Log:Harrisburg Dreams, Scene 3

Harrisburg Dreams 2009/10/31 	 Bard Halo 3

The docks shimmer with fog in the late October night, married to wisps and strands of mist as an occasional bell rings across the landscape. There are shadows everywhere, the shadows of containers, the shadows of lights, a few bright dots in red and orange illuminating the giant cargo cranes. The night is grey, silence whipping itself up between rings of the bell, quietly tugging at people's ears. A large cargo ship, the Reina Roja, stands silent at the late hour, a dark shadow on the landscape. Beyond that, a massive oil tanker looms, pumping crude into large storage tanks, a few people moving about the large freighter.

Asanna breaths deeply of the salty air to test the ache in her lungs when she stretches her Lung capacity. She glances over her outfit wondering if she should be dressed more warmly for a late October morning.

Asanna thinks. o O (Why am I here so early in the morning. This is insane. I still have an incurable soreness from the now-healed near fatal wound from the events of Harrisburg.)

The Docs are a familiar sight to Asanna, but usually she views them from the air in her heroic ID as Halo while on patrols. From the ground, things seem to surround her more.

In the darkness, between the cargo containers, something moves, looking over in your general direction. It appears to be a hand, beckoning to you from between the metal towers, pressed against the cold metal in the dark.

You see your snitch, Tofiro Ramirez, squeezed in between two crates. "Over here..." He hisses, his lean seventeen year old body crushed between the crates. "Hurry. I think they know. Be quick..." He hisses, his eyes filled with bleak terror.

Asanna trusted in her abilities too much in Harrisburg without properly preparing and activating her powers to their fullest...and she almost paid with her life. But her stubborness gets the better of her and she doens't want to loose a chance to meet with Tofiro Ramirez.

Asanna runs excitedly to the gap where he is beconing from.

Tofiro pulls you in and flattens against the crate. "Oh, god. They followed me, I think..." he says in terror. "My god. It's horrible, Asi, horrible..." He shakes his head. "I can't tell you everything. If they find out I talked, I'll wind up like Eddie."

When she is close enough to wisper effectively, Asanna says, "How many might know you are here, and how soon will they come?"

Asanna Tofi, I never asked you to put yourself in danger...but now that you are here,...well, Lets just say I have another connection with the hero Halo. She is not far away.

Asanna assumes the worst has hapened to this friend 'Eddie' he mentioned.

"They turned him into a machine, Asi..." He says, his lips quaking. "It's been going on since the explosions. They come and they do it. They take them away. They take them away and put them somewhere. They volunteer for it. They don't know what they're doing...we're just poor people..." He shakes his head. "They..." His voice is cut off by a dull, metallic clank. Standing on top of the series of cargo towers is a massive, thickly built man. He is clad in silver and black armor, with his faceplate shaped into a massive, bolted skull. His thick heavy gauntlets crackle with strange whitish energy, popping Nuclear Fusion into the night, his gaze glaring down into the crevice. "Oh, god. It's him...it's the Annihilator."

Asanna thinks .oO(Damn, these people are better than I thought, and this time I don't have Light ray to save me.), "Run, Tofi!" and tries to ignite a blinding halo-aura.

Somehow the stacked containers reflect the flash and Asanna's actions are meaningless. Her heart sinks.

Asanna thinks. o O (So much for escaping while the Annihilator can't even see his own hands.)

There is a horrid scream from Tofiro as the strange nuclear energy plows into him, and he tumbles to the ground, panting and bleeding, his eyes rolling up into his skull. "I have...solved the problem..." The Annihilator struggles with more words, his head turning fiercely towards Halo. "Now it is...you and me...I will kill you. Devastator will reward me." His hands crackle with more energy. The deadly bolt didn't even tire him.

Asanna thinks. o O (there is my luck again...bad as it ocassionally is.)

"How do they do it?" Tofiro wheezes. "How can they go everywhere while...nobody notices them?" He whispers. "You should know...you should..." He slumps unconscious, dying on the concrete...

Asanna gets a wicked smile on her face. She Has duly noted the energy nature of Annihilator's attack.

Asanna thinks. o O (Fast bugger too...again, not good.)

Annihilator clanks forward, the massive gauntlets grinding to life as the high pitched whine echoes through the air. His helmet turns a little bit, as he leaps right up to Halo, the massive palms grinding forward to grab her...

Even as Asanna moves to dodge the menacing Annihilator, she watches his moves with interest.

The massive gauntlets of the Annihilator grind on empty air as Halo leaps aside, the skull mask twisting in what could be robotic fury. "You cannot...dodge forever." The voice pauses, struggling with words again. "I will destroy you. The Devastator reigns supreme! Harrisburg is...a free and independant state. A state free of...super...heroes..."\

The blast widens as it strikes Asanna, Annihilator's grinning skull grinding and twisting a little bit, eerily semi-flexible.

Halo cant resist the chance to stop this machine if she can quickly..she gambles on another of her powers.

Asanna explodes with light, the sight of her seems to evoke tremendous pressure on emotions, thought, reason, and judgement.

Annihilator tilts his head at the glowing lights, and stands in front of Halo for a moment, the grinding head tilting as his hands power up for another white-hot fusion blast. "You will die now." His rumbling voice thunders. "I will be rewarded." The roaring sounds of nuclear fusion echo through the port, as the white hot melting ray blasts towards Halo.

The roaring blast of fusion goes wide as the Annihilator's blast sears past Halo's dodging form. It melts a few cartons, and some stuffed animals tumble out. The dying form of Tofiro Ramirez rests just behind the Annihilator, bleeding out on the docks as the Annihilator and Halo battle.

Asanna thinks. o O (Thank G@# for Akido training)

Asanna says, "Tofiro....Get up!"

Asanna can no longer ignore her fallen snitch.

The sounds of battle were heard a while ago by Marcus Bard who had decided to hang out at the Port after a gig to get some inspiration. He comes out behind the Large robot as it smashes a crate, he sees a woman jump out of the way, he unslings his guitar from his back(since few care to hear mandolin music these days) as he calls out. "That's no way to treat a lady, bub!" He starts playing one of his songs. and a Red ball of energy forms in front of the guitar, before flying forward at the large robot."

There is a dull, humming CLANK as the red ball slams into the Annihilator, and the high pitched whine of the armor seems to condense around him for a moment. When the shining red blast passes, the Annihilator has not moved a single inch, but the white hot light is brighter than ever...

"UGGGH." Annihilator declares, his helmet turning towards Bard. "You are powerful, but there is nothing I cannot absorb. I am the fuel that feeds Devastator's fire! I am the ad...adrenali...adrenaline that drives through the veins of the Harrisburg movement. I am the Annihilator! Die, paltry gnat!" He turns away from Halo, his massive metallic arms and heavy black and silver legs flexing as his leap carries him close to Bard, hands roaring with atomic fire.

Asanna's eyes narrow with the revelation. She realizes the implications of the condensing energy and some of her Anger from that day in HArrisburg returs as she double-takes's lookin at the Annihilator and the fallen teenager.

She double-takes, looking at the Annihilator and the fallen teenager.

Bard quickly prays to his god.

The roaring blast hurtles past Bard, smashing into cargo containers and blasting them everywhere, the melting metal making things shear and grind apart as Tofiro's eyes open, struggling to roll out of the way...

Tofiro dives out of the way, towards Asanna, barely escaping as the clanging cargo containers fall about and smash. A large group of Hero System 15th edition books tumble out onto the concrete, along with some cartons of beef and barley soup. Another cargo container smashes straight down, standing on end.

Asanna looks grimly at Tofim a warmth flows outof Halo as she focuses on him.

Tofiro's face smiles in a beatific grin as he suddenly heals, trying to struggle to his feet, the massive looming figure of the Annihilator still nearby. "Get us out of here!" He shouts. "He's gonna kill us! He's gonna kill us!"

The Annihilator turns and spreads his hands towards Bard, helmet grinding and clanking with mechanical noises as he looms towards the sonic generator. His hands spread out and fire.

Bard dives to the side at the last moment as the attack goes right past him.

The blast goes wide again, vaporizing more containers as the Annihilator lets out a crackling curse. "Stand...still..." He rumbles. "You cannot...dodge forever..." The roaring burst melts some of the Hero System 15th edition books, vaporizes some stuffed animals, and the smell of burned beef soup echoes through the night as they are all turned to ash...

Bard says, "I'll pass on letting you hit me, thanks for the offer though."

Asanna rockets into the sky, Tofi held in a tight martial hold.

The Annihilator turns to look at Bard, straight through the illusion. "Your...pale copy...is no match...for the real thing..." His voice struggles over the words again. "I will find you, Halo. I will destroy you. You are an obstacle. That is twice you have interfered with the Devastator. You are doomed, musician. But I have no...time left." The Annihilator turns to look at Bard, and leaps, the heavy suit gliding upward and crashing into the water with a dull splash. The black water at night covers him up, and the Annihilator...is gone...