Brains looked around. The general anouncement of a Boskone attack on SerenityCon had just been made, and reactions varied between disbelief, panic, and purposeful action. He was pretty sure he and his family could get out OK, but, there were people here who'd need help.
He'd found already that the stair-climbing morph of his wheelchair wasn't unique - there were at least two he'd seen in action, and the design of several others was suggestive. Present were quite a few older, and less healthy, Fen who were resisting the idea of a biomod, until it was understood better. Was anyone thinking how they'd get out of here?
"Uran?" "Yes Brains." "If you'd go get Doctor Venus, and the Gibson Girls, I think we've an evacuation to organise."
---
The Gibson Girls proved very useful. Fortunately they'd been in their battle forms, though mostly unarmed, as they'd been cos-playing drider Japanese schoolgirls around the con. Charlie was scouting, invisible, when needed swimming through walls. There were Boskone in the con buildings, trying to keep people away from the car parks. Dana was hanging back, tele-operating their shared bimbot swarm. Fighting their way in from the car park. In theory she could run half-a-dozen, and still be at full combat effectiveness, but none of this was battle tested.
They'd lost three bimbots so far. She-Hulk had gone down to some sort of anti-tank weapon. Her force field was pretty good, but it boosted her strength as well as protected her, and she'd been de-shelling a Boskone powered armour trooper. Marvelgirl had fared better, till she got hit by a kinetic round after an EMP grenade weakened her. Battlecat, a kitty cyborg based on a PC of Brains, was only lightly armoured, and was like the others reduced to a costume and shreds of wet plastic.
Uran got to argue with a Berserker. It was all rage and strength, and initially her martial arts let her hold it off. Brains and some of the others had rigged a mobile force field bubble, anchored to three of the wheelchairs, which so far had stopped any shrapnel, and ricochets. In the middle of their formation were four stretchers, on rigged anti-gravity floats, tended by Doctor Venus. The fitter of the evacuees were helping the slower along. There were about twenty-five of them, including three older children that'd been separated from their parents.
Then Uran zigged when she should have zagged. The Berserker clipped her, and she flew back more than thirty feet, through a pillar, and into a solid wall. Maybe the Berserker laughed, but you couldn't tell from the sound it made. Uran got up, shook her head, and looked determined. Then walked slowly towards the Berserker as it unloaded a heavy machine gun at her, then a grenade.
As the evacuees rounded another corner, away from the fight, Brains looked back. Charlie swam out of the floor, a bright-red six-legged cat centaur, then set herself as she turned black, to telemech the Berserker. Brains heard familiar music, the original 'Astro Boy' theme, as Uran blurred into sight and flew through the Berserker, and the wall behind it. "I hope she's not too upset about that", Brains thought.
---
At the cost of one more bimbot, a Spiderwoman, they'd made it to the car park. Not bad for superhero props intended for the Masquerade. Quite a few of the vehicles were damaged, and it was generally pretty chaotic. Brains paused to assess things. One of the people who'd been most useful in organising the evacuees, an older man with a limp, stepped forward. He took off his glasses, fumbled under his chin, then peeled off his face.
"Always wanted to do that", said Uncle Jack, as he straightened up, and peeled off liver-spotted skin gloves.
"Now, you got us some transport to get us all out of here?"
Brain numbly gestured towards War Rocket Ajax, which was skirting the edge of the car park towards them.
--
"It is the business of the future to be dangerous" - Hawkwind
He'd found already that the stair-climbing morph of his wheelchair wasn't unique - there were at least two he'd seen in action, and the design of several others was suggestive. Present were quite a few older, and less healthy, Fen who were resisting the idea of a biomod, until it was understood better. Was anyone thinking how they'd get out of here?
"Uran?" "Yes Brains." "If you'd go get Doctor Venus, and the Gibson Girls, I think we've an evacuation to organise."
---
The Gibson Girls proved very useful. Fortunately they'd been in their battle forms, though mostly unarmed, as they'd been cos-playing drider Japanese schoolgirls around the con. Charlie was scouting, invisible, when needed swimming through walls. There were Boskone in the con buildings, trying to keep people away from the car parks. Dana was hanging back, tele-operating their shared bimbot swarm. Fighting their way in from the car park. In theory she could run half-a-dozen, and still be at full combat effectiveness, but none of this was battle tested.
They'd lost three bimbots so far. She-Hulk had gone down to some sort of anti-tank weapon. Her force field was pretty good, but it boosted her strength as well as protected her, and she'd been de-shelling a Boskone powered armour trooper. Marvelgirl had fared better, till she got hit by a kinetic round after an EMP grenade weakened her. Battlecat, a kitty cyborg based on a PC of Brains, was only lightly armoured, and was like the others reduced to a costume and shreds of wet plastic.
Uran got to argue with a Berserker. It was all rage and strength, and initially her martial arts let her hold it off. Brains and some of the others had rigged a mobile force field bubble, anchored to three of the wheelchairs, which so far had stopped any shrapnel, and ricochets. In the middle of their formation were four stretchers, on rigged anti-gravity floats, tended by Doctor Venus. The fitter of the evacuees were helping the slower along. There were about twenty-five of them, including three older children that'd been separated from their parents.
Then Uran zigged when she should have zagged. The Berserker clipped her, and she flew back more than thirty feet, through a pillar, and into a solid wall. Maybe the Berserker laughed, but you couldn't tell from the sound it made. Uran got up, shook her head, and looked determined. Then walked slowly towards the Berserker as it unloaded a heavy machine gun at her, then a grenade.
As the evacuees rounded another corner, away from the fight, Brains looked back. Charlie swam out of the floor, a bright-red six-legged cat centaur, then set herself as she turned black, to telemech the Berserker. Brains heard familiar music, the original 'Astro Boy' theme, as Uran blurred into sight and flew through the Berserker, and the wall behind it. "I hope she's not too upset about that", Brains thought.
---
At the cost of one more bimbot, a Spiderwoman, they'd made it to the car park. Not bad for superhero props intended for the Masquerade. Quite a few of the vehicles were damaged, and it was generally pretty chaotic. Brains paused to assess things. One of the people who'd been most useful in organising the evacuees, an older man with a limp, stepped forward. He took off his glasses, fumbled under his chin, then peeled off his face.
"Always wanted to do that", said Uncle Jack, as he straightened up, and peeled off liver-spotted skin gloves.
"Now, you got us some transport to get us all out of here?"
Brain numbly gestured towards War Rocket Ajax, which was skirting the edge of the car park towards them.
--
"It is the business of the future to be dangerous" - Hawkwind