Log:The Horde Finale, Part 1

The Horde Plot 2008/01/27 	 Amber and Azure Horatio Helmes Random Factor Silver Spider Skysabre The Maid Variable Victor 1

A Starguard trooper spots the twins. "Amber, Azure. Mr. Helmes is waiting for you in the briefing room."

Amber nods to the trooper giving him a cheerful smile. "Ok, Micky."

Victor is arrives silently, cigar hanging out of his mouth looking a big tired, but he reports into the front desk as per usual and waits for the guards to give him the rough time they always do.

Azure adds, "Has anyone remembered to ask the canteen to show up with coffee?"

Variable enters a bit more confidently than last time, since they actually seemed to like her. Though she's heard there's a new leader now, so maybe it's all different again.

Starguard is a buzz with activity as troopers and technicians prepare for the day's action against the Horde. There's a nervous tension in the air, as everyone seems to know what's at stake.

Silver Spider makes her way in through the door, flicking her gaze back and forth as she glares at the secretary balefully for a brief moment as she flicks her gaze over the Starguard troopers. "About time..." She says coldly. "Where's the meeting?" She doesn't seem happy or cheerful or pleasant about it, and her usual entertained demeanor is gone.

Amber goes through her notes once more and checks to see who answered the call to arms.

Another Starguard trooper spots the other heroes as they arrive. He walks up to Victor. "Dr. Morgenstien. You're wanted in the briefing room. It's past the security checkpoint, down the hall and on the right." He gestures out the directions with his hand as he speask. He looks over to Silver Spider and Variable. "You too."

Variable is glad someone's told her what to do. "Uh, thank you!"

Variable goes to the briefing room.

The soldier by Azure shrugs his shoulders. "Are you asking seriously, ma'am?"

Victor nods a big, drawing heavily on his cigar and moves down the hallway without saying a word, his hand disappearing into his vest pocket on a strange looking bulge.

Silver Spider turns to the Starguard trooper. "I know where it is." She extends a webline and swings hurriedly through the corridor, flipping around personnel and vaulting over a water fountain. "Scuse me..." She says cooly.

The twins are trying really hard to hide the grins that want to spread over their faces. They know this is going to be dangerous - but this is what they were created for.

Before the briefing room there is a security checkpoint with an x-ray scanner. Everyone is asked to step through before proceeding.

Variable is somewhat less comfortable. Her people aren't naturally warriors. Of course, she's in large measure human, too.

Silver Spider flips into the briefing room and takes up a spot on the wall, settling there with a heavy thwap as she extends a webline and digs out a small notepad. Silver Spider looks flickery on the X-ray scanner, with dozens of little random lines periodically appearing and disappearing throughout her frame.

Amber hears and sees the scanner light up like a fairground entrance as Jessica preceeds her through it.

Victor moves through the scanner, weapons being revealed in shocking numbers and placements. Victor doesn't even try to stop or check them. Only stopping if a soldier or guard offers some resistence.

Variable shifts her earrings back to the surface before stepping through. That will probably look less suspicious, though there's an outside chance someone could spot they're Chrissie's.

Variable thinks. o O (I should have left them at home....)

Inside the briefing room there's a large projection shining against the far wall, showing Starguard operations in the city. There look to be four deployment areas: SGHQ, Transmat headquarters, the transporation hub, and another zone marked as The Hive. Horatio Helmes stands in the room, watching the display with his back to the door where the heroes enter from.

Azure grins as Jennifer follows her and the scanner rings every alarm, except one. The x-ray image shows a shockingly vast collection of small gadgets and weapons.

The guards let the heroes through. The scans are more for weapons of a biological nature.

Variable hides the earrings again once through the scan.

Horatio turns as the heroes begin to enter the briefing room. "Welcome, and thank you for coming."

Silver Spider settles against the wall and looks at the projection. She just nods. Her fist clenches, like she wants to hit Horatio with everything she has, and then relaxes.

Amber sits and listens while Azure starts pouring coffees and handing them out.

Variable sits down, studying the other heroes as well as the screen, trying to work out how she should be acting.

Victor nods with a bit of a over strained look, he takes a seat, taking his coffee with a gentle smile and ashes his cigar.

Horatio's jaw tenses slightly as he looks up at the Silver Spider. "If you would take your seats, I will begin..." He walks over to the projection wall, holding an electronic clicker. He pressed a button and the portion of the display showing The Hive zooms...

The picture becomes a satellite image of a neighborhood in Harrisburg, and seems unremarkable from an aerial perspective. "Our technical group, combined with the work of local heroes has determined the most likely location of the Horde Queen..."

Silver Spider begins taking notes. She remains calm and focussed. Those who have met her know she's not usually like this. Usually, she just wings it. Something's wrong. Or different.

Victor nods, taking a drink of his coffee.

"From what we've been able to tell," Horatio says, turning back towards the gathered heroes, "Finding and dealing with the Queen will be the best way to stop the infestation. Once we stop the Queen, we stop the production of new Takers, and then the problem become one of rounding up the straggler and curing the infected."

Amber compares the imagery to her knowledge of the district aready making an effort to get a feel for the ground they'll likely be fighting on.

Victor says, "Vell advance surgical medicine can cure zhey vones who have found zhem zelves infected. Zhis shall not be an impossible task."

Variable nods seriously.

Silver Spider turns to Victor cooly and says "You know, infections can progress too far. Don't be too sure. Did any of you guys consider that these creatures haven't exactly been robbing supermarkets or lining up at Space Burger? Just what do they eat?"

Horatio continues: "Now we've used the PDA network to track down some of the Taken. We believe that the Hive is located at the old Harrisburg subway station..."

Victor says, "Zi believe zhey feed off the host and vhat not."

Variable says, "Other than the warriors - but there aren't so many of them."

Silver Spider nods coldly. "That answers my question." She says grimly. "Are we going to try and sneak in, and neutralize the Queen, or are we just going to fight our way in from a surprise angle?"

Horatio says, "This theory seems to be aided by odd thermal activity that we've seen in the area." Horatio turns and clicks. The picture zooms and blurs until it's a three dimensional model of an underground subway station. "The old station is roughly sixty feet underground. The entrances from the street were sealed off when the station was closed roughly twenty years ago. There is likely access possible from the sewers, but we think the best way in is directly, via Transmat."

Silver Spider says "That's a no go. I'll die."

"We've already arranged..." Horatio pauses. "Excuse me?"

Variable thinks. o O (TransMat is dangerous?!)

Azure checks on her PDA how close she has come to clearing a route through the sewers to that location.

Victor turns to look at Silver Spider, "Vou'll die?"

Silver Spider adds. "If you transmat me, the nanomachines will not all transmit. I will not be successfully one hundred percent reconstituted on the other end. Repair time is one to two minutes, during which time I will be totally and completely incapacitated. We need two teams. One on the outside to draw their fire, and an inside team to attack the queen. Hive minds don't deal well with simultaneous threats. Let me take one or two people and attack the station from one of the old entrances. They'll react to that. As soon as the forces charge to defend that position, you transmat everyone else in and hit the queen. Dozens of military minds, from Sun Tzu to some alien named Hzzvark that I met at a conference, agree that this tactic works really well on most things, but better on creatures with a centralized and organized network."

Horatio sighs. "I'm not a meta -- I can't manage how you do your jobs." He listens to Silver Spider's theory and then looks to Amber and Azure. "What are your thoughts on this plan of action?"

Victor scribbles down a few notes on his notepad, with a stylish gold pen. "Nanomachines..."

Amber says, "I cannot comment on the effect of a hive intelligence." She looks around and sighs, "Although it sounds logical, I have no problem in doing two things at once. The concept of a divided attack is sound. It allows flanking maneuvers. However attacking from the above ground sealed entrances exposes that team to Taken from all around and will delay at best the teams arrival. I have an alternative."

Horatio folds his arms and nods. "Go on."

Azure continues, "I've cleared a route through the sewers that passes close by the location. Entering by that approach provides the benefit of a divided attack without the handicaps of the previous option. It also cuts off the Queen's retreat via the sewers."

Victor says, "If new tunnels are required, zi have a machine zat can get uz to vhere ve need to be ASAP"

Amber nods to Victor, "There is one wall to cut through, assuming the Horde hasn't already done so to provide access into the tunnels."

Horatio nods. "How do you propose to split the teams?"

Victor nods, "Consider it cut down"

Silver Spider nods. "Well, if we have a shapeshifter, we could simply fly overhead and airdrop them from a massive height at maximum size and weight." She says. "That will send anything like a bug with a vibration sense scattering away, and make a nice big hole." She says. "But the tunnel approach is good. I propose that myself and the two people who can withstand the most physical punishment go on the tunnel approach, and the people who are quicker and have more technological weaponry go on the transmat team. If any of you are capable of quickly assembling devices that would go off as soon as the transmat field ends and hit them extremely hard from surprise, that would be good."

Amber says, "I would go with Silver Spider, Victor, and me, through the sewers, and Variable and me through the TransMat. That will allow coordination even if the old subway is radio shielded. There was a lot of metal framing in those old buildings."

Victor says, "Zhey say this izen a hive mind, ja?"

Victor says, "Zi think i might have a idea of a middle line plan of attack az vell"

Silver Spider nods. "That's very smart. I might have come up with that too, but you never told me you had a mind link." She says. "Yeah. The other thing to do would be to attack when they going out on their next hunting wave. Area assaults will be limited, because they're going to bring people there and implant them."

Horatio says, "Yes, go ahead Doctor."

Victor says, "Vonce myzelf and the Spider get into contact zi may be able to disrupt the hive mind...temporarily a day at best."

Victor says, "Zit zhould make thiz attack go more easily on all of us if the Taken have to wait for unmuddled commandz."

Silver Spider blinks. "Oh, god, you are not seriously contemplating taking my blood sample and injecting some alien with nanomachines under untested conditions, are you?"

Victor smirks a bit, "Vell now zat you bring it up...zat vould vork too"

Silver Spider shakes her head. "I'm not sure how many people's DNA is involved in that. It could be a real mess. There's at least seven supers from fifty or so years ago running around in there, and I really don't want to sit there and watch while you give this alien queen enough superpowers to distribute to all her flunkies."

Victor says, "However, zi can theorize zat it vould take a massive amount of vour blood to be be slightly affective. Zat and vour point izen also valid. No need to make zhis vorse. Zi was thinking zomething more of this."

Victor places a strange looking purple tinted ray gun on the table.

Horatio says, "It sounds unpredictable. Let's go back to Amber's plan."

Variable can't think of how to contribute to this. She just tries not to look as over her head as she feels.

Victor says, "After many many autopsy and vivsections, i have conclued the Takers still work on neurological eletrical impulses. Thus my device vill vork without worry"

Azure says, "I have some observations from the after battle reports from the rescue mission at the school that may be useful."

Victor turns his seat to Azure, looking open minded and eager to hear.

Amber says, "When you're finished Doctor. I just wanted to mention it now so it didn't get overlooked at the end."

Skysabre steps into the briefing room, its presence betrayed by the metallic clank of its feet on the floor. It remains silent.

Silver Spider turns to Azure and says. "Go ahead, I'm all...ears..." o O (Oh, man. I'm down to fists against these creatures? I can't take the chance that my bioelectric blast will burn out the brain of the host from feedback.)

Azure glances at Victor before she starts speaking...

Victor nods, "Zat izen all I had to add, hopfully if ve can disrupt the Queenz mind, it vill translate to the slaves"

Silver Spider turns to Azure. "Swap out the Doctor for Skysabre, if you could." She says thoughtfully. "That will enable him to get close to the Queen quickly and test the device, and gives us the ability to fly to you if necessary."

Horatio looks up, as Skysabre enters. "Welcome... you're just in time. We think we've located the Queen." He points to a giant display on the wall behind him that shows the abandoned Harrisburg subway station.

Victor nods to Spider, "Excellent Idea"

Skysabre glances at Silver Spider momentarily before turning to Horatio. "That is excellent news."

Silver Spider turns to Victor. "I don't have any practical military experience. But I've been a superhero since I was sixteen and a half, and that was in 2048."

Amber says, "Our hoped for target is the Queen. We have no information on her abilities so we cannot make any plans. That will be a on the wing encounter. The Taken vary in skill. They are fairly strong but weakly defensed unless wearing armor." She sighs, "They feel no pain. Breaking limbs will incapitate them. They can be cured so we should avoid killing..."

Victor grins and nods

Victor says, "Vell...zhere izen also this...."

Azure says, "The Watchmen have some training in unarmed combat and had access to military weapons.It's unknown how effectively they can use them, if at all."

Victor lays down another pistol on the table, this one shaped like a overly large revolver with syrines instead of bullets.

Silver Spider nods slowly. "That's another front we can open. Good. The more distractions we can muster, the better. If only we had an old subway car, and someone strong enough to just crash it through the wall."

Skysabre turns back to Silver Spider. "I will need a more detailed outline of your strategy if I am to understand what taking the Doctor's place means."

Amber continues, "Takers and Warriors have no sentience of their own. Which means we do not have to hold back. Warriros are strong but have a weakness. At the rear there are glowing green nodules. Strike there and massive damage seems to be incurred. The Warriors seek to grab with jaw mandibles so Takers can possess. They also have claws and a spit that is like glue."

Silver Spider turns to Skysabre. "Uh, we're the distraction team. We smash our way in through the sewers and draw fire so the attack team targets the queen and quickly shuts her down while the defenses are separated out and all looking at us."

"That is satisfactory." Skysabre replies with a hint of sincerity in its tone.

Victor takes a few more notes on his pad from Amber's speech and looks down at them puzzlingly.

Horatio says, "Amber and Azure, as the Starguard agents on the scene I'll leave it to you to make sure your team is prepared. You have access to whatever aid we can provide. We're counting on you, all of you really, to get the job done."

Variable says, "Careful because the warriors give piggybacks to the takers."

Amber says, "Each Warrior can have a number of Takers riding on its back. Those with variable beam energy weapons or effects, if you spread the beam to cover an entire Warrior the beam will have no real effect on the Warrior. It will fry every Taker riding on it."

Silver Spider turns to Amber. "Is there bioelectric feedback?" She says cooly. "I don't want to accidentally kill the warrior if it's got a human host."

Variable thinks. o O (I wonder of there are any creature with a natural energy beam. I wish I knew how to do that!)

"Warriors are not parasitic." Skysabre replies to Silver Spider. "They are...free game."

Variable nods. "It's three different biological castes: Taker, Warrior and Queen."

Silver Spider nods once. "A bad analogy, but I think I don't have to be as restrained as I usually am. " She says softly. "Tell me, Skysabre. What do you do with your nights?"

Amber says, "Variable is immune to the Taker toxin. So am I while my force field is operational. Skysabre is immune due to a non-organic metabolism. If Takers are encountered leave them to us in close engagements. Takers are very weakly defended. A spread energy effect can take out many in one application."

Victor says, "And thiz izen poison affectively?"

Variable shifts into a form similar to the one she used last time she face the Horde: basically human, but with big claws and an armoured shell.

"I rotate power saving cycles with active covert mode patrol." Skysabre replies to Silver Spider. "But I do not see how this is relevant to our current mission."

Silver Spider nods. "It isn't. We'll talk later."

Amber nods, "More akin to some on the non-organic toxins produced by weapon researchers. The toxin is a skin contact effective. It does not have to penetrate the skin.

Variable says, "It's organic though."

Amber looks at Horatio. "How committed to this attack are we, Sir?"

"There can be no hesitation where the Queen is concerned." Skysabre replies. "If you believe that your information is accurate your response must be total."

Horatio says, "This is our best opportunity. If this attack fails, we may be forced to adopt a... strategic solution."

Amber says, "In that case, Sir, I suggest we carry a X-12-PB with us. Set for, say, a 20 kton yield."

When the Maid arrived, a Starguard trooper directs her to the briefing room where the other heroes are gathered.

Variable says, "What?"

Silver Spider turns to Amber. "Are you crazy?" She says. "That will kill everyone and everything in Colonial Bay. A twenty Kiloton Yield will annihilate everything within a hundred miles of here. You'll drown everyone on the Cape with the force of the shockwave, and most of North Carolina will be underwater."

The Maid hovers into SG, wearing her Victorian maid uniform. When she encounters the other heroes, she curtseys formally, still hovering as the bottom of her boots are a few inches off the ground.

"A thermonuclear device detonated at short range would destroy the Queen." Skysabre comments. "You may be exaggerating the yield. My historical data shows that the thermonuclear device 'Little Boy' deployed n August 6, 1945 had a yeild of 16 kilotons. Twenty remains a limited device."

Amber shake her head. "Silver, 20 kilotonne. Not 20 megatonne. If the chamber is 60ft down there's a good chance the blast will be contained within it. If not, we'll lose a city block at most."

Silver Spider blinks her eyeslits. "Oh my...' She says. "I've never seen you before." o O (Damn! Now that's why I'm a bisexual superheroine!)

Horatio shakes his head and says, "The President isn't yet prepared to make that call. They are still weighing their options on the Hill."

"You should inform your President that a subterranean detonation in close proximity to the Queen is your best option if this mission fails." Skysabre says to Horatio.

"Most scenarios call for delivering a package via Transmat." Horatio says. He shakes his head. "If that's not a frightening thought, I don't know what is."

Amber says, "Sir, with all repect to the President, this is our best option. We would use it only if the Queen was confirmed to be on site and we were going to not make it out anyway. If you wait and we lose this one you'll be reduced to a city buster."

[To Amber] Variable says, "We're trying to save lives! We shouldn't even be thinking about that while there's still another choice!"

Variable bursts out with that rather abruptly.

Silver Spider turns to Amber. "Listen. Let's not lose. There are millions of ways to arm and detonate that device, including the transmat. Just take the bomb there and save it as a last resort. But I don't want to carry a nuke with me just in case the Queen happens to be nuclear powered and uses it to grow to colossal size, transform us all into a radioactive pile, or makes uranium statues out of us."

Skysabre glances at Variable. "We in this room are the other choice. If our bodies are forfeit, then we must see that our mission succeeds no matter the cost."

Azure says, "We use it if and only if there is no other choice. A compromise? Have it ready on the other end of the TransMat link. If all our lifesigns go flatline send it through."

The Maid raises her hand, awaiting proper acknowledgement to address the others.

Amber looks at the Maid and inwardly shudders. She waits for her to speak.

Horatio says, "I'll talk to Washington. There is a device on standby at Transmat."

Variable says determinedly, "Well - w're not going to fail, then."

The Maid curtseys before she speaks. "With no disrespect, but... every thing has a right to live. Are you considering... murdering... this... queen?"

"The Queen is Void." Skysabre replies matter-of-factly to The Maid. "It must be eliminated."

Silver Spider turns to the Maid. "We're hoping the target can be cured. But if not, it's not up to us to determine. It's up to the courts and the legal system. It is eating everyone in town."

The Maid asks, "Void?"

Silver Spider turns to the Maid with a nod. "Everything it touches is effectively consumed. It's not a 'person.' It's a parasitic organism."

Azure laughs suddenly, "Hey, the Guild take everything else that we capture of the alien threats they can't seem to protect us from. Let them have the Horde Queen too. I'm not to eager too kill even that buggie horror. But I sure don't want it on my planet."

Horatio says to Amber. "I'll be on the horn to DC. If you need anything, come grab me."

"The Horde represents that development of organic life which is wholly inconsistent with the principles of sentient life." Skysabre explains. "It is a mindless, devouring force which erases forever the sentient qualities of those species that it encounters. It is a false One, a community of silence. A Void." It turns to Azure. "We will take it."

Amber looks around. "Coming with us Skysabre? How about you Maid. We can kick this buggie beast off our planet."

The Maid sighs. "I have no qualms doing everything I can to protect people. But, to condemn these creatures to death, just because they are different..."

Silver Spider turns to the Maid. "Tell me. What do you do when you find a cockroach in your home?" o O (God, I don't want to screw this up. She's beautiful, and good hearted, and maybe interested...I hope...)

Variable says, "Not because they're different, but because if we don't they'll kill us! I hate the idea too, but.... maybe the Queen won't be killed. But whatever, we have to stop her."

"It is my solemn duty to combat the Horde." Skysabre replies to Amber. "That which does not become part of the One, shall become Void. Its eradication is, in your terminology, hard wired."

The Maid looks towards Silver Spider. "If I may ask, but... what is a cockroach?

Amber says, "Ok. Maid, just to make sure we're reading from the same playbook. The Taken, that is the humans with a bug in their heads, can be cured. We don't want to kill them. The Takers and the Warriors are no more sentient than your fingernails. Kill them on sight. The Queen? Well if we can take it alive so much the better for my peace of mind but one way or another it's off the planet by nightfall."

Silver Spider turns to the Maid. "Uh, you're wearing a maid outfit. It's a creature that infests homes and breeds, and breeds, and breeds until that home is unlivable. They're tough, virtually indestructible, and we constantly have to develop poisons as a species to get rid of them." She says. "You can come or not, but you have to understand that if you don't come, everyone on this planet may die."

Azure chuckles at Silver's words, "No pressure mind you." She adds.

The Maid shakes her head. "Please forgive my impertinence, but... I am afraid I cannot kill any Taker or Warrior. I am sure they have as much right to life as we do." She then glances to Silver Spider. "I have no intention of letting anyone die, on this planet or otherwise."

Amber tells Silver while pointing at the Maid. "Brick. Tough. Solid bone, head to toe. Especially head."

Variable gets up, getting impatient.

"It is fortunate that the rest of your species has more of a survival instinct than you." Skysabre observes to Maid. "But we must be moving."

Silver Spider nods. "I don't really have the power to do it, either. I'm just hoping that they fall down quickly enough." She says. "I really don't want to kill anything either, but I draw the line at nonhumans, and these things are way over it." She says. "But I understand your reluctance. Come with us and do what you can. You're on my team. I need someone to knock a hole in the wall, and you're probably the strongest one here."

[To The Maid] Variable says, "Aren't you a person then?"

Amber point to each as she names them, Random, Variable, Maid, Skysabre, me, through the TranMat. Silver, Victor, me, through the sewers. Agreed?"

Silver Spider turns to Amber. "We were swapping Skysabre for the Doctor, remember?"

Variable nods.

Amber nods to Silver with an amused gleam in her eyes, "Ok, Maid in the sewers."

The Maid sighs. "I am a person, yes. And as a person, I am entitled to my beliefs, as much as you are to yours." She nods in agreement, that she will go to the sewers. "But I will not allow anyone to be killed."

Silver Spider turns to Amber. "Like you said. She's tough. They're going to hit us with everything we've got, and a floating woman in a maid outfit is going to draw fire. You guys job is to get in and hit the queen while we handle the counterattack."

Random Factor steps into the room without a word and surveys the group. His eyes linger a moment on Spider, but his expressiion is unreadable.

Silver Spider turns to Random Factor. "Go with the transmat team." She says quietly. "Oh. And it's nice to have you back."

Variable sees Random enter and hesitantly salutes him. He's the new leader right? Not that she's a memeber really but they asked her and - come to think of it it probably wasn't appropriate. Oops.

"I will go where I am bid." Skysabre comments.

Random Factor returns the salute, a trace of a smile flickering across his face.

Amber grins and salutes Random. "Hi Boss. Tell Horatio to hassle the Pres about the Tac-Nuke. But otherwise we're ready to go I think."

The Maid raises her hand again.

Variable is relieved at least Random didn't take it badly.

Silver Spider nods. "All right. So Victor. Me. Skysabre. Maid. A twin." She says. "And on Transmat, we have Variable, Random Factor, a Twin. I have too many. Maid can fly, so Skysabre goes on the Transmat squad."

Silver Spider thinks. o O (Plus, I like the idea of that autocannon system on point delivery, as much as it pains me to admit it.)