This is my first story post, and it's been inspired by a recent game I just had.
NOTE: This is just the prologue of the AAR, just giving the background I see in my head. The actual play by play will come as the week progresses!
Heroes: Absolute Zero, Tachyon, Expatriette
Villain: The Plague Rat
Environment: Rook City
Note: I'm not 100% sure on locations and such, so if something is off, chalk it up to in-universe comic writers unable to agree with each other. :P
I also welcome all critiques of my writing! I promise I won't drop a moon on your house at least...
- - -
Sentinel Comics - Tales of the Multiverse!
Terror in the Streets! A Plague and Predator on the Prowl...
Prologue
Megalopolis
Freedom V Headquarters
Tyler Vance set aside the coffee mug away from the main computer terminal as he double checked for the tenth time the situational readouts. With Bunker back at the maintenance facilities of Fort Adamant, there was little for Tyler to do save sulking in the BOQs. At least until Legacy had not-so-subtly hinted that he could still lend a hand managing the Freedom V operations. Staff work really wasn't his thing, but he was thankful for the work anyhow. Even if the rest of the group seemed to think he was a tad too driven.
Most of the other auxiliary workers had left the office by then, leaving only the dimmest of lighting above to illuminate Tyler's workspace, and even that was all but swat aside by the pale white beams emanating from the monitor. It was late, but once again there was little for Tyler to do this weekend.
Especially since some nincompoop at Adamant spilled a sports drink over the Bunker simulation controls. So even that was under maintenance.
So he contented himself with confirming that current operations were working smoothly. “Alpha, status?” he spoke into the nearby mic in a clear voice in direct challenge to any notions of rest.
“This is Alpha,” the voice replied. The strange echoey tone to it immediately clued Tyler in to Tempest, the strange alien refugee on the run from an alien oppressor. “We are still on the red planet's facilities. It looks like the mobile factory is offline, but Visionary still believes-”
“I can see that we are not done here, Tempest,” another voice cut in smoothly. “Please don't second-guess visions of the future. Especially the ones I see with-”
“-okay, she is reporting that some components are still active,” Tempest added hastily. “Tyler Vance, can you-”
“Tyler, or Vance, or 'Bunker' even would work,” Tyler sighed, his hands already a blur on the keyboard. “We've already talked about naming conventions. And I'm scanning Wagner now...ah, I see.” A few small blips immediately formed over the schematics of Mars Base Wagner, some of which were slowly moving. “Visionary's right: you've got a couple of moving signatures in the Maintenance block. Knocking them out should finally shut down Omnitron for good.”
“Understood. Thank you, Tyler V-” The alien caught himself before simply repeating, “Tyler. I will send in another call soon.” The line then cut off, only to be immediately replaced.
“This is Bravo,” a clear, authoritative voice said. It then softened into a lighter tone as it continued, “Tyler, are you still up there?”
“Affirmative, sir,” Tyler said in a crisp tone, clearly wanting to remain respectful to Legacy. “I just cleared Alpha on Wagner; Omnitron is down and should be taken care of soon.”
“That's good,” Legacy responded. “Can you-” His voice was immediately cut off by an explosion. “Um, excuse me for a second.” The line immediately cut off, followed by another voice, still from Bravo's signature.
“Bunker, Legacy is a little busy with a train about to go off the rails,” a softer voice said over the line. “Blade's cronies are running all over the streets of Megalopolis again; I need a link to SATINT feeds.”
“Finally, someone who speaks TLA,” Tyler muttered as he swiftly linked the Wraith's microcomputer to a nearby government satellite. “You'll get it, but it sounds like this isn't just a request to deal with Blade.”
“It isn't.” Her answer was as blunt as usual. “I'm getting reports of something running around Rook City, and I'm here dealing with a madman trying to make demands to the mayor for submission instead of dealing with problems at home.”
A side bar on the monitor displayed the scarred, grinning face of the aforementioned Baron, mugging for the camera as usual and well into thirty seconds of monologuing and not actually getting into the demands yet. As per usual standard procedure, all situation room computers in the Freedom V HQ had Blade's default settings switched to “mute.” “So what do you need?” Tyler asked calmly. “You know I can't just suit up and go to Rook City.”
“I'm not asking you to,” Wraith said calmly. The sounds of her trademark stun launcher echoed in the background; Vance's monitors showing her progress in corralling several Blade troopers into dark alleyways where she could finish them off at her leisure. She made it look insultingly easy. “I know that you've been in there for God knows how long, and it should be just about time for Dr. Stinson to show up to work. Send her and Zero in.”
“Zero?” Tyler repeated incredulously. “That loose cannon?” The man's constant (yet low-key) defiance for orders had not settled too well with Tyler, especially coming from an institution where following orders was an ingrained fact of life. “Why him?”
“He's a loose cannon with a containment suit installed with analytical suites,” the Wraith responded wryly. “And he can replicate some lab conditions for Tachyon.” The lighter tone immediately hardened as she elaborated, “It's some sort of virulent contagion going around. I'm not there so I can't confirm for myself, but since we have the option I want a containment team there. Stinson and Frost should do nicely. In a pinch.”
“...fine,” Tyler sighed. “Just keep Blade occupied.” Cutting the feed, he immediately established a communications link with the Eaken-Ruball Laboratory and waited for the receiver to answer. He only spent a few seconds watching Legacy punch his way through one of Blade's hovering fortresses before the line picked up.
“Dr. Stinson speaking, what's up?”
“Tachyon-” Tyler began, never to finish.
“-ohmygodI'mtotallysorryIdidn'trecognizeyouVance!” Stinson's voice immediately blared. “Barelyhadcoffeejustonesec-” Tyler only waited for a breath's pause before hearing, “-okaycoffeeinhandreallysorryaboutthatwhatcanIdoforyou? AndyoureallysounddifferentwithoutBunkersvoicemodulatoryouknowthatrightorright?”
He took a few moments to process what he just heard, before he sighed and gave up. There was simply no understanding her when she became enthusiastic over...anything. “We have a situation in Rook City. And we need you and Frost down there to analyze a contagion going around...”
- - -
Rook City
Prearranged Coordinates (as set by 2nd LT Vance)
Could he possibly get here any slower? Tachyon thought impatiently as she tapped a finger on her arm at lightspeed. I've been here for thirty minutes already! This was the inherent problem with becoming the fastest woman alive; just because you could cross three state borders within the hour on foot you sometimes forget that others can't.
I probably shouldn't blame him, though. Taking back her initial thought, she added, Especially since that's still a huge walking refrigerator he needs to be transported by. The tweaks made to Absolute Zero's suit should hold, but her assistants pressed her to at least arrange a special transport for Mr. Frost's suit in a cryo storage before allowing him to walk around in it normally. The drawback naturally was that they were at the mercy of the roads.
And Rook City was far from welcoming. Tachyon had already zoomed around in boredom stopping ten random muggings before returning to the agreed-to spot, and she again marveled at how the Wraith could live in such a place, let alone keep working in it despite how gloomy it was. And not even a simple “thank you!” (The fact that she zipped away to stop another mugging before the victims even had a chance didn't factor into her thoughts)
Said thoughts were disrupted by Bunker's voice chiming into her headset, “Tachyon, the meat wagon's here.”
“I was happy with 'walking icebox,' thank you,” the other voice cut in, exasperation written all over the voice. “Maybe the doc can install softserve icecream in here next? Then you could call me-”
“Settle down, boys,” Tachyon grumbled. She knew the two never got along, but this was ridiculous. “How far out are you?”
“The driver says he sees you, should just be another second,” Zero responded. Sure enough, a large armored van rolled to a steady stop right next to her before the doors behind it slowly opened. Vast puffs of cryo-generated cold wafted away into the dingy city streets as a large black and blue boot stomped out of the cold storage in the van. “And here we are, lovely Rook City.” The large bulky cryo suit took in the sights of the grim city skyline before spreading its arms and chuckling at Tachyon, “I swear, doc, you never take us anywhere nice.”
“That's what you get for vacations on short notice,” Tachyon shrugged, “Thanks to a certain someone...”
“Thank Wraith, not me!” Vance's voice said indignantly. “Anyway, I uploaded the data to you, so you should be able to take it from here.”
“Take what exactly?” Zero grumbled. “All I heard was 'contagion' and 'something' walking the streets.”
“We don't know yet either,” Vance responded. “So it's your job to find out.” Pausing, a slight tone of confusion crept into his voice, “And it looks like there's reports of another vigilante in town operating. Nothing on her just yet; I'll do some digging up on her. The...whatever it is should be nearby; we need a visual on it to start.”
“We'll be fine,” Tachyon said breezily. “Just keep us updated.” Grinning at Absolute Zero, she said cheerily, “Well, I'm going to go get the lay of the land some more; meet up with you soon! Andtrytokeepalowprofile!” With that, she immediately disappeared, a billowing cloud of dust and scattered newspapers the only hint that she'd even been there before.
“...keep a low profile. Right.” Hearing the van pull away, he looked at a nearby reflection of himself in a broken mirror, with all the glowing apparatus installed keeping the relative blistering heat of the outside streets out along with the bright neon blue signpost for a face he had on this thing.
Not to mention that he literally glowed in the dark.
“I'll just disappear into the shadows. Sure.” Shaking his head, he wearily trudged in the general direction Tachyon had run off to.
Neither of them had noticed the nearby sewer drain, where a pair of green glowing eyes had spied upon them. The presence also knew nothing about the heroes, save one thing:
New meat.