Log:Harbinger's Arrival, Scene 2

Harbinger's Arrival 2017/09/15 	 Harbinger Mechanica Rocky Eve Yamin Bullet Amelia Zero

2

North of the industrial park urbanized Colonial Bay comes to a stop. Here are roads winding through countryside, complete with a couple of farms, though human habitation is scarce. One road, however, though as rural and as winding as the others, is better made up and more travelled: Hero Lane itself. It twists under shady oak and laurel trees, leading up a small hill to a domed building with golden double door bearing a large red P - decades ago home to the Protectors, Colonial Bay's first organized superhero team, and now a superhero museum.

A MagLev line leads cross-country from the industrial park to the Hall of Heroes, then turns sharply to head for the arena and Transport Nexus.

Harbinger(#2866TOn)

This being stands about twelve feet tall, and is wearing what looks like shimmering armor. At different angles it looks green or purple or chrome. Its helmet has flared sides and two glowing eyes emanate from within. The armor itself is mostly full of clean lines and doesn't have much ornamentation, though it looks vaguely reminiscent of medieval platemail. In its hands is what looks like a halberd formed of energy, sized appropriately for a twelve-foot-tall being.

It had been a declaration of war, of sorts. Harbinger had landed on the planet inside a meteor and declared that the planet should be evacuated if the humans wanted to live, for his unknown master was on its way to consume the Earth. When Harbinger struck the ground, drilling into the crust while simultaneously sending an energy beacon into space, the heroes took action. A fight has broken out against the cosmic-powered interloper, who has taken a few solid hits but is still up for the time being.

Harbinger had been knocked to the ground, off of his flying disc. There is also a rather large 12m diameter hole in the ground that goes down...at least a hundred feet. Jet has created an 8m radius tornado with potentially deadly power behind it.

Yamin can study this Harbinger more clearly, now that the energy column encircling him is interrupted and/or he is no longer within it. She makes every use of the opportunity, scrutinizing his armor and form for potential vulnerable target areas.

Harbinger gets to his feet, stepped back onto his disc. "This only delays the inevitable. Your planet will be converted." He levels his Halberd at Bullet and a torrent of energy fires out in a beam at the speedster. This is when Yamin notices a weakness in Harbinger's armor, just under the left arm.

For a moment, it looks as if this is the end of Bullet. But everything is moving slower to her. Of course, slow is relative. She twists about... her feet off the ground as she curls around the blast. "Whoa! Careful! You might hit someone with that thing! It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye!" she calls out.

The beam of energy just narrowly misses Bullet, tearing a furrow in the ground, sending soil flying.

North of the industrial park urbanized Colonial Bay comes to a stop. Here are roads winding through countryside, complete with a couple of farms, though human habitation is scarce. One road, however, though as rural and as winding as the others, is better made up and more travelled: Hero Lane itself. It twists under shady oak and laurel trees, leading up a small hill to a domed building with golden double door bearing a large red P - decades ago home to the Protectors, Colonial Bay's first organized superhero team, and now a superhero museum.

A MagLev line leads cross-country from the industrial park to the Hall of Heroes, then turns sharply to head for the arena and Transport Nexus.

Yamin would prefer time to gather more information on this Harbinger, but that may not be immediately feasible. They can question him after the call to his planet-consuming master has been disconnected. She steps up to left side as he fires energy at Bullet, focusing on the perceived weak point with full focus and a trio of strikes.

Harbinger grunts a little as he's hit, so Yamin knows he was affected by it at least a little. But it doesn't slow him down.

Rocky calmly explains: "Youse caighn't wreck da Earth on our watch. Youse caighn't juss order us all t' leave, neither. And we aighn't convert'in to . . . whatever. Not. gonna. happ'n." In case The Harbinger has trouble comprehending English* Rocky facilitates the communication of the gist of his message by grabbing The Harbinger's enormous head and left arm and then shouting the message full volume into the left ear of the Herald.

Harbinger is grabbed around the head and arm, "Release me!" He grunts again as he's squeezed.

Zero isn't aware that Yamin has any particular powers- powers that might lend to charging a cosmic-powered Maitre D (even if it is from the side). But when she sees the small statured woman close in on this being from beyond the stars, she can't help but take notice and be inspired by her preceived sacrifice.

Her instinct tells her to get the heck out of here and never look back, but she finds herself moving anyway. Her eyes narrow at her prey, something she'll laugh at later- probably feeling like she was a antelope chasing down a lioness, she closes in right behind Yamin as Rocky uses his avalanche like voice to explain the ins and outs of proper Earth-dining ediquette. She knows Mechanica is working something from a more subtle angle, so she leaves her to that for now.

As soon as she's near enough, she tries to position herself to flank this being with Yamin and ROcky then her right leg explodes from beneath her- lashing out, trying to strike where she hopes this Maitre D's kidney or anything vital might be.

Harbinger makes a noise as he's hit again, so Zero's pretty sure she hurt him at least a little.

Harbinger isn't real keen on being held. So his target of choice has changed. He uses his free arm to try to chop at Rocky with his energy weapon.

Amelia arrives on the back of a hoverbike being driven by a Harrisberg Watchman. "Thanks. From the looks of things you ought to get the heck out of here, Jose."

Rocky accepts the impact.

Rocky feel energized! But, not in a good way. Kind of in the "how a chicken feels in a microwave," -sort of way. Meaning: ow.

Harbinger's energy weapon slices into Rocky, but the latter's grip isn't loosened as of yet.

Seeing the blast miss her and dig up the ground, Bullet adapts and adjusts. But then she watches as Rocky goes and gets the guy's attention. Her face breaks into a bit of a calculating and evil grin then as she tenses.. and then she's off. Full speed on foot. She's faster in combat on foot than in the air after all and she is off. A blur of white gold and blue as she flashes past Harbinger. The fact that her target is slowed down by being grappled gives her the idea of trying to get as much damage in as she can on this. She flashes past, and circles back to run back to where she started... trying to punch the guy twice on her move.

Harbinger growls as he's hit a couple more times, "< Untranslateable >."

Eve gets to her feet, once more ready to leap in the way of blasts as needed.

Yamin still holds concerns of this Harbinger departing to coordinate with its master or otherwise create more havoc elsewhere. "We should separate him and his conveyance!" she notifies those in close proximity before attempting to do just that.

Harbinger finds that his flying disc has been taken away from him as Yamin pulls it away. He has more pressing issues, but it's another task to add to the list.

Yamin cannot readily move the harbinger while clutched by Rocky, so she grasps the disc, instead. The two are bonded more than expected, though she is able to apply enough leverage to pry it from him to clutch for herself.

Rocky nods to Yamin. He had pushed the Harbinger off of his disc before, but, he had merely stepped back on it. Perhaps with two of them working on the problem, they can separate them more permanently?

Harbinger hits the ground with a thump, and he's starting to look like he's tiring.

Mechanica had plans to prepare, but all that goes out the window as she stares, open mouthed, as Zero goes charging in against the planet Harbinger. "Seriamente, quien hace eso?" she mutters irritably to herself, worried that her teammate is going to get herself killed. And Mechanica can't have that on her conscience.

She rapidly taps a few keys on her right bracer, turning off some of the safeties. It starts to overcharge rapidly, thrumming with menace. She lifts up her gauntlet blaster and braces it with her other hand, like someone trying to aim a bazooka. "Loca hermana..."

Harbinger is struck again, definitely having felt that one. But he's still awake.

Harbinger knows that he needs to get free from Rocky. Brute force usually works. Why not try some more brute force? He swings his energy weapon with his free arm to try to slice into his assailant.

Eve hurriedly interposes her own practically invulnerable arm into the path of the strike.

Eve hurriedly interposes her arm to deflect the Harbinger blow, so the weapon hits neither her nor Rocky.

Harbinger howls as his arm is blocked. He knows he's going to need a new tactic at this rate.

Rocky knows it's his job to hang on to the enemy Hulk-type as long as possible. He squints his eyes, expecting more e-pain but somehow the pain never arrives! He blinks, noting the source of the intervention: "Heyas, Eve -- Thank youse! Much a'perciated."

Eve surprises herself. Is she faster than ever? She wasn't expecting to deflect the blow, just intercept it.

As she runs past... it's all in a quick burst of motion. The first hit she yells, "Meep!" and the second she repeats, "Meep!"

Harbinger is hit a couple more times, and he's clearly almost out.

Mechanica builds up another charge on her blaster, since that seemed to barely bother the Harbinger. It whines plaintively as she watches her battery pack start to drain faster than her smartphone.

Harbinger is hit again...and cracks start to form is his armor with light breaking through.

When that blast hits, Bullet shakes her head, "He might really want to find a less tough nut to crack. Seriously.. I hear the Guild has a lot of worlds filled with asshates who'd -deserve- your master's attention."

Zero continues the relentless assaulted being performed by this rag-tag bunch of Colonial Bay's Finest Heroes with a knee to that same spot she hit last time. There is nothing like continued battery to weaken the defenses of your enemy.

The cracks get a little bigger...

Harbinger is hit again...and it's cler that whatever is in the armor...isn't really humanoid. It's some kind of energy. Again, the cracks get larger.

Yamin feels that Harbinger is, for the moment, well in hand (or hands, considering). She withdraws, not for self-concern, but to ensure that the being's most likely escape route is as difficult as possible.

Rocky readies himself to instantly RE-grab the energy creature if The Harbinger somehow does manage to escape -- if the heroes can just hang on a tiny bit longer, it seems as if this fight might soon be over! But then, what of The Master of the Harbinger? That seems like it might be a bigger problem. . . but, hopefully a problem for another day.

Harbinger cries out and arches his back...as energy leaks from his armor. It's becoming clear that the suit, used to contain him, his starting to fail.

Eve shouts, "Get back, everyone!" While not falling back herself. As usual, she plans to use herself as a shield to protect as many people as possible behind her - and that means staying close.//Hold

Zero is about to shout for everyone to get back when Eve does that for her. So she shouts a much simpler, "RUN!" As she turns and does that exact thing, fearing that this creature is going to explode.

Amelia opens a portal to an unhabited alternate Earth, "Bring it through." she shouts. "Get it out of the city."

Mechanica watches the Harbinger go critical and the yells of all those concerned. "Madre de dios...if that thing goes and is anything like the energy it puts out." She should run, but she stands her ground and raises her hands up towards Harbinger as she sends out a signal to millions of microbots at her command. A small black swarm swoops down and builds around the Harbinger.

Rocky holds onto The Harbinger until the last possible second, preparing to hurl the herald of doom down into the pit that the Harbinger himself had created once everyone got to a safe distance. Seeing the portal open up, Rocky takes a pivot-step and slam dunks the energy creature through that hoop instead! Shaq? You watching?

Eve stats close as shield (on this side of the portal of course) till the portal closes.

Amelia grows wings and takes to the air. If there's anything solid to act as cover she'll get in line of that. Otherwise she flies as fast as she can manage, reaching about fifty meters distance from the smouldering armor.

Harbinger's body explodes, leaving a huge crater on the surface of the planet. The energy remaining disperses, floating upward into space.

Eve stares at where the portal was. "She closed it - when on the other side?!"

Mechanica breathes a sigh of relief as the extradimensional gate closes, then marches over to Zero. "Que estabas pensando? Podrias haber muerto!" she lectures at Zero in rapid, withering spanish. Her cool collected demeanor is completely gone, replaced with frantic worry without Mechanica even realizing it.

Eve says, "Is she.... coming back?"

It's awfully quiet after Eve asks that question.

Zero looks surprised at Mechanica's reaction, but now that the danger seems over she realizes it was always a stupid plan. "I - I- I thought..." She looks to Yamin, "I thought we could take it." No she didn't.

Eve says, "I should have gone with her! I could have provided some cover..... But I didn't know she was going to stay on that side!"

"Tu pensaste, Tu pensaste! No tienes poderes. No podra salvarte!" Mechanica rants in spanish at Zero. For those who would understand, she'd be yelling, "You thought! You thought! You don't have powers! I wouldn't be able to save you!"

Rocky counts to 5, then counts to 10, then counts to 10 again, just to be sure. (Not merely of the timing, but also of his counting, because, well, he's made mistakes with that, just sometimes . . . ). . . Rocky then counts to 5 and 10 again, those being the numbers most often associated with the antecedents of Kaboom-ing. Rocky then slowly morphs back from protective retaining wall back into perplexed construction worker, staring at nothing. Staring, in fact, at that particular point of nothingness where, just a moment ago, he had seen a glimpse of a desolated earth. And through which he had hurled the Harbinger. Hearing Eve's comment, he looks around. "Wherz the Wizzurd -dress?" Rocky wonders. The wise-person who had opened the portal while telling him to toss the Harbinger through. . . did she. . . -also- go through? Rocky's eyes widen. He continues to stare at that particular point of nothing. A bit more intently, to be sure!

Amelia takes a few deep breaths, looking back at the crater reaching almost to her feet as she hovers a few meters off the ground on slowly beating wings. "Lucky there's no EPA here." she says to herself. "Oy yey. That was close." Then she opens a portal back. Opening it a hundred meters up about the location. Tensions might still be high. She'd rather not pop out of nowhere in front of a tense hero possessing a megablast. So at first she's just a dot in the sky. A bird? A plane? No, not Superman either. Just a slightly disheveled witch.

Zero looks to Yamin again as she says, "We came to help." She of coruse only speaks so much Spanish. "You were mixed up in there too." With powers, so Mechanica is still clearly not wrong. "Yamin doesn't have powers, and I don't see you concerned abou-- oh." She says, realizing that Mechanica was worried about her- personally.

She thinks to her friend .o0(You better put that cloak up because I'm coming to hug you. We wouldn't want anyone to think you've gone soft on us.)

Eve lowers her head and prays for Amelia's safe return.

The mental communication from Zero takes the wind out of Mechanica's sails. Her furious expression falls into one of unexpected realization that she's tipping her hand. The mental threat/promise works, as with a shimmer of her form, Mechanica vanishes from sight, courtesy of her cloaking systems.

Amelia glides down, flaring her wings to come in for a softish landing. "He exploded. Made a pretty big crater. Good job he was out of the city. So, I was kind of late to the party. Mind telling me what was happening?"

Eve looks up at Amelia, and grins. "You'ew ok!! I thought you hadn't made it!"

Zero and Mechanica are quite naturally caught up in their own domestic situation and have missed Amelia's amazing self-sacrificing play. From Zero's perspective though, a portal merely opened up in time to get rid of the monster- she didn't realize who ever opened it up also was on the other side.

Zero closes her eyes and closes in on her invisble friend like a shark using electroreception to hunt for hugs.

When she finds her, she squeezes hher friend and thinks. (I'm glad you care. Makes dealing with you a whole lot easier.) She chuckles as she releases her friend and watches Amelia land none the wiser that anything had gone awry.

Rocky was still staring at the point in space where what-is-now-nothing had been an erstwhile window to another Earth. He is thus facing the entirely wrong direction to witness Amelia's return. Hearing her voice, he ponderously pivots about and his eyes get even wider. "That wuhs very brave." he notes, bowing a full 50 degrees toward Amelia's direction, as Rocky's esteem for "wizzurds" goes up yet another notch.

Amelia nods to Eve, "I'm fairly tough. And, seriously, if that was going to be powerful enough to kill me, it was even more important to get him out of the city."

Eve says, "I'm really glad you're ok! I -- oh yeah, that guy -- I don't know really. He went on about how the Earth was doomed and we should evacuate. Ans then I think tried to send a message to whoever's going to doom it. Which I really HOPE we stopped in time...."

Rocky trundles over and peers down into the pit that The Harbinger had dug, and into which Rocky had planned to hurl the energy creature. -That- is going to take. . . a -lot- of backfill. Rocky glances down, then toward his truck, then down again, measuring and estimating the amount of gravel needed in terms of truckloads. It's a lot.