forum Superhero Roleplay [Closed]

Started March 06, 2018 by @Imperfect_Autumn group

tune

"Are they for combat?" Dylan asked, glancing at the leopard, "They seem pretty robust, and kinda old….."

Dylan looked over the dragon one, and with a hesitant hand felt the surface.

The dragon's eyes flared, and it roared to life briefly before flickering and its head dropping again. Xerces startled when the machine was turned on, and he turned to Dylan. "Please don't touch any of the machines, especially not these ones! Half of them are still registered to activate on approach," he pleaded

Dylan backed up, startled, "Okaay…. got it. So, weapons then. Definitely weapons. Against what? These look too small to be for anything but fighting people…."

"Only two are fully processed machines. Or, well, w-were," Xerces explained, gesturing to the dragon and the leopard, which were bigger than the others. "The rest are prototypes, but they're all old. I'm just trying to test how much the stone can power since the older models were all heavy power users."

“Where did you say you got this stone again?” Avery wondered as she glanced around the room, the epitome of calm. At least, she was calm on the outside. If anyone could slip inside her mind, they would see that she was rather far from calm…

"One of my coworkers found it and gave it to me," Xerces said, keeping a careful eye on Kaz as he poked curiously at the fish machine, which he had discovered didn't turn on when approached

“Did he tell you where?” Avery wondered, turning back to the… man? Whatever he was…

"Said he got it off some old demon in a game," Xerces answered before squeaking when Kaz poked the fish, causing it to nearly topple over. He ran over to it, just barely catching it before propping it up again. Kaz gave him an apologetic look, deciding to just stick his hands in his pockets for the time being

Avery hummed and nodded slowly, her eyes trailing him before glancing around the room once more.

“And what, exactly, do the machines it’s powering do?” she asked, walking over to one and scrutinizing it.

"They're mostly old combat and rescue models. The guy I get them from for testing specializes in search and rescue machines, as well as defensive tech. The fish is for underwater rescue, the leopard is for mountain rescue, the dragon is for aerial, and the big guy and the two small ones are for combat," Xerces explained

Dylan shook his head, "This is all well and great, but we still have something to do here. Kaz?"

Dylan gave him an expecting look. Go on, He thought, We're here for the stone. Let's do that part.

Kaz had been busy poking at things, but he got the hint after a moment. "Oh, uh, I know you like giving tours and everything, but we need that stone," he told Xerces. The cyborg gave him a look akin to a pout.

"But…I haven't finished my research. And I've already put so much into it…" he said as he clutched his tablet

Dylan tugged the corners of his mouth down and turned to face the cyborg directly, "Would you like to see what that stone does to people? Maybe that would advance your research? Just a warning," his eyes began to glow yellow, "It isn't fun."

"Is that a threat?" Xerces squeaked out, clutching his tablet tighter as he took a few steps backwards. "D-Don't test me, I'm armed!" he exclaimed. Kaz gave Dylan a look before turning to the cyborg.

"Hey, hey, calm down. It's not a threat–" he tried to say, but Xerces cut him off.

"Don't lie to me! I'm a weapons provider for a reason, don't think I'm not armed!" he squeaked out

"It isn't a threat, pest. Look at me!" Dylan growled through clenched teeth. He had seen Kaz's look, but he wanted to push a very specific point, "I really hope it doesn't look like I enjoy this. This is what those stones do. Ask Kaz."

Shoot. Gosh, these guys really need to learn how to negotiate… Avery thought with a quiet groan.

She stepped over to Dylan and set her hand on his arm, giving him a look and shaking her head as if to say, Not here, and not now.

"Look. We just need the stone, okay? You don't know what that thing can do. It's a mess," she explained to Xerces, her voice soft but hard in a way that said she wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.

"Kaz..? What is he talking about?" Xerces asked slowly, turning to Kaz now.

"Those stones change people. Both Dylan and I have them, and though they give you a lot of power, they mess you up bad. I almost got trapped in my own head. Just imagine what it'd do to the machines once they're fully online," Kaz explained. Xerces looked scared, but he nodded

Dylan locked eyes with Avery, and his fury began to subside. Without another word, he began to form a cage around the stone in its cradle, removing it as carefully as he could. Once out, he formed a case around it and held the case in his hands. Nothing happened.

Avery gave Dylan a slow nod and a small, almost imperceptible smile. Thank you and good job it seemed to say.

“Well… Thank you for your time, but I’m afraid we have to leave, now,” she said, turning back to the half-man, half-machine before them. “Are you ready, guys?”

"W-Wait!" Xerces stammered, though he looked a little embarrassed. "Can I…Can I have it back when you're done with it? I won't put it in any machines, I just want to study it," he said softly. Kaz looked to the others, giving them a slightly sad expression, almost as if he was trying to get them to say yes

"Don't look at me," Dylan shrugged, "I'm the moron who decided it'd be a good idea to walk right up to one of these and touch it after it had fallen from the sky. So far, she is the most informed about these things." Dylan indicated Avery, then turned to ask her himself, "What do you think?"

“That doesn’t sound like a good idea,” Vaughn mumbled and shook his head. “We need to keep it somewhere safe, even after all of this.”

Xerces seemed to deflate at that. "I've got a higher security lab… I could keep it there?" he suggested hopefully. Kaz was giving Vaughn puppy dog eyes now, trying to see if it would help his case

"I agree with Vaughn, that sounds like a bad idea. I'm sorry, but I can't let you have it," Avery said, holding her hand out to Dylan for the box. "Again, are we ready to go?"

Xerces drooped, a little pout on his face now. Kaz just sighed, giving him a small hug before walking over to the others. "Yeah, I'm ready to go," he said