ic [IC] Irradiated Intervention

[olopi]

GM

 

“You really are the best AEGIS has to offer?” The Dragon continued to be amused by Upgrade, and the X-09’s seeming inability to actually cause any harm to the Dragon. He was however, not able to capitalize on it, as flame after flame continued to smash into his body. In fact, he continued to lose height, now a fair distance below Upgrade. The two of them still were high above the ground, but not as high as the altitude the fight had started at.

 

The Dragon’s breathing was heavy, and part of his costume had in fact been singed by Bonfire’s continued attacks. Unsure where to focus, the Dragon now turned his attention on the seemingly biggest threat, the flame floating in the sky below him. Yet, at the same time, he also glanced downwards, at Adept, the Van, the Gas Man, and everything surrounding them, where his own fire was still spreading slowly.

Edited November 5, 2016 by olopi

[olopi]

PC

 

Bonfire continued to fire away, his form once again multiplying before shooting off towards the Dragon. The attacks did hurt, that was visible. Yet, they weren’t nearly as damaging as they had been in the past, the Dragon was still up and in somewhat of a fighting condition. So, Bonfire upped the heat again, this time adding even more separate fireballs to the attack.

“How much more can you handle?”

 

The effect was the same as before. The Dragon was hit. The Dragon took damage, as fire spread around him. And yet, he was still up there, doing his thing. Either Bonfire’s attack had gotten weaker, or this Dragon was really tough.

 

Bonfire also was not sure how to react to the metal suit continuing to seemingly misfunction. He hardly doubted that it was meant to not really do anything beyond fly, yet, at the same time, also thought that perhaps, it was simply an error of the control system. Either way, it certainly looked a lot more dangerous than it had proven so far.

Edited November 5, 2016 by olopi

[Blarghy]

"Remind me to flay your engineers!" Warne growled over their AEGIS channel.  Part of his frustration came from his own failings; his attacks might not be entirely without merit today, but the Horned Dragon just would not go down, and to be repeatedly upstaged by this fresh-faced kid...

 

Once more, he threw his painful headache into a blast of telekinesis.  When was the last time he had to keep it up for so long, again and again without rest, especially after straining his limits?  Warne's pupils dilated; his lips were dry, and his skin, a touch pale. 

 

Drop, you damned overgrown Halloween-lizard!

[Sophistemon]

Grunting in frustrated agreement with Warne's promise of gristly violence, Ethan slammed his fist down on the console pad and punched in a few numbers. A panel on Upgrade's shoulder opened wide to reveal row after row of small, red-capped missiles that all launched in unison and swarmed towards the Horned Dragon.

[olopi]

PC

 

This guy was tough. Really, really tough. As Bonfire readied up another attack, doubt crossed his mind. Mixed with the thrill of the fire, it led to a strange reaction inside of his brain. He was going to take this guy down, he was strong. But yet, what if he was immune to these attacks, and didn’t actually take any proper damage? What if all these burns were just cosmetic? Sure, he looked weakened, but - yes, he had damage him, really. Totally. He split down the middle again.

 

A deep breath, which did not actually do anything, but it helped Cass concentrate. With everything rushing through him the sensations, the thoughts, and the thrill, he took a moment to relax, to sit back, to find his inner fire. The trick to fire control was going with the fire, giving it space.

 

This next attack had to count, so after just a moment, he split again. And then, fire shot off, towards the dragon, this barrage even larger than the previous ones. Fire soared through the air, once more at a course straight towards the dragon. But this time, some of the fireballs took an extended route, much like Bonfire’s previous smoke attack, looking for alternative points of attack.

Edited November 6, 2016 by olopi

[olopi]

GM

 

Upgrade’s rockets fired, closing in on the Dragon, while at the same time the fireballs flew towards the same target. The resulting series of explosions was something to behold, lighting up the sky, creating a fair amount of noise, and a fair amount of smell. The noise was not so bad in comparison to the Dragon’s roaring, and as the explosions settled, the Dragon was only barely holding onto consciousness anymore. And then, his wings and head disappeared, and he dropped from the sky.

 

With an eerie silence now, completely out of combat, first sirens could be heard in the distance. They were still some time off, but judging by the sounds it was quite a few emergency services called. From his positon, Upgrade could see a first few police cars approaching, together with a fire-truck.

 

Down at Upgrade’s position, the Gas Man had by now gotten back up, leaning against the side of the wall. He looked upwards, at the Dragon falling out of the sky, and spoke, sounding somewhat injured, and speaking with the same gravelly voice before, but more respectful. “Not bad. “

 

Meanwhile, the fires had started to spread across the roofs. They were not too bad, nothing the incoming fire fighters could not handle. They would probably cause some Insurance Company to complain, and perhaps some replaced materials, but other than that would not leave any serious permanent damage.

 

Meanwhile, the heroes could spot a group of people running towards the Van. Judging by their clothes, they were just civilians. Judging by their equipment, they were reporters. They still were some distance off, but they had certainly seen Adept, and seeing as how one of them was holding what appeared to be a professional camera, probably also had footage of the battle that had raged above their heads.

Edited November 6, 2016 by olopi

[Blarghy]

Whatever satisfaction Warne felt--and it was surely limited, given that Bonfire did by far most of the work here--at seeing their enemy at last begin to tumble, it immediately turned to ash upon noticing the reporters.  He made a sound of pure disgust.  Turning his eyes to the fire, he even received disappointment there too: if it was raging out of control, then he could justify letting the Horned Dragon take his chances with the pavement.  Instead, he was legally and morally obligated to perform a rescue.  Unless the "man" was immensely heavy, Warne's telekinesis should have no trouble at all grabbing and bringing him to the ground safely. 

 

"Not bad," he muttered to Bonfire as he flew down too, in much the same voice as the Gas Man.  To him, Adept cast a slightly surprised glance; he expected their original target to flee in the confusion.  No point in questioning his good luck, though; Warne was in no mood to chase anyone else.

 

He moved to address the incoming crowd, but then thought better of it.  Normally he'd be forced to growl his way through, but today he had Upgrade, the walking propaganda piece, in his corner.  He activated his earpiece: "Stone, how about you go do your thing with the reporters, yeah?  They'll thank you for it, if they don't have to deal with me.  I'll watch the prisoners and keep an eye on that blaze; once it's taken care of, we can all interrogate the Gas Man and ship Horned Dragon off to custody."

 

Settling down near the van, where he could watch both of their captives (even if he had the feeling that they wouldn't be able to hold the Gas Man for long), Warne switched between monitoring the pair and trying to smother the nearby fire with his brain.  After his earlier work, this felt like a nice cool-down.

[Sophistemon]

"Roger that, Warne. Coming in for a landing now." He touched down before the crowd of reporters and punched in the automated repair system's activation code. Fresh panels of armor slid free of their housings and replaced the AMP's damaged components, leaving him looking clean and shiny. Upgrade raised one beefy metal arm and motioned to the assembled group. "Hello!" he bellowed, mechanical voice buzzing with the effort of enhanced friendliness modules. "How're we all doing today? Nothing to see here, folks; we've got everything under control."

[olopi]

GM

The camera followed Upgrade’s descent and repair, as the reporter walked up to him, the rest of the team only a few feet behind. She probably was in her early thirties, and looked like a professional by all degrees, down to her clothing. She held out her microphone, addressing Upgrade with the pleasant yet deceptive voice of an interviewer. Clearly, she knew what she had to ask.

“Sir, what can you tell us about what just happened here? What created the noises heard all around the city, how was the situation handled, and who were the people involved with it?” The cameraman recorded some of the fires on the building’s roofs, but then also turned the attention to Upgrade. The sirens in the distance became louder every second, chances were they would arrive in only a few moments.

Meanwhile, the Gas Man began to speak some more too. He’d returned to his more gravelly voice, probably somewhat frustrated by the fact he was still tied handcuffed.  “So, you caught him. What now? Still need me?”

At the same time, the radio reported in, Clarkson sounding fairly relieved. “Nice work everyone. Can probably demand extra pay for this. We got the Dragon and the Gas Man, with … little damage. Should I call back to report anything specific, and do you want me to set up an interrogation for the bounty hunter?”

 

[olopi]

PC

 

And now that the fight was over came to actually difficult part. Landing. Nothing was as difficult as moving while in ignited. Just floating slowly wasn’t possible. It was either standing still, or race car speed. Bonfire audibly sighed, as he prepared for an uncomfortable descent. Then, he moved, for just the blink of an eye. He closed most of the distance between his previous altitude and the ground, hovering only roughly a dozen feet off the ground.

 

For the first time, he actually fully noticed the destruction left behind by the Dragon’s fire breath. Hearing the sirens in the background, he didn’t hesitate, instead getting to work immediately. While Adept focused on one area, Bonfire took care of another. Slowly, the fire separated from the building, floating in mid-air. And then, like a vacuum cleaner, it was simply sucked towards the flame body of Bonfire. “Always feels good to refresh after a fight. “And then, he noticed the reporters below. For the next fire, he upped the spectacle, first playing around with the fire for some time, clearly enjoying himself and his abilities.

 

Edited November 7, 2016 by olopi

[Blarghy]

"You are most definitely detained," Warne growled to the Gas Man as he put most of his focus toward the burning building.  His eyes narrowed at Bonfire's antics; the young hero's help was appreciated, but Warne typically just didn't have the heart for showing off.  He did, however, note Bonfire's ability to absorb flames.  Best to file that away with the rest of what he had seen; likely, his superiors would want a full report of all he witnessed, in case their temporary ally decided to go looking for any other nuclear reactors.

 

"Just because Horned Dragon is guilty doesn't make you innocent," he added. 

 

To Clarkson, he replied, "Interrogation, yes.  And transport for both prisoners, of course.  I suggest that we take them in separately...assuming we're bringing the Dragon back to headquarters at all, instead of shipping him directly to Blackstone."  That supervillain resisted arrest in a big way, and with several witnesses, quite possibly even surveillance.  Warne suspected that his trial would be very, very short.

[Sophistemon]

Ethan sighed, then keyed his external communicators for maximum ham. "Folks, you've just witnessed a minor confrontation between AEGIS, assisted by the hero Bonfire over there, and the Horned Dragon." He pointed one beefy metal finger at Bonfire, then returned his attention to the crowd. "The Horned Dragon has been defeated, and is in our custody awaiting transportation to a nice, cozy holding cell to sit in while we tally up the charges. Bonfire, as you can see, has already begun reducing the damage caused by the Horned Dragon's fire-breath. I'm sure we're all really thankful for that." Ethan cleared his throat inside the cockpit and continued. "It's important to note that everything's currently under control. The bad guy's in custody, the good guys won, and nobody got hurt. That's a big check in the 'win' column."

Edited November 13, 2016 by Sophistemon

[olopi]

GM

 

The camera-man made sure to get all of Upgrade’s speech, but also catch Bonfire, who was now drawing spirals of fire into the air, actually eliciting a chuckle from the third reporter, who was carrying all other gear. The reporter herself was not impressed. She had done this many times. She had seen Bonfire do his things before. She wanted to know more. She took another step forward, not threatening, but intrigued.

 

“Sir, what can you tell us about the relationship between Bonfire and AEGIS. Various officials have denounced Bonfire’s previous actions, some even calling for involvement by your agency. And I highly doubt this is what they meant by that. Are you co-operating with Bonfire, even after his previous attacks on our energy system?”

 

Talking to Clarkson was more pleasant, he had good news. He still sounded much more relaxed, as he gave a status update. “Okay. Transport for the Gas Man was already dispatched. Just called up one for the Dragon, should be there in a bit, this is highest priority. With the danger he poses, I’ll arrange for him to be brought to Blackstone immediately, if he demands custody he’ll have some there. Room for the Gas Man’s organized, as is transport for his vehicle. Should be there in about a minute.”

 

Thanks to both Adept and Bonfire’s efforts, the various fires had almost been completely erased, one last one currently being taken care of by Bonfire.

  

Edited November 9, 2016 by olopi

[olopi]

PC

 

Bonfire continued to suck up all the fire. He knew the team that was interviewing Upgrade right now, had talked with them before. Occasionally helped each other too. They were a bunch of hard-line journalists, trying to get every last bit of information. They would not hesitate to write something against him, but that just gave working with them a certain charm.

 

He finished up with the fire, as one thing probably became noticeable to viewers. Bonfire had remained in his fire-form for all this time, and even now that he had finished with the fire. As he flew towards the van at high speed, hitting the ground in front of it and leaving an additional scorch mark, it became apparent that it probably wasn’t by choice.

 

He reformed out of the ground, still just a flame, and began speaking to Warne and the Gas Man, who were some distance away, but still inside discussion range. Now that he was speaking more quietly, his voice sounded closer to what it normally was like. “Nice work. Any idea on why the Dragon was here? I assume transport’s already been organized, AEGIS seems like they’ve got their dispatch well set up from what I’ve read. “

Edited November 9, 2016 by olopi

[Blarghy]

Hesitantly optimistic now, Warne kept an eye on the press out of vague nervousness, while also turning to Bonfire.  He nodded once, vaguely, to signal, just perhaps, a bit of grudging approval for their deputy's actions so far. 

 

"We have made arrangements," he said without committing to any real information, especially in front of the prisoners, even if only one of them was conscious.  Bonfire's first question held more interest for the agent.  He looked to the Gas Man and asked, "Well, how about it, mercenary?  Would you rather wait until we can talk somewhere more comfortable--" his tone, and rumors of even the "nice" government interrogations, implied much the opposite, "--or are you feeling chatty now?  What was your business with Horned Dragon, and what is your business with Bonfire?"

[Sophistemon]

Upgrade chuckled, the sound a dry, metallic cough. Inside the AMP, Ethan resolved to add 'fix the voice' to the list of demands he planned to present to the engineers. "Bonfire is still under AEGIS scrutiny. His role in the events at the power plant is still being determined, but he is not yet being held solely responsible for the damages. AEGIS is committed to a thorough investigation, so we're exploring both sides of the conflict. Rest assured, we will get to the bottom of everything; that's what we're here for. Beyond that, I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to discuss agency matters with the press. AEGIS will release a public statement when we have everything in order." And when we've figured out how to spin it in our favor, Ethan mused. He bid the AMP stand, and Upgrade got off his knees to tower over the assemblage of reporters. "Was there anything else?"

Edited November 13, 2016 by Sophistemon

[olopi]

GM

 

The reporter made sure her microphone would catch everything. The same applied to the camera-man, while the third reporter looked around, trying to see when emergency services would arrive. As Upgrade replied, the sirens became noticeably louder, probably only a street or two away. Accompanying the fleet of emergency vehicles were some inconspicuous black cars, clearly belonging to AEGIS. As a fire-truck pulled into the driveway and a group of fire-fighters got out and readied themselves, the reporter posed her next set of questions.

 

“You are working with AEGIS. But clearly, you are not an average man in black. What can you tell us about yourself? Who are you? What do you do?”

 

She stopped, but before Ethan could reply added more questions.

 

“And why were you here anyways? You and Bonfire being here shows that this was organized. What was your goal, and how are the Horned Dragon and Neutron Industries connected?”

 

Meanwhile, the Gas Man shot a glare towards the incoming vehicles, looking uncertain. “Let’s go then. I imagine you’re gonna steal my van again?” Those last few words sounded rather angry, and were clearly directed towards the flame still floating next to him.

 

“Okay. I’ll take it from here, the transport for the Gas Man is about to pull in, we’ve got special transport for our flame-breathing friend. Stone, can you catch up with the other two once you’re done? Warne, load up the bounty hunter and then return to HQ. And maybe tell Bonfire about it, I don’t think he’s hearing us. “

Edited November 13, 2016 by olopi

[Blarghy]

"Copy that."  Warne looked at Bonfire and cocked his head toward the vehicles.  "Let's go, kid."

 

He reached down and gripped the Gas Man by his elbow, pulling him to his feet, and kept his mental grasp ready just in case it became necessary.  Civilians were on the scene now, after all.  Just because the mercenary had behaved relatively well so far didn't mean he wouldn't try something unpredictable and dangerous at the last moment.  His obvious training deserved the respect of caution.

 

"AEGIS doesn't steal vans," he replied.  Warne sounded almost cheerful now, in his usual dark way.  "AEGIS collects vans for evidence.  We give receipts afterward, even if we don't always return the property.  How confident are you that there's nothing illegal in there, Gas Man?  Just how careful were you with the permits for all your fancy toys?"

 

He chuckled nastily and escorted the suspect to their transport.

[Sophistemon]

The AMP struck a pose, displaying his gleaming metal frame for the edification of the reporters. "I'm Upgrade!" he boomed. "The pinnacle fusion of man with machine; a mechanical marvel unlike any other!" He bent over, leaning in. "I'm the newest weapon in the arsenal of freedom, a chrome-clad champion of justice!" Ethan moved rapidly within the cockpit, pressing buttons and flipping switches. "As for what I do..." A dozen, perhaps even two-dozen hatches opened all over the AMP, revealing the weaponry stored within. "I defend the United States and the world at large from anyone who would threaten it. I am a walking, talking test-bed of American ingenuity. As for what I was doing here..." Ethan trailed off, lost in thought. "I'm afraid that's part of an ongoing investigation the particulars of which I'm not at liberty to discuss. If and when things are declassified, AEGIS will of course cooperate with the press in disseminating all viable information."

Edited November 30, 2016 by Sophistemon

[olopi]

GM

 

 

 

The transport left the parking lot without much attention, the only media representatives that were on scene so far was the team interviewing Agent Stone, and whoever would arrive later had the various emergency services and other Agents to deal with. The Gas Man didn’t object, moving along without even speaking up.

At the same time, two of the agents entered the Gas Van. It followed the transport van with some distance, but always keeping in view. A car each accompanied either van, but, if experience meant anything, there were at least three other AEGIS vehicles in the streets surrounding them.

 

 

The media team looked quite impressed, especially once the weaponry was revealed. They all, probably reflexively took a step backwards, and the third member of the team, who was still carrying some equipment, looked quite tense. Either way, it did not stop the three from making sure all of this would be recorded. The interviewer continued, asking a few more questions…

 

 

30 minutes later

 

AEGIS Headquarters, City Center, Freedom City

 

 

 

The Gas Man patiently sat in his interrogation room. He looked towards the wall opposite of him, twirling his thumbs. Nobody else was in the room at the moment, but he was well aware that there was a One-Way Mirror at work here, and that all the people involved in all of this were on the other side.

 

And so was the case. Agents Warne and Clarkson had been in the room already. They were accompanied by Bonfire, holding a coffee, as Agent Stone, a bit delayed thanks to the reporters, entered the room as well. Clarkson nodded, and lifted a folder off of the table next to him. The laptop-fanatic probably wasn’t too happy about having to use paper, but the procedure was the procedure.

“Good to see you made it. Now, that we are all here, how do you want to proceed? The van is still being searched, but so far it looks like he has the necessary permits for the things he’s using. “

Edited December 3, 2016 by olopi

[Blarghy]

Adept growled; his many years of smoking made the sound unpleasantly wet, low in his throat.  "...I have the feeling that we'll end up cutting him loose," he predicted bitterly.  "But we may still get some information out of him.  I want to see what he'll give up about his bounty on Bonfire; even if we can't threaten him with arrest, we can sure as hell make his life difficult for refusing to cooperate.  I'm also curious to know how and why he came across the Horned Dragon, but we already have that criminal in custody, so I suggest that we stick to the original plan and prioritize his grudge against Bonfire.  Even if the Gas Man won't talk, we might be able to scare him into leaving the kid alone."

 

And we did catch the Dragon, Warne repeated to himself.  Whatever else happens, today wasn't a total loss.

[Sophistemon]

"Sorry I'm late," Ethan apologized. "Reporters, you know; they can't get enough of me. I'm just too shiny, I guess. At least the engineers can get the polish right, if nothing else..." His ego was still smarting from how the battle had gone. When this was all over, he was going to have a long, potentially violent discussion with the grease-monkeys that handled Upgrade's systems. "We've gotta have something on the Gas Man," he argued. "I mean, come on! After all we went through to bring him in, we can't just let him go again, can we?" He frowned, and slumped despondently into a chair. He arced a thumb at Adept. "I'm with him. What's his connection to the fire-breathing freak? I have trouble believing they aren't connected to what's going on. I mean, how likely is it to be a coincidence?"

[olopi]

GM

 

 

 

Clarkson nodded, noting a few keypoints on his clipboard. “Okay. We might get more things on the van later, they’re still looking for secret compartments and the likes. Should probably be able to start regardless, so far he’s, begrudgingly, been rather cooperative. More so than others we’ve had here. And he doesn’t even want a lawyer. Which does sound a bit fishy, unless our file somehow doesn’t mention him having a law degree. “

 

At the same time, he removed the sheet of paper he’d written on and transferred it to the folder he was still holding. “Agents, let’s do this. Bonfire, you stay here. A few other Agents will join you. “As if on call, at that very moment three other Agents stepped through the door, each also holding a folder of some sort.

 

The Agents introduced themselves to Bonfire as Clarkson, Warne and Stone left, going through the hallway and towards the door of the interrogation room. Clarkson went in first, taking the seat in the middle, opposite of the Gas Man, who didn’t do much to acknowledge the three.

 

“Good day, Sir. My name is Agent Vincent Clarkson, I am leading this current investigation. Joining me are Agents Warne and Stone, I believe you have already met one of them. "

Edited December 6, 2016 by olopi

[Blarghy]

Good, good.  Don't want to spoil Upgrade's identity.

 

Warne glared at their suspect.  His whole career was built on the Bad Cop image, so he went with his skill-set.  Unfortunately, this particular target apparently didn't scare easily, and probably knew about the usual routine.  Some adjustments might be in order.  For the moment, he held his simmering anger in check; perhaps it would be best to let Clarkson and Stone take the lead and ask most of the questions.  His interactions with the Gas Man back on the streets weren't exactly positive, so he didn't want to ruin this interrogation by feeding that resentment to the point that the Gas Man did request a lawyer.

[Sophistemon]

Ethan grinned across the table at the Gas Man and inclined his head in a friendly nod of greeting. "Hey there," he chirped, his voice like honeyed tea. "Before we start, can I get you anything? Water? Coffee? Cola?" He arced a thumb behind him, at the door. "I think there's some punch in the break-room, if you're into the fruity stuff." He chuckled. "My kid loves it, but it makes my teeth itch, personally." He folded his hands together on the table and arched his eyebrows. "Look, I figure you don't want to be here any longer than you have to be, right? So, why don't we all agree to play this out nice so we can get things over as quickly and painlessly as possible, okay?"