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The call goes out; Team Plan, assemble for battle! There is vital news! And… then battle!
Narnia has been upgraded somewhat, for in the center is the conference room, with couches and chairs set around it. On the table are three things of note: one large map, the box that Noh-Varr has been examining, and a chunk of a dwarf robot.
Sitting on one of the couches is Billy, dressed in the dark green with red cloak of his 'work' outfit. He's currently nursing a cream soda.
This time, Kellan came prepared. This time, he brought his hunting rifle with him so he wouldn't suddenly appear anywhere unarmed. It was in a case, slung over his back. He makes his way through the wardrobe and approaches. His work outfit, however, is no real different than his everyday outfit. He makes his way in, hands in his pockets, and takes a look at the things on the table, studying them each individually.
Kaleb did boats not things with woods and deer. He was reknown for stalking the coast of France and getting a very nice, very even tan… but never hunt. He did, now that htey had proper planning, show up in a very nice 3 piece suit that was tailored to him with that rahter convenient tactical lining and… something very large in a duffel bag. Leave it to Kaleb to be told 'battle' and have that interpret this as: bring the Oxford wingtip boots with some treat on them instead of the Italian leather soles.
Another one of the wardrobes opens and Noh-Varr comes hurrying out, wearing his uniform. Or… almost. His shirt is mostly not on, except for one arm and he's in the process of trying to pull it over his head. "Sorry I'm late. If I'm late. Plex had to wake me up. I fell asleep on this great beach on this little uninhabited moon in the Triangulum galaxy. It orbits this gas giant - the moon, not the galaxy - and has the most incredibly view."
Teddy Altman also has a work outfit, one that shows off his biceps, hugs his form, and is unsuitable for casual public excursions. Very heroic. He's already standing by the table when people start arriving, staring at the objects set about on the table with serious regard. "You're right on time," he tells Noh-Varr, eyeing the others with a polite nod, though Kellan's hunting rifle does catch him off guard.
Billy glances over as people file in, nodding to each in turn; he eyes Noh-Varr a moment, shaking his head with a smirk and gestures to the box, "Okay, before I scry and port us to the target, let's go over what Noh-Varr discovered after examining the box. What kind of bomb is it, Noh, and is there anything special about its… I don't know, yield?"
Kellan sets the rifle down on the ground next to him and he settles onto a chair to study Noh-Varr and listen to what it was that he found about the boxes. There's a momentary glance toard Teddy as he asks, "Are these the boxes that you were talking about?" Then his attention shifts back to Noh-Varr, smiling a little amusedly at his reason for being late.
Kaleb muttered, "I scry, with my little third eye…" He paused and blinked from Billy to Noh-Varr and back to Teddy and Kellan, "Bomb? Splody bomb?" He blinked and tightened his jaw. There was a pause and a finger (a polite one) flicked to Noh-Varr and he informed, "I'd really like to see that actually. Later. What's going on with a bomb now?"
Even a Kree warrior has trouble pulling a shirt on when he's in a hurry and he ends up with his other arm through the neck of the shirt and his head somewhere buried in the fabric. There's a growl of frustration and he pulls his head out then both arms before just tosses the shirt onto the table. Problem solved: who needs a shirt, anyway?. "Oh, it's not a bomb." he tells them. "It's a power source. An extremelypowerful power source and one I'm stealing along with any other boxes we can find. It's a portable fusion reactor and at least a century beyond your technology level. I'm guessing whoever built this is an alien."
Teddy crosses his arms as the group gathers around to discuss the technology on display. With a glance to Kellan, he nods and says, "They are, yes." Then, he turns to Noh-Varr to listen, eyeing the shirt only for a moment when it's tossed aside. Yeah, who needs it? "Joy," the shifter deadpans. "Any idea why he might be manufacturing so many? And how careful do I need to be when smashing things."
Billy nods to Kellan and indicates the box, "They were mass-manufacturing these, a diamond is in each… I assume as part of the mechanism. I'm not sure what's worse, bombs or fusion reactors." He sighs, holds one hand over the map, one over the robot piece, "Dwarfholme, dwarfholme, dwarfholme, dwarfholmedwarfholmedwarfholme." After a few times, the map begins to change, just sort of zooming in. Soon enough, its in a well to do portion of Queens, at an intersection. An office building is indicated, and the map shifts into a perspective, to indicate the second floor. The first floor shows numerous people in it, "…crap. The new base has civilians all around it." He looks to Teddy, "A fusion reactor should be safe to boom, it would be based on hydrogen, so worst case scenario there's a small explosion as the hydrogen fuel cell ignites, but it'd be very small. Unlike a fission reactor, there's no dangerous material involved in fusion." He then glances to Kaleb, "Apparently they can overload."
Kellan's a little distracted as he watches Noh-Varr struggling with his shirt. Proud Kree warrior. Defeated by a clothing item. He says nothing, nothing at all. Instead, he raises both eyebrows and says, "But.. it could be used as a bomb? Or are they just power sources?" Then he ndos to Teddy when he confirms that they are the boxes that they had been talking about before. He studies the map as it comes up and shows a bunch of civilians inside. "Can we perhaps cause some kind of disturbance once we're in there that would get them to evacuate the building before we begin potentially smashing things?"
Kaleb nodded slowly and held up a hand pausing, "Noh-Varr, we're going to return to talking about that beach. Uhhhh Billy?" The prideful Mutnat curiously inquired, "How volatile is volatile? If it's crystaline, and say… I break the damn thing because it's hit with an off frequency, how bad is bad? I'm trying to figure out how to approach this here. Also, considering if keeping them in a null space might not be healthier for everyone. And who are the civilians? Do we care about them?" He would be the one to need to ask.
Hey, if he wanted the shirt dead, it would be so totally dead. "There's two settings." Noh-Varr explains, gesturing at the box. "One is power source. The other is also sort of power source but instead it redirects the light beams in outward directions, thereby disintegrating whatever they come in contact with. It's really ingenious. Whoever this is might even be smarter than me." At the concern about actual explosions, he says "There's nothing in them to actually blow up so you don't need to worry about that. Being disintegrated, yes. Blown up, no. Really quite ingenious." He even sounds impressed.
Teddy nods to both Billy and Noh-Varr as he's assured that nothing too terrible can come from any likely smashing or violence. That whole disintegration thing does seem bother him, though. As the map changes, he steps forward to eye it, then looks down at how he's dressed and mutters something about civilian clothes. Luckily, he brought a bag with him. "Right, yes, how do we want to do this? I'm sure we *will* want to clear the civilians out, but won't that set off a red flag?"
"Sorry, Kale, I wasn't clear." Billy nods to Noh-Varr, "They aren't volatile at all. For them to explode they have to be set to explode, damage won't do it." He nods over to Kellan and then to Teddy, "Yeah, I'm not sure how to evac the people without warning Big Green Head we're there… hm." he glances at Kellan, "What if you and the Many Kellan's take charge of that— as we head upstairs, you go multi and do something to get everyone escaping? Then once its cleared, you head up?"
"Sure, I can do that," Kellan says to Billy. "I'm pretty sure that I can get people moving out and away from the building, and then join you once they're gone." He seems to be running some numbers in his head, best ways to do this, probability of people lingering versus dispersing, etc.. and then he nods once more, seeming to be ready to be distraction guy.
Kaleb seemed indifferent on the whole issue of civilians. His thumb worried the canvas on the bag over his shoulder. "Big green head huh? Skrull ooooor what's teh story on this one?" Looking back to them he arched an eyebrow and looked back to Kellan and Billy. "So what do you need from me, then? Standard surveilance?"
"Where is it we're going?" Noh-Varr asks, moving over to get a better look at the map. "I haven't been there yet. Is there anything special about it? Should I get some regular clothes to wear? Didn't I say I'd get everyone uniforms to wear? They'll offer some protection. But if you can't wear them…" Looking over at Kaleb, he shakes his head. "I don't think he's a Skrull. They don't have these portable reactors and after several hundred thousand years of war with them, I"m pretty sure I'd know if they did. Besides, Skrulls can be any color they want so why bother looking like a strange human who's green when they could blend in."
Teddy frowns deeply at the map, arms still crossed over his chest. He's only seeing a murky plan here, but he doesn't have much to offer himself. Then again, he's the sort to just go in and try and make things happen on the fly, so why let that get him down? "Noh-Varr has a point. This guy probably isn't a shifter, but he's still smart and mean and dangerous. Billy, are we sure-sure these are civilians and not more robots? Because, if robots…" He shrugs and presses a fist into his palm.
"Your sonic attack was effective the first time, so you come with us. I'll put up mind wards on all of us, but if I seem to be casting a spell that is counter to what we're doing, hush me. That's so very, very important." Billy nods to Noh-Varr, "Actually putting on the shirt would be nice." he says dryly, but then he rises, and heads over to the bathroom door. He looks back to Teddy, "I'm sure the robot's base is the second floor and not the first, so whatever's on the first are not involved in him. I think the people are like a human shield." He lays a hand on the door, closes his eyes, "Bathroom to bathroom; bathroom to bathroom; bathroomtobathroombathroomtoBATHROOM." Nothing obvious happens, but most people are likely used to his door connecting trick. "According to the map, the stairwell to the second floor should be to the right ten feet after we step through here. Let's go." He opens the door and steps through.
Beyond is a bustling office, full of cubicles with people making phone calls and taking notes. A few people notice them, blink— especially at Billy's outfit— but aren't inclined to hang up and call security.
Kellan glances over toward Noh-Varr and nods "You mentioned something about suits the last time. I mean, if you have one that I can wear, I'll wear it if it's got some protection. I don't have one of my own." He doesn't seem against the idea at all. "I'm guessing if they are robots and not people, when I try to get them to run they won't.. which could be bad for me, but I mean.. I can figure it out."
And then he follows on through. Suit will be for another time. He doesn't bring the rifle, not for what he has planned to do, leaving it behind in Narnia for this time. He walks out of the bathroom like nothing is wrong, but as he goes he begins to split. He leaves one of himself to walk off down ad ifferent aisle, another one around a corner, another as he ducks behind a row of desks. Eventually there are four independent Kellans moving to different areas of the first floor, getting in position.
Kaleb had the helmet out. The one problem with using his power is that he, himself, was highly suseptable to it. Looking to Kellan he paused, having the first honest emootion all afternoon , "Hey, be sure to poof if they turn hostile." Not htat he didn't trust his brother, but there were few things that genuinely concerned him. His twin? Yeah that does it. He followed letting Hulkling and Noh-Varr take point on this one occasionally throwing out tone to get an idea of what was in their immediate area and what was moving. Echolocation had it's uses sometimes.
"Didn't I read that humans used to go into battle naked?" Noh-Varr asks as he grabs his shirt. Taking his time this time, it goes on without trouble., higging his body much like Teddy's does. If you got it, flaunt it. His Kree uniform gets more this his share of looks as well as he follows Billy. "Should we hit the fire alarm?"
Right then, they're moving. Teddy can appreciate this and he follows Billy over to where he connects to the office building in question. There, he waits until said connection is made, then allows Kellan to move in ahead of him and arrange himself among the civilians. When he sneaks in with the rest, he flashes a quick smile to those in the office who spot them. "I say let Kellan stick to his plan? We should try and see what's up before things are cleared." Whatever does happen, though, he'll still follow along with them to the stairs.
Billy leads them quickly to the stairs and up, murmuring to Noh-Varr with a nod to Teddy, "Let Kellan handle that, trust him." Though once he reaches the top, he lets the tanks go ahead, with a squeeze to Teddy's arm.
As Kellan multiples out and divides, he doesn't draw much attention— even with there being more then one identical guy, the office is busy enough that while some people glance up and see him, they don't see all of them, so they don't draw attention.
The second floor office has been cleared, though the structural layout is almost identical to the first. Only… here is exactly one cubicle, in the middle; one desk, and one person sitting on it. She is a little blond thing, and she is facing the elevator, so they are coming up behind her. She is also completely and utterly, impossibly still.
Robot.
Any hope of surprising her, though, fails as she rises and turns around, "The Leader thought you would try this tracking method again, and sends his greetings. You did not heed our warnings. Now you will die." She smiles brightly.
On the first floor, Kellan is taking care of just that. Not only is he pulling the fire alarm, but he does in fact start a small fire within one of the wastebaskets, careful to make sure that it won't actually light the building on fire, but also creates enough of a smell and some smoke that people will believe it's not just a drill. Once the alarm starts to go off and the smoke starts to proliferate, he makes sure from the various areas of the office that people start moving toward the exits, keeping track of them from various points throughout at once and guiding them outside.
Kaleb was happy to back Teddy on that, "Changing the plan without all parties informed is a great way to get people hurt." A few times he paused to direct the pack of them on changes, but at all times made the effort to keep their movements silent as they walked with prpose towards their destination.
"Oh, I don't think so." Noh-Varr replies, sounding almost as cheerful. "How about you just tell us what the point of all this is and maybe we can work something out? Because those fusion reactors are really brilliant and I've love to talk to him about them."
Teddy turns to Billy at the squeeze and locks eyes with him, smiling in a way that suggests everything will be OK. It's at odds with what they find ono the second floor, though, and the ominous threat that is eventually lobbed their way by the robot is met with a glare from the shifter. He takes a step forward, one hand balled into a fist at his side, but pauses as Noh-Varr attempts some diplomacy. Maybe the Leader *would* want to talk to the Kree. He doubts it, but he'll wait for just a moment to find out.
"The Leader has no use for you except to serve his supreme intellect. You will serve his empire or know no other." replies the robot serenely, though talking does stop her from attacking immediately, "You will submit to his domination?"
Billy snorts, "Let's go with: fuck no." Billy cursed! That makes this serious business.
And so she turns with quick speed, grabs the table, and flings the whole thing at them, and is stalking towards them right away.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Kellan continues his evacuation of the civilians. It is going well. People are departing in mostly an orderly fashion while the various Kellans see them out the door.
Between the fire alarm, the smoke, and Kellan proactively herding people, he is very effective at managing not only an evacuation, but more importantly, one that keeps things rather orderly. People don't know him but the sure confidence he brings reassures them immediately, and they begin filing outside.
Kaleb set his jajw and arched one eyebrow, though between his personality, and the sleek black helmet he could easily be mistaken for a robot. "What's the Leader's directive, precicely? And really is it a supreme intellect if he doesn't do his own work?" He paused and to Kellan's ear only he directed, If you ehard that? Not a word. not… a word.
Well, it took centuries to get the Skrulls ready to talk so Noh-Varr isn't terribly surprised that his efforts of 30 seconds were rebuffed. The blaster in his hand blasts the table into smithereens then is trained on the robot. "Last chance."
When Teddy shifts, it's not because of the thrown table or the silly threats; It's because Billy curses. That's a sign that things are going down, and so when the robot actually attacks he's already stretched out his uniform against his hulking green form, ready to put himself between the furniture and his teammates. "I don't think it's interested in a discussion," he says, meeting the robot's advance with one of his own after Noh-Varr fires his first shot. With the Kree training his weapon, he makes a leap toward her, throwing his weight into a bodily attack.
As Teddy's strength and size slam towards the robot— he hits something more solid then a wall almost a foot away from her, a crackling sphere that is suddenly visible…
…and every bit of energy that went into smashing the robot, a thing Teddy has been able to do with ease before, is released as a concussive wave tossing Teddy backwards.
The purpose of the fusion devices is revealed: "The Leader has upgraded his servitors with the shield cores."
She looks to Kaleb, "Submit and serve."
With Teddy at least temporarily taken care of, she turns her attention on Noh-Varr, stalking towards him.
Billy lifts a hand, electicity crackling along his hand and lightning striking out— which reflects off the shield and hits the ceiling.
Below, Kellan is well in progress towards evacuating everyone. Only a few remain.
Downstairs, the last few stragglers are heading out the door and one of the Kellans runs back to put out the littel fire in the wastebasket. No reason to leave an active fire burning. Only once everyone is out the door does he begin to dissipate until there is only one Kellan left, and he goes for the stairs, to head up.
Kaleb was in the end, Kaleb Miller and privilage might be his greatest weapon and on other days, his greatest defese. He looked back to her and said "The Leader's directive…is to submit…and serve?" The helmet tilted to teh side and Kaleb didn't move for a moment and finally he nodded, "Tell him I accept the terms of his surrender." He kept a tab on Teddy being thrown sliding afinger slid up the helmet preparing the adjustments he might need in a moment here.
Lets hope people actually did what they're supposed to do when the fire alarm goes off. Shifting his aim, Noh-Varr fires again though not at the robot. Instead, he blasts the floor in front of her then at each side to collapse it under her. "Did he equip his servitors with anti-gravity units?" No doubt they'll be standard issue on the next model.
When Teddy hits the shield, his expression contorts first in a look of surprise, and then into pain. There's a sharp crackle of energy as his own force is thrown back against him and the next thing he knows he's flying across the room, a scream following in his wake. He crashes into a fall wall, crumbles to the floor, and slumps there, groaning. "Oh, my back," he complains.
"The Leader is the supreme intelligence, it is you who must submit to him." The robot is either remotely controlled or can't have its logic circuits so easily twisted. "You will—" But then Noh blasts out the floor and the robot crashes down below, or.. almost does. It falls, the shield core absorbing all the kinetic energy of the fall, and as happened with Teddy, it releases a concussive blast in exactly opposite a direction. This sends the robot flying up through the hole, and she flails, and then falls down again. This begins repeating, the robot unable to get control, and soon she is hitting the ceiling, which just cause another concussive blast, this one down.
She's going faster and faster with each bounce as each adds more energy to be absorbed and released in a blast.
Billy backs away, "Let's get out of here, I don't like the look of that. Retreat."
The last words they hear are: "it-er-a-tion-one-oh-seven cas-cade fai-lure, it-er-a-tion-one-oh-eight co-men-cing."
..as Billy gathers them all in close to Teddy and teleports them back to Narnia.