Tertiary (Worm)

[Tranquil Zebra]

While those PRT soldiers were being pricks, I can see how keeping someone awake and forcing them to the edge of rage would help determine if someone was really being Mastered.

Click to shrink...

Well, personally I'm of the opinion that unless you have a baseline on how specific people react to torture, using torture to make people behave abnormally will not tell you whether or not they are mastered, only how they react to torture. I would also hope those effectively having their human rights waived during the course of their incarceration, so that they can be mentally and physically abused, would get some sort of compensation.

Also, there should a high degree of oversight and internal scrutiny in an organisation that can take such measures against minors at the faintest suspicion of something "smelling fishy". So long as there exists a legal way to torture prisoners, it's doubly important to ensure it's not done lightly, nor with malicious intent, which seems to be the case, here. I actually hope this whole affair gets blown wide open, with headlines like "PRT officers beats and abuses minors for involvement in prank against ward bully. Ward also on steroids". This actually sounds like the sort of scandal which might involve a strangely competent woman in a hat preventing it from reaching the public.

In a world with Valefor, Heartbreaker, the Simurgh, Crane the Harmonious etc., you have to be careful, yes, but opening the very safeguards against monsters like those to abuse from monsters of a differemt sort seems extremely dangerous, is all. Imagine if M/S screenings actually routinely made subjects trigger? Confinement and physical abuse tends to promote Shaker/Breaker or straight up Brute, IIRC, but so called lawful government officials robbing people of choice and freedom in such a manner would surely create a high chance of Masters triggering with an anti-authorotarian bent and anti-PRT sentiments already built in.

Maybe it's because I'm from a small town in Northern Norway, where the police are generally nice people, and the closest we ever came to a police shooting was when a service weapon accidentally discharged through a wall in the Police House. Where police brutality is unheard of, and the police is much more likely to drive you home with a firm word and a pat on the back than throw you in the drunk tank. Still, the thought of police officers acting at all like the PRT, or many actual American police officers for that matter, is completely foreign and absurd, both to me and my friend the police officer.

 

[gunghoun]

snip

Click to shrink...

Yeah, I don't know what it is about people who write Worm fanfics, but they always seem to want to take the PRT and make them even worse than they were in canon "all authority is abusive and untrustworthy" Worm. I don't get why they always seem to want people to hate the "good guys," and I don't generally consider it good or "dramatic" writing.

I felt this was a really bad chapter in an otherwise decent story.

 

[Ack]

Yeah, I don't know what it is about people who write Worm fanfics, but they always seem to want to take the PRT and make them even worse than they were in canon "all authority is abusive and untrustworthy" Worm. I don't get why they always seem to want people to hate the "good guys," and I don't generally consider it good or "dramatic" writing.

I felt this was a really bad chapter in an otherwise decent story.

Click to shrink...

Note that in canon, they were considering Birdcaging Taylor because she refused to reveal her secret identity to Sophia as a way of levelling the playing field.

Also, they unleashed Bakuda bombs while the Undersiders were still in the field against the Slaughterhouse Nine.

I will mention again that canon Worm is nasty. People like the Slaughterhouse Nine exist, as do Valefor and the Simurgh. Any of which could quite literally implant mental time bombs in someone's head.

Finally, the stress that the jocks were undergoing would not be Trigger-worthy unless one of them was second or third gen cape-wise. It's gotta be your absolute worst day ever, and these are jocks who have hazed one another. Pretty sure they would have been in fist-fights as well. Yes, sleep deprivation is nasty. But it's less bad than a lot of other things. (Waterboarding, for instance).

I will agree that the PRT soldiers playing it for laughs is a bad thing, and something that they could even be disciplined for, but if even one of those jocks had actually been Mastered, and the treatment showed that up, it would have actually been justified. They weren't, and therefore it wasn't.

 

[chrnno]

Thing is with the variety of possible abilities I would assume literally every single part of it should be reported in detail by each person involved(there should be multiple independent people watching the whole thing) which is either going to include them being happy to go all payback and letting the person under suspicion know about it, which both have the potential to invalidate the scenario, or them omitting it. Either means the next step of Master/Stranger protocols should be the testers themselves being brought under quarantine and maybe expand the group to others depending on how people are selected and what they can confirm to have occurred to them in the previous days.

Because really if you bring a group under suspicion of potential influence and the testers behave in any way off the norm I can't really see any halfway decent SOP not being to consider them also possible under influence.

 

[Ack]

Thing is with the variety of possible abilities I would assume literally every single part of it should be reported in detail by each person involved(there should be multiple independent people watching the whole thing) which is either going to include them being happy to go all payback and letting the person under suspicion know about it, which both have the potential to invalidate the scenario, or them omitting it. Either means the next step of Master/Stranger protocols should be the testers themselves being brought under quarantine and maybe expand the group to others depending on how people are selected and what they can confirm to have occurred to them in the previous days.

Because really if you bring a group under suspicion of potential influence and the testers behave in any way off the norm I can't really see any halfway decent SOP not being to consider them also possible under influence.

Click to shrink...

Your points are valid.

 

[Visual Pun]

POWER::ON










TIME CHECK: 2011.04.11.19:55

Armsmaster Motorcycle Systems Assistant Version 12. Initializing…

Scheduled Patrol to commence in 4 minutes and 59 seconds. Download PATROL.ROUTE.RMSBK… Complete. PATROL.ROUTE.RANDOMIZER Running… Complete.

Start-Up Diagnostics… Running….
Checking Fuel Tank… 31% Full – Pumping Methyl Ethel Kerosene proprietary blend. ::Estimate 17 seconds to fill::
Checking Battery Charge… 100%, Capacitor Charge… 0% Begin Charging… ::Estimate 3 seconds to charge Capacitors::
Checking Onboard Generator at 0%... Capacitors at 100%... End Charging… Phlogiston Ignition - Reactor at 97% ::57 hours until maintenance required::
Checking Holdout System… 0% Applying Torque to Spring… 100% Electromagnet engaged – Holdout system on standby
Checking Gyroscopes within tolerance. ::537 hours until maintenance required::
Checking Location... Location Confirmed as Protectorate ENE Base in Brockton Bay Harbor
Checking Communication Systems… 7 cell phone towers within range… VHF send/receive... OK. UHF send/receive... OK. Satellite send/receive... OK. Ansible send/receive… OK.
Checking Sensor Arrays… Passive - operational/recording… Active - operational/on standby… ::92 hours until maintenance required::
Checking Self-Defense Systems… 100% Mode set to standby. ::32 hours until maintenance required::
Checking Overall Operational Efficiency… 97.324% ::21 hours until scheduled maintenance::
Fuel Tank: 100% Full, Fuel Pumps engaged… Engine start. Umbilical detached. Engine idle. Loading… AUTO.NAVIGATION… Running. Download TINKER.NOTES.APRIL.11… Complete.

Download unread personal email: 2
Email 1 from: Chevalier. Subject: Happy Birthday Colin (audio file attached)
Email 2 from: Mouse Protector. Subject: Heard this and thought of you! Happy Birthday! (NSFW audio file attached)
Email scan… no virus/trojans detected. Email IF/THEN protocols – IF email unread by end of patrol THEN delete.

IFF pinged. IFF handshake acknowledged. Armsmaster verified. Arrival in 3.7 seconds. Self Defense Systems to: OFF. Vernier stabilizer jets: Standby. Halberd compartment door: OPEN, Halberd IFF handshake accepted, Stow Halberd - PRIMARY next to Halberd – NON-LETHAL and Halberd – MASTER/STRANGER.

Vernier stabilizer jets: Active. Gyroscope + 2 degrees starboard... compensating. Armsmaster Power Armor systems synchronization with Armsmaster Motorcycle… synchronization complete.
COMPARE/CONTRAST previous patrol patterns. Estimate 99.997% probability communicate with Protectorate Console in next 1.7 seconds. Estimate 65.379% probability of patrol time engaged with TINKER.NOTES.APRIL.11. Estimate 9 encounters leading to 1st​/2nd​ Degree Assault arrests by BBPD, 17 Drunk & Disorderly notifications to BBPD not leading to arrest. Estimate 15.202% probability of cape encounter during patrol.

Communication link to Console established.

Outgoing transmission: "This is Armsmaster, heading out on patrol."

Incoming transmission: "Acknowledged, Armsmaster, good hunting and happy birthday." Voice designation – Triumph.

CO-WORKER SOCIAL.NICETIES.VERSION.2 prompt to helmet display – :ACCESS::CALENDAR:: - Triumph::Birthday) T-minus 329 days.'

Outgoing transmission: "Thank you."

End transmission.

Engine throttle up 15%, Retract Port/Starboard kickstands. Forward motion detected. Hangar Bay access doors opening. Accelerating. Hangar bay doors open, distance 35 meters… 24 meters… 9 meters… 0.32 meters…

IFF handshake to ENE Protectorate Base. IFF handshake acknowledged. Reconfigure SW force field projector from point defense mode to Lightbridge mode. Synchronize PATROL.ROUTE.RMSBK. to connect Lightbridge with ::RANDOMIZED.LOCATION:: Springfield Avenue.

Lightbridge engaged. Accelerating. Estimated time of arrival at Springfield Avenue 84.7 seconds… Accelerating… 62.1 seconds… accelerating… 43.5 seconds…
TIME CHECK: 2011.04.11.20:00 Systems Assistant Log Delta Upload… Complete.

Armsmaster diagnostic commencing. Pulse 57 BPM. BP within tolerances. Most recent sleep – 19.31 hours ago. IF/THEN protocols - IF most recent sleep > 18 hours THEN schedule: Coffee and Donuts with BBPD precinct closest to estimated break time location of patrol route in 2 hours. Estimated location confirmed. Email to BBPD one hour standby.

Armsmaster has engaged AUTO.NAVIGATION
Synchronizing BROCKTON.BAY.MAP to PATROL.ROUTE.RMSBK.
Armsmaster has opened TINKER.NOTES.APRIL.11.

Passive sensors detect average of 12 cell phones in use within 3 block radius. Source of EM transmissions fits profile for apartment buildings. Left turn in 22 meters, decelerating to synchronize patrol route with traffic light pattern. Pattern match of typical graffiti denotes E88 territory 95% probability, 5% Other.

Elapsed patrol time: 17 minutes. Armsmaster has accessed - TINKER.NOTES.APRIL.11 for 15 minutes 23 seconds.

COMPARE/CONTRAST current location to PATROL.ROUTE.RMSBK. … popular restaurant with tourists located 150 meters ahead on left. IF/THEN protocols – IF patrol route intersects popular tourist location THEN engage PUBLIC.RELATIONS.PROMPTS.VERSION.7

Running PUBLIC.RELATIONS.PROMPTS.VERSION.7 prompt to helmet display – 'Wave to left in 3… 2… 1…. Wave.'

Approaching red light. Decelerating. Passive sensors detect 2 adults and 3 juveniles at crosswalk. Estimated juvenile ages based on height: 11, 8, and 6. IF/THEN protocols – IF encounter juveniles accompanied by probable guardians THEN engage STOCK.FAMILY.ENCOUNTER.SCRIPT.VERSION.5

Promotional photographs and Autograph marker deployment from storage on standby. Running STOCK.FAMILY.ENCOUNTER.SCRIPT.VERSION.5 prompt to helmet display – 'Family Unit interaction:
Option 1: Say 'Hey kids, don't do drugs.'
Option 2: Say 'Stay in school.'
Option 3: Say 'Only dopes use dope.'

Armsmaster has opened a note: Update family encounter scripts. Ask one of the Wards for a less cheesy quote, something that references a currently popular movie or TV show. Note saved.

IF/THEN protocols – IF two or more bars located on one block THEN turn on active sensor package gas spectrometer to detect volatile esters. Alcohol/Carbon Dioxide mix detected. Estimated Blood Alcohol Content level of 1.3 by individual in parking lot. BBPD contacted for possible drunk driver in the vicinity of 3rd​ and Washington.

Passive sensors detect change in pattern match of typical graffiti denotes ABB territory 95% probability, 5% Other.

IF/THEN protocols - IF Armsmaster engaged in TINKER.NOTES.APRIL.11 at scheduled check-in time, THEN Simulate standard check-in protocol with VOICE.SYNTHESIZER.ARMSMASTER.VERSION.27
Elapsed patrol time: 34 minutes. Scheduled live check-in with Console at ENE Protectorate Base. Running VOICE.SYNTHESIZER.ARMSMASTER.VERSION.27

Outgoing transmission: "This is Armsmaster, checking in."

Incoming transmission: "Acknowledged, Armsmaster, how are things out there?" Voice designation – Triumph.

Outgoing transmission: "Just a typical slow..." Parse – Intent:ay of Week::ACCESS::Calendar:: "…Sunday night."

Incoming transmission: "Good to hear for a change. Triumph out." Voice designation – Triumph.

End transmission.

IF/THEN protocols – IF passive visual sensors detect silhouette anomaly from :REVIOUS PATROL:: ROOFLINE.SILHOUETTE.LIBRARY.VERSION.430, THEN target active visual sensors on anomaly.

Camera targeting, focus estimated range 376 meters. Pattern match - human silhouette 93% probability. Cell phone EM transmissions detected. Intercepted text decrypting… Text reads 'AM OTW.' Parse intent – notify approach of Armsmaster probability 62.3%, personal movement update 35% probability, 2.7% Other.

Cell phone EM transmission detected, Intercepted text decrypting… 'OK.' Parse intent – notify approach of Armsmaster 87.5.% probability, personal movement acknowledgement 11.5% probability, 1% Other.
Prompt to helmet display – 'Potential gang activity 320 meters ahead.'

AUTO.NAVIGATION disengaged. Armsmaster has resumed active steering control.

Active sensors - 17 individuals on visual. 19 individuals on infrared, IF/THEN protocols – IF visual and infrared body count does not match THEN alert to locations.

IF/THEN protocols – IF two or more individuals move deeper into an alley THEN turn on active sensor package camera COMPARE/CONTRAST to known pimps and/or prostitutes. Telescopic lens focusing... photographs taken. Match against KNOWN.ARRESTS.FOR.PROSTITUTION.DATABASE.VERSION.42. Scanning… two matches 87.1% probability, one match 92.4% probability, one match 32.9% probability.
BBPD contacted for possible prostitution in the vicinity of 3rd​ and Jackson.

Armsmaster has re-engaged AUTO.NAVIGATION

Synchronizing BROCKTON.BAY.MAP to PATROL.ROUTE.RMSBK.

Elapsed patrol time – 59 minutes. COMPARE/CONTRAST with previous patrols – 32% probability new tinker file to be created, 60.4% probability resume work on previous tinker file, 7.6% probability Other.



TIME CHECK: 2011.04.11.21:00 Virtual Assistant Log Delta Upload… Complete.



Email sent to BBPD. Subject: 10 PM Coffee and Donuts at Boardwalk Donut Shoppe… Email sent.

Armsmaster has resumed work on TINKER.NOTES.APRIL.11

Incoming transmission: "Armsmaster, come in this is Triumph, Over." Voice designation – Triumph.

Parse - Autosave work on TINKER.NOTES.APRIL.11

Outgoing transmission: "This is Armsmaster, go ahead Triumph."

Incoming transmission: "Got some intel from the anonymous tip line, a few bystander calls that there's a cape ruckus near Main Street and Roosevelt. Traffic cameras are blacked out and that mercenary Butterfly claims to be on-site and also called it in on the PRT hotline." Voice designation – Triumph.

Updating BROCKTON.BAY.MAP to PATROL.ROUTE.RMSBK. Plot most efficient route from current location to Parse intent – MAIN.STREET.AND.ROOSEVELT

Passive sensors detect pattern match of typical graffiti denotes ABB territory 95% probability, 5% Other.

Parse – KNOWN.PARAHUMAN.GROUP.ROSTER.ABB: Lung, Oni Lee, Bakuda

AUTO.NAVIGATION deactivated. Armsmaster has resumed manual control.

Outgoing transmission: "Intercept course plotted, I'm four minutes away. Connect me to Butterfly."

Incoming transmission: "OK… Butterfly, I'm putting you through to Armsmaster now." Voice designation – Triumph.

Outgoing transmission: "Butterfly, I'm less than four minutes away from your last reported location. What's can you tell me about the situation?"

Incoming transmission: "I'm on foot at… Roosevelt and Roanoke. My bugs detect Grue's darkness has blacked out almost all the way to Lord Street. I think they're heading northeast." Parsing - Voice designation – Butterfly.

Parse – KNOWN.PARAHUMAN.GROUP.ROSTER.UNDERSIDERS: Grue, Tattletale, Regent, Hellhound.

Updating BROCKTON.BAY.MAP to PATROL.ROUTE.RMSBK. Plot most efficient route from current location to Parse intent –LORD.STREET.AND.ROOSEVELT

Scanning cell phone EM transmissions, Boosting range through cell phone repeater tower… Scanning…

Outgoing transmission: "Can you tell what they're doing? Who they're fighting?"

Scanning cell phone EM transmissions…

Incoming transmission: "There's one guy moving rapidly through a rolling gap in Grue's cloud, he's taking down and disarming a lot of gang members I think. Grue's nearby doing the same thing, and someone big is inside the cloud." Voice designation – Butterfly.

Parse – KNOWN.PARAHUMAN.GROUP.ROSTER.UNDERSIDERS: Grue, Tattletale, Regent, Hellhound. Intent: 'guy moving rapidly' = Regent 95% probability, 5% Other.

Parse – KNOWN.PARAHUMAN.GROUP.ROSTER.ABB: Lung, Oni Lee, Bakuda – Intent: 'someone big': Lung 90% probability, E88 (subgroup 'Big': Fenja, Menja, Hookwolf, Kaiser) 5% probability, Other 5%.

Scanning cell phone EM transmissions… Transmission pattern matches incoming transmission, transmitting cell phone towers detected, location triangulated, updating BROCKTON.BAY.MAP to PATROL.ROUTE.RMSBK as EM transmission source moves.

Transmission to Brockton Bay Traffic department – PRT override of stoplights on route matching cell phone triangulation on BROCKTON.BAY.MAP to PATROL.ROUTE.RMSBK.

Updated estimated time of arrival: 1 minute 41 seconds.

Second cell phone EM transmission from triangulated location detected. Intercepted text decrypting… Text reads 'OMG working w Armsmaster at Roanoke and Lord.' Parse - Intent: Notify unidentified support of Armsmaster involvement 22.3% probability, Brag/share with non-parahuman friend 67.9% probability, Other 9.8%

Incoming transmission: "WHOA! A big burst of flame just came out of Grue's Darkness.

Parse – 'Big burst of flame' Intent: Parahuman Presence of Lung 87% probability, Spitfire 12% probability, 1% Other.

Outgoing transmission: "It's Lung, can you tell me what Hellhound's dogs are doing?"

Incoming transmission: "Two are ravaging Lung like a chew toy in the center of a large gap in the darkness while the other two are pushing cars outside the darkness toward the main fight." Voice designation – Butterfly.

Outgoing transmission: "Hellhound has to use voice commands for her dogs, can you spot her nearby?"

Incoming transmission: "She... she's on a gravel roof overlooking the fight with two other people." Voice designation – Butterfly.

Parse – KNOWN.PARAHUMAN.GROUP.ROSTER.UNDERSIDERS: Grue, Tattletale, Regent, Hellhound. Intent: Five members (REF: 3 on Roof, 2 in Cloud) noted in call. Unknown fifth member of Undersiders 45% probability, Hired Mercenary 45% probability, Other 10%.

Flag KNOWN.PARAHUMAN.GROUP.ROSTER.UNDERSIDERS: 5th​ Provisional Unknown Member encountered 2011.04.11.22:56

Outgoing transmission: "Where's Regent? Is he on the roof or alongside Grue?"

Incoming transmission: "Which one's Re... Holy Shit! The dogs just sandwiched Lung between the two cars. Some other big guy is smashing the cars to bend around Lung with them." Voice designation – Butterfly.

Parse – KNOWN.PARAHUMAN.GROUP.ROSTER.ALLsubgroup 'Big': Lung, Fenja, Menja, Hookwolf, Kaiser, Mush, Squealer(Vehicle Only), Trainwreck) Intent: Add 5th​ provisional UNDERSIDERS member.

Outgoing transmission: "How large is Lung right now?"

Incoming transmission: "Maybe 8, 9 feet tall, but, wait… now the dogs are going over to the building, the Undersiders are climbing on." Voice designation – Butterfly.

Parse - KNOWN.PARAHUMAN.GROUP.ROSTER.VERSION.ABB: Lung < 10 feet height = Brute 5 Protocols.

Cycling Containment Foam Grenades to Dorsal Mortar.

Accelerating… estimated time of arrival 56 seconds.

Parse - KNOWN.PARAHUMAN.GROUP.ROSTER.ABB: Lung. Estimate given duration of combat, EXPERIMENTAL.SEDATIVE.BATCH.9 in Halberd – PRIMARY Estimated effectiveness 91% probability, Unknown 9% probability.

Approaching visual range. Passive sensors detect smoke cloud. Active sensors detect ::ERROR::Anomaly::No Sensor Data::

Parse - KNOWN.PARAHUMAN.GROUP.ROSTER.UNDERSIDERS: Grue – Powers match Anomaly, Intent: DESIGNATE = Grue's Darkness.

::ALERT:: – Infrared sensors detect intense heat signature location 920 meters ahead.

Outgoing transmission: "Armsmaster to Console. Lung reported to be pinned between two wrecked cars, moving to engage."

Armsmaster has initiated DEATH.FROM.ABOVE.VERSION.6.

Active sensors: Track and record Armsmaster vs. Lung battle.

AUTO.NAVIGATION – ON

Accelerating. Compressor – ON. Pneumatic system charging… Distance 427 meters

Armsmaster has opened Halberd Storage. Primary Halberd selected.

Pneumatic system charged. Distance 129 meters

Armsmaster has repositioned into a crouch on the motorcycle seat. Vernier thrusters to maintain Gyroscopic stability.

Distance 51 meters. Active ground following radar engaged. Calculate trajectory – On Target.

Dorsal Mortar: Deployed. Containment Foam Shell: Launched. Containment Foam Shell: Launched.

Distance 12 meters. 10 meters. Discharge Pneumatic ejection seat, engage brakes, Vernier thrusters engaged to assist braking. Discharge pneumatic system to re-set ejector seat.

Lower port and starboard kickstands. AUTO.NAVIGATION: Standby, Self Defense Systems: ON, Engine: Idle.


Armsmaster has deployed titanium injection spike on his Primary Halberd.

Containment Foam Shell: IMPACT. Containment Foam Shell: IMPACT.

Armsmaster has injected EXPERIMENTAL.SEDATIVE.BATCH.9 into Lung.

Audio detected: "Awww Ki 'Ooo" Parsing – Voice designation – Lung.

Audio detected: ….. Parse: Overstressed Metal Fatigue.

Audio detected: "You're not getting away THAT easy…" Voice designation – Armsmaster.

Armsmaster has injected EXPERIMENTAL.SEDATIVE.BATCH.9 into Lung.

::ALERT:: 10% drop in ambient temperature detected.

Outgoing transmission: "Armsmaster to Console, I've defeated Lung, repeat, I have defeated Lung."

Incoming transmission: "Copy that, Armsmaster, transports alerted and will soon be on their way. Nice job." Voice designation – Triumph.

Passive sensors detect smoke cloud. Active sensors detect ::ERROR::Anomaly::RECOGNISED:ESIGNATE = Grue's Darkness COMPARE/CONTRAST most recent size of smoke cloud with previous reading… Calculating 3% drop in volume from previous scan, estimated 7 minutes 19 seconds to complete evaporation.

Outgoing transmission: "Butterfly, are you still there?"


TIME CHECK: 2011.04.11.22:00 Systems Assistant Log Delta Upload… Complete.


Incoming transmission: "Yeah, I'm about a block to your south. My bugs are tying the hands of the ABB gang members in case any of them decide to pick up their weapons before the cops get here." Voice designation – Butterfly.

Outgoing transmission: 'So you actually can operate through Grue's darkness with impunity."

Incoming transmi…



::ALERT:: ::Anomaly::19.7 GeV Power source detected 6 meters above current location::


Parse – 19.7 GeV Power source originates from vehicle 5.21 meters x 11.73 meters x 3.24 meters

Parse - Unknown Tinkertech Vehicle in Brockton Bay: Squealer 95% probability, Other 4% probability, Dragon 1%

Parse – KNOWN.PARAHUMAN.GROUP.ROSTER.MERCHANTS: Skidmark, Squealer, Mush, Whirlygig, Moist, Trainwreck.

::WARNING:: Mercenary 'Butterfly' admitted to work with Merchants before.

EM Plasma discharge from vehicle detected.

Parse – GUILT.BY.ASSOCIATIONrogram Running… Intent: Previous intercepted phone text, 'OMG working w Armsmaster at Roanoke and Lord.' - Intent: Notify MERCHANTS of Armsmaster location 98%
probability, Brag/share with non-parahuman friend 1% probability, Other 1%

Point Defense Forcefield: ON, Forcefield at 100%... 57%... 21%... Forcefield breached.

Current Return Network at 137% Capacitor Catastrophic Overload, Battery Damage, Systems damaged.


::ALERT:: IMMEDIATE SYSTEM HARD SHUTDOWN TO PREVENT FURTHER DAMAGE::


_____





















TIME CHECK: 2000.01.01.00:00


IF/THEN protocols: IF clock reset THEN Run: PHOENIX.LAZARUS.REVENANT.EXE Running…


Emergency Start-Up Diagnostics… Running….
Checking Fuel Tank… 81% Full, ::ERROR:: Fuel Pumps Damaged ::Immediate maintenance required::
Checking Battery Charge… 0% Primary connection melted down...Inoperable 0%...
Checking Onboard Generator at 0%... Capacitors at 0%... Charging currently not available… Onboard Generator at 0% ::Immediate maintenance required::
Checking Holdout System… Spring powered flywheel at 97% and falling ::1 minute 43 seconds of power remaining::
Checking Gyroscopes within tolerance. ::ERROR:: Roll -183 degrees, Pitch -9 degrees, Yaw port 3 degrees ::ERROR:rimary propulsion (wheels) not in contact with ground::
Checking Location... Location Unknown.
Checking Communication Systems… No cell phone towers within range… VHF send/receive... Negative. UHF send/receive... Negative. Satellite send/receive... Negative. Ansible send/receive... Negative.
Checking Sensor Arrays… Passive - operational/recording… Active – 82% damaged… ::Immediate maintenance required::
Checking Self-Defense Systems… Offline. ::Immediate maintenance required::
Checking Overall Operational Efficiency… 27.324% ::Immediate maintenance required::



:: One minute 40 seconds power remaining ::



Parse – Communications Negative – Intent: EM Jamming 93% probability, Power outage at receiver 6% probability, Other 1%



:: One Minute 35 seconds power remaining ::



… Fuel line open. IF Fuel Pumps offline, THEN Gravity feed required.



:: One Minute 30 seconds power remaining ::



Passive sensors detect Motorcycle is upside down, Three masses of 50 KG or more within 3 meters, unable to power active scanners.

::ALERT:: Unauthorized attempt to open ventral access hatch. 70 KG of mass detected Starboard side within 0.25 meters.



:: One minute 20 seconds power remaining ::



::ERROR:: Power draining faster than projected. Action required.



::One minute Power remaining ::



Use 1% of remaining power to trigger Starboard kickstand explosive bolts. :etonation successful:: 70 KG mass moved away 1.8 meters.

Audio detected: "OW! Motherfucker!" Voice designation – Squealer.

Use 5% of remaining power to activate Pneumatic Ejector Seat.

Discharged. Vernier activation.

Gyroscope detects Horizon = True. Update: 1% list to Port.

:eploy Port kickstand::



:: 37 seconds power remaining ::



Fuel detected in engine ignition chamber.
Use 20% of remaining power to start engine.

::ALERT:: Engine start unsuccessful.



::20 seconds power remaining::



Use 50% of remaining power to start engine.

Engine ignition: 75% successful. ::Immediate maintenance required:: Replace Spark Plug.



::4 seconds of power remaining::



Audio detected: "Shoot it! Shoot its' fuckin' tires!" Voice designation – Squealer.

Battery charge at 0.1%... 0.3%... 0.5%...



::Zero seconds of power remaining::



Firearm Discharge detected.




















Battery at 1.3%... Drain from systems 0.9%... Battery at 0.4% and climbing. Self Defense systems to reboot at 5% power.

Audio detected: "HOW COULD YOU FUCKING MISS? YOU WERE STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO IT!" Voice designation – Squealer.

Active Sensors: ON
Terrain following Radar – Offline due to Damage.
Lidar System... Offline due to Damage.
Active Sonar… Offline due to Damage
Passive Sonar…Online

Passive sonar detects ambient noise at 77 dB. >25000 square foot Warehouse, open Floorplan. Require source of 80 dB to navigate and show human scale objects.
Front wheel brakes: ON, Rev engine, Passive sensors detect rising rear wheel temperature.

:: Vulcanized Rubber Smoke Detected::

Noise from tire > 80 Db.

Passive Sonar detects 31 individuals inside 25,000 square foot building.

COMPARE/CONTRAST current situation with EMERGENCY.START-UP.SCENARIO.DATABASE Searching…Searching… Match found – EXFILTRATION.SCENARIO: PLISKIN.ZERO.ONE.

EXFILTRATION.SCENARIO: PLISKIN.ZERO.ONE loading… Complete. Running EXFILTRATION.SCENARIO: PLISKIN.ZERO.ONE

COMPARE/CONTRAST current situation with AUTONOMOUS.MOTORCYCLE.COMBAT.DATABASE Searching….Searching….

Matches Found:
MIDVALE.ORGANIZED.NEIGHBORHOOD.DEFENSE.OPERATIVE.(M.O.N.D.O.).TACTICAL.HANDBOOK,
BMX-BANDIT.BIOGRAPHY."GOT THE DROP ON YOU".BY.ANGEL.SUMMONER,
BURT.GUMMER'S.GUIDE.TO.GRABOID.INFESTATIONOLUME.VII,
SONS.OF.ANARCHY.WRITERS.ROOM.NOTES,
PRT.CODENAME:STREET.HAWK.STRATEGY.AND.TACTICS,
CHASSIS.&.CROSSBOW:HOW.TO.SURVIVE.THE.NIXON.OIL.SHOCK.TRIGGERED.APOCALYSPSE.(1971.EDITION).

Primary audio source required for Passive Sonar navigation.

AM/FM signal - ::ERROR:: No signal.

Onboard Audio Replay:
TINKER.NOTES.APRIL.11 ::CLASSIFIED:O NOT BROADCAST::
Armsmaster Voice Simulator ::CLASSIFIED:O NOT BROADCAST::
Personal Recorded Music – 'Karaoke Hits from the 80's, 90's, and more!' ::CLASSIFIED:O NOT BROADCAST::
Unclassified Audio Files Found - 2 Personal emails:

First Audio File: Email from Chevalier. Subject: Happy Birthday Colin (audio file attached)


Play Audio File Origin - Chevalier? Y/N?


Y.


Playing… Audio File corrupted. Unable to play.


Second Audio File: Email from Mouse Protector. Subject: Heard this and thought of you! Happy Birthday! (NSFW audio file attached)

Play Audio File Origin - Mouse Protector? (NSFW) Y/N?


Y.


Playing…. NSFW Audio File


Run EXFILTRATION.SCENARIO: PLISKIN.ZERO.ONE. Running… PEDESTRIAN.ANTI-COLLISION.PROGRAM:isengaged.

_____


Inside the abandoned warehouse location of the makeshift Merchant travelling workshop, the echoes from gunfire faded into the ambient noise of stolen cars being torn apart.

Squealer lay on the concrete floor, her hand clutched around a blue section of metal stuck in her right shoulder as two of her mechanics took an involuntary step back from the motorcycle revving its' engine all on its own.

Twin headlights snapped on, like the eyes of a jungle cats' gleaming reflection of an unwary hunter's campfire.

"Don't just stand there, dumbshits, shoot it again!" Squealer yelled at her subordinates.

Audio speakers on Armsmasters motorcycle hissed to life, cacophonous heavy metal drumming and guitars blared forth. (Author's note: NSFW link to audio, same as above)

The hero's stolen motorcycle accelerated away, rolled over the foot of the one Merchant mechanic closest to Squealer and knocked the other one to the floor.

Squealer struggled to her feet as loud music blared from Armsmaster's not-so-captured motorcycle. She watched it seemingly lose control and fishtail into a cluster of her mechanics which bowled them all over, the machine remained on its' wheels and to drove off to ram someone else. She looked over where Mush lay, still zonked out of his gourd after helping her steal Armsmaster's bike earlier in the evening.

The blue steel kickstand lodged in her shoulder limited her to one arm for the time being. She figured she would probably have to wear a sling for a couple of weeks. But as far as the pain was concerned, she had that covered.

Squealer pulled a bottle of someone's stolen prescription of something-or-other with the word 'Meth' in it from her fanny pack and downed half of the contents. But during the time she'd done that, Armsmaster's bike had been up to no good.

Several of her mechanics twitched on the floor from attempts to grapple the bike's electrified hull. A few more lay unconscious with tread marks across their prone forms where the PRT Heroes bike had simply run them over. One guy had climbed into the cab of one of the tow trucks.

Armsmaster's pride and joy dodged past Halo who had already scored a melted line across the vehicle's armor with an acetylene torch earlier, only for Squealer to see it execute a controlled skid and fishtail into yet another Merchant mechanic. The impact knocked the burly man headfirst into a support pillar which knocked him unconscious.

"JUST SHOOT THE DAMN THING ALREADY!" Squealer bellowed.

An enterprising Merchant had seized the high ground, and from halfway up an open staircase pointed her shotgun down and blasted the heroic transport. Only to have the bike screech around most of a circle in response to charge up the stairs after her.

Squealer watched as Armsmaster's bike shuddered and jittered as fast as it could up the rickety wooden staircase, the shotgun wielding Merchant leaped out of the way over the railing and landed on the floor.
"AW SHIT! GO UP THE STAIRS AFTER IT YOU ASSHOLES!"

Squealer watched the bike smash through the wooden railing weakened by dry-rot and arced through the air above a cluster of scared mechanics who had tried to take shelter in the shadow of her latest creation.

From a distance, Squealers' heart froze in terror as a panel in the bike's undercarriage opened and she saw two discs the size of a small dinner plate descend to explode when they hit the ground.

In the aftermath Squealer looked around, it seemed like at least ten of her guys were out of action just due to the combined effects of the containment foam and flash-bang landmines.

A few brighter bulbs had a length of heavy chain held between them and were trying to entangle the possessed motorcycles' spinning wheels.

"Fuck it," Squealer said as she returned the bottle of painkillers to her fanny pack, "Time to call in the cavalry."

The Tinker pulled out a cheap plastic walkie-talkie from a kids' PRT Playset with an antenna which warped space around it and looked like a half melted spiral candle.

"Gigi, you there?" Squealer asked when she pressed the switch to transmit.

A tinny, crackled static-y response came, "Not a good time, Share."

"Timeshare… good one, Gigster." Squealer said into the cheap-looking communication device, "I need you to pop in, pronto."

"Uuuugggh… the Dramamine JUST started working. Not another donut run this time, is it?"

Before Squealer could reply, the motorcycle sped forward.

Squealer yelled at the mechanics who had taken pot shots at the motorcycle. "NOT THE NITROGEN TANKS! FUCKING DAMMIT!" Then she returned talking into the walkie-talkie, "I need you here now, Giggity."

From the walkie-talkie came the reply, "Be there in two shakes…"

Unheard over the revving engine and thunderous guitars and vocal wails from the motorcycle, a sound like ice cubes cracking came from a point in the air in the middle of the warehouse. Light flared briefly from the pinhole sized breach in reality as a long haired woman in stained white painters overalls with a tight grey tank top underneath somehow came through the tiny opening. She landed on her feet, and promptly bent at the waist, hands on her knees and vomited on the floor in front of her.

The air swirled around her feet, a dropped screwdriver, trash which had littered the floor around her, and the previous contents of her stomach gained speed as it all moved in orbit around her body.

Armsmaster's bike fishtailed into a mechanic with a big wrench held in both hands over his head like he was going to chop wood. The guy fell over. The bike didn't. It turned and burned rubber towards Halo as he attempted to re-light an acetylene torch.

Whirlygig reached and every object within thirty feet, splintered wood, scrap metal, dropped tools and guns joined the orbit of debris around her. She wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and tossed it into the detritus circling her. The bike was getting further away.

From the middle of the maelstrom Whirlygig again reached for the big steel-girder frame around Squealer's latest tank and pulled herself in a counter-clockwise arc through the air around the anchoring mountain of metal. That brought her close enough to reach out to the bike and jerk it up off of its wheels. Once she released Squealer's rig she smashed the tumbling bike down into the concrete slabs that made up the floor of the warehouse.

One of the chop-shop tow trucks rammed Armsmaster's motorcycle. Clouds of steam poured out from where the tow truck's radiator had borne the brunt of the collision.

"Gotcha now, motherfucker!" shouted the driver before he crushed the PRT bike into the side of Squealer's new hover barge.

The collision was overshadowed by multiple explosions shot out between the tow truck and the welded and riveted plates of the Merchant's vehicular monstrosity. Thermite and other exotic effects mingled with expanding containment foam gobbets scattered by other concussive blasts from the emptied magazines of Armsmaster's motorcycle.

As the smoke cleared, over the crackling of flames the tow truck's engine spluttered and seized up into silence.

The Merchant with smoking hair who fell out of the wrecked tow truck coughed and pulled shards of broken glass from the arms of his leather jacket, a scratch across his forehead began to bleed.

Squealer ignored the bloody trail the man left as he scooted himself away from the crumpled vehicles. She held her wounded shoulder with her good hand as she approached. The front of the tow truck was crushed, and the explosion burnt and twisted remains of Armsmaster's preferred transport littered the entire area.

"So much for learning any tinker secrets from THAT." the buxom tinker complained to the woman with orbiting stuff which visibly slowed down around her. As soon as the items stopped moving, Whirlygig wobbled uncertainly on her feet as if she were dizzy or drunk.

Squealer picked up the remains of two of Armsmasters Halberds. Extendable handles for the halberd blades still stuck in the motorcycle had ejected themselves from the crash and rolled to a stop in front of her. She usually built Hydraulic Ramplates at the front of most of her vehicles, so these leftovers weren't anything special, just four sections three and a half feet long that collapsed down to five inches each. Maybe they could be part of a smaller project, but when had she ever done smaller? She figured she'd do something with them, eventually. Once what remained of the halberd blades were cut out of the wreckage, they might spark some ideas, though.

Whirlygig leaned against the side of Squealers' hover barge and pulled a small bottle from the chest pocket of her coveralls. A swig, swish and spit of mouthwash later she asked Squealer, "So, you holdin? The wormhole express squeezed all the Dramamine n'shit out of my system, as usual."

Squealer stood up from where she'd bent to look at one of the larger pieces of what used to be Armsmaster's motorcycle and yelled to one of her subordinates, "Tomas! Under the passenger seat is a bottle of Bonine. It's also got 'not hard-on pills' written on it in sharpie. Bring it here."

Benign Positional Vertigo. That was what Whiligig said plagued her ever since she got her powers. Ever been so drunk you get the spins, so you feel like you're careening into a whirlpool even in bed? That was what Gigi experienced all the time she wasn't using her powers.

Tomas returned with an amber prescription bottle.

Squealer turned and handed the bottle to Whirlygig who said, "My main minge! Anti-nausea chemotherapy drugs. Awwrite!"

Sparks of electricity snapped and popped as circuitry burned in the twisted motorcycle wreckage. A quicker thinking subordinate swept a fire extinguisher across the ruined tinkertech motorcycle. Then a slower thinking merchant threw a bucket of water on the guttering flames, and an actinic flare erupted as whatever electrical systems which had survived the collision were instead violently discharged.

The stink of burning containment foam filled the air.

The only thing which saved him from Squealer's wrath wasn't her own busted wing...

...it was the barely dented armor panel which had borne the brunt of a heavy pickup acting as hammer to the larger vehicle's anvil.

"Halo! Come patch up my shoulder and you… Rufus, go get the containment foam remover from the skip loader over there."

'My name's not.."

"It is NOW, now GIT!"

"Um, …the only thing here is a pickaxe."

"And what's it say on the handle, Rufus?"

"Containment Foam Remover."

"There you go, then."

 

[Visual Pun]

I tried to make this Interlude as stand-alone as possible, so you don't need to re-read the whole thing again.


But, to sum up the plot:

Spoiler

Taylor Hebert got a handle on her powers earlier than in Canon. The story starts a week earlier (On April 1, 2011) where Taylor uses preparation and her powers to attack the social status of her tormentors.

Things happen, and instead of her first encounter being with Lung and the ABB, instead it's with the Merchants who (because of the quality of her costume) think she's a Mercenary.

Squealer has an outstanding bounty for info on where Taylor (Cape Name: Butterfly, blurted out to prevent Skidmark from bequeathing her with the name 'Bugfuck') which Taylor has previously called in on Kid Win.

Eventually this all led to a 'Going Carrie' incident involving Shadow Stalker.

Now, a week later Armsmaster goes on patrol on the night where Skitter first encountered Lung & the Undersiders in canon.

 

[jrbless]

You know, this may be the first time I've read anything written from the perspective of Armsmaster's motorcycle. In part, it reminds me of reading some of the old Bolo series and what's going on in the head of the tanks.

 

[Swiftwolfbeta]

I tried to make this Interlude as stand-alone as possible, so you don't need to re-read the whole thing again.


But, to sum up the plot:

Spoiler

Taylor Hebert got a handle on her powers earlier than in Canon. The story starts a week earlier (On April 1, 2011) where Taylor uses preparation and her powers to attack the social status of her tormentors.

Things happen, and instead of her first encounter being with Lung and the ABB, instead it's with the Merchants who (because of the quality of her costume) think she's a Mercenary.

Squealer has an outstanding bounty for info on where Taylor (Cape Name: Butterfly, blurted out to prevent Skidmark from bequeathing her with the name 'Bugfuck') which Taylor has previously called in on Kid Win.

Eventually this all led to a 'Going Carrie' incident involving Shadow Stalker.

Now, a week later Armsmaster goes on patrol on the night where Skitter first encountered Lung & the Undersiders in canon.

Click to shrink...

What I got from that is armsmasters bike was almost a sentient ai

 

[askldjflkajskje]

CO-WORKER SOCIAL.NICETIES.VERSION.2 prompt to helmet display – :ACCESS::CALENDAR:: - Triumph::Birthday) T-minus 329 days.'

Click to shrink...

Autoformatting is making a whole bunch of smiley faces from the bike logs.