Jarvis took care of those without your help. That was a good thing anyway - it was about time for you to suit up.
A few dozen feet from the water's edge, gleaming in the sun, stood a brand new red-and-gold suit - its curves were less jagged than before, its shape more streamlined and elegant. You wouldn't have long to get used to the new balance or loadout, but that didn't really matter that much when it felt like a second skin anyway. Stepping gingerly into the heavy metal boots of your newest toy, you murmured a heartfelt word of gratitude to the efforts of Jarvis.
"All systems have been tripled-checked, sir - you are ready for take-off." You swore you detected a little smug pride in that simple statement. "Remember to keep all arms and legs within the vehicle at all times."
"Yeah, yeah. I learned that much on the way back from space. Close it up, would you? While you're at it, ready a list of the big hitters for me." The suit snapped shut around you, automatically adjusting around your limbs until it felt like an extension of your flesh, the chestplate whirring to life with the energy of three arc reactors. "I know that Rhodey's breaking out his present, obviously, and I'm sure Peter will be joining in with that new suit of mine - can't imagine him staying behind. Johnny's probably in, and a few bad guys with a conscience, and a bunch of freaky mutants. Anyone notable I'm missing in that list?"
"Not that I am aware of, inexact as it is. I will keep you appraised of any changes."
"Got it. Hopefully Fury knows what he's doing, and we'll all make it out of here." Your faceplate clicked into place and the UI flared into being, resolving into a crystal-clear image of your surroundings overlaid with more information than you could reasonably process at once. Jarvis quickly started pruning the display until only the most relevant tidbits remained. "Alright - let's go kick some mutant dragon ass."
"Launching in 3, 2, 1."
You blasted off the ground with a brilliant blue-green flash of light, sensing the flight controls and stabilizers in your suit adjusting on the fly, subtle sensory measurements transferred to your body with enough fidelity to resemble the actual wind. The second-generation repulsors weren't up to their full potential yet - mostly due to the rather breakneck pace of current events - but they'd do some serious damage where it counted. You were pretty sure you could fly circles around a jet, too, if you had need to.
"Are you out there, Spider-Man?" You called over your radio, remembering only in the last moment to use Peter's snappy moniker instead of his actual name. "Can you handle that jetpack of yours? Didn't really get much time to put it through its paces…"
You didn't get an answer in words - except that you saw the red-and-blue hero flip head-over-heels out of a Quinjet, tumbling through the air for a few moments before his backpack's engines fired up and flung him forwards. He adjusted instantly, perhaps even before the propulsive glow had fully manifested, weaving between planes and helicopters with the ease of a fish in water, firing out a webline towards one of the Quinjets and flinging himself off it at even greater speed and a wildly different angle.
Alright. He was already better at this than you were. Supers were bullshit.
Most of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s jets and helicopters were bristling with weaponry, and it was hard not to notice the familiar insignias on their many oversized missile batteries - Stark Industries. Perhaps they had been pilfered from local warehouses belonging to your company, or they'd legitimate been bought by S.H.I.E.L.D. in some under-the-table exchange you probably didn't want to think too much about. Bunker-busters and Jericho missiles gleamed all around, ready for war. They were pulling out all the stops.
From behind one of those heavily armed gunships appeared another suit like your own, and you grinned in recognition. The slate-grey form of Rhodey's new hotrod banked into view, fiery trails bursting from his boots as he blasted along, twirling so fast around his axis that you got queasy just looking at it. Even with all the g-compensation built into the armor, you rarely dared to be quite that brazen with it. You didn't have the kind of fighter jet experience Rhodes could boast, so perhaps that made sense.
Okay, what the hell. Was everyone gonna outdo you today with your own tech?
"...This is why I never had kids," you muttered sourly.
Rhodey's armor was slightly inferior to your own, now - it was something you'd been putting together for a while, on and off, but Jarvis had finished it in record time. It didn't benefit from the latest and greatest upgrades yet. Equipped with armaments several times heavier than your own - at least as conventional guns went - Rhodey was less maneuverable, but he could pump things full of lead at a moment's notice. If you wore the manifest future, he wielded a war machine.
If this had been any other situation, you were sure Rhodey would have shared a beer with you and thanked you profusely - but this was different. You hadn't come to him like a friend bearing gifts - you'd given him a weapon, and asked him to go to war with it. The fact that he'd said yes unflinchingly, with the same sort of professionalism he doubtlessly displayed to his superiors, was not surprising, but still somewhat distressing. You hoped he understood the stakes.
"Eight minutes to contact," Fury stated on the radio, his voice as calm as you'd ever heard it. Maybe it was adrenalin - you'd known a few people who worked best under pressure. You were one of those, really. "Stark," Fury stated directly into your ear. "You'll be with the other autonomous fliers, so make yourself useful. Use your high maneuverability to protect the heavy weapons platforms from getting swatted out of the sky. If you're gonna try something big, inform the others first - we're too scarce in number to afford confusion and friendly fire."
"Got it," you said shortly, annoyed that Fury thought he'd had to tell you that.
Hmmm. Other autonomous fliers, huh? You swung towards Rhodey, pushing your speed up a little, but before you could contact him something else - someone - suddenly crossed your path. Dressed in a dark blue costume with spiky white highlights, it took you a few moments to realize that he wasn't actually another engineering marvel, but a bona fide flying person. Who apparently gave no shits about physics, judging from his complete lack of wings or even rocket engines.
"Mr. Stark!" the man yelled in recognition, his dark hair whipping in the wind as he made an awkward mid-air salute. Your suit's microphones only barely picked up his voice over the racket of the wind. His next words were almost completely muffled, but you were pretty sure it was something along the lines of: "It's great to finally meet you!"
You wisely used your radio instead of trying to shout something back. "Hello. Tony Stark, genius asskicker, at your service. Have we met?"
"No, no - I don't believe so," the man said, and his voice came from within your helmet this time - it seemed Jarvis had caught on to the problem and switched on his radio. You detected a hint of a french accent as the man spoke again. "I am known as Northstar - I am with the X-Men. You have heard of us, no doubt?"
Northstar - Northstar. You hadn't actually read that file yet. Huh. Apparently he was a mutant who could actually comfortably outfly your suit, if Jarvis' data about his highest recorded speeds were to be believed. Mach 10 without even the pretense of eye protection? Mutants were nuts.
"...Yeah, I've heard of your little cabal," you answered carefully, not sure if you had enough of a position on mutants in general to give a good answer. "Can't say I've done much research into you guys. I've been busy." You dove out of the way of a passing Quinjet, flanking Northstar again, and you spotted another flying person on his other side, dressed in yellow and brown, her two-tone hair flowing in the wind. "Wow, is she another one of yours? Can all of you fly?"
"There's a few of us who can manage," Northstar said lightly, glancing momentarily at the new arrival. "Personally, I am also able to blind and perhaps injure the creature we're facing with this." His hands lit up with some bizarre form of energy, crackling and fizzing around his fingers. It was only light, perhaps, white and featureless - but it came off as voracious. Corrosive, even.
"That's… what is that?"
He shrugged, twisting in the air without slowing down. "The physics are beyond me, but I'm sure the Professor has a few theories. Photonic energy, maybe?"
You sighed. "...You realize that 'photonic' just means light, right?"
"...maybe X-rays?"
"That is also light!"
The new flyer snorted as she spun closer. "Don't get your britches in a twist, sugah," the newcomer drawled in some godawful southern accent. She twirled in the air effortlessly, and your eyes couldn't help but linger for a few moments. Yowza.
"...Rogue's got a few tricks up her sleeves too," Northstar said.
"Sure do!" she exclaimed. "I'm gonna give 'em a pounding they won't believe! Won't be able to stand straight for weeks!" She shadowboxed the air, and her hands moved fast enough that she reminded you of a proper fighter in the ring - merciless and lightning quick. You had the unsettling feeling that even those playful punches would really, really hurt.
"And then there's Storm, of course," Northstar continued lightly.
You didn't see the third flying mutant in range, but you had a pretty good idea of what to expect from that one - she was practically famous. The implications of large scale weather control as a superpower were not lost on you, and Jarvis's extensive record of her activities confirmed as much. For several years she'd single-handedly influenced the climate of half the African continent, mostly as an indirect result of her defusing storms or redirecting them to inundate the driest regions. She'd been worshipped as a goddess by her countrymen, and you weren't sure how much you could blame them.
"Where is she, exactly?" you inquired, silently ordering Jarvis to do a search. "I didn't see her at the staging point either."
"She's… out there, somewhere," he gestured towards the far horizon. "There was a small hurricane forming - she's gone to fetch it."
You sputtered. "You can't fetch a hurricane!" You cried in disbelief. "It's a dynamic system that relies on specific atmospheric conditions - rip it out of that context and it'd disassociate into nothing but a chaotic mess of wind and rain immediately!"
"Yeah. That, and it'd form a crapton of lightning," Rogue said smugly.
"She'll be here," Northstar said sagely. "Cyclops and some of the others are on the jets - they can't fly, but they have some serious ranged ability. We'll have to see if they can be meaningfully useful from on board their rides, or if we have to carry some of them around ourselves to give them a firing position. Good thing I work out as we go, I suppose."
"Fury will let us know about that," you said pragmatically, watching the horizon with trepidation. On other days you might've boosted off in your own direction by now - but for all that he was a prick, the one-eyed bastard knew what he was doing. Right now it was probably better not to rock the boat too hard, unless things went to shit. When things went to shit.
At the speed you were going, there wouldn't be much time left before you reached the target, anyway - certainly not enough to make elaborate battle plans. You'd all have to wing it, and trust that people with more information than you knew what they were doing, both here and back in the city. It was not a great feeling, but it would have to do.
"Northstar - does your power affect things as if it were normal concentrated light?" you asked while you checked the last contact lists, memorizing the name and basic powers of your allies. "I'm just checking something here…"
Northstar hesitated. "...Close enough, yeah. I pack a mean punch, and I can take some damage too. Pretty sure I can burn off whatever toxic mess is in the air before it gets to me, that's why I'm not in a mummy suit like some of the others." He demonstrated his power's potency with a searing wave of white. "See? Rogue's wearing a shield belt - little doohickey that we 'borrowed' from the Tinkerer. Should keep her safe while still allowing her to touch things - kind of a must right now. We'll have to be careful that it doesn't burn out."
"Again," Rogue said under her breath.
You nodded jerkily, suddenly feeling overprotected in your heavy metal suit. "My power, in so far as you can call it that, should be pretty obvious." Your repulsors flared blue, searing the sky. "If yours is pretty much light manipulation, we might be able to synergize a little. My arc reactors should be able to absorb and redirect a rather massive amount of energy in a pinch. Combine it into a single beam. We'll have to make sure it's compatible, but if it is - instant doomlaser."
"We'll see." Northstar hummed noncommittally. "Experiment later. Rogue here can absorb powers on touch, and it tends to knock people out and it's temporary. Assuming this beastie is still semi-human, she may be able to hijack its ability." He snorted. "No telling what she'd do with that kind of firepower, but I doubt it's blasting holes in New York. We live there!"
You rolled your eyes. "So there's me, Rhodey, Spidey, you two, and both of the Storms. Seven of us against a dragon." You raised an eyebrow. "The Mercury Seven, maybe? Should remember that concept, it would make a nice headline somewhere…"
Northstar sent you an impatient look, but said nothing.
"We have contact! Target is accelerating towards -"
You glanced up to the horizon, and Jarvis zoomed in on the black speck on the horizon. It loomed impossibly large, even after only a few seconds, its gargantuan outline cutting through the air in a way that physics said it really shouldn't. It dwarfed any plane, its wings tenfold wider than its body, with a jagged head atop a serpentine neck that flung through the air in pursuit of gnats - gnats that had to be airplanes and helicopters. Its tail whipped sideways, wafting noxious gas and leaving a billowing cloud of toxins that slowly descended towards the sea.
"I thought we had three more minutes!" someone cried on the radio, and you had to agree. "How fast is it this thing going?"
"Just under the speed of sound," you observed, noting the bizarre behaviour of the air around its limbs. Wait. Just under the speed of sound, and it was accelerating? "...Shit! Fury, get those planes away from the dragon! They might be able to take the pressures from going supersonic themselves, but something that big and fast ripping through is gonna -"
The dragon dove sharply, then immediately unleashed its wings, catching the wind. Shit. You saw it before you heard it - the very air seemed to shift, and crackle, and a dozen armed gnats twirled away in strange directions, flipped end over end or sideways through the air. You weren't sure how many of them had pulled away from Fafnir at the last second, but -
KRAKATHOOM!
Sound caught up with you, and both Northstar and Rogue faltered and grabbed at their ears, trying in vain to protect themselves from the sonic boom as it ripped past. You didn't have time to help them - the creature was already too close to think of anything except dodging it. It was way too fucking big.
"Shit! Rhodey - go for a strafing run! We need to get above this thing!" you cried as you flung yourself towards the toxic monstrosity, ignoring panicked shouts over the radio as you focused on what was directly ahead. Your palms flared alight with beams of heat and power, and you aimed for the body, the core of it, as missiles and gunfire joined your assault. Flames burst from the massive creature's skin, cracking its scales and searing the flesh beneath, but even as deep wounds were carved its flesh seemed to stretch and move, and damage was buried beneath layers of thick scar tissue.
"It's got some seriously high-grade regeneration!" someone called over the radio. "Rhodes, Stark - watch out for its tail!"
You'd barely even acknowledged that warning when you were smacked aside at the speed of sound.
Choose an Interlude covering another's view of events from this point in time forward. (This will enhance their impact on events) :
[ ] Write-In : Any character of significance either in the aerial battle or in NY.
Bonus - Cyclops
"Someone catch him!" Scott Summers barked into his communicator, watching the red-and-gold form of Tony Stark flail aimlessly on the way down towards the sea. He narrowed his eyes as he studied the dragon, noting the nimble form of Spider-Man effortlessly diverting the tail from its assault on Rogue. It seemed like that part of the dragon had a mind of its own, independent of the head, as it attacked well outside the beast's field of vision. "Stark, sound off!"
"I'm okay. I'm alright. Just a bit shaken up. Suit's rebooting," Stark exclaimed on the radio, sounding winded as he sputtered on the way down. "Pretty sure I'll need a good hot bath after this, though - ow."
"Don't worry - I got you, sugah. Rogue'll take care of ya." Rogue declared as she dove towards the metal shape without hesitation.
Scott didn't say any more, instead studying the destructive path that Northstar and Rhodes carved across the monster's body, their rays of destructive light burning deep into it without seemingly doing more than superficial damage - it healed too quickly. Clouds were gathering ahead, black as the night, and he knew that there would be more artillery soon - but would it be enough? This thing was powerful. And enormous.
He could have seriously used Jean's advice.
Gouts of flame erupted into the air from the creature's back as toxic gas detonated into wild streams of blue-white, eliminating the dragon's poisonous exhaust for a moment. The man on fire - the Human Torch, as he called himself - rocketed upwards from beneath Fafnir, circling around the neck towards the thing's head, which was little more than a monstrous array of spikes, teeth, and reptilian eyes. Guns kept firing in the background, a constant cadence of destruction that seemed to fade away into white noise. The creature paid it all no mind.
What would it take to hurt this thing?
"Cyclops - Fafnir's not reacting to the damage I'm dealing. I don't know if my beams are even slowing it down!" Northstar cried over the radio, even as he launched another volley of light that seemed almost painfully white through even Scott's red quartz sunglasses. "What are your orders?"
Scott frowned. "We'll have to change strategies - try to determine a weak point on its body," he said swiftly. "The chest region is capable of sustaining heavy damage - so try to hit the wing joints, the base of the tail, the neck. They all seem less armored, and crippling the creature may buy us the time we need."
"Will do."
If this was any other day, Scott thought, Professor Xavier would have taken charge himself, coordinating his X-Men in the fight. With Jean injured, requiring the care of her fellow telepath, there was no choice but to pass on that duty - and Scott had always been team leader. He tapped suggestions into his tablet computer, hopefully placating some of the X-Men left behind in New York while their more mobile brethren took on the danger for them.
The sun vanished behind ink-black clouds. Finally.
"Skies above! Heavens, answer my call!" Storm's voice cried across the airwaves - as much of a warning as anything.
In the next instant, everything was light.
"Holy fucking shit!" Stark blurted on live air as lightning poured down from the skies in furious abandon, hurricane-level winds clashing against the monster, tearing half a dozen planes out of their way and scattering the assaulting forces away from their target.
Fafnir's wings twitched in reaction, drawn closer to its body, as lighting seared across its skin and then deeper still, carving canyons into its flesh. The creature flinched.
"Yes! That's it! Electricity harms it!" Scott exclaimed, perhaps unnecessarily - and immediately dozens of S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjets retreated, replaced by a new contingent of helicopters and fighter planes armed with a whole new array of tools.
"Edison-class missiles armed and ready," a new voice announced. "This is S.H.I.E.L.D. special envoy Asimov, sounding off. Let's give it hell, boys."
The aerial battle is ongoing - what tactic will you focus on?
[ ] Kings in the North! [Bonus: Sun-Branded] : Combo time. Pull out a fastball special and blast Fafnir with your unibeam chest array - test your supposition that you can channel Northstar's power, and form a coherent beam of preferably electrical energy. This will certainly burn out the unibeam for use during the battle, if not more.
[ ] Unite the Seven! [Bonus: Flying Higher] : Attempt to combine the full might of all seven flying heroes against a single target - a high risk, high reward strategy, since any member may be seriously by making yourselves such an obvious target. This will take at least one flyer out of the fight.
[ ] Ride of the Valkyries! [Bonus: Howard Stark AI Favor] : Use the flyers and assorted ranged heroes to distract the dragon enough to allow 'Asimov' to unload a complete arsenal of S.H.I.E.L.D. armaments on it. This will take out at least some of your support capability in the process.
[ ] Write-In : Propose any specific strategy not mentioned here, or any alternative combination move which is plausible and sufficiently badass.
Several characters have achieved 10 favor. Choose one to spotlight!
[This is a Mass Effect 2 Loyalty Mission analogue.)
[ ] Howard Stark AI
[ ] JARVIS
[ ] Peter Parker / Spider-Man
[ ] James 'Rhodey' Rhodes
[ ] Virginia 'Pepper' Potts
Note: I've updated the threadmarks to contain all the various omakes made along the way by many creative people, and updated the character summary page a bit too. Cheers!
-[X] SHIELD knows Best : Employ fliers and long-range fighters for a sea assault, with short-range and less mobile fighters in NY to act as backup in case things don't work out. This is likely the most effective employment of forces, if perhaps not the safest.
-[X] Peter has a Point : Relegate the small-time melee combatants, least likely to be helpful against a big-ass dragon, to help civilians in the city, assisting with evacuation and protecting against rioters and other problems. This would likely exclude them from directly affecting the central battle, but may save lives among the unpowered population.
[X] Cyclops
Chapter 28.2 - Armour Like Tenfold Shields
"...I agree."
You stared at Fury in disbelief. Did he just…? Judging from the uneasy expression on the man's face he wasn't too comfortable that he'd backed you up either. Go figure. You tapped your radio. "Jarvis? You listening to this?"
"Yes, sir. Broadcasting now on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s frequencies."
"Right! Attention!" you said sharply, as half a dozen people jolted in surprise at the sudden voice in their ear. "Listen up - this is a message to any melee fighters that will be unlikely to affect an aerial battle. Please attend to ground-side evacuation and assistance in the city, since you'll be much more effective there than inside a helicopter - we have gunners aplenty already, there's no need for superpowers there. S.H.I.E.L.D. will coordinate your efforts on the ground. Keep the peace and make sure there's something here to get back to for the rest of us. We'll try and prevent this from spilling over into your laps."
Fury grunted something unintelligible, but probably positive, as he stalked off towards a S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjet. Responses to your announcement spilled over the airwaves, but Jarvis took care of those without your help. That was a good thing anyway - it was about time for you to suit up.
A few dozen feet from the water's edge, gleaming in the sun, stood a brand new red-and-gold suit - its curves were less jagged than before, its shape more streamlined and elegant. You wouldn't have long to get used to the new balance or loadout, but that didn't really matter that much when it felt like a second skin anyway. Stepping gingerly into the heavy metal boots of your newest toy, you murmured a heartfelt word of gratitude to the efforts of Jarvis.
"All systems have been tripled-checked, sir - you are ready for take-off." You swore you detected a little smug pride in that simple statement. "Remember to keep all arms and legs within the vehicle at all times."
"Yeah, yeah. I learned that much on the way back from space. Close it up, would you? While you're at it, ready a list of the big hitters for me." The suit snapped shut around you, automatically adjusting around your limbs until it felt like an extension of your flesh, the chestplate whirring to life with the energy of three arc reactors. "I know that Rhodey's breaking out his present, obviously, and I'm sure Peter will be joining in with that new suit of mine - can't imagine him staying behind. Johnny's probably in, and a few bad guys with a conscience, and a bunch of freaky mutants. Anyone notable I'm missing in that list?"
"Not that I am aware of, inexact as it is. I will keep you appraised of any changes."
"Got it. Hopefully Fury knows what he's doing, and we'll all make it out of here." Your faceplate clicked into place and the UI flared into being, resolving into a crystal-clear image of your surroundings overlaid with more information than you could reasonably process at once. Jarvis quickly started pruning the display until only the most relevant tidbits remained. "Alright - let's go kick some mutant dragon ass."
"Launching in 3, 2, 1."
You blasted off the ground with a brilliant blue-green flash of light, sensing the flight controls and stabilizers in your suit adjusting on the fly, subtle sensory measurements transferred to your body with enough fidelity to resemble the actual wind. The second-generation repulsors weren't up to their full potential yet - mostly due to the rather breakneck pace of current events - but they'd do some serious damage where it counted. You were pretty sure you could fly circles around a jet, too, if you had need to.
"Are you out there, Spider-Man?" You called over your radio, remembering only in the last moment to use Peter's snappy moniker instead of his actual name. "Can you handle that jetpack of yours? Didn't really get much time to put it through its paces…"
You didn't get an answer in words - except that you saw the red-and-blue hero flip head-over-heels out of a Quinjet, tumbling through the air for a few moments before his backpack's engines fired up and flung him forwards. He adjusted instantly, perhaps even before the propulsive glow had fully manifested, weaving between planes and helicopters with the ease of a fish in water, firing out a webline towards one of the Quinjets and flinging himself off it at even greater speed and a wildly different angle.
Alright. He was already better at this than you were. Supers were bullshit.
Most of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s jets and helicopters were bristling with weaponry, and it was hard not to notice the familiar insignias on their many oversized missile batteries - Stark Industries. Perhaps they had been pilfered from local warehouses belonging to your company, or they'd legitimate been bought by S.H.I.E.L.D. in some under-the-table exchange you probably didn't want to think too much about. Bunker-busters and Jericho missiles gleamed all around, ready for war. They were pulling out all the stops.
From behind one of those heavily armed gunships appeared another suit like your own, and you grinned in recognition. The slate-grey form of Rhodey's new hotrod banked into view, fiery trails bursting from his boots as he blasted along, twirling so fast around his axis that you got queasy just looking at it. Even with all the g-compensation built into the armor, you rarely dared to be quite that brazen with it. You didn't have the kind of fighter jet experience Rhodes could boast, so perhaps that made sense.
Okay, what the hell. Was everyone gonna outdo you today with your own tech?
"...This is why I never had kids," you muttered sourly.
Rhodey's armor was slightly inferior to your own, now - it was something you'd been putting together for a while, on and off, but Jarvis had finished it in record time. It didn't benefit from the latest and greatest upgrades yet. Equipped with armaments several times heavier than your own - at least as conventional guns went - Rhodey was less maneuverable, but he could pump things full of lead at a moment's notice. If you wore the manifest future, he wielded a war machine.
If this had been any other situation, you were sure Rhodey would have shared a beer with you and thanked you profusely - but this was different. You hadn't come to him like a friend bearing gifts - you'd given him a weapon, and asked him to go to war with it. The fact that he'd said yes unflinchingly, with the same sort of professionalism he doubtlessly displayed to his superiors, was not surprising, but still somewhat distressing. You hoped he understood the stakes.
"Eight minutes to contact," Fury stated on the radio, his voice as calm as you'd ever heard it. Maybe it was adrenalin - you'd known a few people who worked best under pressure. You were one of those, really. "Stark," Fury stated directly into your ear. "You'll be with the other autonomous fliers, so make yourself useful. Use your high maneuverability to protect the heavy weapons platforms from getting swatted out of the sky. If you're gonna try something big, inform the others first - we're too scarce in number to afford confusion and friendly fire."
"Got it," you said shortly, annoyed that Fury thought he'd had to tell you that.
Hmmm. Other autonomous fliers, huh? You swung towards Rhodey, pushing your speed up a little, but before you could contact him something else - someone - suddenly crossed your path. Dressed in a dark blue costume with spiky white highlights, it took you a few moments to realize that he wasn't actually another engineering marvel, but a bona fide flying person. Who apparently gave no shits about physics, judging from his complete lack of wings or even rocket engines.
"Mr. Stark!" the man yelled in recognition, his dark hair whipping in the wind as he made an awkward mid-air salute. Your suit's microphones only barely picked up his voice over the racket of the wind. His next words were almost completely muffled, but you were pretty sure it was something along the lines of: "It's great to finally meet you!"
You wisely used your radio instead of trying to shout something back. "Hello. Tony Stark, genius asskicker, at your service. Have we met?"
"No, no - I don't believe so," the man said, and his voice came from within your helmet this time - it seemed Jarvis had caught on to the problem and switched on his radio. You detected a hint of a french accent as the man spoke again. "I am known as Northstar - I am with the X-Men. You have heard of us, no doubt?"
Northstar - Northstar. You hadn't actually read that file yet. Huh. Apparently he was a mutant who could actually comfortably outfly your suit, if Jarvis' data about his highest recorded speeds were to be believed. Mach 10 without even the pretense of eye protection? Mutants were nuts.
"...Yeah, I've heard of your little cabal," you answered carefully, not sure if you had enough of a position on mutants in general to give a good answer. "Can't say I've done much research into you guys. I've been busy." You dove out of the way of a passing Quinjet, flanking Northstar again, and you spotted another flying person on his other side, dressed in yellow and brown, her two-tone hair flowing in the wind. "Wow, is she another one of yours? Can all of you fly?"
"There's a few of us who can manage," Northstar said lightly, glancing momentarily at the new arrival. "Personally, I am also able to blind and perhaps injure the creature we're facing with this." His hands lit up with some bizarre form of energy, crackling and fizzing around his fingers. It was only light, perhaps, white and featureless - but it came off as voracious. Corrosive, even.
"That's… what is that?"
He shrugged, twisting in the air without slowing down. "The physics are beyond me, but I'm sure the Professor has a few theories. Photonic energy, maybe?"
You sighed. "...You realize that 'photonic' just means light, right?"
"...maybe X-rays?"
"That is also light!"
The new flyer snorted as she spun closer. "Don't get your britches in a twist, sugah," the newcomer drawled in some godawful southern accent. She twirled in the air effortlessly, and your eyes couldn't help but linger for a few moments. Yowza.
"...Rogue's got a few tricks up her sleeves too," Northstar said.
"Sure do!" she exclaimed. "I'm gonna give 'em a pounding they won't believe! Won't be able to stand straight for weeks!" She shadowboxed the air, and her hands moved fast enough that she reminded you of a proper fighter in the ring - merciless and lightning quick. You had the unsettling feeling that even those playful punches would really, really hurt.
"And then there's Storm, of course," Northstar continued lightly.
You didn't see the third flying mutant in range, but you had a pretty good idea of what to expect from that one - she was practically famous. The implications of large scale weather control as a superpower were not lost on you, and Jarvis's extensive record of her activities confirmed as much. For several years she'd single-handedly influenced the climate of half the African continent, mostly as an indirect result of her defusing storms or redirecting them to inundate the driest regions. She'd been worshipped as a goddess by her countrymen, and you weren't sure how much you could blame them.
"Where is she, exactly?" you inquired, silently ordering Jarvis to do a search. "I didn't see her at the staging point either."
"She's… out there, somewhere," he gestured towards the far horizon. "There was a small hurricane forming - she's gone to fetch it."
You sputtered. "You can't fetch a hurricane!" You cried in disbelief. "It's a dynamic system that relies on specific atmospheric conditions - rip it out of that context and it'd disassociate into nothing but a chaotic mess of wind and rain immediately!"
"Yeah. That, and it'd form a crapton of lightning," Rogue said smugly.
"She'll be here," Northstar said sagely. "Cyclops and some of the others are on the jets - they can't fly, but they have some serious ranged ability. We'll have to see if they can be meaningfully useful from on board their rides, or if we have to carry some of them around ourselves to give them a firing position. Good thing I work out as we go, I suppose."
"Fury will let us know about that," you said pragmatically, watching the horizon with trepidation. On other days you might've boosted off in your own direction by now - but for all that he was a prick, the one-eyed bastard knew what he was doing. Right now it was probably better not to rock the boat too hard, unless things went to shit. When things went to shit.
At the speed you were going, there wouldn't be much time left before you reached the target, anyway - certainly not enough to make elaborate battle plans. You'd all have to wing it, and trust that people with more information than you knew what they were doing, both here and back in the city. It was not a great feeling, but it would have to do.
"Northstar - does your power affect things as if it were normal concentrated light?" you asked while you checked the last contact lists, memorizing the name and basic powers of your allies. "I'm just checking something here…"
Northstar hesitated. "...Close enough, yeah. I pack a mean punch, and I can take some damage too. Pretty sure I can burn off whatever toxic mess is in the air before it gets to me, that's why I'm not in a mummy suit like some of the others." He demonstrated his power's potency with a searing wave of white. "See? Rogue's wearing a shield belt - little doohickey that we 'borrowed' from the Tinkerer. Should keep her safe while still allowing her to touch things - kind of a must right now. We'll have to be careful that it doesn't burn out."
"Again," Rogue said under her breath.
You nodded jerkily, suddenly feeling overprotected in your heavy metal suit. "My power, in so far as you can call it that, should be pretty obvious." Your repulsors flared blue, searing the sky. "If yours is pretty much light manipulation, we might be able to synergize a little. My arc reactors should be able to absorb and redirect a rather massive amount of energy in a pinch. Combine it into a single beam. We'll have to make sure it's compatible, but if it is - instant doomlaser."
"We'll see." Northstar hummed noncommittally. "Experiment later. Rogue here can absorb powers on touch, and it tends to knock people out and it's temporary. Assuming this beastie is still semi-human, she may be able to hijack its ability." He snorted. "No telling what she'd do with that kind of firepower, but I doubt it's blasting holes in New York. We live there!"
You rolled your eyes. "So there's me, Rhodey, Spidey, you two, and both of the Storms. Seven of us against a dragon." You raised an eyebrow. "The Mercury Seven, maybe? Should remember that concept, it would make a nice headline somewhere…"
Northstar sent you an impatient look, but said nothing.
"We have contact! Target is accelerating towards -"
You glanced up to the horizon, and Jarvis zoomed in on the black speck on the horizon. It loomed impossibly large, even after only a few seconds, its gargantuan outline cutting through the air in a way that physics said it really shouldn't. It dwarfed any plane, its wings tenfold wider than its body, with a jagged head atop a serpentine neck that flung through the air in pursuit of gnats - gnats that had to be airplanes and helicopters. Its tail whipped sideways, wafting noxious gas and leaving a billowing cloud of toxins that slowly descended towards the sea.
"I thought we had three more minutes!" someone cried on the radio, and you had to agree. "How fast is it this thing going?"
"Just under the speed of sound," you observed, noting the bizarre behaviour of the air around its limbs. Wait. Just under the speed of sound, and it was accelerating? "...Shit! Fury, get those planes away from the dragon! They might be able to take the pressures from going supersonic themselves, but something that big and fast ripping through is gonna -"
The dragon dove sharply, then immediately unleashed its wings, catching the wind. Shit. You saw it before you heard it - the very air seemed to shift, and crackle, and a dozen armed gnats twirled away in strange directions, flipped end over end or sideways through the air. You weren't sure how many of them had pulled away from Fafnir at the last second, but -
KRAKATHOOM!
Sound caught up with you, and both Northstar and Rogue faltered and grabbed at their ears, trying in vain to protect themselves from the sonic boom as it ripped past. You didn't have time to help them - the creature was already too close to think of anything except dodging it. It was way too fucking big.
"Shit! Rhodey - go for a strafing run! We need to get above this thing!" you cried as you flung yourself towards the toxic monstrosity, ignoring panicked shouts over the radio as you focused on what was directly ahead. Your palms flared alight with beams of heat and power, and you aimed for the body, the core of it, as missiles and gunfire joined your assault. Flames burst from the massive creature's skin, cracking its scales and searing the flesh beneath, but even as deep wounds were carved its flesh seemed to stretch and move, and damage was buried beneath layers of thick scar tissue.
"It's got some seriously high-grade regeneration!" someone called over the radio. "Rhodes, Stark - watch out for its tail!"
You'd barely even acknowledged that warning when you were smacked aside at the speed of sound.
Choose an Interlude covering another's view of events from this point in time forward. (This will enhance their impact on events) :
[ ] Write-In : Any character of significance either in the aerial battle or in NY.
Bonus - Cyclops
"Someone catch him!" Scott Summers barked into his communicator, watching the red-and-gold form of Tony Stark flail aimlessly on the way down towards the sea. He narrowed his eyes as he studied the dragon, noting the nimble form of Spider-Man effortlessly diverting the tail from its assault on Rogue. It seemed like that part of the dragon had a mind of its own, independent of the head, as it attacked well outside the beast's field of vision. "Stark, sound off!"
"I'm okay. I'm alright. Just a bit shaken up. Suit's rebooting," Stark exclaimed on the radio, sounding winded as he sputtered on the way down. "Pretty sure I'll need a good hot bath after this, though - ow."
"Don't worry - I got you, sugah. Rogue'll take care of ya." Rogue declared as she dove towards the metal shape without hesitation.
Scott didn't say any more, instead studying the destructive path that Northstar and Rhodes carved across the monster's body, their rays of destructive light burning deep into it without seemingly doing more than superficial damage - it healed too quickly. Clouds were gathering ahead, black as the night, and he knew that there would be more artillery soon - but would it be enough? This thing was powerful. And enormous.
He could have seriously used Jean's advice.
Gouts of flame erupted into the air from the creature's back as toxic gas detonated into wild streams of blue-white, eliminating the dragon's poisonous exhaust for a moment. The man on fire - the Human Torch, as he called himself - rocketed upwards from beneath Fafnir, circling around the neck towards the thing's head, which was little more than a monstrous array of spikes, teeth, and reptilian eyes. Guns kept firing in the background, a constant cadence of destruction that seemed to fade away into white noise. The creature paid it all no mind.
What would it take to hurt this thing?
"Cyclops - Fafnir's not reacting to the damage I'm dealing. I don't know if my beams are even slowing it down!" Northstar cried over the radio, even as he launched another volley of light that seemed almost painfully white through even Scott's red quartz sunglasses. "What are your orders?"
Scott frowned. "We'll have to change strategies - try to determine a weak point on its body," he said swiftly. "The chest region is capable of sustaining heavy damage - so try to hit the wing joints, the base of the tail, the neck. They all seem less armored, and crippling the creature may buy us the time we need."
"Will do."
If this was any other day, Scott thought, Professor Xavier would have taken charge himself, coordinating his X-Men in the fight. With Jean injured, requiring the care of her fellow telepath, there was no choice but to pass on that duty - and Scott had always been team leader. He tapped suggestions into his tablet computer, hopefully placating some of the X-Men left behind in New York while their more mobile brethren took on the danger for them.
The sun vanished behind ink-black clouds. Finally.
"Skies above! Heavens, answer my call!" Storm's voice cried across the airwaves - as much of a warning as anything.
In the next instant, everything was light.
"Holy fucking shit!" Stark blurted on live air as lightning poured down from the skies in furious abandon, hurricane-level winds clashing against the monster, tearing half a dozen planes out of their way and scattering the assaulting forces away from their target.
Fafnir's wings twitched in reaction, drawn closer to its body, as lighting seared across its skin and then deeper still, carving canyons into its flesh. The creature flinched.
"Yes! That's it! Electricity harms it!" Scott exclaimed, perhaps unnecessarily - and immediately dozens of S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjets retreated, replaced by a new contingent of helicopters and fighter planes armed with a whole new array of tools.
"Edison-class missiles armed and ready," a new voice announced. "This is S.H.I.E.L.D. special envoy Asimov, sounding off. Let's give it hell, boys."
The aerial battle is ongoing - what tactic will you focus on?
[ ] Kings in the North! [Bonus: Sun-Branded] : Combo time. Pull out a fastball special and blast Fafnir with your unibeam chest array - test your supposition that you can channel Northstar's power, and form a coherent beam of preferably electrical energy. This will certainly burn out the unibeam for use during the battle, if not more.
[ ] Unite the Seven! [Bonus: Flying Higher] : Attempt to combine the full might of all seven flying heroes against a single target - a high risk, high reward strategy, since any member may be seriously by making yourselves such an obvious target. This will take at least one flyer out of the fight.
[ ] Ride of the Valkyries! [Bonus: Howard Stark AI Favor] : Use the flyers and assorted ranged heroes to distract the dragon enough to allow 'Asimov' to unload a complete arsenal of S.H.I.E.L.D. armaments on it. This will take out at least some of your support capability in the process.
[ ] Write-In : Propose any specific strategy not mentioned here, or any alternative combination move which is plausible and sufficiently badass.
Several characters have achieved 10 favor. Choose one to spotlight!
[This is a Mass Effect 2 Loyalty Mission analogue.)
[ ] Howard Stark AI
[ ] JARVIS
[ ] Peter Parker / Spider-Man
[ ] James 'Rhodey' Rhodes
[ ] Virginia 'Pepper' Potts
Note: I've updated the threadmarks to contain all the various omakes made along the way by many creative people, and updated the character summary page a bit too. Cheers!
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Doomed Wombat
Let's go Darling!
- Location
- Dancing on wires!
YAAAAY!
I am happy too see this return...
*goes back to reread the thing cause he has no idea what's going on anymore*
I am happy too see this return...
*goes back to reread the thing cause he has no idea what's going on anymore*
In_lurk_shadow
[ ]
- Location
- here and there
Wow, I just finished reading it, then instant update?
This is awesome
This is awesome
Dimensionist
Grandmaster of Apologism, Keeper of the Faith
- Location
- Bangalore, India
[X] Nick Fury
[X] Kings in the North! [Bonus: Sun-Branded] : Combo time. Pull out a fastball special and blast Fafnir with your unibeam chest array - test your supposition that you can channel Northstar's power, and form a coherent beam of preferably electrical energy. This will certainly burn out the unibeam for use during the battle, if not more.
[X] Howard Stark AI
[X] Kings in the North! [Bonus: Sun-Branded] : Combo time. Pull out a fastball special and blast Fafnir with your unibeam chest array - test your supposition that you can channel Northstar's power, and form a coherent beam of preferably electrical energy. This will certainly burn out the unibeam for use during the battle, if not more.
[X] Howard Stark AI
- Location
- va
[X] Nick Fury
[X] Ride of the Valkyries! [Bonus: Howard Stark AI Favor]
[X] James 'Rhodey' Rhodes
[X] Ride of the Valkyries! [Bonus: Howard Stark AI Favor]
[X] James 'Rhodey' Rhodes
ChibiDemon
Minimum Effort
- Location
- Oklahoma
This concerns me.
Shit, she noticed. Abort project. I repeat ABORT PROJECT!
Wait she has disregard anomalies 2.6 patch installed. Carry on.
[X] JARVIS
[X] Kings in the North! [Bonus: Sun-Branded] : Combo time. Pull out a fastball special and blast Fafnir with your unibeam chest array - test your supposition that you can channel Northstar's power, and form a coherent beam of preferably electrical energy. This will certainly burn out the unibeam for use during the battle, if not more.
Also, @Roarian Might want to do something to distinguish the Interlude Vote from the Spotlight Vote, in case people (like me) want to vote for people from the spotlight category in the interlude one.
[X] Kings in the North! [Bonus: Sun-Branded] : Combo time. Pull out a fastball special and blast Fafnir with your unibeam chest array - test your supposition that you can channel Northstar's power, and form a coherent beam of preferably electrical energy. This will certainly burn out the unibeam for use during the battle, if not more.
I'm unaware of the significance of this, and would like some explanation before voting.
I don't see us burning out the unibeam that much of a down side. The Unibeam is made for shit like this, one big giant blast. We can always replace it after the battle. I'm thoroughly curious how the Pheonix would play into it
Also, @Roarian Might want to do something to distinguish the Interlude Vote from the Spotlight Vote, in case people (like me) want to vote for people from the spotlight category in the interlude one.
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Ghostdevil
The Devil of Ghosts
- Location
- United States
[X] Northstar
[X] Kings in the North! [Bonus: Sun-Branded] : Combo time. Pull out a fastball special and blast Fafnir with your unibeam chest array - test your supposition that you can channel Northstar's power, and form a coherent beam of preferably electrical energy. This will certainly burn out the unibeam for use during the battle, if not more.
[X] Jarvis
[X] Kings in the North! [Bonus: Sun-Branded] : Combo time. Pull out a fastball special and blast Fafnir with your unibeam chest array - test your supposition that you can channel Northstar's power, and form a coherent beam of preferably electrical energy. This will certainly burn out the unibeam for use during the battle, if not more.
[X] Jarvis
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So does this mean the missiles won't actually do anything, and they'll just steal credit from the heroes?
- Location
- Tarn-Vedra
[X] Nick Fury
[X] Kings in the North! [Bonus: Sun-Branded] : Combo time. Pull out a fastball special and blast Fafnir with your unibeam chest array - test your supposition that you can channel Northstar's power, and form a coherent beam of preferably electrical energy. This will certainly burn out the unibeam for use during the battle, if not more.
[X] Howard Stark AI
[X] Kings in the North! [Bonus: Sun-Branded] : Combo time. Pull out a fastball special and blast Fafnir with your unibeam chest array - test your supposition that you can channel Northstar's power, and form a coherent beam of preferably electrical energy. This will certainly burn out the unibeam for use during the battle, if not more.
[X] Howard Stark AI
[X] Nick Fury
[X] Kings in the North! [Bonus: Sun-Branded] : Combo time. Pull out a fastball special and blast Fafnir with your unibeam chest array - test your supposition that you can channel Northstar's power, and form a coherent beam of preferably electrical energy. This will certainly burn out the unibeam for use during the battle, if not more.
[X] James 'Rhodey' Rhodes
[X] Kings in the North! [Bonus: Sun-Branded] : Combo time. Pull out a fastball special and blast Fafnir with your unibeam chest array - test your supposition that you can channel Northstar's power, and form a coherent beam of preferably electrical energy. This will certainly burn out the unibeam for use during the battle, if not more.
[X] James 'Rhodey' Rhodes
- Location
- Tromso, Norway.
Loyalty missions were missions where you fixed some problem your companions had, a success was pretty much necessary for them to survive the endgame.
If we mess up we're losing friends.
Ah, that is something important to know.
[X] JARVIS
[X] Kings in the North! [Bonus: Sun-Branded] : Combo time. Pull out a fastball special and blast Fafnir with your unibeam chest array - test your supposition that you can channel Northstar's power, and form a coherent beam of preferably electrical energy. This will certainly burn out the unibeam for use during the battle, if not more.
[X] Howard Stark AI
Sorry dad, but if we gotta risk losing anyone from that list, would rather it be you.
[x] Plan Maximum Electrical Sunlight
[X] Northstar
[X] Kings in the North! [Bonus: Sun-Branded] : Combo time. Pull out a fastball special and blast Fafnir with your unibeam chest array - test your supposition that you can channel Northstar's power, and form a coherent beam of preferably electrical energy. This will certainly burn out the unibeam for use during the battle, if not more.
[X] Jarvis
The goal of this plan is to maximize the returns of the Kings in the North plan.
Mostly because the Sun-Branded bonus is a Phoenix bonus, and thus should be extremely powerful, and probably the most damaging of the options we have here.
Since Phoenix Force, being at 6, is our most potent supernatural ability, and the most offensive one.
To maximize the results of unibeam use, Northstar is extremely important, thus his interlude to boost his performance.
Jarvis will be the one to calibrate and oversee the use of the unibeam, so his interlude is to further enhance the damage and hopefully to prevent it burning out.
[X] Northstar
[X] Kings in the North! [Bonus: Sun-Branded] : Combo time. Pull out a fastball special and blast Fafnir with your unibeam chest array - test your supposition that you can channel Northstar's power, and form a coherent beam of preferably electrical energy. This will certainly burn out the unibeam for use during the battle, if not more.
[X] Jarvis
The goal of this plan is to maximize the returns of the Kings in the North plan.
Mostly because the Sun-Branded bonus is a Phoenix bonus, and thus should be extremely powerful, and probably the most damaging of the options we have here.
Since Phoenix Force, being at 6, is our most potent supernatural ability, and the most offensive one.
To maximize the results of unibeam use, Northstar is extremely important, thus his interlude to boost his performance.
Jarvis will be the one to calibrate and oversee the use of the unibeam, so his interlude is to further enhance the damage and hopefully to prevent it burning out.
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Just a clarification:
If you did not do the loyalty missions in Mass Effect 2, you did lose the companions for whom you did not do these missions in the end.
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It's not the unibeam I'm worried about, it's the 'if not more'. It runs the risk of crippling the suit, and if Puff the Magic Dragon isn't taken out by it, we're stuck with an only somewhat functional suit during the most dangerous fight yet.
Ghostdevil
The Devil of Ghosts
- Location
- United States
Well its the Phoenix Force choice so we can atleast be reassured it'll do a shitton of damage