Prof Wynde and Wonder Man TEAM UP! Issue #1

Not being sure how much or how well the robot is programmed to respond human's and their emotions, he decides to lay it on thick, holding the magnet hidden in his turban where it can be easily placed into his hand. Obeying the robot he waits for his chance.


ooc: If he can slap the magnet on the robot's head when it is in arm's length and a bit distracted, he will try for that, assuming that he won't automatically get blown away in the attempt. Otherwise, he may have to look for another chance later.

The robot marches over, grabs Prof Wynde and spins him about to face the wall.

"Do not move. I am scanning you." said the robot. Prof Wynde fumbles in his turban for the magnet and as the robot leans in to scan his back area the hero waves the magnet about, hoping for... well, anything really...

And anything happened.

"Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
And the dreams that you dream of
Dreams really do come true-ooh-ooh
Someday I'll wish upon a star
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney tops that's where
You'll find me, oh"

Suddenly Judy Garland's voice rang out, pitch perfect and as if the songstress herself was singing in the cell! Prof Wynde turns to see the robot with arms outspread, mimicking the singing of the song! He leaned forward to find something metallic and CLANG the magnet attached to the robot's neck! It continued to sing and Prof Wynde gazed in wonder. The ADVENT robot was made of mostly none metallic components and clearly not from this era but just enough of it was ferrous and more importantly, something inside it was being turned screwy! He wondered if that was a consequence of sending these things back through time and if not, if they were all like this, a powerful electromagnet might render armies of these things impotent, or like this one, turned into a songstress!

He wondered if his friendly guards might have found this out by accident and play jokes on their allies, exposing them to songs on the radio or films in cinema then messing about with magnets to make them go haywire! Their pranks might just save Prof Wynde - and Wonder Man's lives!

As the robot continued to sing on, Prof Wynde wondered how long he had before the song ran out and the robot rebooted...

Moving quickly, he left the cell, closing [and locking if possible] it behind him with the robot inside. He quickly checked the other cells for the prisoner who had been zapped to see how he was.

ooc: If he finds him, he will open the cell and check on him, leaving it up to the other man if he wants to escape on his own or not. Then he is going to look for a way out, a way to the infirmary to find Wonderman.

Checking on the other cell Prof Wynde sees the comatose form of a man in what looks to be a pilot uniform, probably an English one.

The cell door is locked, however and looks pretty sturdy. Prof Wynde is strong but this might make a lot of noise if he tries to barge it down, added to the fact that the POW would be tricky to juggle if unconscious.

Looking about in the other cells he finds they are empty. As he considers what to do about the POW he hears distant voices, no doubt attracted by the sound of 'Judy Garland' Bot singing!

There's only one way in/out of the cell block so it's a fair bet that guards will be coming in that way, and shortly!

ooc: keypad lock or a key needed? Keycard lying around?

Prof. Wynde looks for the key that would open the door to the cell. He didn't want to leave a fellow Englishman behind. He keeps an eye on the door out of the cell block, ready to with a blast of wind to blast anyone or group of people who try to come in.

There was a pad of sorts but it looked like a 'near field' type as Prof Wynde would use back in the 21st century to pay for groceries!

The robot must have one built into its hand/arm/body somehow.

Dare he drag the robot out and hope that the magnet stayed attached whilst it continued to warble - quite beautifully as it mimicked Judy Garland perfectly - but what then about those guards that would be turning up in moments?

He could try hammering at the door or summon up his most powerful blast of air and try to flatten the door. After all, they wouldn't make them super strong to contain supers... would they?

Let's get tricky. Let's try creating the wind blast inside the cell, blasting the door outward. He will be standing off to the side outside the blast's area. Assuming it works then direct the blasted free door towards our exit and the approaching guards.

OOC Air Control 11 + 4D Accuracy + Roll(6d12)+0: 1,11,12,9,11,5,+0 Total:22 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 7,12,+0 Total:41 (52) vs
OV9 (door strength) + Roll(2d12)+0: 10,5,+0 Total:15 (24)
+7 (to 18 EV) vs RV9=9 RAPs

"You're only supposed to blow the bloody doors off." mutters Prof Wynde as the powerful gust he summons rips out the door surround and sees the door come off and fly down the corridor towards the prison block entrance/exit door!

Dust, rubble and a huge BANG follow as the door pounds into the main prison door entrance. Whilst he waits for the smoke to clear the hero pops his head around the hole in the wall and hisses "Hey!"

There's coughing and a very British voice croaks "I say, what's the noise about? Can't a fellow get some sleep, what?"

Prof Wynde steps over the now low wall where the door used to be, brickwork and plaster having been torn up along with the heavy metal door and sees the pilot get up on unsteady legs, hands held up.

"I don't suppose there is any chance of a last smoke before I'm executed old chap? Mind you, you'll have to excuse me if I go with a chuckle. Never seen a uniform with a mask and a green turban before... Italian by any chance?" asked the pilot.

"Prof. Wynde, British Magical Hero at your service. Want to try escaping with me? Got a buddy to find first. Probably some fighting to do too.," Prof. Wynde asks drolly, trying for the ole British Upper Lip that he always saw in the movies of this time period.

"I say, what a dashed good stroke of luck!" said the Pilot. "Reginald Hawkesby, Captain, Reginald Hawkesby, at your service. Hawkers to my friends, what?" he said.

The pair walked into the corridor where Judy Garlands' voice still rang out.

"What DID you do to that strange guard? Never seen the like, of this place or the people in it! I was taken by surprise, my plane shot down by a plane I've never seen the like of! It steered, it's speed was..." he blew out "Off the charts. Its guns made mincemeat of my plane and I went down in the hills. Managed to bail but before I could pull the photographs from I was taking they scooped me up."

"The photos are still in the plane. I MUST get them back to British High Command!" he said.

Despite the singing they could hear crashing as someone on the other side of the door at the end of the corridor barged at it, trying to gain entrance! Sounded like there were a few out there!

"That guy is a robot or mechanical man, just like in those Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon movie serials," Prof. Wynde explains. "Put a magnet up against his head and he started doing that. Now let's see if we can get out of the brig safely. You know where the infirmary is? Like I said, a buddy of mine, an American named Wonderman is probably there."

He examines where he blew the cell door blocking the exit, looking to see if he can jigger it a bit so it will fit through the exit, thinking of trying to blow both exit and cell doors off and up at whoever is on the other side.

"I guess I could guide us to the infirmary. I spent some time in there after they brought me down and it's not too far away in this maze of a place. Buck Rogers eh? Can't beat a dashing tale of derring do from that Larry Crabbe fellow, what?" said 'Hawkers'.

Prof Wynde breathed a sigh of relief that the guy might be useful in some way.

The doors he blew off could be rotated and blown in a rough manner towards someone as a weapon. He might be better off channelling his gale force power down the narrow corridors where it would be effective albeit somewhat less likely to be accurately funnelled.

The banging on the doors suggested they were ready to open and the shouting suggested there were half a dozen or more soldiers on the other side!

Stand back," Prof Wynde ordered Hawkers, "I'm going to try to blow them away when I open the door. If we are lucky that will knock them all out and you can grab some weapons to use."

actions: rip open the door and blast out with Air Control down the corridor. Hoping for surprise here but will take whatever I can get.

OOC Roll is a formality. Ordinary (2s) across the board guards in an enclosed corridor... Let's just make sure you don't fail...

Air Control 11 + Roll(6d12)+0: 7,4,2,2,10,9,+0 Total:19 (4 double too low) (30)

That'll do.

With a roar of wind comparable to a hurricane the corridor fills with expelled air blasted at the guards who are sent flying and clatter into a wall!

"What the...?" spluttered Hawkers. "I've seen some weird stuff, and we've heard about the weapons but... that is amazing!"

In the wake of the hurricane blast the pair moved down the corridor to where the guards were piled up in an unconscious heap! Hawkers grabbed a machine gun and a pistol. (OOC Prof Wynde can too if he likes)

Prof Wynde can easily moved the heaped bodies aside, another thing that draws Hawkers admiration!

"I don't believe this! You... your strength! Why, I'll bet you could win the war for us on your own!" he spluttered.

With enough room to open the door of the corridor Wynde peeks out into a large cave that had been carved from the centre of the mountain. There were dozens of workers moving rocks and several Advent robot guards stood about. "Hmm." said Hawkers. "Can you that air trick again?" he asks. "The way to the infirmary is across the cave and past the workers and guards. Or, uh, we could stick to the walls of the cave and try a different side corridor..."

OOC Unless there's something else you can try...

"The robots are barely affected by my magical air attacks," Prof. Wynde admits reluctantly. "Let's go back and see if we can find some uniforms from the guards I knocked out that will fit us then try crossing over disguised."


ooc: Now we get into a really tricky area, if we put on the uniforms and are captured again, if my memory of the Geneva conventions are close to accurate, then we are no longer considered enemy combatants and have some protection under the conventions. Instead, we are considered spies and can be shot out of hand. Of course, Advent doesn't follow the rules of war but the Italians do. But are the Italians here master or slaves themselves? Do they even know their status? Man! I am really philosophical for this after just waking up!

OOC And we're back. Apologies for the absence/delay. Been a humdinger this week for various reasons....

Hawkers pondered something. "I... may have a plan. It involves shooting me though..." he said, cringing.

Prof Wynde did a double take. His keen mind put the plan into action before it was tested for real...

OOC Int 5 + Roll(2d12)+0: 10,7,+0 Total:17 (22) vs
OV4 + Roll(2d12)+0: 3,1,+0 Total:4 (8)
+5 (to 11EV) vs Rv4=7 RAPs

1) The guards and workers have their hands full
2-3) Prof Wynde speaks fluent Italian. He can pass as the guard no problem...
4-6) So shooting Hawkers and taking him to the infirmary might be a good way of getting past all those guards
7-10) Or .... perhaps be a little less extreme.

"Hmmm, a better idea." says Hawkers, though he still winces as he runs his palm across a piece of broken glass they find back in the prison block. At Prof Wynde's suggestion he lets it bleed then slaps his hand on his shirt and spreads it about, then lays it on thick with groaning sounds as if he has a gut wound...

Dressed as an Italian soldier with another injured soldier under his arm as he dragged him along Prof Wynde explains to a soldier that runs up to him that there are fuel drums exploding and throwing fragments all over. A glance at Hawkers and his exaggerated pain and writhing has the pair waved on.

=========

"It stings." muttered Hawkers quietly. "Hush!" replied Prof Wynde.

The pair were looking from the shadows across the corridor into the infirmary. Two guards at the door, alert looking. Door closed. The window to the side revealed two robotic guards, two Doctors/Surgeons and a Nurse.

In the bed? Bandaged, arms and legs in plaster, head bandaged and on top of all that, restrained by handcuffs to the bed by ankle and wrist... was Fred Carson. Wonderman. He looked in a very bad shape indeed. His left hand was exposed and as Prof Wynde feared, the Wonder Ring was gone!

"Sockamagee! My partner's magic ring is gone," Prof. Wynde curses. "I can handle the guards but it is 50/50 I can take down the robots. Let's try bluffing our way in and hope I can spot Wonderman's magic ring to give back to him before the medical personnel realize you are not that badly hurt. If it goes south, you handle the guards while I try to handle the robots. Wish I had some more magnets, that would take them out easily."

The pair stepped up tot he door where the two robotic guards whirred to watch them.

The rifles were held ready to swing down in a heartbeat and despite being mostly nonlethal Prof Wynde knew how accurate they were - and how hard they punched. He still had the bruises!

Speaking in Italian the hero explained that the soldier he was with was cut and suffering from blood loss and needed help urgently.

The robots were impassive. One spoke in a monotone robotic voice and made it clear there would be no room for argument. "Find another physician. There is a high value prisoner in here and you cannot access the prisoner whilst the physicians are treating him. You have ten seconds to vacate the area or you will be suppressed. Ten, Nine, Eight..."

Prof. Wynde glares at the robots and stumbles away with the injured man.

"Magnets. where would we find magnets around here," he asks the pilot. "IF they affected the robot down in the cells, it should affect these guys too. Any ideas?"

Hawkers pondered and had a think...

OOC He's smart but not so smart that he might know where the magnets are kept... Or is he?

Int 4 + Roll(2d12)+0: 12,5,+0 Total:17 (21) vs
OV6 + Roll(2d12)+0: 9,2,+0 Total:11 (17) +3 (to 7 Will) vs RV6=1 RAP

"You know..." he says, pondering. "This is a kind of underground airbase, right? They make planes, AND bombs and stuff, or at least assemble them from here. That means the guidance equipment which includes stuff like compasses, should be here too. Get enough of those together and we'll not only foil the Axis attempts to make planes that can go from A to B but maybe have enough to send those metallic menaces haywire, what?"

He frowned at his bleeding hand. "Let's do it quickly though eh? Trying to stay convincing and letting this bleed is making me light headed..."

"Will give it a go," Prof. Wynde grunted as he changed directions. "Wish I was an engineer, I could whip up some kind of electro-magnet easily with that kind of knowledge."

The pair wandered around for a while and Hawkers had to admit "Now I'm REALLY lost."

They'd wandered around in quieter parts of the base for half an hour only seeing technicians and soldiers running the other way and ignoring the pair. Finally they ended up in a part of the cavern complex where it led to... a dead end.

"Well, we struck a blank here." said the pilot.

=========

"But this looks promising."

The pair had wandered some more and time ticked away. At some point Prof Wynde would be discovered missing but the state of the mountain complex - at danger of collapse in so many areas - suggested the Axis would have their hands full until then.

Having retraced their steps then tried a new intersection and followed a gentle sloping corridor down the passageway opened up onto a metal grate landing which ran around the wall and looked down on a large carved out/natural cave the size of several football fields. It was enormous and clearly artificial having been carved and moulded to the requirements. It was a plane building production line incorporating what looked to be robotic workers, manual workers and various machines. As the pair watched the line slowly moved around on belts and had parts applied as it went until the main body/fuselage at the end simply needed wings and wheels attached. They could be shipped out on lorries and assembled in a couple of hours then ready to fly.

"Sockamagee indeed." muttered Hawkers.

Prof Wynde counted... dozens of human workers, more robotic workers and ... at least twenty armed robot guards with the same number in soldiers. All around the snaking conveyor line were parts bins. Maybe what they were looking for was in there but there were hundreds of them...

"Some sort of generator," Prof. Wynde mumbles. "Electro-magnetic starter. Something like that on a plane. You're a pilot, you know plane parts better than me. Don't you use magnets somehow to start the engines? Or heck, magnets to pin notes on the side of the metal of the cockpit?"

ooc: This doesn't work, it back to fighting our way to Wonderman and trying to find his ring and blowing the mountain up again.

"I fly 'em, but with have grease monkeys who fix them!" said Hawkers. "Maybe we can collar one of the workers and ask them?"

The pair turned and looked to the various workers in the huge cavern. Maybe there would be...

"You two." said a robotic voice behind them. About twenty feet away and on a walkway about twenty feet above running around the wall of the cave was a robotic guard looking down on Prof Wynde and Hawkers. "What is your designation?"

"What's he say? My Italian is rusty." muttered Hawkers. "That gun looks awfully big."

A robot was patrolling and somehow had picked up their heat signature or found them somehow. However it didn't seem to have figured out they were intruders. Might this be something Prof Wynde could turn to his advantage? He could converse in fluent Italian so that wasn't a problem.

"Designation? You mean our names," Prof. Wynde says in Italian [probably best power ever!] "I'ma Luigi and this is Guiseppi. We'uh are looking for magnets! You got magnet here? Or somewhere? Base, she blows up! Things get lost or destroyed. Bossman, he say "Hey! You'a two! Go find me some big magnets that you can carry inna yore hands! So we go looking for magnets. You capish?"