ic Never Was (IC)

[Thevshi]

Timeout

 

Gamma Buzz unleashes his atomic breath, sweeping it into the sky to catch the group he and Blue Bolt had mostly dazzled. However, the small insects were incredibly agile, with just over half of them managing to avoid the cone of radiation completely. Of those hit, only two were burned and dropped to the grown blackened husks.

 

And the insects began swarming….

 

The two that had survived Rot's attack were joined by three others that had just been released from a newly landed needle fighter. The five small drones swarmed around her, hacking and slashing at Rot with their front scythe like claws. Three managed to land hits on the teen, two of them multiple quick strikes.

 

Several of the group blinded by Gamma Buzz and Blue Bolt recovered from the effects and soon each of the teens had three of the drones attacking them. However each managed to avoid most of the attacks, each only being hit once by the slashing claws of a drone.

 

Spaceman and Golden Star similarly had three of the drones attack, the two that survived Spaceman’s attack joined by four new ones. Spaceman managed to avoid all but one of his attackers, while Golden Star was struck by two.

 

Six of the newly arrived insect drone sped across the park towards where Timeout, Torpedo Lass and Sever were gathered, splitting into three even groups to attack the teens. Both Torpedo Lass and Sever felt the sting of the slashing blades of the drones. The first of the drones sped towards Timeout, unleashing a flurry of attacks that seemed like they were about to hit the blond teen, but then, at the last moment, he was gone in a temporal blur, reappearing just a few feet away, but far enough to cause the attacks to miss. As the second came at him, Timeout flung himself to the side, rolling across the grass as he dodged the second attacker.

 

Coming back up to his feet, Timeout took a brief moment to glance around at all the Communion drones closing in on them. He then glanced back over towards Torpoedo Lass. “If this was just about getting me, why all of this? Why go to all this trouble? The entity has already shown it can separate us from our stuff and from the others. If it wanted me, it could have just taken me alone.”

 

He then moved over near Sever in a blur of motion, the teen raised both hands as he released an all too familiar burst of temporal energy, which radiated in all directions. As was normally the case, the energy wrapped harmlessly around his friends and other allies, but slammed into all the drones within two hundred and fifty feet of him. Of the six insect drones attacking him, Torpedo Lass and Sever, all but one of the ones on Torpedo Lass dropped out of the air as they were stunned unconscious. Over near Gamma Buzz and Blue Bolt, three of the six attacking them were similar knocked out. Within the area of Timeout’s burst, there were twenty six of the humanoid drones, half of them collapsing under the effects of the temporal attack. One of the ones near Sever remained on its feet, as did another five within thirty feet of Timeout and Torpedo Lass.

 

Lowering his arms, Timeout then moved back closer to Torpedo Lass as he looked out at the park and called out. "Where are you? Show yourself!"

 

For a brief moment, it seemed as if nothing would happen, but then a figure appeared about twenty feet in front of Lawrence. The tall figure was hovering just above the grass of the park, completely concealed beneath a tattered hooded black robe. No face was visible within the hood of the robe, only a shadowy darkness. "I have always been here Lawrence Harrow." It replied in a cold, hollow voice. For most of those gathered nearby, it spoke in English. But Gamma Buzz heard its words in Spanish, while Blue Bolt heard them in Zirtimzaran. "Are you ready to join me so that together we can bring an end to Collapse?"

 

Lawrence regarded the figure for a moment before asking, "where are the others? The ones you did not bring to this timeline?"

 

"They are currently experiencing another Armageddon." The figure replied, slowing raising one arm as an imaged appeared in the air beside it. The image showed ruined city streets and building, with Bernadete, Carmen and several of the others fighting what appeared to be Omegadrones among the ruins.

 

"They are experiencing the Terminus Invasion from the end of the last century, only in that version of the event, there is no Centurion coming to stop the Lord of the Terminus. Regardless of how valiantly your friends fight, when Omega enters the city, that world will be destroyed, and your friends will die. You can save them, along with your friends here. All you have to do is surrender and join me."

 

"How do I know you will actually free my friends even if I did? We can find a way to stop this invasion, weaken the barrier you have around us and get to the others so we can all escape." Lawernce responded.

 

The robed figure remained impassive, its black robes billowing slightly despite the general lack of wind. "Perhaps. But can you do so before any of your friends are slain? You have not yet met my champion."

 

As the figure spoke a silvery figure emerged from one of the spaceships in the sky above, flying down towards the city at incredible speed. As it approached the City Center, the figure veered towards Captain Thunder, slamming into the Freedom League member and sending both of them plummeting to the ground. The pair crashed down into the very center of the park, sending a small tremor through the ground and sending dirt and bits of concrete paths flying in all directions.

 

As the dust and debris that had filled the air cleared, a twenty foot wide crater could be seen, Captain Thunder laying still at the bottom of it. Hovering over him was a humanoid female figure, a little under six feet tall with a lithe build. The figure appeared to be wearing a full body costume with a long billowing cape and had long hair. However, like the other Communion drones, the figure, its clothes and cape, were all coated with silvery Computronium.

 

Lawrence took a couple steps back, a look of shock clearly on his face as he looked at the hovering figure.

"Paradigm? Oh #@&%!"

[Kaede Kimura]

Blue Bolt

 

Vueriz watched the radioactive glow of Baz's breath with wide eyes, the lingering glow afterwards casting a beautiful glow over the cockroach boy. She smiles behind her mask before the insect drones descend. Thankfully her skin resists the slash one lands upon her, as she spins away from the others. Then she heard Lawrence call out, and a voice answer in her native tongue. Something about it made her skin crawl as it told Lawrence what was going to happen to them and their friends in another bubble.

 

She heard remembered Lawrence talking about Paradigm, she remembered the way Michael responded at the comparison to the 'Centurion'. She wanted more than anything to crawl into a hole and give up, but she couldn't leave. Not while this thing was demanding Lawrence surrender to it. With a harsh yell she slashed through the insects that were attacking her and Baz, spinning through the space like an oversize spinning top.

 

"Don't listen to it Lawrence! We can get out of this!" 

[Poncho]

More and more lasers were filling the sky around Michael, and everyone else. They were cutting into his costume and some into his skin, slowly wearing him down. How long did he have left to do this? How long before he got tired? He could hear the watch clicking in his pocket, but he had no idea how deep he was on his timer. He wasn't going to stop, but he was pretty sure if someone didn't come up with a solution soon, he was going to falter. He wasn't the most important person here, not by a long shot, but if he fell, other people would start falling too. They were limited, and whatever was causing this seemed so, so much more.  He wiped sweat off his brow- something that he hadn't had to do in so long-, and tried to refocus his efforts.

 

Then things got worse.

 

"You have to be kidding me." he was in utter disbelief to see Paradigm like that. It was a walking apocalypse. He wan't even sure if Captain Thunder was still alive. Sure, he was strong- the strongest hero on Earth at the current time period, maybe, at least one of them-, but that was Paradigm. Maybe she was a little weaker than when he had seen her just a few days ago? But it really didn't seem like it. Someone had to stop her. Could he? No. He couldn't. Not by himself. But he wasn't exactly alone was he? 

 

"Lawrence! I got a plan! We can keep her occupied for...I don't know, a few seconds? Maybe more!? Trust me!"

 

He flew past the drones attacking him, changing his direction. Parker couldn't fly fast? That was fine. Michael could fly for them both. He grabbed the other teen by the shoulder and hip and pulled, dragging him along towards Paradigm. He was talking, but he wasn't stopping as he was flying.

 

"Parker. Listen to me right now. If we don't stop that woman, she will kill everyone. She's one of the strongest beings in the cosmos. She's weak to some crystals, but we don't have them. The most important thing that me and you can do right now is keep her from moving. Not even an inch." he spoke in short, clipped sentences, as serious as he'd ever said anything. He didn't really know what he was doing, but everyone else was trying new things right now, so he figured he should too. He focused on that energy in him, visualized it as a big ball of light and strength and energy, like a sun held in his chest, and imagined giving it to Parker. Putting it in his chest instead. He was getting weaker, but Parker was getting stronger.

 

"I'm...trying? To give you whatever I can. I'm just a big battery, right? So I'm trying to charge you up. That's going to limit what I can do, if this works...but you're tough enough to take the extra. I'm going to hurl you at her, and I'm going to help, and you really need to grab her. And keep her down. I don't know how long I can keep giving you strength, but you have to grab her. and you have to hold her."

 

Michael was barely glowing at this point; he had sent as much as he could manage into Parker, but they were flying right at her. He tossed Parker- aggressively sliding him forward-, but he launched himself at Paradigm too. This was less a co-ordinated offensive on his side and more a scrabbling to try and get at Paradigm; he slammed into her side and grabbed at one of her arms in both of his, trying to keep her distracted just enough for Parker to lock in a hold. He'd seen this woman when she was getting her powers drained by a crystal. This was the same woman, except she'd been filled with a bunch of alien technology. But if Star Khan could fight it, even barely, could she?

 

"Paradigm! Stop! Please! You're more than this!"

 

He was absolutely desperate.

Edited April 12 by Poncho

[RocketLord]

Spaceman

 

They are everywhere around them, buzzing and zapping and slashing. Parker can take it, having made his body dense enough to withstand it, but for how long? His shirt has been all but torn apart by the continued strikes by now, black krackle seeping continuously from his body. That one hit was almost enough, and they are not letting up in the slightest.

 

This is all crazy. They should have been home, not here, not fighting like this. He notices someone else there, someone close to Lawrence. A quick glance shows a man in robes. The guy behind all this, probably. Parker is just about to shout for Michael to throw him, or to start flying himself, but then, a blur smashes into Captain Thunder. Takes him down, crashing into the ground far below. He is... is he even breathing? Someone took out Captain Thunder, just like that? Real or not, that is... Can they do this? Can he do this?

 

Before he has a chance to try to decide what to do, Michael is by his side. He knows the woman, and it isn't good. One of the strongest beings in the cosmos, and she is going to kill everyone if they don't stop her and keep her from moving even an inch? Can they even do that? Does it matter?

 

"Alright. Then we'll keep her in place."

 

It doesn't matter if they can. They will do it. 

 

Pushing everything away, everything into strength, Parker feels it, the golden energy rushing through his body. Is this what Michael feels like all the time? It is a rush, it is... It is what they need. 

 

And then they're there, Michael doing all he can, throwing Parker. The black krackle explodes from his golden glowing body, it looks almost like he is dissolving into it, as it spreads out behind him like a black cape. Michael is shouting something at Paradigm as he grabs onto her. Parker can't hear him.

 

Spaceman catches on around Paradigm's body, locking around her arms and slamming her into the ground with enough force to create another crater, a shockwave that explodes out from them. 

 

He has no idea how long he can do it, but if it's even for a moment, he will do it.

[The Sailor]

Torpedo Lass II

 

"No you don't!"

 

Mizuki saw one of the drones moving in on Sever, and tossed a blue green ball of energy at it, before moving between him and it. She was prepared to get it's full attention while Sever tried to shake it off... hopefully.

 

"Timeout, I don't think surrender or negotiation is an option with this game being played with us... it's fight or die!"

Edited April 13 by The Sailor

[Thevshi]

GM

 

The quick action of Michael and Parker managed to pin down the altered Paradigm, who seemed unprepared for such an attack. But even as they did, she was far heavier than someone her size should be, even accounting for having been converted to Computronium. As they did there best to try to hold her, they could already feel her starting to push back, and growing stronger as she did. Michal’s pleas to her seemed to be all but ignored.

 

As Torpedo Lass braced herself for any counterattack by the Communion drone she had attacked, there was blast of energy that streaked by her and blasted the drone off its feet. Daedalus landed next to her and Sever as he turned to face the next closest group of drones, a pair that were a little over sixty feet away. Around the park, other Freedom League members were dealing with groups of the Communion drones, either on the ground or the flying insect drones in the air.

 

Those two drones rushed forward, closing to within a short distance of the three. Throughout the park more of the humanoid drones continued to move forward. Several closed toward Torpedo Lass and Sever, as more of the needle fighters impacted with the ground throughout the park. One landed a short distance from Torpedo Lass and Sever, releasing another four of the humanoid drones.

 

One of the needle fighters slammed down into the ground near the tree Gamma Buzz was currently in, and as the sides open, only two silver colored figures were release. However, these were hulking humanoids, each at least eight feet tall, with thick muscular builds. As they let out the piercing electrical screeching the Communion drones made, they leapt into the air at Gamma Buzz, each delivering a powerful blow to the teen hero.

 

Two more pairs of the large humanoid drones were dropped off by needle fighters landing to the north and south of the center of the park.

 

As more of the humanoid drones closed in towards Torpedo Lass and Sever, there were two faint sonic booms and then a WOOSH of air as Johnny Rocket and the teenage Velocity returned, each taking down a group of drones. The two speedsters skidded to a halt near the group for a moment.

 

"Most of these Communion seem to be focused here." Indicated Velocity, she then paused a moment and added. "Umm, who is the creepy guy in the black robes?"

[Supercape]

Gamma Buzz

 

"A Cockroach Kid's work is never done!" declared Gamma Buzz as the two giant robot-thing-enemies landed. 

 

He felt his confidence wane under the relentless assault. His ego reached down to his belly, grabbed his confidence by the ear, and gave it a thoroughly good spanking. 

 

"You silver goons stand no chance against my amazing atomic...errrr.... my amazing atomic anti-silver beams! Yes, that's right. That works. Ahem. Just one blast of my cockroach-atoms will split your, ummm... mesonic molecule mainframe!"

 

He was quite pleased with that one. 

 

"Ow! Ow! OWWWW!"
 

He yelled as the two eight footers clobbered him. As fast as Gamma Buzz was, he wasn't fast enough. Both punches hurt. And then he was knocked off the tree, and landed with a sickening crunch on  the ground below, one leg pointing in a very peculiar position. 

 

"Who needs legs, anyway?" he grumbled, his eyes cartwheeling. 

[Thevshi]

Timeout

 

Star Knight had flow over near Rot, taking out several of the insect drones attacking the teen and otherwise drawing the attention of the remaining ones as more flew over to join in attacking the armored heroine. Over towards the center of the park, the insect drone that had survived Blue Bolts last attack was joined by two others as they flew after the small alien heroine, but weaving side to side on her board, she was able to avoid the attacks from all three of the fast-moving drones.

 

Then there was a flash of light to the eastern side of the park, as nine new silvery figures appeared. Glancing back while struggling to hold Paradigm, Michael recognized a few of the Praetorians he had recently met, Moon-Moth and Traveller. Like Paradigm, all of the Praetorians were coated in silvery Computronium, converted to Communion drones. Lawrence recognized them as well, along with several of the others.

 

Lawrence glanced over at the teenage version of his mother. "It is the one behind all of this." He replied before looking over to Mizuki.

 

"I do realize that. But we must make that thing react to us. It is powerful, but unlike Quirk not without limits. That is why it had to take the singularity, to provide it the power to do all this," he generally gestured around them, "and the timeline it has our friends in. It needed that vast amount of power to fuel this and set events in motion. If we can make it react to things it did not plan for, then we can weaken it, and have a chance of getting out of this and helping our friends."

 

The blond teen winces slightly as he sees Baz knocked out of a tree by two hulking Communion drones, but then focuses over towards where Michael and Parker where just managing to hold Paradigm. "I have an idea, and if it works, not only will it remove threats, but give us allies as well. And I am going to start with the biggest threat."

 

He was then gone in a blur of temporal energy, seeming to quickly cross the distance to where Paradigm was being restrained. As Lawrence appeared next to Michael and Parker, his eyes had gone completely blue and crackled with energy as he focused on the Praetorian leader. Reaching out towards her, Lawrence touched either side of her face as temporal energy washed over Paradigm.

 

She let out an ear-piercing electrical shriek like the other Communion drones made as the temporal energy went over her, and in a sudden surge of strength, pulled herself free from Michael and Parker’s grasp and Lawrence took a few steps back. But even as she did, the electronic screech change to a normal scream.

"Aaaaahhhh!"

 

As the last of the temporal energy dissipated, the figure near the three teenage boys was no longer coated in silvery Computronium, but once again flesh and blood. Paradigm was once again as Michael had seen her less than a week ago. Her costume was primarily white, with black diamond patterns and golden accents, while her long cape was once again black. Her skin was its normal orange, and her long hair a mix of black and purple.

 

"Paradigm." Lawrence said, a hopeful expression on his face.

The restored Praetorian focused on the blond teen, an uncertain look on her face. "Do I know you?" She said in heavily accented English, seemingly surprised at using and understanding the language.

"Not in this time, or this place, but I know you." Lawrence responded. "You are Amara Val-Ren, praetor of the Delaztri Empire. You swore an oath to defend those in need. This city, this world, are under attack from the Communion. They need your help, my friends and I, need your help."

 

"The Communion." Paradigm stated, a cold anger in her voice as she looked about the once tranquil park which had become a battlefield, her yellow eyes flaring with energy. "I will fight to the last to stop the Communion." She added before her gaze fell onto the recently arrived other Praetorians. "Are you able to restore my fellow Praetorians?"

 

"I will do what I can." Lawrence replied. "I don't think I have the time to try one at a time, but I think I can try something different that could work on a larger scale."

[Kaede Kimura]

Blue Bolt 

 

Despite her superhuman mental faculties, Vueriz could still barely take in what was happening as she jinked and spun to avoid her pursuers, but even as she stopped to catch her breath, noting that Lawrence had cured Paradigm she heard Baz's cries of pain, before he hit the ground.

 

Her ears dropped as she turned to see the boy on the ground, leg bent at a sickening angle. She was flying forward before she even processed what she was doing, a howl of outrage loosing from her lips. She clung to her board with one hand as the other dropped the primed Nervebuzzer and her tail wrapped around Baz's chest. The inertia nearly wrenched her shoulder from it's socket, but she refused to let him go, hauling him onto the board with her tail and now free hand.

 

She did no fancy maneuvers this time, just skimming along near the ground until she was near the group around Lawrence. She had wanted to ask him to heal Baz, but it didn't take a supergenius to tell that freeing the Communion converted heroes was the priority. Still, she couldn't leave Baz to the Communion's mercy.

 

She gently clasped the boy's shoulder, even as she scanned the battlefield. The Nervebuzzer and Aurora Roarer sat across the battlefield, she was down to one grenade, her board and the Meson Driver. She grit her teeth, she'd make it work.

 

She had to. 

[Poncho]

"Ow."

 

Michael had landed on his back, hurled off by Paradigm with a powerful toss and landing a distance away.

 

"Well that sucked." he groaned as he slowly got up, very unstable on his feet. He'd already given most of his power to Parker, and whatever else he had was minimal, and he was exhausted from stretching his powers, getting hit by creatures, grappling Paradigm, and everything else. He was very tired. Which wasn't something he had been for a very long time. As he got his bearings back around, he had to pause. He couldn't keep pushing like he was, he was straining against the boundaries of his possible limits, and he was smart enough at sports to know that doing that was how you ended up ruining things. So he paused. And waited. He looked at what was going on, and his friends. Then he brought his hands to his mouth and released an ear splitting whistle.

 

"Alright!" his voice was loud, reaching out like a thunderbolt- or the sound of a sun lash- as he yelled. He was bloody and bruised and his shiny uniform was cut and damaged, but he was still standing up resiliently, no matter what went against him.

 

"Blue Bolt! Keep it up! You're doing great! Keep Buzz safe until you can get him over here!" he paused and looked around. "Once you get Buzz here, can you help Sever and Super Cav? We should try to gather back up here, especially now that Timeout has shown he can fight this stuff." He turned his attention to the stranded Ryan and Mizuki next

 

"Sever, Super Cav! Stay at each other's backs and try to get over to some support! I know we left you out to dry but you're fine, just try to slowly work your way back to us without leaving the other behind! You get close enough to us and we can all meet back up!" He paused and took a deep breath because his ribs were hurting but he didn't flinch as he looked at Parker and Lawrence.

 

"Spaceman, I can't carry you anywhere right now, so you may be stuck here until I can catch my breath." he paused and looked at Paradigm. "...Unless Paradigm will be kind enough to hurl you into another pile of drones?" he suggested. "Because you and Blue Bolt were definitely doing the most in getting rid of all these things, and the clearer the skies are, the less we're getting worn down by a thousand cuts."

"Timeout, I'll be right here to keep them off you, but I'm getting the feeling you're gonna have to do that trick again on some more of our opponents; so...I'm relying on you to do what I know you can do, because I have complete confidence in you." he said with absolute conviction.

Edited April 19 by Poncho

[RocketLord]

Spaceman

 

Parker honestly had no idea that Lawrence could do something like this, but, they did it. Together, he and Michael held Paradigm for just long enough, even if it had only been seconds, and Lawrence had given them a new ally.

 

Not that it helps a lot now that he's been thrown back and is on his back next to Michael.

 

"Yeah," he responds to Michael's statement about it sucking, but still, he smiles as he stands up. "But we did it."

 

Not that they have any chance to revel in that short lived victory. Michael is already giving orders, which is good. They do need to coordinate, but Paradigm can be put to better use than carrying him around. Parker hopes so, at least.

 

Still glowing with golden energy, Parker breathes in and lets go of his own power, directing it inward instead of out. "You need time, right?" he asks Lawrence, looking between him, Paradigm and Michael. "I'll go and try to distract the bad guy." 

 

He probably can't do much, but he'll try anyway. Setting off before anyone has a chance to tell him no, Parker heads straight towards the giant robed figure that is apparently behind all this. He has no illusions about being able to actually hurt them, but he can at least try to draw their attention. 

 

With all the force he can muster, he steers straight for the robed figure, only to be blocked by a force field, slamming face first into it Cursing internally, he pulls back and continues trying to strike. 

 

"I don't think we've been introduced." He hits it again. "I'm Spaceman. I don't like when people try to hurt my friends." Just keep the robed figure's focus. Do anything to try to distract him and give Lawrence time to do whatever he wants to do.