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Worm: Blanket aka The Diaper Changer (Com-pleated)

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"shaped vaguely like an aircraft carrier, supported by a pair of submarines as pontoons"

...Is worm about to be invaded by Nextwave ? 'Cause that sounds kinda Aeromarine-y
 
ScottotheUnwise said:
The thing that came through was shaped vaguely like an aircraft carrier, supported by a pair of submarines as pontoons. It moved through the darkness a bit while the first circle faded. Then another circle opened in front of it, the length of the ship disappearing in the silence of the place. The only hint of its passage was seawater touching it as it came through, and one forlorn fish the size of a white shark floating off into the distance but not coming through the portal before it closed.
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So I've been reading the original Calico and I just got to this part.
ScottotheUnwise said:
It was really weird to hear Squealer on our side for once. The monstrosity of a carrier she'd made out of a mothballed American carrier melded with two Russian submarines as supporting wings.
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Balrog said:
So I've been reading the original Calico and I just got to this part.
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Thank you for spotting that! :cool: I was wondering how long it would take to be a thing, after all Calico did cross dimensions in a lot of ways:

ScottotheUnwise said:
There was a disturbance in the air bigger than any of the portals she'd seen so far, and with no uprights! A whirling mass of static then resolved into something monstrous and metal coming through at a stately pace. Water dripped down like rain across the railyard. She could pick out one, no three separate hulls joined into one great craft. HGMS Hero could fly? No fucking way!

As they progressed she noted Mecha gathered on the main deck and flews up a bit to get be slightly above its line. The ranks stood at attention. She heard music begin and chuckled as they did a synchronised salute. Alexandria was compelled to return it. But they didn't drop theirs right away. Then she noticed she was not alone.

I dropped my own salute from her side. "Couldn't resist when ETC informed me you would catch the Hero doing her port-of-call pass. And they did want to fanboy on you a bit."

Some fireworks were launched off with whistles and pops. "They just came back from reminding the Chinese that I was still involved in Earth-Bet politics, even if I am still a little pissed over how the UN handled Dragon's freedoms."

Alexandria was looking intently at the subs. "Aren't those Russian subs?"

"Yep. But you wouldn't recognize much of the originals inside them. The same goes for the Enterprise above it. This is technically a Battle Group rather than one ship, a multinational one at that. About one third of the crew are retired US Navy, same with Russian and British. The rest are from all over the world. We have a second and third model being laid down now."
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ScottotheUnwise said:
HGMS Hero had a figurehead of a the Tinker Hero on it --with a working blaster held out.
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ScottotheUnwise said:
The hole opened in time and space big enough to spill ocean from one world into another, leaving one poor Indian fisherman and his boat to wonder as this huge ship cut through. It was festooned with turrets from the waterline up the sides, and they saw mecha moving around on the deck. An argument broke out as one said that was Dragon's work. The others all knew that Dragon had left this world because of the UN. Idiots! The captain had been steaming south to get out of the storm. But that thing was heading straight into it. Flickering overlapping fields settled down into umbrella shapes above, as the rain was shed from forcefields projected over it. A sullen thrum rattled their boat as it passed them, coming out of the hole, the aft portion of the ship projecting twin uprights which folded up and recessed as the hole shut down.

A/N Cue the Music to "The Final Countdown".
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Flag Waving Down Town, Grin and Bear It
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    • *************** Teething Ring 5

    Sitting in his command center, sipping cocoa against the chill, Geoff Pellick considered just how lucky he and his cohorts were just a few weeks ago. It was luck, and the intervention of a large number of heroes as well as Scion himself that had prevented Leviathan from skating right up to the Dragonslayer's doorstep.

    The muted roar of the falls was audible through this building, purchased with money diverted from Dragon's own accounts by the Robin Hood system Richter had built to finance his Tinkering. Niagara, on the Canadian side. The building he was in had once been the Toronto Power Generation Station.

    It was a blind spot to Canadians and Americans alike, since any odd flights of Dragon's suits would be assumed to be Dragon herself if viewed from one side, or Protectorate patrols from the other. The man who used the name Saint was considering his options yet again, since they'd almost lost their central base of operations.

    Dobrynja was in transit, driving a semi with a trailer holding his mecha in it folded into travel configuration. The last ten feet of the trailer was filled with cases of ammunition for the autocannons. They were conversing in a team chat on their favorite MMO.

    "I tell you, the beast was heading right for us." Geoff was working himself up to a panic attack.

    Dobrynja's sigh was telling. His 'character' was sitting idle while he drove, but he was talking and occasionally tapping the mouse to keep his connection active. "I tell you it was just a whim, he was targeting Buffalo, he was not targeting us."

    Geoff made a rude noise. "Not US. The leash on Dragon! He hit Newfoundland with no obvious target. We've been away from the coast for each attack. Moving. This time we were right here and not ready to move. You do the math."

    Mags brought over a plate of White Castle Burgers, freshly heated and took her headset off mute as she sat down next to Geoff. "He has a point. If Scion hadn't given the thing the boot, he would have been right on top of us. Geoff was the only one up and he wasn't watching the live news, he was watching the machine organize the heroes in Toronto."

    Geoff smirked. "Come one, say it. Dragon. This is the one venue that does not get monitored for the word, considering the game and all. Dragon. Dragon. Dragon."

    Mags grinned a little. She had been the one to suggest the game after all. She was happily 'slaying' around with her toon while Geoff 'piked' as usual, Dobrynja did more as he at least was parked near a respawning group with pets out.

    "I still say that is bad opsec. Even if this game is not monitored, we should avoid certain phrases." The Russian born man was sweating, trying to avoid anything that would bring a Trooper down on him, least of all the glow of the laptop running the game. He was glad the location of the dreary cemetery the slayer zone represented was darker

    Grinding his teeth as the idiots on the highway, Dobrynja finally took the off ramp that put him onto local roads for his destination. The safest place they could think of, considering that Leviathan had showed he could reach any city in North America.

    The sign read: 'Welcome to Brockton Bay'

    The new base in the Train Yard was waiting. Slipping in the purchase among those centered around Leet and Uber's base had been easy enough, especially since they could simply edit Dragon's logs to remove the records yet again. He almost felt sorry for the AI, thinking they had stolen the gear she knew they had when in fact she'd shipped them everything they had. Much of the gear they had was designed specifically for their use, flown to the address they chose and then edited out of it's memory banks.

    ************************

    Madison/Andy had realized that Blanket was too busy to do any work prior to the dance. So she tried calling on Parian, finding that she too was pretty booked.

    "There is a fairly hefty fee involved young sir, and my time is not unlimited." Parian was telling him from behind the counter.

    It had been hard to talk his way in past the receptionist, but finally he got her to pay attention by mentioning that he knew one of the Wards --albeit there had been a moment he swore he heard a chuckle from the back room.

    "I'm sure I can come up with your fee, all I really need is to have a standard tuxedo modified to reinforce the seams in the legs, maybe spruce up the look with some flair…" Andy heard the laugh again from the back. He looked over and saw under the curtain divider a certain buttstock, one that belonged to an Arbalest. "Look, is that Lily snickering back there or what?"

    Parian straightened up. "You know Lily?"

    "Yes."

    Lily herself, aka Flechette, moved through the curtain with a smile. "Not sure I know you, friend."

    Andy blinked. And then shifted. Browbeat slapped a mask in place and thumbed behind her to the door. "You mind?"

    Parian chuckled a bit and hit the electronic lock control for the door, the exterior curtains closing as well. She turned to Lily and tapped a closed fan on the mouthpart of her dollface mask. "You know, one of the reasons I don't have much time these days was because I was having to coordinate with a modeling agency to get prints for my clothes lines." Pointing the fan at Browbeat, "If you were inclined to do a spot of modeling for me, I could swing a discount of course."

    Lily considered, "Hey, isn't Glam doing modeling work too?" She raised an eyebrow. "We could just get the Wards to do the gig for you, Browbeat included, considering the PRT still owes you some for the whole 'letting your kidnapper get away without punishment'."

    Andy piped in, having resumed the male aspect. "But I still get the Tuxedo alterations, right?"

    Slipping her doll mask off to smile at Andy, "Yeah, fine. Besides, you can do more modeling for me as both a male and female for more discounts. I'd bet you go through a lot of clothes."

    Groaning a little now. "You don't know the half of it. Even having stuff made of Blanket's material only helps so much. A Poncho just doesn't scream 'hero' you know."

    "Did she try and make you those parachute pants?" Parian tsks.

    Andy blushed a little. "Yeah, how did you know?"

    Lily quietly took out a twenty dollar bill and slid it across the counter to Parian. The bill animated, folded itself into an Origami unicorn and galloped over to the tip jar. It jumped in and hid itself among the singles folded into Origami cranes.

    At Andy's questioning look, Parian tilted her head and noted, "There is quite a bit of rag in bills, not so heavy as to need to inflate them with my power. But as for the pants, Blanket was asked to provide Brute rated generic pants and found that design in some 80's music videos. For some reason she only produced them in purple… An inside joke I do not know I suppose. She is something of a nerd."

    *******************

    We were doing a patrol in Empire territory, Wards only, on street level. It was something Deputy Director Renick called for, a probe to see how the group was doing. There had been hints that the Empire was at an ebb, only the street level guys had been seen in weeks. Our orders were to make our presence known but to retreat in the face of any real cape presence.

    Shadow Stalker was leading, with Glam equipped on her like a white trench coat. The boost she got had long ago quelled any qualms the Youth Guard had about that configuration. Browbeat was there in her cavewoman form, slightly furry like a yeti, darker on the back and lighter in front, sporting the Poncho I'd made her over a school style one piece swimsuit of darker material. She had on the glove versions of Kid Win's jump/punch combo, on her feet though as they were shaped like hands mostly.

    And then there was me. I was in crochet Taylor form, but had adopted a trench coat as well, though mine was in colored patch materials.

    It looked like just three of us taking a stroll.

    There is a park downtown across from Medhall on one side and the Central bank on another. It was kind of symbolic because the Empire put up tags here, sometimes even flags. While we were intended to probe only and retreat, we ourselves had decided to clean off a few of those tags. To that end I had a supply of cleaning materials sitting in Blanket Space to pull over.

    Clockblocker was on console duty, having earned the ire of Battery with yet another prank. "Ladies, I think there is a disturbance forming by the fountain. Some of the skinhead crew are there making noise."

    "Thanks Dork, we couldn't hear the cheering." Shadow Stalker durred.

    As we had come into the park, our destination had been the memorial near the center, but now we were angling toward the fountain and small pond, where the jeering and cheering was taking place. I could see a glowing form above the crowd. Purity.

    On the man made rocks that formed the band stage a handful of men and women were haranguing the crowd. Or perhaps just the couple of teens in the middle of the crowd the way they were kept in by rough pushes.

    Oh look, they had expanded their vitriol to hispanics. Joy.

    "We don't want your kind here!"
    "Go back to where you came from!"
    "You can't have our jobs!"

    As we approached the crowd, quite a few of them fell quiet, even as the lead teen rallied to answer them. I think I recognize her from Arcadia, Maria or something.

    "Attention please, to answer your issues in turn. Our KIND as you put it, were the first Europeans to colonize what is now America. The only people who have any sort of moral ground to tell us to go home are American Indians, and well Anita here is half Cherokee and she doesn't seem to mind so much." She threw a thumbs up at her friend and the boy with them, probably a boyfriend. "As for where we came from, we were born here --Boston for me and just south of here for those two. Can that many of you say you aren't imports from Germany?" She chuckled. "And as for your jobs? You guys work here in the city, Medhall and whatever shops and things here in the city. We won't be taking YOUR jobs. I for one plan on being a doctor. These two plan on being engineers. If that competition is scary then apply yourselves and do something other than beat down anyone else with a dream!"

    Then we walked into the opening of the crowd. On the other side I could see Cricket coming through. Alabaster --and how DID he always manage to escape?-- and some bruiser with short white hair joined her.

    Even though they were the center of things a moment ago, with all eyes on us the three teens eased behind us into the opening.

    "Do you really think you can just walk in here and push the Empire around?" Purity had spoken, her light flaring enough to put all eyes on her. "You know I could put a crater there in your place!"

    Shadow Stalker waved up at her. "You're all talk. If you wanted to potshot kids and get hunted down like a dog you could have done that years ago." She dramatically flipped her a bird and turned away toward Cricket.

    "Don't look away from me when I am talking to you!" Purity growled, punctuating this with a thin beam into the ground next to Shadow Stalker.

    It was fast. Huh, bit short of lightspeed even, but it would be hard to dodge if I wanted.

    "Oh noes! The Empire has initiated combat, so we must retreat ...while protecting civilians." Browbeat matched Sophia's attitude while I just watched Purity. Her glow had dropped a little but then built up some more.

    Cricket's voicebox device growled. "Three can leave if three stay to … PLAY."

    I waved over to The three civilians. "You cue to scram. There's a PRT van to pick you up about a block that way."

    The boy nodded and quickly ushered the two girls toward the park exit.

    Dennis on console piped up over the comm, "What van is that?"

    Under my breath, "The one you just dispatched knucklehead."

    I looked up, "Seems like there are three on the ground here, does that mean you aren't planning to join in?"

    Purity was settling down to maybe thirty feet up from the groups, possibly to make it easier to talk. "I am thinking there are FOUR of you present."

    I did not look over to Glam, but Shadow Stalker shrugged out of her coat and flicked it straight by the collar. Glam reformed into her costume state, apparently wearing the coat she had been before. Ironically she chose to have her hair in meatball buns like Chun Li from that fight game.

    She cracked her neck a little and looked around, settling on Alabaster. "I vote Blanket gets the big gun."

    With Browbeat facing the apparent Brute and Shadow Stalker with a pair of batons facing Cricket, I was left to look up at Purity. Joy. I felt my material changing to the stuff that worked against Lung's heat, Sillicaflex. Opening my Blanket Space internally I grabbed some of the feedstock for the printer, stopping Armsmaster's current project, and wove titanium into my being.

    "I suppose we shall see just how powerful you are." Purity all but purred.

    Then a sound buzzed and I wove a quick set of earmuffs over the top of my form's ears. "What?" I mimed a hand up to my ear at her.

    ********************

    Glam felt herself go more muscular, and she drank from the other two capes aside from Browbeat that were there as well. Blanket felt like a warm comforter over her shoulders. Shadow Stalker felt like a run on a cold morning. Browbeat felt like a cinnamon roll fresh from the oven. And there were other feelings forming, fingernails on chalkboards, a jolt of cold like plunging into an icy lake…

    Then sound hit her like a fist. She bent over as the noise made her ill and writhe at the same time.

    The ugly smile on the face of the woman wearing a bird cage as a mask widened as she advanced on Shadow Stalker. The man in front of her was posing for the crowd with a baseball bat as he approached.

    *********************

    Browbeat had the others to her back as she watched the white haired Brute ease around to the side they had come from.

    His face was grey and wide and his eyes the blue you see on Husky dogs. But he seemed more interested in the three teens hurrying away than Browbeat. He sneered at her. "Try and stop me." Then bound away toward them.

    Madison blessed Kid Win's jump gloves as she crouched and jumped after him. They let her launch in ways she could not match before. Before he was close enough to grab them, she was barreling in on him --only to see him twist around to reach for her instead.

    Trap!

    ************************

    As Alabaster laughingly advanced, Glam felt her ears change. The sound dropped to next to nothing, but she stayed partly down as he wound up for a swing.

    Behind her a bat similar to his formed in her hand, and she swung up to block his hit, coming around for a slam to his chest as he blinked in surprise.

    And then he was three feet away laughing again as he advanced.

    "Pete and Repeat went out on a boat…" He started with a grin.

    He swung, she blocked and struck for him. He blocked in turn and then she kicked him in the balls.

    "...Pete fell out…" His voice was steady, not like someone whose nuts had been crushed. He was pulling a handgun now.

    *************************

    Purity's glow dimmed and she was putting her hands together, small gap she was looking through while targeting me. I could see the glow forming and I grew as my form up a bit into what I considered my combat form. Oogie Boogie in silvery grey titanium weave.

    He eyes grew wide as she realized I was reaching and she was in reach.

    The beam flared. I kept reaching up even as her first shot hit me in the chest. It was like a really bad case of indigestion. Like swallowing too hot liquid and trying to hold it down.

    Her body was small as I grabbed her out of the air, squeezing her.

    "Augghh!" Her cry was surprised. "How are you even still alive!"

    My glance down took in the missing section of my chest and left leg. My enlarged hand held her tightly, finger across her arms, thumb pinning her hand in an upward position --away from anyone watching. The cloth of my being rippled as it reformed where the damage had been.

    Putting my face close to her, "Why do this? You haven't targeted Wards before now."

    This close I could see the tears rolling down her face.

    "They … Kaiser, he has my baby girl." Her voice was a whisper.

    *****************

    Shadow Stalker bounced as she advanced on Cricket. Dialing her earbuds up to eleven drowned out the buzzing. Just a little nauseous --not much different than the feel of sparring with Blanket or Weld maybe. Just a little slower, just a little off. No problem there, even with reduced reactions she was a match for rickety Cricket.

    The exchange went well until Cricket flipped her chain out and behind Shadow Stalker. The woman's glee was painted on her face as she depressed a control on the kama that put Taser strength electricity running through the chain.

    She expected Shadow Stalker to phase through it, then take the stun effect. Their mole had been clear on that. So she was totally floored by the knee to the jaw instead as Shadow Stalker parried her kama wide on one side.

    The Taser effect couldn't bite through the costume I'd made for Shadow Stalker --no doubt tweaked by Glam at some point.

    But Cricket was wily, even rattled she swung both kamas inward, blades heading for Shadow Stalker's sides. The lower part of the face mask they'd pushed through on her that showed her mouth became a blessing as she was able to smile widely right in Cricket's face as the kamas got stuck in the thick material without cutting.

    "It's karma baby, you deserve the cage." Her own batons were free to cross, lifting Cricket up and over to slam cage first into the ground.

    ********************

    The white haired cape grabbed at her, pawing in places she was not appreciative. Hands that were rough, almost serrated on her neck and ribs. That pedo freak was trying to push her top off her arm to expose her chest!

    Her arms were on his, but felt leaden --dulled. She was weakening.

    His gleeful smile said it all, he was a Striker of some sort.

    "You taste like fine wine my dear… Or is that beer?" His face contorted in anger. "Are you a girl or a…"

    He didn't get the chance to continue. Browbeat brought her foot/hand up and used the glove to punch him in the gibblies. His bait and tackle. The family jewels.

    Even feeling like she was drained dry, she managed to pull a pin on a confoam at her belt, the thwump of the grenade between them muted. Confoam spread around her and him as well, locking them into place.

    The surprise let her pull away from his hands, but she still had a piece of him in her foot/hand so she squeezed some more, engaging the tase function.

    ***************

    From where she was lying on her back, Shadow Stalker slapped a single target confoam grenade onto Cricket's throat area, starting the binding process. She gave a woozy thumbs up to Browbeat, her head just visible out of the top of the foam of the full sized grenade she'd used.

    ***************

    "...fell out so who was left!" His voice was raggedy, unusual for him. Something was different. This girl in front of him, green skin with white trench coat flaring as she knocked his gun aside again, shooting him with the gun he'd pulled moments ago.

    Glam knew the definition of insanity --doing the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome. She wasn't crazy --okay, a little off but not completely nuts like this guy-- so she did something different.

    She changed into the clothing form again, her hand batting his arm aside wrapping around his.

    Alabaster was left standing there, back in his previous position, ready to continue the rhyme again --now in a white trench coat with no one in front of him.

    His arms dropped to his sides, then behind him together without his choice having anything to do with it. The material pushed them and now him to his knees, grasping his legs in a vice.

    *****************

    I was at a loss. I felt myself hugging the woman known as Purity, even as I formed a straight jacket on her that put her hands behind her in sleeves that put her palms against her own forearms behind her back.

    Images of a tiny little girl, blonde. The woman in my huge hand seemed smaller now. Brown hair showed then was hidden as I covered her fully like a mummy, all but the mouth. The images flowed, the girl sitting on a couch with two woman --ah Fenja and Menja-- on the ends of the couch, one playing with the little Yellow Blanket bear I'd made for the little girl.

    I knew this woman from the debut, the toddler as well.

    Leaning close. "Calm down. You lost but they were only going to hurt her if you failed to fight. And you did." Whispering now. "Aster will be fine."

    Her body stiffened, then relaxed in a faint.

    ******************

    Back at HQ, Clockblocker stopped his watch. "And time." He turned to Assault who was staring. "Ante up."

    Looking stunned, Ethan filched a worn twenty out of his belt pouch to pass over. "I still don't believe it."

    "She … ah they were done before Velocity could get there, before the van you had following them could deploy." Clockblocker crowed.

    Assault looked down at him more seriously. "No. I mean I can't believe Blanket tanked a two handed shot from Purity like it was nothing." He gulped. "We need to up her Brute rating a notch or three."

    Clock sat back a bit, his chair spinning. "Is there any room left to add to her rating?"

    He missed Assault making a pinching motion in mid air. "Smidge. Somewhere."

    The voice from the comm was Blanket's now. "Clockblocker, Blanket here. I have intel on a kidnapping earlier today, acting on it."

    Assault leaned in to push the mike button and comment. "How is that Protectorate business?"

    "Because the victim is a cape's daughter. Purity is the cape." Blanket commed.

    "Shiiiit." Assault said his finger coming off the button.

    Dennis toggled it back to his head set with a glare. "Copy that Blanket, what do you need?"
     
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    ScottotheUnwise said:
    He almost felt sorry for the AI, thinking they had stolen the gear she knew they had when in fact she'd shipped them everything they had. Much of the gear they had was designed specifically for their use, flown to the address they chose and then edited out of it's memory banks.
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    This make so much more sense than the usual explanation.

    Why would Dragon make a suit that can be retrofitted by Saint and his crew, and how would they have the knowledge to do so when tinkertech is almost impossible to figure out.
     
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