Log:Lost Time, Scene 11

Lost Time 2017/04/07 	 Ellbeth Ten Daemon Grimm Rocky Heracles Starstrike Technohammer Star Girl Victory Time Pharaoh

11

Here stand the grand buildings of the city constructed during the rapid 19th-Century expansion, on low land reclaimed from long-lost Harrisburg Creek. Main Street is broader here that to the south, though still paved with cobbles, and surrounded on all sides by grandiose edifices (though at any time at least one seems to be under renovation): the heart of this district. Around this are narrower residential streets with a flavor much like that of Old Town, all with faux-gaslamp street lighting.

Sirens filter through the foggy afternoon in Colonial Bay. The temperatures have been hovering in the low 40s (F), and the proximity to shore means that every so often the weather makes it a little hard to see. The flashing lights of police cars shine through the mist, showing a cordoned off section in the City Center. A chunk of cement sails through the air, striking a police car, crumpling the door. The only really visible person in the cordoned section is a metahuman with a silvery aura about him. He's blasting downward at someone. Or something.

Starstrike(#1702TOn)

An obsidian skinned male...with aqua colored hair. His eyes are solid white, and his costume is a skin tight black and white outfit, kind of cut into quarters. White on the upper right and lower left. Black in the other corners. There's a symbol on his chest of two crossed S's, with what looks like a star in the middle, where they cross.

Autolycus(#2832TOnp)

A male alien with solid white skin and golden eyes. His hair is teal, and slicked back. He's wearing some kind of sleeveless jumpsuit/uniform, with gloves that go nearly to his elbow.

Ten "swings", or more accurately throws herself forward at stupid speeds with her staff, from the general direction of the university. She's rather glad of the break from the essay, truth be told.

Daemon hates this kind of weather. But it doesn't stop him from sailing through the mist, flipping, spinning & webslinging his way through the city as he runs an analysis on a current Zero-Day bug he discovered.

His mental HUD keeps him abreast to the current progress of he and Ellbeth's encryption of Temple's Ancient Future 4th Dimensional Blackbox. He knows about Moore's Law (which hasn't bene used in decades) and what not, but he's still quite unhappy with how long this whole process is taking. Nevertheless, he's happy they managed to secure the devices in question within the secure walls of StarGuard HQ. This let him work remotely, and therefore continue his stake-out of Det. Charlie Compton, a detective he's relatively sure is in someone's pocket. He just hasn't figured out who yet.

This stakeout puts him on the ceiling of the CBPD (invisible) when the APB goes off about the metahuman brawl taking place outside.

It doesn't take him long to emerge behind a couple of officers who were going to respond to the call.

He shoots a webline and yanks himself into the air once he's sure its connection is secure.

With the police alert coming through Starguard chatter, Gabrielle gets a move on from the break room. She'd grown tired waiting around for Daemon to encrypt everything since it was just a lot of staring on her part.

So when there's something for her to do and somewhere she can actually help, she opens a shadow gate above the city and floats through, looking around for the police lights to get a bead on where she needs to go. A second gate later, and shes stepping out onto the concrete near the police line.

Whats the situation? she asks one of the nearby police, wearing her Starguard BDUs. Only, yknow, black, because color is her enemy.

Heracles(#2843TOn)

This is a well-built man dressed similarly to how Titan does when in 'costume'. He's wearing a simple tunic, sandals, and bracers. His straight hair is long enough to come down to the level of his chin, and he has a full beard which is well-trimmed.

Ellbeth notes the increased activity and blurrily asks a hurrying Starguard agent what's going on. She's having to maintain the privacy spell and has been living on ever stronger coffee since arriving at Starguard.

The Starguard agent says, "Some kind of metahuman fight downtown. Word is it might be someone from another dimension, based on some of hte alerts we're getting."

Daemon drops through the mist, landing near the cruise and officer's Grimm is talking too. This is of course because of the tracker he planted in her ages ago- but he likes to pretend its by chance.

The mist obscures his vision, and hers but he knows she sees him coming.

He lands in a crouch, springing back up and straightening out quickly as he says, "Aww, Grimmace! Someone just lost and I bet they don't even know it yet." He says in a tone that Grimm will recognize. He's actually smiling beneath that helmet of his.

Technohammer(#1634TOn)

Big. That's the way to describe this huge suit of power armor, approximately 8 feet tall. The suit is metallic looking...and mostly white and blue. The helmet is blue, aside from the darkened visor. The armored torso is blue with the abdomen in white, with a large letter 'T' where a belt buckle would go. The arms and legs are metallic looking...kind of silver, and the gauntlets and boots are blue.

On his right arm is an apparent weapon of some variety, and tube running from his forearm to the armor's large blue backpack.

Rocky drives his ancient and well-battered construction vehicle through the heart of the city on his way back from a job site. The truck has certainly seen better days. In fact, it's more than certain that the truck has seen better -decades-. . . perhaps even better centuries, if the late 1990's count for some reason? My goodness, the thing still has actual wheels. With physical tires. Made from petroleum products -- Shocking! What's -not- shocking at all is that it has no self-driving mode, and so Rocky has to manually pull it over to the curb. And put the manual transmission in neutral, manually. He hops out to see what the disturbance is, that's now caused traffic to back up for blocks around. . . sensing a fight, the large, rough-hewn humanoid with a few rocky-like features crunchily becomes more of a large, rough-hewn rock with a few humanoid features, with a noise not unlike that of about 10,000 orcs cracking their knuckles, all at once.

Heracles is laughing while fighting both Technohammer and Starstrike. He shouts something in a foreign language as he hurls another large piece of pavement from the street proper. Technohammer gets slugged with it, and he slides across the street into another parked car.

Grimm spares Daemon her complete wrath as she turns at him at smirks. "Between you, me, and the heroes about to rain down on this place? Those guys are doomed."

There's one more person in the immediate area: A man in a suit scrambling into city hall.

Ten says on comms, <>

"Damn right." Daemon says, turning towards the sound of the brawl. Its easy enough to see with all his senses- but hte concussive forces being used between the fighters is impressive. His nanoscale trichobothria picks up their blows as shockwaves rolling over his body from this distance.

"So we've got a couple 'Hammers' on site... Not sure who the foreigner is... but he was 'sent' here apparently..." Daemon says, giving Grimm a rundown on what he's heard.

"He's claiming 'Hera' sent him... which would mean..." He continues.

Alarms go off at Starguard HQ proper. Soldiers run down the halls toward the air field. Victory and Star Girl run past the room where Ellbeth is babysitting the devices.

Daemon finishes his sentence before leaping into the fray. "...he thinks he's been sent here by a Greek Goddess... fun."

Then he bounds away, leaping 90 feet like it were nothing at all.

He is fairly certain he can tell who the bad guys are since the Technohammers are known mercs- though they usually stick to protection gigs.

He decides to go after Crazy McHerapants.

He lands right next to Heracles and looks up at the mythical man then he throws a punch at him. Though at full extension he's still some 2m short of Heracles.

Of course that's also when his right gauntlet springs to life, shifting and opening up to reveal the webshooter within.

A ball of webbing is lauched at Heracles.

The ball of webbing is incredibly wide- Daemon must have miscalculated or something. When the ball impacts wit the side of a small sedan it explodes, wrapping the entire front end in webbing.

Ten hurls herself into the middle of the fight, to hand amongst the combatants. "OK, folks - want to stop smashing stuff up for a bit and tell me what's going on? If not, I'll have to take you all down." Not that she really thinks she can do that or expects them to think that, but the main thing to do is to get their attention.

"You heard the lady." Daemon says, backing up Ten's words. "We're the Cavalry."

Technohammer is still buried in a car, so no response from him. Heracles seems to note Ten's arrival and he grins, saying something in Greek. Starstrike points at Heracles, "He endangered our client!"

For Daemon: Heracles said, "She looks like Atalanta."

Starstrike lets loose with a blast of silver energy at Heracles. The aura around him dims as the energy is redirected.

The blast strikes Heracles in the chest, knocking him over. It doesn't seem to hurt him much, though. He sits up and grins.

Daemon consults the internet to find out what the hell an Atalanta is since his knowledge of mythology isn't as complete as it could be.

"So, you have a thing for fast women, huh?" Daemon asks looking down at Heracles as he sits up. He asks in English to Heracles. He's trying to figure out if the man can speak English.

Ten asks Starstrike, "And who's your client?"

Heracles doesn't seem to understand Daemon. He furrows his brow.

Grimm takes a step of two forward as she gauges the scene. Well, I think were all going to need to settle down and talk this out before more of the city gets wrecked. Starting with you, toga boy. Stand. DOWN.

Gabrielle's gaze is eerily piercing as she firmly states the command. But in Heracles ears, her voice may seem to echo and distort to something terrible.

Starstrike on the other hand, points backward to the guy running up the steps of City Hall. "City councilman."

Ten says, "Huh. Ok. Maybe Mr Toga is the bad guy after all."

Heracles freezes, still looking in Ten's direction. That's pretty normal for her, though. She's used to getting stares.

A screen lights up in the room Ellbeth is working in. It shows the airfield outside, where Victory and Star Girl are facing off against...the Time Pharaoh. He says, 'I'd like to speak to Dr. Wyrd. I'd prefer this to not turn into a fight.'

Ellbeth frowns. "Drat. Double drat in fact." she says with a fairly calm voice. Then she uses the intercom. "Tell Dr Temple I'll be out in a moment, please." she requests. First though, a hurried visit to the cells, to deposit the artifacts in a questonite cell. Then she starts to make her way to the landing field.

Star Girl responds with, "Roger that."

Daemon leaps to interpose himself between Grimm and Crazy McToga. His right leg is straight out to the right and his left is bent with his right palm pressed flat into the ground between them. His other hand is balled up into a fist and pulled behind, ready to strike if need be.

"Not sure you're supposed to be attacking City Officials, Mr.Frock-Wearing Detractor." He says, not realizing Grimm's frozen the man.

But Daemon recognizes that look. He's not being understood.

"Not sure this guy can speak the local dialect..." He says, announcing this to all present.

"HEY! Youse! O'er'deres! Stohp breakin' mah' side'wahk!" Rocky shouts, waving off the fighting metas enthusiastically and perhaps more than a little grumpily. It's not only that he's now going to be unavoidably late for dinner because of all this ruckus and the traffic jam it has caused, but also that these ruffians are breaking up his erstwhile masonry handiwork. . . ! into throwable-sized pieces ! . . . for absolutely -no- good reason whatsoever. That sidewalk took him -days- to pour and finish and level and smooth and texture, and he'd done a really good and careful job of it too, it bein' right in front of city hall and all that. ..

Rocky sshhhlllooorrrppps down into the pavement, disappearing underground in a manner reminiscent of a thick grey river of mud being sucked down an invisible drain. At the same time, he sshhhlllooorrrppps back up to reconstitute himself atop his beloved and now-broken-up sidewalk some 15-20m away, where he grabs hold of the sidewalk-breaker (("Heracles" tore it up to throw bits of it at people)) and gives him a good rattle to hopefully shake some sense into him before that miscreant can do any more damage to Rocky's artwork.

Heracles is grabbed and shaken. Though he doesn't seem to respond. He looks kind of...vacant.

Starstrike glides backward, making sure to cover his client as the latter gets inside the building.

"NO - BREAK sidewah . . . " Rocky starts to explain, then considers the man's unresponsiveness. Rocky's eyes narrow and shift, as he does that movie-Thor side-eye that people do when something wonky is going on. Rocky tries to figure out what his deal is, and the turning of his vast and ponderous mental gears is nigh-audible.

"He's temporarily zoned out," Grimm calls out to the other heroes. "Restrain him in case he wakes up. He won't know what's going on while he's like that, so talking's no use."

Ten hurries over to the councilman, being sure to keep herself between him and Hercules. "Councilman? What's going on? And would you like me to get you a long way from here?"

The councilman is just reaching the door. "If you can keep that guy under control, I'll be fine in here, I think."

Ten says, "OK, fine," and turns back to face the toga guy. Since he is likely stronger than her staff, she goes for a blast to the eyes - hopefully temporary blindness will encourage him to stand down...." She's not really quite followed the conversation on his mental state.

Heracles doesn't seem to respond to the flash much, other than to squint a little bit. Likely just a reflex on his part.

Technohammer climbs out of the car he's in and looks around to assess the situation. "K'hryn, the client is safe?" Starstrike responds, "Yes, sir."

Grimm rubs the back of her head at his mess. "Well, he looks pretty secure now. Let's keep it that way and find out why he's really here," Grimm comments as she slides her hands into her pockets casually and peers at the guy. "Let's see what's on his mind...".

Grimm sifts through Heracles' recent memories. He was busy fighting what appeared to be a...hydra, when Time Pharaoh appears and says, 'You are needed elsewhere. Hera has created many obstacles for you.' The world shifts, and he finds himself landing which a thump next to the councilman's car, damaging it. That got the councilman's meta bodyguards involved.

Ellbeth makes her way up to the landing field. However she's not rushing, and has ninty percent of a teleport spell cast, just waiting to be activated by a gesture.

Rocky blinks twice and nods slowly as he processes Grimm's explanation as to why Heracles is not moving and is unresponsive. He then keeps sidewalk-vandal Heracles tidily and securely restrained in an earthen bear-hug that pins the man's arms to his sides. Rocky's restraining arms thicken and strengthen until it looks for all the world as if Heracles is taking a casual mudbath in an ambulatory pile of dirt and gravel, or else has perhaps been actively dunked into liquid grey concrete with only his head and feet sticking out? Rocky has meanwhile grown another pair of arms in case he needs a working set of hands to deal with some other lurking sidewalk-destroyers.

Time Pharaoh waits out by the airfield facing off against the two SGG heroes and a half dozen SG agents with rifles.

Ellbeth walks over to stand with Victory and Star Girl, making it clear which side she's on. "You wished to speak with me, Dr Temple?" she asks him.

Grimm frowns as she digs through his mind. She tries to project a thought into Heracles' mind. . o O (That wasn't a servant of Hera. You were lied to. You're hurting the innocent.) She looks to the others, looking displeased. "Time Pharaoh plucked this guy from somewhere and dropped him here thinking he was being tested or something by the Gods. It's a distraction."

"A distraction?" Daemon says turning quickly back to Grimm. "That means he's going after the Blackbox! We've gotta get back to StarGuard!"

Heracles clears his head after another thirty seconds or so. He says something in Greek as he looks around. He thinks (which Grimm can pick up on). o O (Where am I, then? Such strange chariots here.)

Time Pharaoh nods to Ellbeth, "I have tried the direct route. I have tried a distraction. Neither has worked." He sighs. "I am now merely asking. Would you please return what is mine?" He hesitates, as if this is very difficult for him to say, "It...is the only remaining thing in this world that has any evidence of my wife. She is no longer in this timeline. And...I can't fix that. No matter how much I try."

Ten says, "Let's get back there then!"

Daemon leaps towards the car he webbed up, landing just to the side of it. He reaches down and touches the webbing tat's encased the frontend. When his fingertip touches it, the whole mass begins falling apart. Becoming singular strands that break up in the slightest breeze.

"Grimmace- can you get us to StarGuard?" He asks, leaping back to her side.

Grimm speaks to Heracles mind. o O (You've been dropped into a different time. We will help you. But first, we have to stop the one who tricked you. The men wearing these same uniforms will help you for now.) She projects a mental image of the police for when or if Heracles breaks out. . o O (We'll release you when we can.)

She looks to the police and tells them, "He doesn't speak English and he was tricked into coming here. I think he's from another time. He might not be able to move for a while, but I'll be back to break him free once you've delivered him to Starguard for detention."

Hearing Daemon and Ten at the ready, she nods. "I'll try to open a gate there," she offers.

Ellbeth pauses for a moment before answering. "Dr Temple. I understand and sympathise with that situation. My concern is what you intended to do with this data that led you to leave the data devices in the past, and also that since one continues to record, there is now potentially data in the device that would expose details about heroes who maintain a separate and secret identity." She pauses again before continuing, "Let me make you two counter offers. First, I give you a copy of all the data that relates to your wife. Let me also express my sympathy again for your loss. Secondly, if there is a way to do so without harming this branch of history, I would be willing to assist in any effort you make to restore your wife to you. You do, I hope, realise that by selecting the companions you did, you set the heroes against you, wheras another approach could have had us helping you."

Grimm manages to open a gate to the airfield at Starguard. Rather, behind the line of soldiers currently covering Time Pharaoh.

Ten hurries through the gate. But, find Ellbeth already talking to Temple, she holds off on any immediate action.

Dr. Temple shakes his head, "If I wanted to know everyone's secret identity, don't you realize I could already have that information? That I could have gotten it at any time? What you have is a recording of an alternate timeline. Everything in there is a warped version of what you see before you today." He sighs again, "As much as I appreciate your offer to help recover my wife, your help would be as much assistance as mine would be with your casting of spells. There are points in the timeline that cannot be changed, lest the whole multiverse unravels."

Temple continues, "As to my 'choice of companions', I have found that the so-called 'heroes' have not exactly been helpful in my lifetime. You'll excuse me if I pick people whose motivations I understand better." The heroes are reminded...that Dr. Temples wife died in this timeline due to the interference of some heroes.

Daemon throws himself into the portal, leaping and rotating on two axes before landing in a crouch & rocking to the balls of his feet. He lets his arms rest on his knees while he inspects the scene.

He sees Ellbeth conversing, so he stands off too.

Instead, he activates his Therma-Optic Nanocloak and Sound Dampeners. A white hot line slides from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, wiping him from the sight (and ears) of everyone around.

Then he makes a zig-zagging pattern getting closer to the pair with each step.

Rocky rumbles earthily and shifts his restraining limbs around so that he's now more or less "wearing" an 'embedded' Heracles like a captive sentient backpack of sorts. ?A semi-internal shoulder-pack, perhaps? Rocky doesn't seem one hundred percent sure what Heracles' deal is, or even what exactly is going down around him in general, right at the moment. But this is actually more or less pretty normal for Rocky. There are a lot of excited humans here, waving their arms vigorously and making loud noises as if things are urgent and important. Also fairly normal, in his experience. So he does what he usually does, which is pretty much to hold on tight to what he knows for sure, to go with the flow on most of the rest, and to figure things out in detail later when he has the luxury of unlimited time to think. . . seeing everyone else step through the portal to Starguard, he similarly does likewise.

Ten thinks of something. "So," she asks Temple, "If your motivations so innocent then why is did the time getting fuzzy a year to either side of your assault on the museum?"

Ellbeth nods, "I would have expected you could but I'm no expert on time. Just as you probably do not know all the nuances of my spells. I would be foolish to assume I understood your abilities and their limitation. However, I do acknowledge your ownership of the artifacts. I would be willing to return them to you with the encryption key to unlock the data. But only if you are willing to allow me to see your intent for the data in your mind. Which, by the way I could have already done without you knowing. Something I have refrained from doing out of respect."

Time Pharaoh smirks and nods. "I am tired of trying to force the issue. Therefore, I accept. You may have been able to peer into my mind, Dr. Wyrd. But I shall lower my cybernetic mental shielding all the same, to make it easier for you. I highly recommend you keep to what you claim to be looking for. If you stray too much, there will be a reckoning. This is not a threat. It is a promise."

Daemon narrows his eyes at the Time Pharaoh. Not because of the threat, but because of the 'cybernetic mental shielding', something Daemon has been developing himself.

Ellbeth nods, and starts to infiltrate Dr Temple's mind. Looking specifically for his deepest intentions for the use of the data - and - any attempt on his part to conceal that or misinform her.

Ellbeth senses that he's filled with extreme sadness. He mostly wants to recover what is left of his wife...that final piece that will remind him of her, and then sidestep out of time entirely. She was the reason he ended up a 'villain' to some, and he knows that both heroes and himself have much to answer for in terms of her fate. He blames both the heroes that killed her in this timeline as well as his own mistakes in trying to alter time to make sure she survived. He will do anything to get the reminder of her back. Including tearing apart the multiverse if it comes to it.

She can also sense that this attitude is what drew him to use both Syphon and Inferno. They are of a similar mindset.

Ellbeth nods after long moments looking into Dr Temple's eyes. She turns to one of the Starguard agents, "Could you bring the two artifacts in Cell #6 to the landing field, please." she asks. Then turning back to Dr Temple. "I have given you a gift. Dr Temple. Try to recall a memory of your wife, please."

A couple of the agents head inside the building to gather the artifacts.

Ten thinks. o O (So if that's all he wanted - what was this fighting all about?)

Dr. Temple furrows his brow. "It's...clearer than I remembered...well, remembered previously. What did you do?"

Ellbeth smiles, "I cannot give you back your wife. I wish I could. But I can give you full and complete recall of the times you spent with her. I hope it brings you at least some comfort."

Time Pharaoh nods, finally smiling slightly. "Thank you. I appreciate that. And it does." The agents return with the two artifacts.

Even Daemon's biomechanical heart is moved by the sentiment & by Ellbeth's gift. But his logical mind does not approve in the slightest- not in rewarding a ruthless man or of handing over the blackbox but its clearly out of his hands now. He was only a consultant after all- and seeing the records of his alternate self is payment enough for him.

Daemon reappears standing behind Ellbeth. His reappearance looks as if his suit's invisibility became that impossible non-color of spots in your vision, before leaping into absolute real life focus.

He crosses his arms but says nothing.

Ellbeth takes the two artifacts and hands them over to Dr Temple, "If there's a next time ask before your companions burn down the museum?" she says. "The data store has been partially encrypted. You'll find the encryption key on this." Ellbeth hands over a optical data chip.

Dr. Temple nods. "I thank you again." He starts to disappear. "I also apologize. For your next president." And without any more of an explanation, he disappears.

Ten says, "So *why* was time fuzzy or whatever, again?"

"Fuzzy? Is that a technical term?" Daemon asks, turning on his heel to face Ten. He tucks the crux of his elbow in one hand while rubbing the chin of his helmet with the other. His gauntlets glow with an unworldly power, hidden beneath the plates running along the top.

Ellbeth shrugs, "I'm not sure, Ten. I could guess."

Ten says, "And why did he have to pick up his stuff now, not thousands of years ago? I don't get any of this."

Ellbeth says, "Because he wanted the records of his wife, and she didn't exist in the alternative timeline until fairly recently. In historical terms.""

Ten says, "So the device was recording a different timeline from this one? I didn't think of that...."

"That makes as much sense as any of this." Daemon says.