Mr Zoat
Dedicated ragequitter
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Thank you, corrected."closet window" ? I've never seen a closet with a window, so 'closest window'? Or maybe 'nearest window'?
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Thank you, corrected."closet window" ? I've never seen a closet with a window, so 'closest window'? Or maybe 'nearest window'?
Now I'm really curious as to the identity of this person. Anyone have any guesses?
Now I'm really curious as to the identity of this person. Anyone have any guesses?
If nothing else, he can narrow down the specifics of their weapons. Sure, he doesn't have an encyclopedic knowledge, but some generalApril 28th, 2013
10:09 EST
From the sounds of things, the couriers are fighting the guys from the roof. More bullets follow, though the rate of fire isn't high. They're taking care and aiming their shots. The return fire is much less disciplined, but I guess they've got the bigger magazine-. Ah, gas canister? Either that or they've got some sort of air-to-plasma conversion system. Those are pretty energy intensive, but-.
I dash over and check first the gun I partially melted, and then the belt of one of the gunmen.
Probably the rush of having comparatively larger magazines than the other guys. Maybe only on the order of a couple of hundred shots compared to 15-odd for pistols...Ah. Doesn't look anything special, and they don't have a spare fuel cell. So they don't have unlimited ammunition. I don't know what they were thinking.
Cable ties.
To be fair, an Intern in this situation would be expected to follow their manager's lead. Pity she is zonked out by that anaesthetic.I stamp my right foot, trying to hear echoes-. Okay, that's a cupboard, but all the doors have card readers. I try-. No, the visiting future intern doesn't get any access he doesn't need. That's… Good security, except it clearly doesn't stop the people who broke in and does stop the one guy trying to help.
If nothing else, it'll be tough for them to get leverage to pop them loose.I hurry back to Janet, who's still unconscious, and pull her lanyard over her head. I wonder why the courier people didn't take it? I… Guess she doesn't have access to wherever they wanted to get to either. Okay, cupboard, fingers crossed… A hoover and some cleaning supplies, great. How about-. Ah, good! Some shelves with light bulbs and stuff, and one half-empty pack of cable ties. Okay, these aren't as strong as the ones meant to restrain people, but if I use a bunch of them…
A full hog-tie would be tricky with zip-ties, and likely to cause circulation issues anyway.And link them together when they're not long enough… Arms together, legs together, arms and legs together… I don't have anything I can really block their mouths with, not unless I want to risk them choking. But if I put them in different parts of the room then even if they wake up, they would have to squirm across the floor to get to each other, and it would still be pretty hard to get free with their hands tied up like that.
Go with 'divine blessing'. Something that's not enough to qualify as a superpower, but a cut above the ordinary.Alright, now-
"Agh!"
-what? I've heard more shots, but that's the first time I've heard one of them definitely hit the target. I need to get down there but I'm still supposed to be out of it. Maybe I can claim one of the gods made me immune? Or that I was faking?
A question yet to be answered.No. People's lives are more important than my secret identity, even if they are thieves and would-be murderers. I can work something out. Still listening to try and work out where they've gone, I head out into the corridor and towards the stairs.
"…cut off. What do these guys even want?"
Sensible fellow, that one. Though I doubt he's loyal enough to try and help his buddies make their escape..."Don't know, don't care. Looks like there's only three of them, so we should be able to outmanoeuvre them."
"Fuck off. Plasma guns? It's bugging out time."
Right, that makes things a little clearer. They plugged in some form of hacking device that's likely sifting through the LExcorp networks for some kind of data. And it needs to be collected before they leave..."Relax. The program's still working. If we keep moving through the building and they keep following, we can double back and pick it up before we leave."
Okay, if… They're there, then…
That'll be the one that got hit. They'll have fled into an office or something.I turn left, trying to work out how to flank them. I could fly, but if they see me… Concussion isn't a reliable way of removing a mem-.
I get a whiff of-. Burned flesh and blood. The kryptonian sense of smell is better than what humans have, but I don't really get a sense of direction. Try listening for… Moans? And… I stop jogging and sniff again, turning my head as I try to work out-.
Eh, if they did, they might not have had the time to watch things. What with the other guys turning up so quickly."Uh-uuuugh…"
I head back to the stairs and hurry down. I could jump down, but that would make a big noise unless I flew, and… They're hacking the system. Even if the A.I. isn't seeing anything, they could have connected to the internal cameras themselves. It-.
No blood trail, though. Plasma tends to cauterise.Sniff, sniff.
Okay, through here. And-. Yeah, there are burns and bullet holes on the walls, and-. I guess whoever got shot ducked into a side room or something? I'm close enough that I should be able to hear their breathing.
Especially if he's still armed and a bit panicky.Which way which w-?
Got it. Round to the right, scan Janet's card and into the… Slightly different office with a big computer monitor, then go to the office bathroom. Slow breathing suggests that he's nearly lost consciousness and won't be able to fight, but a normal human in my position would still need to be careful.
Okay, he is out of the fight. Just a matter of making sure he doesn't die, then?I push open the door slowly, but this door isn't blocking my vision. The man is slumped on the floor in front of the sinks. Looks like he was trying to.. clean the wound. His eyes come up but there's no strength in his arms to raise his gun.
"Uhhh…"
What he wouldn't give for a Purple Healing Ray right now, eh?No one else around. I dash forwards and check the wound-. Oh. Looks like one of the plasma bolts hit him at an angle. It's burned through his overalls on the right side like it skimmed him, and the flesh underneath is red and black. And that's a really bad sign, because the heat from the bolt transferred into his torso. His lung might have been cooked, and if it had been the other side and gotten his heart then he'd be dead. As it is, he's probably got internal bleeding, he'll struggle to breathe and then there's the risk of infection… That rib is going to be cooked. Any weight on it and it could just snap, but… I don't know if it can be fixed anyway.
And it might have been fried by the heat anyway. Or even been in the pocket on that side and is now burnt fragments in his ribs."Hey, buddy. Your phone got an external line?"
"Uhhh…"
Yeah. I carefully pat him down, but I don't find anything. I guess if you're picking a fight with an A.I. you don't really want to be carrying electronics. Okay then. With burns… I don't have any actual burn-.
Yeah, leave that to proper medical professionals. Better to slap some protection on it to minimise the chances of infection and bleeding.I dash back into the office and look around-. Wall-mounted green case next to the fire extinguisher! I grab it and tear it open-. Burn dressing. It's not intended for plasma but it's the best idea I've got. I head back into the bathroom and tear the material of his overalls away from the site of the wound. There's… Some burned material stuck to the wound, but I can't get that off without making it worse.
Probably not anything exotic. I doubt Lexcorp could sidestep OSHA like that. ...Man, imagine, if OL gets his way, someday all medical kits will include Purple Healing Rays..."I'm sorry, but this is going to hurt."
I check the instructions, then pull the wrapping off the bandage, open it out and put it on the wound-
No time like the present, then. And a poor job is better than nothing."Uhhh…"
"Sorry." Okay, that looks about right. I haven't ever put one of these on an actual person, so-.
Ah, the steady calm of a seasoned fighter, eh?So there's someone coming up behind me. They've just opened the door to the office. Their heartbeat sounds nervous but not scared; just the sort of thing a person would feel-.
I glance back.
Really, I don't think he's in much of a mood to put up any fight.The sort of thing a guy would feel getting into a dangerous situation he thought he could handle.
"So this is the best I can do." I can't put him in the recovery position without risking exacerbating his injury so that's out. Binding his arms creates the same problem. I can bind his legs-.
And worst case, if they get close enough, you can lunge out and slam them with the door. Even if it doesn't open outwards...The guy behind me is heading to the bathroom door. I get up and fly just off the ground until I'm in one of the stalls. I use my flight ability to hold my weight while resting my feet on the rim of the bowl. Okay, that won't help if he actually looks into the stall, but if he's just checking the from the door-.
...A staff? That's definitely abnormal. And they know their stuff, to catch that detail.The door opens. I turn in that direction and use x-ray vision. Huh. Short guy, and the face mask is interfering with my vision. No gun, just a metal staff. Are three groups breaking in today? That's ridiculous.
"You clearly brought that upon yourself, though I suppose I should credit you for dealing with your own wounds rather than wasting… Ah. But you didn't. That was torn with two hands."
Smart guy indeed. And charitable enough not to be bothered by the potential unknown threat.Oh. A smart guy.
"Whoever you are, I mean you no harm. This man didn't deserve it, but you did him a good turn anyway. It speaks well of your character. I would like to confirm that you are in good health, but if you don't want to risk my good will, I understand. This visage is not one that lends confidence."
Hmm... Too many options to guess. But Truggs is a front-runner, or an Indigo Lantern.I.. guess I should risk it? If a superhero's here in costume, then I should leave it to them unless they're totally over their head. I 'jump' of the bowl and step out.
"Ah, hey."
Huh. Didn't Paul warn me about this guy?
April 28th, 2013
10:09 EST
I hurry back to Janet, who's still unconscious, and pull her lanyard over her head. I wonder why the courier people didn't take it? I… Guess she doesn't have access to wherever they wanted to get to either. Okay, cupboard, fingers crossed… A hoover and some cleaning supplies, great. How about-. Ah, good! Some shelves with light bulbs and stuff, and one half-empty pack of cable ties. Okay, these aren't as strong as the ones meant to restrain people, but if I use a bunch of them…
Thank you, corrected,Mitchell has spent most of his life in the US (and Themyscira) but the language he would have picked up with terms for a vacuum cleaner, outside of Paul, is US English. Vacuum would be the term he would have learned, as no single brand gained enough presence in the US to have that brand become a genericization. Unless, of course, it's a wet/dry vacuum intended for garages and industrial areas, then it's a Shop Vac.
My first thought was Truggs too. The physical description, verbal tick, and known antagonist status all fit."jump off"
I think there may be two people here.
The one with the staff.
And the one that said "Ah, hey".
I'm betting the second one is Truggs.
Truggs isn't short.My first thought was Truggs too. The physical description, verbal tick, and known antagonist status all fit.
I am? Why would-?
"Emergency override. Shut down?"
Nothing hap-.
The screen flickers, the log in screen being replaced by… Lex Luthor?
"What exactly are you trying to shut down?"
Well, @Chaoswind called it, it's Lonnie 'Anarky' Machin. Hopefully he's shown some sense and worn armour of some kind under the usual red robes. And lifts, since he is a teenage boy under there. And not a tall one, unless he's had a growth spurt...April 28th, 2013
10:13 EST
His mask is gold-colored, but it's spray-painted and there's some sort of camera system built into the eyeholes. His head is covered in a red cowl and a broad-brimmed red hat. The rest of his costume is red as well, and his insignia is a 'A' in a circle. I know Paul said something about this guy, but I.. don't remember what it was.
Hmm... Interesting that he knew about Janet but not Mitchell. Maybe he has a personal stake in her?"You don't look like a Janet, but I suppose I shouldn't judge by appearances."
"Ah, no, I'm Mitchell Kent. I'm.. here for my induction. Janet's upstairs. The first group of robbers knocked her out."
After all, Mitchell's a big guy, easy to believe he'd have the constitution to shrug off anaesthetics."But not you?"
I shrug. "I saw it coming, breathed out and faked it. I got a partial dose of.. whatever it was. It made me unsteady and gave me a bit of a headache, but I'm mostly okay now. Ah. Who are you?"
Ah, using his big boy name."I'm Anarky."
I nod. "Yeah, I've got a friend who's a Discordian. But… What are you here for?"
And a big brain doesn't count, unless it comes with free martial arts mastery. Which Lonnie technically does..."I've been monitoring this building. When I saw armed people enter form the roof, I felt it necessary to intervene."
"They've got guns, you've got a stick. Unless you've got superpowers?"
Heh. The overconfidence of a rookie vigilante..."Oh, I think a clear mind and a plan can substitute for superpowers nine times out of ten."
I nod, trying to listen for gunshots or plasma bolts without making it obvious that's what I'm doing. "So long as you don't tell me this is your tenth mission."
Hmm... Wonder when he started 'going out'. Before the Anti-Life, during, or after?His head tilts to the side a little. "Twentieth. Do you know why they're here?"
"The fake delivery guys said they're here for the server. I don't know why the roof guys are here, but they tried to kill me and Janet."
At least it looks like the guy isn't at death's door yet."Then we will have to detain them." He turns away, red cape twirling and he heads for the door. "Can you man a console?"
"Ah, yeah?" I check the guy with the bandage, but I can't see anything else I can do for him other than call an ambulance. And that wouldn't be safe for them as long as there are armed men in the building. "Why?"
Confident lad, isn't he? And well equipped, if he's got fancy equipment like that. Unless he means a walkie-talkie."I have a spare narrow band communicator. It should work, even through LexCorp data security measures. If you go to the building's security office, you can direct me."
"Ah, I don't think that'll work. They did something to the cameras to prevent the LexCorp A.I. seeing that anything is happening."
And it's not exactly public knowledge, I take it. Outside of Lexcorp circles, anyway.He stops in the middle of the office. "LexCorp has an A.I. in this building?"
"Ah, I got the impression that it monitors all of LexCorp."
Of course he follows the laws in that respect. Can you imagine the PR disaster it would be if Lexcorp were abusing an artificial sapient being?He starts walking again-. He's striding, but his legs aren't all that long and it's easy to keep up. "I was about to ask if LexCorp is following the law, but that would be foolish."
"I'm.. pretty sure they're following the law about A.I.s being people. And I haven't seen them break the law here."
Presumably that mask has custom optics, then.Also, that's a rude trick, leaving tripmines where someone innocent could run into them...He leads the way to the stairwell, and darts up the stairs. I try listening again, but it sounds like they're in a quiet part of the fight. There are footsteps, but they're too indistinct for me to tell exactly where they're coming from. We go past the floor Janet and I were being held on, and up to the next-.
"Wait." Anarky points his staff at the infrared beam being projected from one side of the doorway to the hallway to the other. A small cloud of smoke sprays out, and-. Oh, right, a human wouldn't have seen that. "Clever."
I assume they'd know to avoid that door, then, during their escape. Would be embarrassing to be fleeing for your life only to run headlong into a trap you forgot about."I guess… They didn't want someone sneaking in behind them?"
"Limited manpower. Otherwise they'd have had a person do this job."
To be fair, a single tripmine at waist-height to Mitchell would catch just about anyone not able to detect it. And if it's a wide-beam or sweeping scanner...I mean, maybe, but it takes a lot of laser tripwires to get good coverage, and you'd still need someone to actually respond to it. Between that and their gear, it looks like their equipment is better than they are. I mean, if we set that off, what happens? I don't see a bomb or anything.
"Watch your step!"
That is a good question, given Anarky's beliefs.. Then again, a better question is why you're here, kiddo.Anarky takes an exaggerated step over it, checking the hallway and then passing through and heading towards where I guess the security room is. I-. I step over it too and go after him, checking that it isn't wired to anything else as I go. No, doesn't look like it.
"So why are you interning at a place like LexCorp?"
Best not to point out the issue with that when his name is on the... Everything."Ah, my Dad works there, and I'm hoping to reconnect with him."
"I suppose I can't fault that motive, but it might be best if you encourage him to seek employment elsewhere."
That's about as likely as Darkseid retiring to raise kittens. Not even evil kittens, either.
Logical, really, if she's low on the office ladder."And here we are." He looks at the securely built security room door. "I assume that Janet did not have access to this?"
"I didn't ask. Probably not."
Yeah, not gonna be doing much with that, even if he tries a little super-speed typing passwords. You just know Lexcorp demands ridiculously complicated passwords...I move to try, but he holds up a hand to stop me. "I have this."
He raises his cane and taps the head against the card reader, which beeps. I guess it's some sort of multi-tool? Or maybe they're really easy to clone? I've never looked into it. He pulls the door open and gestures for me to get inside. I obey, looking around. A couple of computers, a couple of monitors each, and-. They're locked, and I don't have-.
Good intentions, even if a little foolish about his 'Only I can stop this' deal..."Sorry."
The door shuts behind me.
"I don't like misleading people. It really would help me if you'd keep an eye out for me. But I can't have you interfering."
Says a lot when OL makes that comparison.Oh, right. That's why Paul warned us about him. 'Like me, but with fewer friends'.
I walk back to the security room door and pretend to bang the glass while actually just tapping it lightly.
Ah, yes... The obnoxiously arrogant moral character."Hey! They're going to kill each other! You need help to-."
"Justice recognises a man as what he is, and treats him accordingly. They came here to kill. Don't torture yourself over their fates."
...Self-defence, bro? Still, he has a point."But the delivery guys didn't. They just gassed us!"
"They brought guns and used them. Good day, Mister Kent."
So, then... Sit there and let him risk getting himself or someone else killed, or bust the door down and likely annoy him into fighting you...And he strolls off. I can hear him after he passes out of my field of view, but this is a LexCorp security door. I can't see through it.
Darn it.
That would be very awkward. But the chances of such an occurrence, akin to identical twins having identical biometrics, is infinitesimal.I mean, obviously I can get out, but Anarky definitely doesn't know that I'm kryptonian. Ah… I nudge the mouse to bring the password screen up. This place probably isn't high priority-. Though I guess I should be grateful that the one part of me other than my eyes that isn't a perfect copy of Superman is my fingerprints, because if they picked up Superman being here…
...Oh, I've seen enough IT stories to see where this is going...Okay, so if I was a LexCorp security guy in a dead end post, where would I keep a written copy of my password? Back of the monitor? No. Underside of the desk? No. Desk drawer? No. Underneath the keyboard? No. Underside of the mouse mat?
There's a note? I wasn't expecting that to-.
...Yup. Evidently their IT department is a stickler for the rules.I frown.
'Nice try, jackass. Remember your password next time.'
...What would? Wishing really hard?
Ah, I see. Try and get the AI's attention.
Ah, the rare time you want to see a Clippy-descendant.The screen flickers, the log in screen being replaced by… Lex Luthor?
"What exactly are you trying to shut down?"
When I saw armed people enter from the roof...
He's probably been watching this place for a while, so knew about all the people that work there.Hmm... Interesting that he knew about Janet but not Mitchell. Maybe he has a personal stake in her?
They brought those guns with them while committing a planned heist. Self defense doesn't really apply while you're committing a felony.
Funny coincidence. I have a big slush file of random ideas for my stories and I had an idea very much like this one.There's a note? I wasn't expecting that to-.
I frown.
'Nice try, jackass. Remember your password next time.'
Great. What can I-?
As far as I remember, he didn't ask him 'why'. He asked him to define evil.Ah, Anarky. The boy who debated Darkseid and asked him "Why are you evil?".
Mitchell doesn't know.
He's not a teenager.Well, @Chaoswind called it, it's Lonnie 'Anarky' Machin. Hopefully he's shown some sense and worn armour of some kind under the usual red robes. And lifts, since he is a teenage boy under there. And not a tall one, unless he's had a growth spurt...
Thank you, corrected.
In Terry Pratchett's novel The Dark Side of the Sun, a robot sentry challenged the main character to identify himself as friend or foe. He says foe, and is allowed to pass, reminiscing about the one time he said 'friend' and got shot.Funny coincidence. I have a big slush file of random ideas for my stories and I had an idea very much like this one.
But the "password" would be a trap, and set off an alarm.
Great minds, I guess.
Where?He was ten when Paul mentioned scanning him and how he was being a forum troll under the moniker Moneyspider, ten plus three years should be thirteen ergo teenager... Unless you are being pedantic and he is still twelve and thus technically not a teen yet.
Actually why am I taking Michael word for this, let me check.
5th July 2010
April 28th, 2013
He was confirmed as being ten around August, so yeah still twelve by a few months.
5th July 2010
Early morning
Lonnie Machin is seven. Precocious little twerp is already fighting the forum wars as 'moneyspider'.