The New Vanguard! Frostbite and Lionheart team up #1

Admin wrote:LIONHEART

Frostbite was coming through the floor of a corridor. His danger sense wasn't going off but did that mean this was 'his' Frostbite, seeing as there were other versions of everybody running about, or that he wasn't a threat until he attacked him, or...?

Lionheart wasn't getting his usual warning that an enemy was upon him, but nonetheless, he had to be cautious.

"Well this is a fine pickle we're in, in all our journeys when have we come across duplicates from other dimensions, and how come they are such a nasty bunch?"

Lionheart waited for a response from his friend and companion, that they were all so much like one another apart from knowledge and to some degree personality made this seem a whole lot trickier.

"And we thought we had problems with Timmy and his plastic miniature empire, wow sure makes him look like a tinpot tyrant"

FROSTBITE

Frostbot said 'Beware! This may be a doppelganger and the most dangerous one of all!'[/quote]

Frostbite took a sideways look at his friend and continued recalling adventures they'd been on, "almost reminds me of those Nazi zombies on the moon, only coloured with more deadly. When we get back what do you think Justin will make of our absence?"

Lionheart returned, "He'll only complain about the repair bills to his country estate or having to plaster over our pr disaster with the powers that be."

Certain that for once, in the madness and confusion Lionheart had met his friend and companion and vice versa the two quickly brought each other up to speed.
"So what now?" Lionheart added.

"We go, we're no match but maybe their being trapped in a miniature universe will give us time and them the opportunity to rethink. We need to regroup on the living planet and for you to communicate our need to escape. Then we make a hasty retreat and see if we can't stop this madness before it unravels our whole universe let alone the multiverse."

OOC:Ok with the band back together, I suggest we get a move on and get Lionheart and Frostbite to do their thing with the rest of the team, and try and get off this thing before it goes from bad to worse.

This kind of reminds me of a dream I sometimes get when I am under lots of pressure- you know some kind of your being chased dream. I have this nasty feeling that the bad guys are right behind us, and we're just getting away by the skin of our teeth.

Sj

LIONHEART and FROSTBITE

With the friends reunited and sure of each other they moved at speed through the ship. Crew stopped to ask them what was going on, what were their orders and so on, but with Frostbite intangible and Lionheart moving faster than the eye could follow there was no need to slow down.

Frostbot had been running continuous scans with what powered sensors and cameras were still running on each deck (less and less as the main power plant appeared to be shut down and the backups were rapidly transferring power to life support, gravity and propulsion) and he/it remarked 'The invaders are methodical. All key systems are shut down and many are rigged to blow. They still want me/us and intend, I think, to offer a simple choice. Surrender or thousands of our crew along with the ships, will be blown to smithereens. We are dealing with polar opposites of ourselves. They cannot be trusted!'

Waiting for the airlock to cycle took an age in the corridor with the emergency strobes flashing and klaxon wailing. The ship was at red alert, the crew had gathered what weapons they could and were taking a stand against the invaders but the heroes knew it would do little good.

At best it bought the Vanguard time, and sure enough, within a few moments footsteps could be heard as the rest of Frostbites team, plus Jarna and Wandafar, came down a corridor. Lionheart heard/sensed them first and detected no danger but a number were unconscious, clearly injured.

Jarna, purple blood running from a scalp wound, was breathless as she ran up. "Could have used you guys! We ran into an alternate version of Gravitas! He flung us about, bouncing off walls... he was toying with us... until Wandafar found a way to jam the electronics of his suit and freeze him on the spot! I couldn't but help to give him a whack after that. Every time he sees the gap in his teeth he'll remember me!"

Wandafar jogged up. Unlike the others he wasn't out of breath but displayed a terrific shiner under one eye. "Vell, easy come und easier go, I sink. Every time I sink it is great to settle down und everything is ok it all turns to poop."

The others dragged injured forms with them. No one had been left behind, but ....


TO BE CONTINUED! (OOC Sorry, run out of time and have to go to work... Will finish this off when I get home around 0030)

OOC Continued from before...

There were rows and rows of Cyborgs in the hanger, blocking the way between the shuttle and the heroes!

Frostbot spoke up 'Another mind is controlling them. Somehow... it must be... Timmy Jones'

Just then Steph/Reflex yelled out "We have company!"

Lionheart turned, as Frostbite did, and saw FOUR black clad invaders stood at the end of the corridor leading to the shuttle bay. None of them were Lionheart's evil double but that might mean he was one the way... and he wouldn't take long!

A metallic voice called out "Leave Frostbite and the rest of you can go. That's the deal. Or everyone dies."

Then an ARRAY of metallic voices rang out from behind the heroes... from the Cyborgs!

"LEAVE THEM TO ME! I WILL SORT THIS OUT." they said, as one!

Steph mumbled "Talk about a rock and a hard place. There are over THIRTY cyborgs between us and the shuttle!"

Admin wrote:OOC Continued from before...

Then an ARRAY of metallic voices rang out from behind the heroes... from the Cyborgs!

"LEAVE THEM TO ME! I WILL SORT THIS OUT." they said, as one!

Steph mumbled "Talk about a rock and a hard place. There are over THIRTY cyborgs between us and the shuttle!"

Lionheart checked Jarna, a quick look at first the Cyborgs and then Frostbite told him that he already knew more than perhaps the rest of them, and was assessing what they could do. What could they do? Delaying here only meant their enemy having time to reinforce their position and return more quickly.

Frostbite felt the anxious stares of the others, once again it was up to him, they trusted him with the decision he'd make. He would have to take time later to reassess whether as a leader he'd made a good show of it. But right now, there was clearly one way forward and it was one he was most loath to take.

"Let the Cyborgs take them, we must get everyone away before they can stop us. Everyone, follow me."

Feeling like a kind of modern-day Moses, Frostbite strode forward his deliberate confident no-nonsense stride suggesting more certainty than he felt he had a right to, but between fighting those behind and plough through those ahead, he chose ahead. He only hoped that he wasn't leading everyone to their deaths, Timmy was unreliable but I the idea of conquest seemed to have fluttered out. Helping their enemies seemed to humdrum, been there done that Timmy might say in so many words. At least, as he strode forward, this was the inner dialogue Frostbite was having to steady himself for the sake of his crew and friends, more than for any thought to himself.

OOC:Well this is a frying pan to fire type of situation if ever there was one. I sure hope that the right Frostbite is speaking right, now cause the team needs to evac asap if they've got any chance of getting out of this alive.

Sj

Lionheart and Frostbite

Frostbite lead the team forward, with Steph/Reflex whispering in his ear "Can we trust Timmy? He's escaped and we didn't even know! His powers mean he could inhabit anything, anywhere at any time! he could be striking a deal with the Invaders!"

As they approached the Cyborgs they didn't move. They looked menacing, sonic blasters and lasers ready to fire. Heck, they were even aimed at the Vanguard!

Lionheart felt his danger sense rattling the inside of his head! Danger was ALL around, not just from behind!

And then it ramped up a notch!

"RUN!" shouted Lionheart. Frostbite glanced back and saw another newcomer... LIONHEART! Or rather his evil counterpart!

The Cyborgs reacted instantly, running forward, ignoring the Vanguard and opening fire! They did indeed part like the sea for Moses as the Vanguard ran for the Shuttle. The door hissed open after Jarna accessed the panel on the back. She called out "We've got a couple of minutes prep time! Will the Cyborgs last that long?"

Lionheart turned. Dozens of Cyborgs were piling in on the Invaders, blasts were flying everywhere, the noise, deafening...

And bits of Cyborgs, arms, legs, heads... were being smashed up, ripped apart, crunched... and yet they continued to pile in. It was a one sided battle though. With evil Lionheart tipping the scales this lot would last seconds!

Lionheart could pile into the fight, buy time, but ... minutes? He remembered the one sided fight last time and shuddered.

"GET THE SHUTTLE SHUT! NOW! POP THE BAY DOORS!" he yelled.

Jarna called out "But the Cyborgs!"

Frostbite spat "DO IT!"

The battle raged but the invaders were literally making mincemeat of the Cyborgs. They'd be smashed through, thinned out in moments!

Lionheart moved the Shuttle, hefted it up, watched as the hatch sealed then sped forward...

And the outer 'doors' hissed open with a WOOOOOSSSSHHHHH! of expelled air into hard vacuum! The force fields were no longer in place and the shuttle bay 'blew' everything out into space... Emergency hatches slammed to seal the rest of the ship but there were Invaders (who could survive in space), Cyborgs, debris and smashed body parts...

Lionheart pushed the shuttle out through space and towards the distant moon like creature that awaited. It seemed to connect mentally to Lionheart 'YOU ARE BEING CHASED'

Lionheart didn't need telling twice! He switched his energy and piled on the speed!

It wouldn't be enough. Lionheart was faster, but a glance back showed a blur as his evil counterpart sped about, gathering parts and debris at ultra speed whilst the dark clad Invaders sped after the shuttle.

He piled on the speed. They'd overtake him soon enough and he'd have to turn and fight. He could take one, probably two down before his counterpart caught up with him and...

FWOOOSH!

Alien like jellyfish sped past, issued from the moon like creature they'd saved! They attacked the pursuers, slowing them and hindering their progress!

Moments later the moon creature opened a gaping maw (even though it was but a dot on the surface, it was vast enough to swallow aircraft carriers length ways!) and the shuttle, pushed by Lionheart, sped through the gap... which then CLAMPED! down behind!

'WHERE TO?' said a voice in Frostbites head. It was the creature that surrounded them, this 'moon'.

'ANYWHERE! GO!' mouthed Frostbite.

And so it did. The creature 'leapt' into hyperspace, and away!

Frostbite sagged back. Once more into the breach, the unknown, the utterly alien. Behind them the fleet would instantly 'wink' back into the microverse. Any on board the ships would be dragged along with them, along with the planet below. The Lion people, the cloned crew, along with whatever invaders didn't manage to escape. There was nothing to be done about that. It was done. They were 'back' along with the dangerous invaders and their superhuman powers.

He looked about. He'd rescued his team, left no one behind. As Lionheart moved through the freshly cycled airlock into the shuttle Frostbite gave him a nod. Saving the day was par for the course for both of them. Now, however, they were entering the utter unknown. Deep space. How would they survive? Would they ever see Earth again? What about the enemies that were still out there? And the alternate versions of themselves, including the Frostbites that were being ... held... for their access to Frostbot which was a corrupted 'super' computer mind running some kind of evil space empire?

He'd not considered what threat that might pose, but it could yet be the greatest the Vanguard had ever known!

=========

In the inky blackness of space...

'Evil' Lionheart floated in the void.

He looked about. The fleet had gone. The planet with it. There would be a 'slap' as nature/space/the void plunged inwards to fill the void. That would take place in the next few minutes and make a kind of 'space explosion' that would be ... inadvisable ... to experience.

He turned to the surviving members of his team. Four. Just four. The rest, gone. The charges were set to explode, but needed detonating. He looked at the device in his hand. The detonator was useless now. He smashed it in his hand, let the debris drift.

Using his senses, he scanned about. There.

"Return to the Overmind. Explain what happened. Explain I am giving chase!" he said over the comm link they wore attached to their throats. Then he vanished into hyperspace!

END OF ISSUE!

OOC Another issue up in the next day or so, along with HP awards and catchup!

Admin wrote:Lionheart and Frostbite Then he vanished into hyperspace!

Oh Boy!!!!

Had me on the edge of my seat reading that. Great job Paul, wow I can finally starting breathing again ;-)

Sj

Admin wrote:OOC Sorry for delay. Moving house and juggling work, fixing stuff on car and everything else with that at the same time. plan is to move a bit every day (I'm renting two houses at the moment ) and blitz the big stuff in one day near the end of the month. Fun. Not.

Right then, Lionheart had 72HP, he gets 80HP from the short issue (and whilst escaping the grip of a more powerful foe is a reward in itself, you get more for beating the snot out of em). He's on 152HP

Frostbite last I saw was on 119, but a glance before then shows he was down to 104 so I've missed a count somewhere obviously. With 80 that brings him up to 184HP.

New issue coming up.

Wow, you don't like doing anything by halves do you mate ;-)

Sj