World War II - Lionheart Issue #1

Nowhere Boy
James Caldwell/Variants

Nowhere Boy watched the insectoids buzz madly about, looking for sight or scent of their prey.

Suddenly there was a flurry of activity... and Insectoid legionnaires tumbled headlong in a rush from the jungle as they charged to the lip of the unsteady cliff face...

It began breaking away, and tens of Insectoids tumbled to their watery end hundreds of feet below!

As the forces slowed, and stopped shoving those in front from behind, Nowhere Boy used the opportunity to slip away into the jungle. That rocketship needed checking out, and he needed to find out what had happened to the P'utinarians and Ani-men.

OOC Nowhere Boy is clear of danger now. The Insectoids are milling in confusion and lost a good part of their number. They'll be tied up fro quite a while on the crumbling cliff face edge of the jungle. Nowhere Boy can look for the others or investigate that rocketship...

Agent Richard King
Codename: Lionheart

The man raised an eyebrow, shrugged, and led the way over to a room with a woven vine doorway. Inside, constructed of cane and wicker, a shower area of sorts. Pulling a vine in the ceiling poured cooling water from a vent in the ceiling, along with scented flowers and crushed leaves. It all smelt rather... invigorating!

Beth looked over and gasped "Oh! Me first me firrrrst!" she purred, putting Lionhearts cheeks in her hands, kissing him, then pushing him and the old man out of the shower room. In moments she could be heard singing from behind the screen.

The old man shrugged.

Pouring the tea, he handed a cup over and settled back against the arm of his throne. "I've had my scanning equipment have a good look at you when you came in. Confirms what I thought." said the man, sounding rather more serious than the jovial, blustering old man who'd been in the room a heartbeat before. "Temporal scanner shows you're from... what.. 22nd century? Early 23rd? We're practically related!" he said. "I'm from the late 23rd. I came back in time to save planet Earth..."

===========

Beth wore a a cotton dressing grown supplied by the old man, though it was rather shorter, showing her tanned legs off...

She settled down in a wicker chair in a side room, as the old man helped himself to a piece of fruit and some fish from a plate on a table. "In the future things are... a mess. Somethings happened. After the eighth world war there really wasn't much of anything left on Earth. Myself and my companions were part of the Jupiter 12 mission to colonise Mars. Something happened. We saw what was happening on Earth and started back, hopeful that our crew of selected leaders, scientists, explorers and soldiers might bring some sanity back to Earth, especially as our rocketship had the most powerful weapon on Earth thanks to the solar emitter array we used for power. If they didn't cease the fighting we would force them..."

"Except... except it didn't work out that way. The solar array surged when the sun gave out various solar flares. Instead of firing the weapon we opened a rift through space and time, and became part of the problem the Earth was suffering from! The Rocketship crashed here... a long time ago, but thanks to our genetic tampering the survivors of the crash managed to shield this area from most of the shockwave, but not before turning this jungle continent into a snowy wasteland..."

"But that must have been... a long time ago?" asked Beth.

"Oh yes. We gave the world it's first ice age..." replied the old man. "Since then, we've stayed inside the field provided by the Spacecraft to keep us alive. Stepping outside of the field will cause our bodies to age and collapse, killing us without a trace of our existence! It's not all bad, mind. We play about genetically with the dinosaurs and insects, hoping to find some way of alleviating the boredom and perhaps create some new, higher form of life."

The old man sighed. "We are human beings however, the half dozen or so of us that remain. Wars have reduced our number, and now we few that remain rule as gods over this bubble of Jungle in the snow. We can't help ourselves." he shrugged. "Man will ultimately destroy himself, given no alternative and having exhausted all others. 100,000 years or so will tend to exhaust the options of 'what to do when you get out of bed' " he sighed.

"Now, I've blathered on enough. I know you're from the future." he smiled, then pulled a small hand weapon from the folds of his robe to point at Lionheart. "Who are you, and why did you come here?"

Nowhere Boy
James Caldwell/Variants

Admin wrote: Nowhere Boy can look for the others or investigate that rocketship...[/i]

"You know you ought to go find the P'utinarians?" Jimmy thought about this, though he didn't much care for the aliens they had at least proven to be better than he thought at first. But Jimmy's attention was irresistibly drawn to the ship. "Nah, I think I'm going to take a look at the ship."

And with that he took to the air, again, invisible until he flew through a small flock of birds, before soaring on toward the ship partially hidden but still visible among the dense undergrowth.

Sj

Agent Richard King
Codename: Lionheart

Admin wrote:"Now, I've blathered on enough. I know you're from the future." he smiled, then pulled a small hand weapon from the folds of his robe to point at Lionheart. "Who are you, and why did you come here?"

Lionheart wondered if he could take the old man, his own speed and agility were probably more than a match for him, but then he wouldn't fire at him, he'd fire at Beth, he knew.

"OK after 100,000 years I can see not much is going to get past you." Lionheart smiled, his old affable self, but he still wasn't sure what or who he was dealing with here. Nor indeed what the future beyond his own time line held. To all intents purposes he imagined it to be shattered beyond hence the need to go back in time in the first place. Lionheart had to wonder as well if the man wasn't already familiar with the Nazi's? Technology and travel in this time period meant that they might be aware of or have discovered this site. But then to what end, the human's couldn't leave this protective cover in any case.

Clearly Lionheart had little to loose from telling the man, after all what could he do with it. And right now he needed allies.

"Well I too am from the future! My future is a mish mash, such as it is. I was specially bread with the purpose of going back to rescue my time line from what I thought was a rogue policeman, called Saladin. Turns out the future I thought I knew, might not have been all it was painted to be. One of the main people who was behind the whole initiative a guy called Damian Trowers, has already jumped back here. Turns out he wanted me and Saladin for some experiment. Not sure if Trowers is trapped here like I am. But you basically find me messed up in the conflict going on around us, trying not to get myself killed whilst helping out and getting to the bottom of my original mission."

Lionheart sat back, but his eyes narrowed, he wanted to make sure if he had to his mind was clear and focused to take the man with his mind if need be.

"Now one question for you, I don't think you've even told us your name?"

OOC:

Hopefully this man, whoever he is might be ok with what I've said. If not time to cut our looses and go on the offensive, unless there is much more to learn from him.

I am all high alert if he turns on Beth I will throw myself in the way of the gun. If not I will speed over and deliver a blow to his wrist to disarm him.

If however he is interested in helping, we need some way to gather our people together and to some how get a message to HQ, all things considered we need a major new strategy before the Nazi's come knocking at No10 at this rate. If he can help us all good and well.

Sj

Nowhere Boy
James Caldwell/Variants

It took time for the youngster to move through the jungle towards the crashed rocket ship, as he made a wide path around where any potential trackers might gather his scent. Eventually he left them behind and approached the craft.

It was immense!

Half submerged into the ground with jungle growing around it, the back half stood a full half mile in the air and a quarter mile across. Over the eons vines and plants had gown on the thing, and birds nested in the heights, mostly safe from predators save those of the dinosaur type! As he approached through the jungle Nowhere Boy felt an unsettling energy field and soon enough came up to the edge of it. The spacecraft seemed to emit several energy fields, the biggest of which housed the jungle environment in the middle of Antarctica! Perhaps some kind of environmental system malfunction, or the ships systems providing some means for the crew to survive in the deadly cold?

The energy field he approached was different though. Unseen, to Nowhere Boy he felt rather than saw it. Was it some kind of defensive field? He watched as jungle animals, mostly of the grazing, harmless variety, ignored the field to move about the jungle floor. To Nowhere Boy it seemed to agitate his intangible form the closer he got to it, as if to try and make him solid?

Suddenly there was a crashing sound as something big and heavy started bearing down on Nowhere Boys position! It ignored trees and bushes, barging them aside as if there were made of paper!

OOC Nowhere Boy is 100m from the vast ship, 10m from the edge of this unseen field, and this unseen new threat is 30m away, making a ruckus as it barges its way through the jungle towards the boy from Nowhere.He's still intangible, invisible and flying, but this ship may have sophisticated sensors that detect him anyway!

Agent Richard King
Codename: Lionheart

"Trowers!" said the man. He glanced at the gun, smiled gently and tossed it onto the table. "Empty anyway. Trowers... he was one of the instigators of the Abrahams intitiative! that eventually led to the last world war, I'm sure of it! That snake! It basically went that mans inability to get on with one another was genetic, and that to 'cure' the problem a new breed of men and women would be born from the experiments with the PSI Corps. We watched in wonder and anger from space, and when we got back? It was too late. Trowers and his mentor, Lincoln Abrahams were gone, and the world in virtual ruins!"

Abrahams?

The highfather of society, the benvolent lawmaker, scientist and religious leader that governed with an all knowing, wise hand? It was he who had backed Trowers and the PSI Corps project! Lionheart sagged back... everything he believed and had been taught was as ash! Abrahams and Trowers had been seeking to remake society to their whims, and what better way to purge the unwanted masses than a world war! Then why come back?

Saladin! There was something in his genetic code, something unique, that they needed! Now they had it! Lionheart frowned. So why had he been chosen, he who'd been one of the worst students, a lackadaisical (OOC think thats right word) PSI Corps operative at best? He knew the answer. The genetic code in Saladin was only one part. The other was in him... and after the blood tranfusion? Maybe all of it was in him! But how far could he trust this stranger from his own time?

"Oh I'm sorry. Bruno Hawkes." said the old man, shaking Liohearts hand. Lionheart had heard of Hawkes - a scholar, historian, TV presenter in his own time. And now? Space traveller, virtual self made immortal!

"If you want to get in touch with your friends, or back to civilisation, you need to go there..." he pointed a hand out the window towards the huge crashed rocket in the distance. "But, ah... there are problems. After our last... ah, war, our truce involved the creation of a guardian robot to prevent any one faction getting access to the rocket technology to prevent an arms race. And the robot took things a step further. It 'drew a line' around the rocket, declaring death to any who sought access to the crafts secrets... including us!

OOC I think I've missed something out here with regards Lionhearts past/the future. Something is nagging at me. It will come to me I'm sure, but if anything I've wrote contradicts something else, let me know and will redo it. Stuck on a train in Immingham at the moment, twenty to three in the morning...

Nowhere Boy
James Caldwell/Variants

Admin wrote:Suddenly there was a crashing sound as something big and heavy started bearing down on Nowhere Boys position! It ignored trees and bushes, barging them aside as if there were made of paper!

OOC Nowhere Boy is 100m from the vast ship, 10m from the edge of this unseen field, and this unseen new threat is 30m away, making a ruckus as it barges its way through the jungle towards the boy from Nowhere.He's still intangible, invisible and flying, but this ship may have sophisticated sensors that detect him anyway!

Although Jimmy was as any other boy his age, at the same time he had the combined memories of several lifetimes swilling about inside his head. Fear was something he'd faced many times and it just wasn't fearful to him. Besides the fact that the ship might be able to detect him, but little else could and even if it picked up his sent, invisible and intangible he was as untouchable as could be. "Well save Psi attacks..." James corrected.

Turning to face the oncoming menace Nowhere boy was intrigued more than anything else.

OOC:
Ok remain where I am and wait and see what emerges. I will happily drift higher to get a better look if need be, but remain away from the barrier, if this a dinosaur, I'd be very happy to let it crash into the barrier to see what happens.

In a detached scientific kind of way.

Sj

Nowhere Boy
James Caldwell/Variants

The trees parted as an immense robot, some seven and a half feet tall, stalked through the trees. "SCANNING." it stated. "IMBALANCE OF OXYGEN/NITROGEN MIX SUGGESTS A LIVING CREATURE WITH BREATHING REQUIREMENTS APPROXIMATELY MATCHING THE VOLUME DISPLACED BY A HUMAN YOUTH. SCANNING. ADAPTING. GROWING PSIONIC NEURAL NODE.ADAPTING..."



Nowhere Boy was taken aback! This couldn't see him - but it COULD see the fact that he was breathing! More than that - it seemed able to adapt itself to new situations! He saw an opportunity however. Until this thing could figure out a way to stop him, he had that time to move about and act as he saw fit. When the time ran out though... what kind of trouble would he be in?

'Boy, listen to the inner voices. You are but one host of dozens that the man James Caldwell and I have used. In his vast experience as a superhuman he has met and defeated many opponents. He will help you, and if you are truly in direst straights, the power can be called upon. Your existence will, unfortunately, come to an end but Caldwell, I and the previous hosts will live on, in a new host form. As will a part of you...' said the inner voice. Hardly an encouraging thought for the youngster mind!

Nowhere Boy
James Caldwell/Variants

Admin wrote:'Boy... He will help you, and if you are truly in direst straights, the power can be called upon. Your existence will, unfortunately, come to an end...'

"Blow that for a game of soldiers..." Jimmy said to himself. "Ok Jamesy, what do you think, do we connect with its neural net and try and see if it will play nice, or phase into its body?"Jimmy smiled, he knew it would rankle James to know he was calling him by a childish name. But he felt petulant his under developed brain and glands made it harder to think above such prurient levels.

OOC:

I know what this thing is, its from Captain Britain, the Fury! Such a dangerous monster, killed so many heroes in the old Marvel Series including Captain Britain, until Mad Jim Jaspers god like powers warped it out of existence or something like that.

Anyway I am thinking the other thing would be to destabilise the earth around it and sink it into the depths where its form would rematerialse in a way that you couldn't tell where rock began and robot ended.

Anyway depending on my reading of the Robot's or Cybiots functions and what not I might have to leave it and get help?

Sj

Nowhere Boy
James Caldwell/Variants

One of the (many) James Caldwells inside the youngsters mind called out. 'This is no game, boy! That thing could kill you, and we'd be cast adrift until a suitable host is found!'

Another voice pointed out 'You compassion for the youngster is touching. Try it boy. In a fight, Wraith then Nowhere Man wasn't much cop. He left that sort of thing to Ghost Knight and the others. This though... this is bread and butter to him!'

OOC Spot on with recognising this nasty piece of work. Captain Britain was far less powerful than the later versions (which, in the hands of other writers and artists totally dissolved my love for the character) when he met the Fury, but he never stood a chance against the thing. Only the fact that it had fought and effectively beaten the worlds most powerful mutant (Jaspers) so was feeling rather beaten up when an alternate Captain Britain, Cap UK, got stuck into it.

Concentrating, and still invisible, the youngster floated towards the robot. It was suddenly aware of something coming towards it, a remarkable feat given Nowhere Boys status, but its energy blasts succeeded in hitting nothing but jungle! Whilst they were powerful enough to slightly effect Nowhere Boys intangible form (OOC he has only grade 1 Intangibility) the youngster looped up, down and into the robot!

It twitched, all of a sudden, then stiffened! Backup systems morphed and grew, and the thing generated a dozen new brains to control its powerful form! It started to rip out systems that didn't respond, whilst backup systems repaired itself almost as fast!

Minutes later the thing lay in ruins, having smashed itself to pieces chasing the elusive ghost in its system!

Slowly, wires extending towards severed sections, circuits reformed and the robot stood.

Nowhere Boy flexed a powerful hand. He felt stronger, faster, tougher than he'd ever done! His concentration was totally focussed on nullifying the efforts of the robot to circumvent his control, but he still resided ina form many times more powerful than his own!

OOC S50 D10 V25 Htk102 Htc N/A Tough Skin grade 3 Energy Attack (plasma) Grade 3 (28 dice, -3DD, QBlast, High power blast) It has other powers but these are the ones Nowhere Boy can currently access. There is no telling when the thing will expel him, even if it has to destroy itself and reform! So long as there is a source of power somewhere near it, and matter it can form itself from, the thing is indestructible and will adapt to defeat any foe, in time.

The robot/Nowhere Boy looked up at the ship. What other surprises lay in store?

OOC Destroy the robot or use it for as long as possible and head into the ship?

Nowhere Boy
James Caldwell/Variants

Admin wrote:Nowhere Boy flexed a powerful hand. He felt stronger, faster, tougher than he'd ever done! His concentration was totally focussed on nullifying the efforts of the robot to circumvent his control, but he still resided in a form many times more powerful than his own!

"Well that was fun..." He said to himselves...but he knew that he darn't take the robot with him into the ship. Who knew what devices it would make use of to get at the stuff in there. Besides Jimmy, thought that the ship would be the only way to get them out of the Antarctic. He didn't want the robot or anyone else getting their hands on this tec.

With a long sigh he decided that the best place for a creature like this was either outer space, or else in some ice shelf frozen till such a time as its technology might not be such a threat or a weapon.

With that he turned the robot away from the shield at toward the bubble, hoping to place it somewhere very cold.

OOC:

Shame to waste such a great weapon, especially since Jimmy isn't great in a fight. But still there seems little point in waiting around for this thing to reassert itself and 'a-la Incredibles' use me as its upgrade path to become even more dangerous.

I will move it - flight, speed, walking, toward the outside area, using its incredible sensors to spot a fissure or some such to drop it down and try and fly back before I freeze without its body around me.

I had thought of dropping into a volcano, but I thought it might use the geo thermal energy to repower itself. Cold is the absence of energy, so the ice seems the best bet.

Sj

Admin wrote:OOC need to hit sack but thought I'd drop in a reminder - not seen anything about Lionheart for a few days, you want me to shuffle him onto the next part for him? (That said, maybe it's me that missed a reply. I'd best go check...)

No its not your fault, for some reason I've just noticed my response isn't there.

Basically:

Lionheart rubbed his chin for a while. He felt out of his depth. He was just a Psi cop, getting out of this place alive was his first priority. He'd gotten them into this and now he needed the help of the others to get them out.

"You say the Robot guards the site, is there any fail safes to get the Robot to help - any way to get into the ship in cases where its an emergency? I am also aware that I having found you I don't want to give your presence away to the Nazi's nor stop the stalemate that has enforced peace here?"

<Await response>

Lionheart thought about what Bruno said, aware that whatever course of action he took, he needed to find the others and to regroup.

"Tell me about your other travellers can any of them be trusted to help us? Can we try and get them onboard?"

OOC:

Ok so I want to get to the others, I'd like to find out if we'll run foul of the other passengers of the ship in so doing and I'd like to find out what, if any ways might be open to us to get to the ship, without tipping the balance of power one way or another. Having said that Nowhere Boy may have done that already, if he succeeds!

Ok that was about all I said.

Sj

Nowhere Boy
James Caldwell/Variants

In many ways dinosaurs were binary beings. On or off, fight or flight, eat or not. When the robot crashed through the trees even the most fearsome predators could sense the menace and threat it represented. Some even recognised it, having strayed too close to the rocketship and seen their pack slaughtered before they'd retreated. In any case, the robot ran full tilt ignoring trees and crashing through whatever stood in its path.

Inside, Nowhere Boy discovered the robot was much like a dinosaur. It was single minded. Protect the rocketship. Destroy all enemies. Somewhere down the line it had gathered enough self awareness to make it very good at those directives, and allowed it to adapt. Right now, it was trying to adapt, only to find its every attempt to grow neural synapses was nulled by the invading force which closed off the things access to its own body! Whilst that was going on it ploughed a single minded furrow through the jungle towards the distant edge of the protective sphere...

=========

Bruno was about to answer LIONHEART when he glanced at a blinking light atop a small wristwatch on a side cabinet made of wicker...

"Hold that thought son, something's afoot!" he said, moving to the store room and pulling a pair of binoculars... that looked remarkably like those Lionheart had lost when he came into this time! "Let's see.. .no... flash mode off.. right... magnify.. ah yes. Here we go! What the bloody blue blazes!" he gasped, and moved to the windows edge. "The robot is on its way here! Now! On a direct collision course! We're doomed!"

OOC Of course, Nowhere Boy might have something to say about that but his hands are a little tied staying in control of the thing. Any slip to change course or stop the robot might give it an opportunity to break free! Of course, it not it will run straight through this Ziggurat! What a coincidence... *cough*

Nowhere Boy
James Caldwell/Variants

Jimmy was straining to keep the Robot in check, but saw the inevitable obstacles before him. Could he spare a thought for the other things going on? Could he hold the creature in check such that he could root it around the ziggurat he was fast approaching?

=========

Meanwhile...

Admin wrote:"We're doomed!"

"What!" Lionheart jumped to his feet, asking to take a look through the viewing lenses! <Assuming he is allowed>

"Quick get everyone out, if that creature is coming here, then we need to mobilise people so that this structure doesn't became a death trap. Can I borrow these?" He asked holding onto the 'viewers'?

Moving as quickly as only Lionheart could, he grabbed Beth - taking a moment to smile and do so gently, before rushing out down the side of the Ziggurat, toward the fast approaching Robot.

"Don't know what I am going to do when I get to this thing, but I want you to hang back. I'm only bringing you along as I want to make sure I can keep you where I know you'll be safe. I'm not sure I still trust Bruno, so many people from my own time seem to have been up to know good. I don't feel I can safely trust any of them right now."

With that Lionheart put Beth safely into a tree, nearby so she could watch but be out of what Lionheart hoped with be harms way, and then charging off along the path of the Automaton.

OOC:

ok we both now what the real deal here is, even if my Characters don't. But as soon as Jimmy, see Lionheart he will know that this isn't what it seems. I think that the way around this might be twofold.

1. Jimmy halts the headlong charge when he sees whose following.
2. Lionheart goes to the ship whilst Jimmy holds the Robot in place, perhaps scanning its data circuits he can find out what they need or if there is a ship/lifepod/ shuttle etc, that they can perloin for their own use.
3. Instead of killing the robot, Jimmy takes it back. My thinking is that once Lionheart knows what is going on, and I'm hoping that Jimmy, will be able to communicate with him so that his is possible and doesn't try to attack the Robot. Lionheart can convice the kid, to let the Robot do its job, there fore the stalemate can continue and the Nazi's can't get the ship and things can go back to the Status Quo, sans one ship we can use to get back to Bletchley where we can tell them its time to ramp up what we do. And if in teh process we get some alien tec (namely the shuttle) for ourselves, well its about time the Brits got a hand in this war. Right!

So that is my working plan, hoping that Lionheart and Jimmy can communicate so that things can go forward in a more positive win win situation. Now lets see how complicated that can get ;-).

Sj

Nowhere Boy and Lionheart
James Caldwell/Variants and Richard King

The robot sprinted towards the Ziggurat, with terrified Raptor Men dispersing to the trees and posturing ineffectually. Many had seen this things destructive power at first hand and knew that here was death, and it would not be stopped!

Inside the robot Nowhere Boy frantically headed off every attempt by the robot to regain control of its body, until he saw where it was headed.. and who stood in its path!

The man in the shredded white shirt, beige breeches and knee high boots stood his ground when the lizard men around him scattered! He'd appeared from nowhere, and one of the voices inside the boy chuckled at the irony of the situation. "Let's give you a hand with the robot, kid. It may be able to split itself into multiple personalities to circumvent your control... but we've been doing that for years!"

At that, the various multiple personalities that made up the Nowhere Man entity, all variants of James Caldwell taken from different times and realities, got to work! Each took a small portion of power and headed out into the robots mind, blocking it off when the thing tried to wrest control of its body!

Lionheart widened his eyes in alarm as he saw the size and speed of the thing coming towards him! He'd thought his superhuman strength and speed a match for just about anything in this strange land, but this thing was a creature of nightmare, unstoppable, merciless and headed right for him!

Suddenly it twisted, jamming its feet into the floor and sliding to a halt, stopping inches from Lionheart! It towered over him, then looked down at the man it faced...

"Lionheart!" said a chirpy voice from the robots voice box. It sound rather like a landslide with rocket launchers going off in the background.

=========

Elsewhere in the jungle...

"It's been confirmed! The robot has left its post! It's time to act!" said the strange plant creature. It was shaped like a man, but had leaves for hair and bark for skin, thin vines coiled around its limbs and pulsing with life as sap formed the things life blood. Others like it, men and women, but differing in shape and ability, moved about it. An old woman was the focal point of its report. She took glasses off and sighed. "The truce is in tatters then... Bruno, Charles, Marian and the others will marshal their forces to claim the ship and start the war again... only this time they'll win, by wiping everyone else out!"

The woman known to the Plant people as Evelyn turned and the forest seemed to come alive around her. "March on the rocket!"

Elsewhere throughout the Jungle lands other factions mobilised, including the Insectoid legions and the Bird people, the Rock men and the Hydros... All had one goal in mind - secure the Rocket Ship for their own!

OOC Still wanting to stick to the original plan, or perhaps enlist Bruno's aid? I'll move you on with my next post in either case.

Nowhere Boy and Lionheart
James Caldwell/Variants and Richard King

Admin wrote:
The woman known to the Plant people as Evelyn turned and the forest seemed to come alive around her. "March on the rocket!"

Elsewhere throughout the Jungle lands other factions mobilised, including the Insectoid legions and the Bird people, the Rock men and the Hydros... All had one goal in mind - secure the Rocket Ship for their own!

OOC: Into the frying pan from the fire!!!

Lionheart looked at the Robot, even he was somewhat lost for words in its presence. "Nowhere Boy?" He said guessing on a gut feeling more than anything else.

OOC:
Yes lets get Bruno's help in on this, he knows the ship better than anyone. But at the first sign of trouble I let loose the robot. I don't want to put our own futures ahead of everyone else here. Lionheart always sought to get to the ship, without breaking the truce, if that truce is upper most in his mind, then the Robot is the key to keeping it in place. So we have to use that as a the bargaining chip. Besides do they really want to get into another destructive fight in which they wipe out themselves and all other indigenous life. As scientist go, these guys lack the smarts in the moral character dept, don't they. Talk about Original Sin!


================
<Assuming a quick update as to what and how the Robot got here, Lionheart isn't stupid if the Robot was all that was keeping the truce, then it needs to go back - as the only threat strong enough to keep all in check>

"What!" Lionheart said out aloud as Jimmy, explained the situation. Lionheart noted the strain in his voice, clearly keeping this thing in something like Robot sedation was tricky, to put it mildly. Getting to the ship and getting out wasn't going to be easy. Perhaps Lionheart had to know when he was beat.

<Assuming Bruno is around - I still don't trust him though>

Lionheart outlined a plan,

"We need to get you and this Robot back to the ship. The others must see that if they try to make for the ship we will let it go and things will remain the same. I only want to attempt to get something from the ship that will either return us to England, or give us the chance to communicate securely with HQ. But we will do it with the consent of all, if they don't agree, hell could break loose, and we might be forced to use the Robot with us still inside - not sure what that would mean for us? But the truce is too important and this tec to great to leave unprotected."

Lionheart looked for everyone's assent, before suggesting Jimmy take the Robot back to the ship at double speed, so that the factions didn't take advantage of its absence, before they got there.

OOC:
Must say I didn't see this coming so quick.
So Jimmy takes robot back.
The rest follow.
Jimmy or I tell the others what we want to do. Which is get something to help us return, without compromising the truce or alerting the Nazi's to this place.
If anyone says no, tries anything or isn't able to agree with us, we let the Robot go and walk away hoping to find some other way to get back.

But in any case Lionheart is really incensed about these stupid scientists! People from an advanced age fighting light adolescent children, using the indigenous races, as their cannon fodder! Its inhuman and they should be ashamed of themselves.

Anyway how does that look for a plan?

Sj

Nowhere Boy and Lionheart
James Caldwell/Variants and Richard King

Bruno came out, fumbling with the gun he'd held on Lionheart earlier. "Get back agent King! That...thing! It's an abomination! We let the ships computer loose and it came up with that! Murderous killing machine! Of all the multitudinous errors we fools made in our games, our attempts to play god... THIS was the worst! It divided us... it... damn this gun! How can...?" He stopped, looking up at the robot. "uh, how are we not dead yet? Why did this thing ... how...?" He wore the bizarre Raptor 'costume' that signified his status as god to the reptilian peoples. Looking about, at his cowering subjects, he stood up straighter and turned hesitantly to Lionheart, "What's going on?"

=========

A short time later...

The Raptor men looked fearfully at the 'tall dark god', the thing they'd seen wipe out huge numbers of not just their people, but anything that approached the great silver thing that stuck in the ground and reached to the sky.

Bruno scratched his head. "So... your friend, your team mate, can control this thing? That's ... that's amazing! It was created to be completely neutral, to eliminate anything that approached the craft to ensure peace in this land between our petty warring factions. It became out salvation, and our curse. Without that ship we were stuck here. Months turned to years, to decades. Can you imagine the boredom and frustration? THAT is why we played god. Bereft of anything else to do, we became gods... and what a mess we made of things. We could use this thing to force peace on this land! To allow access to the ship once more and get us working together, for the betterment of all races in this bizarre place, to... CHUD!"

Bruno glanced down at the foot or so of barbed arrow jutting from his chest. "Chud?" he said quietly, fingering the tip of the arrow. Lionheart spun about. "There!" he yelled. He saw in the trees an assassin, a bizarre insectoid creature with compound eyes, like a man sized preying mantis! It dangled from branches and calmly nocked another arrow to the powerful bow...

Just then, the jungle seemed to come alive as hordes of the insectoid legionnaires stormed from the treeline towards the ziggurat! The Raptor men had been so shocked at the appearance of the terrifying guardian they'd dropped their guard... and the insectoid legion had struck a telling blow!

OOC There are hundreds of these things. They are pouring from the jungle, 6' high prey mantis with a leather-like tunic protecting their bellies and natural weaponry in the shape of claws, along with long serrated blades and in the hands of some, bows... They are around 100m from where Nowhere Boy/Guardian and Lionheart stand. Bruno is down, looking at the arrow jutting from his chest. In other words... this is war. Over to you.

Nowhere Boy and Lionheart
James Caldwell/Variants and Richard King

Admin wrote: In other words... this is war. Over to you. [/i]

OOC: Oh Groan! What have I managed to do now!

================

"Beth, see to Bruno!" Lionheart feared that, that arrow might have been poisoned, but who knew what else might happen. Turning quick as ever to Nowhere Boy and the Guardian, "James you need to get this thing back to the ship. We've destabilised the whole truce, if you are here who knows what is happening at the ship. If war starts, or that ship takes over we are really in for it, big time. You've got to stop them getting access, but try and hold onto the robot for a long as possible. I've a feeling once you leave it, it won't be so easy to get access a second time.

As the Robot left, Jim. decided he'd take the best root he could. "Ok everyone lets see if we can't take out a few insectoids as we go, like bugs on a car windscreen."

Jimmy let loose the others, directing the robot, in a wide circle running into, bludgening the insects and crashing and scything into tree's bringing them down on whole massed groups of the things before taking off toward the ship at its maximum speed.

Meanwhile Lionheart knelt besides Bruno, what he wouldn't do for a way to access his Surgical skills. He sought to stem the flow of blood and do what he could. "Lie still, do you have supplies we can use to help this? If only I could access my surgical skills?"

OOC:
OK so Nowhere Boy will try and cause as much disruption to the Insectoid's to buy our side time to fight back.
Lionheart will see if Bruno has supplies he can use to help him, but I imagine this is going to be a poisoned arrow, why take chances after all, and there isn't going to be a lot I can do for him. If however there is some way I can help then I get him back to his 'penthouse' to try and do so.

Nowhere Boy will then try to make sure that no one is accessing the ship, and if they are take care of them. I guess at that point the enemy of my enemy means that the Robot's prime directive would be to stop intruders more than stopping Nowhere Boy within him - we shall see.

Sj

Nowhere Boy and Lionheart
James Caldwell/Variants and Richard King

Beth dashed forwards, easing the stricken man back to inspect the horrific wound. At Lionhearts question the old man gave a bloody grin. "I do lad. Unless I... miss my guess... you might be able to help me. Blood... transfusion... nanobots in .. .bloodstream..." Lionheart wasn't quite sure what that meant but figured it might have had something to do with the secrets locked inside him. With a gasp he sagged into Lionhearts arms as the superhuman lifted him.

The Raptor Men formed a living shield around their stricken leader, refusing to move even when peppered with arrows and blow darts from the edge of the jungle. They died in droves, but would not relinquish their role as protector to their dying leader. Whatever else Bruno had done, or was guilty of, he had always been a friend, protector and leader to the primitive Raptoids.

=========

Nowhere Boy knew his 'other selves' were working as hard as they could to stem the robots attempts to expel him...

Compelling the deadly robot to attack the Insectoids, his young mind was shocked at the ferocity with which the robot set to its task... (OOC changed from 4 frame to 6 frames/round). In the time of several heartbeats it 'grew' what looked to be razor edged helicopter blades on the end of an arm, then set them spinning. The arrows that came its way shattered on the whirling blades, then flesh, trees, foilage, even rocks powdered or pulped as the machine attacked its targets without mercy! The Insectoids were no cowards though. More intelligent than the Raptor Men they knew the danger they faced and moved quickly, intelligently, to prolong their lives. None ran, nor did any retreat.

The robot turned, growing a gun extension on the other hand. It planted a foot on a rock and its leg changed the stone into shrapnel that shot from the arm faster than any machine gun! The hum in the air as the jungle was scythed by the weapon drowned out the wails of the dying Raptoids. Insectoids sprayed green mist as they exploded, pulping as round after round sliced into their hardened shells, ignoring that which would stop a steel blade.

Still they came on.

Those that attacked physically were coordinated. They tried to swamp the robot and drag it down... With a swipe of the whirling blade it sprayed them across the battlefield, a green mist falling like rain.

And still they came on...

Appalled by the slaughter the youngster compelled the robot to head back to the rocketship. He felt his control slipping by the second...

=========

"Use the flash unit. There's a medic program in there..." gasped Bruno. "Unlock code... ah... V375H4...no... H3...6599GB221N342XX...2..."

Lionheart, back in Brunos' throne room, rummaged through the junk room, pulling forth a flash unit identical to his own. The binoculars had worked as that, but had been broken as a 'flasher'. Brunos' insistence that he had a spare raised Lionhearts hopes... and he found one, looking through the junk at super speed! FLASH! He blinked, and turned to Bruno. In seconds he'd set up a table and advised Beth to prepare for surgery to assist him.

Amazingly, the old man was still alive, conscious. "We knew about you... and your friends in the corps... the next evolution of human existence! A prize beyond knowing! Immortality! The ability to evolve... like that vile creature protecting the rocket ship! Fail safes built in.. hidden code... public opinion would never had allowed..." he grinned, frothing at the mouth. "Of course, it was only theory.. without a 1st and 2nd generation PSI corps subject it was merely a pipe dream.. turns out... without a specific example of each... which I believe to be you and another... hidden genetic code you see... mix the two... but here's the thing... both need a blood transfusion from the other! Yes! Then extract the mixed blood from each... mix it up.. .and inject it... nanobots..." he sighed and sagged back. Lionheart slipped a piece of leather into his mouth, snapped the arrow off at the back and pulled it from the front. His suspicions that the arrow was poisoned had proven correct!

Beth whispered "Why isn't he dead yet?"

Bruno coughed and laughed "Ha! Tough... we are the last... bodies kept alive by tinkering ... but... I can feel the poison working... my heart... punctured..." he grinned. "Get me back to the ship or... I'm dead..." he gasped. "Body going into a coma... cold..."

Beth looked up at Lionheart. "Heartbeat has slowed... we can stop his bleeding to a certain extent, but there isn't the equipment here to... Richard! What he said... do we have to head to ... that?"

Outside the battle raged as Lionheart turned to look out the window towards the distant rocket ship. Outside, as the robot cut a green bloody swath through the Insectoids, the Rapto Men counter attacked, and the place turned into a blood bath!

OOC to be continued... will update tomorrow/later on today (looking at time - *sigh*)

Nowhere Boy and Lionheart
James Caldwell/Variants and Richard King

Admin wrote:OOC to be continued... will update tomorrow/later on today (looking at time - *sigh*)

Ok Will be around today and early tomorrow then off till later in the week. I think we might have internet access via my ipod, but I'm not planning to type emails out on it ;-). So use time to take a break from me if you wish.

Really not sure how we're going to square this circle, although thanks to Bruno I at least now know why Trowers wants me and Saladin!

Sj

Nowhere Boy and Lionheart
James Caldwell/Variants and Richard King

It was like trying to hold onto a cliff edge... in a storm, with grease plastered all over his hands! The Robot constantly learnt and circumvented Nowhere Boys control only for one of his past selves to head that off and close the door, though with the robot battering away at it! It was an amazing machine, one no human could fully program. The thing had grown self aware, learning and adapting whilst using the ships systems to update itself. A ship that was itself self aware by now! Nowhere Boy, though young, in a way, was able to understand the folly of the time travellers and shake a virtual head, even as the robot ran at 100mph through the forest in a dead straight line that toppled trees, smashed others into shards and knocked rocks from their path high into the air! Dinosaurs roared their alarm. One, an old T-Rex, roared its challenge in the path of the thing and came at it. The robot didn't even break stride, and after passing through the mulched midsection of the great thunder lizard, Nowhere Boy realised he was fighting fires, and simply a passenger in this thing now!

The Rocket ship loomed higher and higher above the jungle canopy, and the robot slowed.

Then it stopped. It grew a new pair of eyes, on stalks, and they stretched up, looking about.

Vast armies were gathered here, all about the Rocket ship. A truce yet existed, but only whilst the armies, weird, wonderful and warped creatures that they were, appraised one another. They looked for weaknesses, vulnerabilities they could exploit, even temporary alliances or a chance to strike at the others around them. The Insectoid army was the smallest of those gathered, numbering hundreds. The Raptor men were completely absent, leaving four other armies .. strange plant like men, others that appeared to be living columns of water. A cloud of what appeared to be huge birds, though some were human like with wings, and others a half way hybrid, like some kind of harpy. They blocked out the sky and their calls were deafening, even from here! Another group looked to be strange rock creatures, made of differing rocks were all sorts of shapes. Some looked carved from stone and amazingly lifelike. Others looked like a collection of round boulders held together by nothing! yet more looked like mounds of soil that moved ponderously but with a huge mass!

In moments this place would become a battle ground, and the ship, the Prize!

Nowhere Boy gasped. He'd run out of alternate selves!

With a cry he fell forward, out of the Robot and onto the ground, quite solid, in front of the thing! He was exhausted, and voices screamed in his head to get out of there! The robot peered at him, levelling an arm... the arm morphed into a cannon that started to glow...

=========

Lionheart stemmed the bleeding in one section only to find the old man bleeding in another!

No surgeon, still Beth helped as best she could, though her companions blurring hand speed and sudden new found world class medical knowledge left her bewildered! In the end, after tense minutes of sewing and stitching, Lionheart had to look up. "Whatever else is on that ship, only that can save his life now. With this..." he said referring to the implements he'd used fished from a dirt covered surgeons kit in the back of the store room "All I'm doing is delaying the inevitable!"

Beth moved to the window. "Richard! They are almost at the gates of the Ziggurat! There are hundreds of Insect men.. and they are winning!"

Lionheart glanced at the junk room, at items piled high in no order, haphazardly and without care. The old man had thought he'd live forever.

He was wrong, but would his life end this day?

OOC Reply when you can - just need to know Nowhere Boys actions - he's at the foot of the robot near the rocket having lost the battle to control the thing. Lionheart is presented with having to get a dying man through a war zone to the rocket where another war is about to break out...

Nowhere Boy and Lionheart
James Caldwell/Variants and Richard King

Admin wrote:With a cry he fell forward, out of the Robot and onto the ground, quite solid, in front of the thing! He was exhausted, and voices screamed in his head to get out of there! The robot peered at him, levelling an arm... the arm morphed into a cannon that started to glow...

Nowhere boy heard the sounds of the others down as if it were a long tunnel. The world, such as it had been for him, seemed to flash before him. And he wondered what he could possible do next. Being in the creature long enough made him aware that the thing could easily kill him on multiple levels, he had one gambit left.

He raised a hand, more to get the Robots attention before speaking in Machine code, which he hoped the robot would pick up.

He spoke briefly of the powers he'd gained, the attack on his subroutines and now give the Robot a new level of comprehension and greater parameters in its primary mission. Far from damaging it, as if such a thing were possible, Nowhere boy's intrusion had strengthened it in a world where this might happen again. But that wasn't all he could do, the Robot could learn more from him alive, than he could dead. All he wanted to access the ship in order to get away, not being part of the original party that the Robot was here to stop, had to count for something.


it was a gamble, and whilst he'd been trying to talk, he had prepared himself to sink into the earth, where he had no doubt he might gain some cover and protection - but precious little. The alternative to call on the dark power in his present pre pubescent state would be disastrous.

=========
Meanwhile...

Beth moved to the window. "Richard! They are almost at the gates of the Ziggurat! There are hundreds of Insect men.. and they are winning!"

After doing what he could for Bruno, Lionheart looked quickly at what Beth had been pointing at. "Beth I need you to hide, if I run with Bruno, the fight is going to go with me. I need to get him to the ship, but I can't take you both. If you hide, I know where to find you and perhaps somewhere in this junk are weapons you can use or something we can make use off."

He then gave her a quick kiss, and a wink. "We'll have to also talk about your breach of conduct!" He said with a further wink. Before heafting Bruno and making as quickly as he could for the gap. But not before taking the Ocular device and the empty gun. "It might come in handy..." he thought. Before going in a flash.

OOC:
Lionheart carry's Bruno and if I can leap dodge and run through the highway the Robot left behind toward the ship, with Bruno intact.

My line of reasoning is that the Robot was meant to protect the ship, by not letting anyone on to give an advantage to any individual. But if Bruno dies, his higher priority - that of keeping them alive by letting no one on the ship, might be defeated. Since one of them does die. I want to argue - for the idea that the ship holds the means to heal Bruno and keep the status que which is what the Robot was built to do. Letting him die violets the spirit of that, if not the letter. At least hope the Robot might see it that way.

Laters

Sj

Nowhere Boy and Lionheart
James Caldwell/Variants and Richard King

The Guardian looked down at the youngster at his feet. It seemed to consider his words, if only to store them aside and give them greater consideration another time. It's answer, however, was more immediate...

It raised an arm and fired the huge cannon off at Nowhere Boy!

OOC Hit, and Nowhere Boy takes reduced damage (thanks to being intangible, though his dividers are reduced by 3) of 12 points both to Htk and Htc. That's right, this thing at full chat doles out 100 damage. It's one to stay clear of...

The Guardian flicked its head up. It noted the boy had dropped into the earth, now a crater at the robots feet, and considered the possible threat level it might represent. Considerable.

It consulted it's directives. Prevent access to the ship. Protect the survivors if threatened by unknown threats. Use any means necessary to achieve directives.

With that, it looked at the warring peoples of various types, some strange, others downright bizarre, and simply walked towards the ship!

Nowhere Boy, shaken up but still in one piece, popped his head out, watching as the Robot strode to the ship. A strange rock creature stepped up to bar its way and attack the robot, but it simply altered its hand, reached out, and touched the rock creature. Instantly the silicates in the rock creatures form were absorbed into the robot and the unfortunate creature simply collapsed into a pile of dust and gravel! The robot walked on without breaking stride. As it neared the great craft a door opened in the side!

'That...' said one of the Caldwells inside the boy 'is a serious piece of kit. Whatever else it was programmed for, it has become self aware! And did you see what it did when we attacked simultaneously? It divided its virtual CPU into multiple cores! Each core attacked from a different angle.. it could have done that simultaneously and overwhelmed us at the start. Instead it was curious... and used the time we were in charge of it to learn from us! We may have given the thing the means to destroy us!'

Nowhere Boy considered the words. The blast had felt real and painful enough. That said, if it really knew how Nowhere Boy worked, then it could have found a way to kill him outright! Why had it saved him?

He looked up. The battle raged now between the different factions who would battle to find a lone winner to claim the ultimate prize! All the while the robot walked mostly unnoticed towards the ship!

OOC Nowhere Boy can follow the robot, attempt to intervene in the battle in some way or follow his own plan

=========

Lionheart scooped Brunos frail injured form up and leaned over to kiss Beth...

She leaned in, closing her eyes and reaching out with her arms, but in a flash, he was gone! "But I.. what? Wait! Why you..." she said, then grinned, touching her mouth. She sighed, moved over to a bowl of water and started washing blood from her hands, stripping off the white gown she'd worn whilst assisting Lionheart with the procedure to save Brunos life. With a sigh she looked out the window. The battle was fierce outside, and the Insectoids came in all shapes and sizes, including huge beetle 'tank' like creatures that cannoned into Raptoids and headed straight for the Ziggurat! That said, a number of the Raptoids appeared to be downing Insectoids... and snacking on them! Pulling a face, she turned to stand at the door of the junk room and looked about. Then her eyes lit up, and with a struggle, she started to climb over the junk to the gleaming object at the back...

=========

Richard King paused to check Brunos pulse....

A number of flying insects were on his trail, and try as he might he couldn't shake them! The things kept coming! Scooping up the dying man he started up through the jungle again... then paused...

The biggest cat he'd ever seen, a jungle cat with sabre teeth, dropped into his path! Clearly the thing had scented blood, been drawn to the sounds of furious battle going on hundreds of yards away, and had found Lionheart!

Trapped between a rock and a hard place, he glanced back to see half a dozen insectoids flying through the jungle foilage, humanoid in shape but with compound eyes, jagged spines all over their bodies and hard carapaces, not to mention fierce looking mandibles!

What's more, his hands were full! Laying Bruno down to fight and delaying for even a minute could cost the man his life!!!

Nowhere Boy and Lionheart
James Caldwell/Variants and Richard King

Admin wrote:Nowhere Boy considered the words. The blast had felt real and painful enough. That said, if it really knew how Nowhere Boy worked, then it could have found a way to kill him outright! Why had it saved him?

Grateful to be alive, Nowhere Boy, paused to consider his options. With the previous hostilities begun there was little he felt he could do. It wasn't his way to interfere directly, especially where he could see himself being of little use.

He decided to follow the robot, partially curious but also partial worried. Was the Robots secondary aim, beyond fulfilling its mandate, changing as well. Could it evolve with its priorities to better carry them out and if so would any such design include him in some way. He'd seen how it had absorbed the rock creature, would it do the same with him! HE shuddered at the thought and bravely pressed on. Unsure how one boy, could do anything amidst so much chaos. Albeit one boy with a huge reserve of power at his disposal...a dry dark voice reminded him quietly off to one side of his mind.

=========

Admin wrote:Lionheart, trapped between a rock and a hard place, he glanced back to see half a dozen insectoids flying through the jungle foliage and back to the Sabretooth before him.

What's more, his hands were full! Laying Bruno down to fight and delaying for even a minute could cost the man his life!!!

"Nice Kitty, surely you fancy the far more tasty treats that are coming your way than me?" Lionheart was tempted to attack, before the fight really had a chance to get going, but was aware that with its animal intelligence, the chances of making a meaningful attack were slim.

So instead he made ready to leap out of its way, moving slowly so his back was to the oncoming insectoids and he was facing down the big cat. That way even if it didn't attack, when he moved, the insectoids and the Sabretooth could get acquainted and decide between themselves who got to do what.

OOC:

ok I'm not putting down Bruno, secondly I am getting ready to run, leap or dodge or if necessary parry depending on what goes next.

But I am also trying to line it up with the oncoming insectoids, so they can tie each other up at least for the moment.

Sj