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Post by BijuuGuy on Jun 27, 2023 22:12:55 GMT
 Four minutes until sunrise.
Susan was a morning person. A fact that surprised absolutely nobody. Part of it was simple human nature, just the way her brain worked. Another part was her work. She was no stranger to early mornings. Be it because Franklin and Valeria needed their lunches packed, though she was transitioning them out of that comfort, or because of research. There was always something on her plate. Yet she thrived in her environment. It took time, a lot of sleepless nights, doubt, and plenty of tears away from prying eyes, but Sue managed to make it all work. She couldn't exactly pinpoint the time where it all clicked. However, she remembered the feeling of intense relief when everything fit into place. The puzzle had been completed. Though as most inquisitive minds know, one puzzle isn't enough to satisfy forever.
Luckily for Dr. Storm, Planetary was seldom short on the unexplained, the undiscovered.
The anomaly appeared exactly one hour prior, 4:23 AM, Eastern Standard Time. A spatial rift, 146 meters from Brighton Beach, calmly hovering just above the water. Occasionally, energy fluctuated from it, having no immediate discernable effects on the surrounding area. Susan and her accompanying team arrived 20 minutes after it first emerged. Standard protocols applied. Rifts and other spatial disturbances were commonplace for Planetary, so the team set up a fairly sizable containment field, consisting of four tech pillars that would envelop their immediate surrounding area in said field. Until they knew what exactly they were dealing with, they couldn't allow any foreign matter or energy to escape into the greater area. However, judging from its lack of effect within the first 20 minutes, Susan was confident it was relatively safe, for now.
Susan Storm was anything but reckless, though. As an added measure, she set up two force fields both inside and outside the initial containment field. One close to, and around the rift itself, and one outside of the pillars. If anything emerged, it would have to fight its way out. With the anomaly being on water, Sue made sure to project a field twice the size of the other fields onto the surface, so that everyone had plenty of room to work and walk. All that was left, was to set up their various energy detectors, counters and the like. With Planetary's expertise in such operations, all that was done within a 15-minute time-frame. Then, the real show began. Initial examinations and observations were done from afar. Direct contact with the anomaly was forbidden until every measure taken indicated a relatively safe outcome.
With her team taking readings and musing about what the rift's origin and purpose could be, Sue slowly walked circles around the anomaly, donning her usual modified suit, with it taking additional readings as she walked. Her mind was going through all sorts of possible scenarios, none of which seemed to fit precisely. Her assistant, Astra, was studiously examining the data being shown to her by one of the machines. Longtime collaborator and the man with the perpetual pissed off expression, Herman Hughes, was seemingly in the same state of mind as Susan, albeit standing perfectly still. It struck her as slightly eerie, she had never gotten used to it. The three additional operatives with them were part of Planetary's combat-ready division. "Action Scientists" some humorously liked to call them. Granted, that applied to most operatives allowed on the field. But they were first and foremost, aside from their own scientific expertise, trained for conflict. Even if Planetary was benevolent in its operations, they weren't naive. Safety was always a concern and they were there to make sure none of the research people die, plain and simple.
Susan couldn't vocalize a theory yet, but knew that collectively, they were on the cusp of discovery. Until them, she turned her attention towards Astra, aiming to get insight into the readings she had been getting. Sue hadn't mentored anyone in a long time and this was a golden opportunity to shape a mind of the future. When she spoke, Susan's tone carried the familiar, warm tone, laced with the scientific professionalism she used daily.
"Astra. An update, please." |
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Post by Beriadan on Jun 28, 2023 8:21:58 GMT
"No major changes yet!"
Astra was also a morning person, though her attitude towards sleep was more of the "whenever, wherever" variety. Since working at Planetary she had been in and out of comas through training her power that she was running on a semi-permanent state of Vaguely Rested But Raring To Go. 4:23am was just another number on the clock, and a pretty one at that, with the early sun casting a bright pink glow over the horizon as it readied itself for the day.
Astra was standing at a work station, fingers flying over the keyboard and eyes darting across the multiple screens. The anomaly was dormant, hovering quite quietly and calmly above the morning waves. Astra took a deep sip of coffee; even with her body accustomed to being awake at any time, she still had vices to fulfill. She ran a hand through her vibrant pink hair and turned her head towards Sue. Like her mentor, she was wearing a protective suit that Planetary supplied, but over it she had donned a very garish Hawaian shirt that stood out like a sore thumb among the other gathered scientists. Astra's face showed a keen curiosity, a wondrous interest when faced with the unknown. She loved this job.
"It's releasing energy sporadically, but nothing that seems to affect its surroundings. It seems stable... pretty unlike anything on the system though. This is alien to our records from what I can tell."
She straightened up, grinning like a loon, eyes bright with possibility.
"It's totally bonkers. I can only imagine it's not here on purpose. Nobody comes to Brighton on purpose."
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Post by Bixir on Jul 14, 2023 21:43:31 GMT
When Susan arrived with her team, most of them had remained at the perimeter, giving their leader the space to do her work. Though all of them knew Susan Storm, few of them felt comfortable to be in her presence in anything but formal terms. Herman Hughes was not among those people. The stern taskmaster had been by Susan's side since this morning, and hadn't really left it since. Even while she was establishing her force fields for the terms of this operation, Herman had walked alongside her. Nothing seemed to escape his attention, least of all the anomaly floating in the sky that had prompted their interest in the first place. Herman was dressed in black from head to toe, a full jumpsuit installed with a handful of key accessories necessary to his duties. A Planetary uniform, albeit tailored for Herman's needs. It spoke to his charater rather well. As with any other operation, Herman had hardly said a word, to Susan or anyone else. A "company man", through and through.
Herman's eyes did not leave Susan as she worked, nor as she moved about the perimeter that had been established. His gaze moved over Astra as if she wasn't there, but lingered on the others that had been brought with them. His brow lowered. Herman's feelings (or rather, lack thereof) for company - least of all in the field - was notorious at Planetary. The first of the three was a tall, broad-shouldered caucasian man, with a disgruntled expression that threatened to outdo Herman's. Everyone knew him as Jenkins, and that was usually as far as his details went. A large energy pack of some sort was strapped to his back, connected to a large heavy "machine" gun that casually hung in his thick arms.
Behind the man and to his right were two people, neither of whom were nearly as physically imposing. There was a fair-skinned woman of average height, outfitted with what looked like some kind of hazardous environment suit, with large gloves outfitted with cutting-edge Planetary software. She had yet to put the helmet on, which would hide her short auburn hair and hazel eyes. Rose Collins had been the only member of the team to formally make acquaintances with Astra before they had set out for the mission. She looked nervous. Beside her was a slightly shorter man of East Asian descent. He was perhaps the least formally dressed of the team, wearing little more than a T-shirt, jeans, and a black vest. The closest things he had to accreditation was the fact that his badge was pinned to his vest, and the fact that the T-shirt was Planetary merch. He had hardly said a word, though not in the way that Herman exercised silence. He had kept to himself, preferring the company of the runic dagger he was tossing around in his hand, bored. He had done that on the way here, too. For whatever reason, no one had made anything of it.
After Astra had spoken, Herman scowled. His arms were held behind his back, clasped in a way that mirrored the rest of his body language: irritable. "There are no accidents." He spat the words under his breath, low enough for but Susan to hear. Herman tipped his chin lightly as he looked up at the rift. It swirled in his eyes, matching his intense gaze with indifferent mystery. They had been observing it for a few minutes now, and still it remained dormant. He spoke to Susan, his eyes not leaving the anomaly. "Kree?"
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Post by BijuuGuy on Jul 15, 2023 19:37:27 GMT
Susan had liked Astra almost immediately after meeting her. She carried the necessary enthusiasm for their line of work, especially since Susan was no stranger to the boredom scientific research can entail. Few really mentioned that fact about science. Always musing about the exciting discoveries and theorizing about the future. But getting to that was often filled with copious amounts of waiting, patience, and boredom. Of course, both science and technology had come a long way, however, it always seemed to be that the biggest eureka moments were at the end of a very long and tedious road. Planetary itself was filled with experienced researchers, many of whom were either in their mid-ages or well past that. A youthful spark was exactly what a lot of them needed. Sue could only hope that it wouldn't fade and that she could help keep it alive in Astra.
The young scientist didn't exactly provide any new information. Though it at least confirmed that she was up to speed and on the same page as the other two senior members were, mostly.
"Noted."
Sue's eyes didn't leave the anomaly as she spoke, adding to her single word a small nod of acknowledgement. A brief, amused chuckle escaped her as Astra described Brighton. She wasn't entirely right, Sue thought. She had come here a few times with the kids and Reed before. The sunsets were what she remembered most. Or rather, the colors the sky would be painted in when it did. Such beauty in something so simple and mundane. She could even see a few stars before light pollution made its presence known, blanketing the sky.
Her musings were interrupted by Herman's rebuttal to Astra, albeit quietly enough for the latter to not hear. Susan shot a quick glance at her colleague. His gaze was locked onto the rift, though she had felt his eyes on her the whole time before. Despite wanting to provide a rebuttal of her own, he wasn't wrong. Its location and sudden appearance could easily be interpreted as an accident, however. There was a cause behind this and whatever or whoever caused this, the effect was clear. Whether it was the desired effect, was another question.
"Cause and effect, Astra. Its placement here may not have been purposeful, but I don't think this was an accident."
Susan's attention was then turned towards Herman once again. A man of few words, as always. At least he was bouncing ideas. She did bring him for a reason, after all. There were few who had the level of expertise Herman did, aside from Susan herself.
"Mmm... I thought so too. However, Kree tend to send operatives. And we've yet to encounter any. Besides this... feels familiar somehow, like I've seen it before."
She had stopped walking. Having crossed her arms and breaking eye contact with the anomaly, Sue looked down and thought for a moment before coming to a conclusion. Since initial observations yielded little results, she decided to take the next step. She raised her head and walked towards Astra, stopping a few feet before her station, addressing her.
"Could you please run a thorough scan of the energy and radiation types again? Focus more specifically on radiation. EM, particle, cosmic, the works. And prepare a drone for entry. If there is anything behind it, we need to find out what. Kwan, assist. "
Her directives relayed, the agent fiddling with the dagger gave Dr. Storm an approving nod, sparking him to action. He moved near Astra, beginning to assemble the drone and a small station where it could be controlled and its feed monitored. Susan's face didn't exactly portray a moment of realization, only one of suspicion. A hunch. Something scientists wouldn't exactly call standard practice, though which did sometimes provide the exact solution or explanation they had been looking for. Sometimes, it really was just intuition and luck. |
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Post by Beriadan on Jul 18, 2023 19:57:33 GMT
"On it!"
Astra's fingers flew across the screen of the computer, naturally swift and precise. She worked fiercely on several pieces of software, triggering equipment and expanding parameters in line with her orders from Susan. As she worked, Astra's tongue poked out slightly from between her lips, eyes darting across the screen as if she was trying to watch fish dancing in a stream.
After a few moments she hard tapped several keys, starting the programs up. Data began to stream onto the screen, and Astra sat back, breathing out. She looked up at Susan, taking in her expression, the glint in her eyes. She frowned slightly, staring at the sphere as it hovered before them. Astra had seen a lot in her short time at Planetary, but not much so close to home.
"Doctor Storm... is this thing..."
She was going to ask if it was safe, but that seemed redundant. They wouldn't be there if it was.
"...have you seen this before?"
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Post by Bixir on Aug 22, 2023 7:02:42 GMT
Herman nodded curtly at Susan's answer. It was reasonable. Earth had detected no activity from the Kree Empire ever since that fateful invasion. They had either recognized that Earth was not theirs to have, or they had more pressing matters in the far reaches of space. Perhaps both. Whenever Herman faced a Kree again, it would be too soon.
The man said nothing as Susan went over to Astra, though it seemed he did not need to. Herman Hughes wore his contempt well enough on his face. After a few moments to himself, Herman walked after Susan, not quite catching up to her but not quite letting her go, either. "Yes, Susan, have you?"
His tone dripped with signature dry, daring mockery, happening on the rare occasion that Herman Hughes knew something before Susan Storm... or so he believed, anyway.
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Post by BijuuGuy on Aug 22, 2023 19:31:06 GMT
Susan was much too laser focused on Astra and the screen, in particular, to register Herman's tone. Yet be it the peculiar mild rasp in his voice or the words themselves, the intent did reach and she inwardly scolded herself for not catching up to this sooner. Now all she needed was confirmation. Her eyes were fixated on the running data, every part of her body frozen in place, looking for the slightest sign. There was a lot to take in at once. However, data mining, for the lack of a better term (quick reading sounded far too mundane) was another one of Dr. Storm's multiple capabilities. It was about finding those patterns or irregularities, pieces that fit or omitting those that didn't.
She was combing through everything just as quick as it appeared on screen, until...
"There."
Her single word seemed to indicate a hand rising and a finger pointing at whatever Susan just found. No, she simply uttered the word and stared at the, now halted, stream of data. There was only the slightest rise in her eyebrows as it all clicked. Or perhaps it had clicked sooner and she just didn't want to admit it. Repressed memories, she thought. While to the others, it was simply a confirmation that the anomaly carried indeed large amounts of cosmic radiation with it, there was that one speck of data that differentiated it from your run-of-the-mill rays. To Susan, and likely Herman, anyway. For her, it was a reminder of one of the worst days in her life. A day where everything that made sense to her, was disintegrated in seconds.
There was palpable silence for a few moments, until Sue gathered herself, looked to the horizon and continued to explain, clinging to Astra's last question.
"The rift carries the same type of cosmic radiation that resulted in the Fantastic Four's powers. They're identical."
Susan spoke as if the FF was a separate entity from herself. Which, in truth, it was. Especially now. A period of her life that she looks back on with complex feelings. Most of which she still held to herself. The team's history was far from a secret. Susan simply preferred to not talk about it these days. Since then, she had changed so much, that she may as well have been a radically different person. Though she knew that people's essences remain the same, no matter how hard you try.
The revelation wasn't necessarily the dramatic needle drop some would have expected. For Susan, it immediately set her mind to work again. The one thought that forcefully occupied her mind immediately, however, was whether Reed knew about this or was involved. All possibilities were plausible. Now, it felt as if this rift was left as mockery to a brilliant scientist who couldn't figure out what it really was, despite being part of the very source that gave her such extraordinary gifts. Though she only tangentially called them "gifts." Especially when they first emerged. Sue wanted nothing more than to be rid of her powers. Her goal was science, exploration, discovery. She didn't want to become the test subject, an experiment of the cosmos.
Regardless of the past and its implications, they all had a job to do. Susan's frostier demeanor mellowed a bit, her warm, almost excited smile returned. They had examined all they could from afar.
"Alright, people! Let's get to the good part."
During her musings, she had already managed to look over the drone and had everything set for entry. Whatever it was made of, didn't matter. Getting through it, did. The screens were prepped, the drone was primed, along with anything else necessary to acquire usable data from the rift.
Miles Kwan, the most leisurely clothed, knife twirling agent, took the reins of the drone. His relatively expansive tech expertise let him fly the drone like a bird. Smooth and elegant in its movements. He wore a headset, giving him a first person view from the drone's cameras, along with saving every bit of intel that the drone would see. Susan stood steadfast next to him, eyes intently on the screen once more.
"Slowly. We need it in and out in one piece."
"Yes, ma'am."
The drone directly faced the rift. Its energy gracefully dancing and flowing in irregular patterns. If one looked long enough, it seemed as if it was almost beckoning you to come to it. The drone obliged. It slowly moved through, the rift getting slightly more erratic as it did. Nothing alarming yet. The screens were bright blue, then turned black. Everything was still fine. Kwan proceeded, though without a visual, but everyone could hear a dozen sounds coming from within the rift. None of them easily identifiable. They were in. That didn't last long, however.
After those moments of darkness, the drone's camera spurred to life for a millisecond, before what seemed like electrical discharge, shut the drone down. They lost contact. There was a frame or two saved before the drone went dark, though nothing they could immediately clearly make out. There was no time anyway, as the rift suddenly sprung to life with a noticeable rumble. After a few moments, it went quiet once again, with the drone emerging from the rift, landing on the force field floor, as if spat out. It had clear electrical damage, looked charred on once side and definitely wasn't functioning anymore. But it was, at least, in one piece.
Kwan removed his headset, ready to rush over to the drone, when Susan stopped him.
"Not yet! For all we know, it could be contaminated. I'm not risking my subordinates to negligence."
Sue formed a force field around the drone, bringing it over to their station. She ran a quick scan of the drone herself, making sure she wouldn't need to keep another force field up. Luckily, the results showed a minor spike of radiation, which all Planetary uniforms were naturally protected against. She let the drone rest on the ground, letting Kwan get to work on it, trying to get anything more that he could, aside from the headset recording.
Now determined to find out what could've caused it, Susan stepped back from the station and began walking towards the rift proper, while tying her hair to a ponytail and beginning to explain their next course of action.
"Herman, theories? It doesn't like tech. Or at least it didn't like the drone. Maybe it can identify foreign objects. Does it care whether they're technological or biological? Either way, we can't find out from screens alone. So, I'm going in. Collins, care to take a step into the unknown?"
She was prepared for the onslaught of protests. Though more pointedly, she was waiting for Herman's 105064th sarcastic, contentious remark. The man had more snide one-liners than he had papers published. To him, her sense of awe and wonder were synonymous with recklessness. No, Susan wasn't reckless. At least not by that definition. But she did have that spark of exploration, that which just awakened once again. Collins was outfitted for exactly such an occasion, so her inclusion was a no-brainer. Susan's question wasn't rhetorical, however. She was never going to put someone in danger if they were vocal about it, despite knowing they were all there for the same purpose.
"My fields should withstand whatever could be on the other side."
The senior scientist was fairly confident in her abilities. She still had doubts, those never really faded. Susan took that as her simply being cautious and not cocky. Her mastery with her powers was great. Experience showed, that there was always someone who could have powers far greater. Certainly a humbling viewpoint. Nevertheless, she knew enough to be sure right now. What she also knew, were the capabilities of her companions. She wasn't about to enter without having most of them on board.
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Post by Beriadan on Aug 22, 2023 19:46:09 GMT
Astra watched Susan with part awe, part curiosity. She had encountered something like this before, and it was the very thing that had given her the powers that lead to the Fantastic Four's creation. Of course, Astra was enough of a fangirl to view that event as a minor footnote in the otherwise incredible life of Doctor Susan Storm. Still, this was a moment of revelation. Susan had been far away from Earth when she had been struck with cosmic energy from such a rift. This was far too close to home for Astra's comfort.
She leapt to her feet as the drone was spat out after just a few moments. She almost ran towards it as well, natural curiosity driving her forward, but Astra stopped as Susan called out her order. She watched as it was carried over by her tutor's incredible gift, and watched further as Kwan was given the all clear to get to work.
Astra felt an itch in the back of her brain. It was the same itch that led her into the deep void of space. Susan didn't speak directly to her, but she clenched her fist all the same in anticipation. This mission... Astra would die if she wasn't able to go along with her!
"Doctor Storm! Please... I want to go too, if you'll allow it!"
Astra looked towards the rift, frowning. Susan's power could protect them, but Astra's own power could have some use here.
"I can always project my astral form and go in alongside you. Then I wouldn't get in your way! But I've got to see what's in there. It's... so different from anything I've seen."
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Post by Bixir on Sept 13, 2023 6:57:48 GMT
Herman did not have an immediate clapback to Susan's queries. He was still thinking when she proclaimed initiative, which startled his thoughts further. This was not exactly uncommon behavior from Susan, but it consistently irked him whenever she got that idea in her head. His face tightened, and he threw up his hands. "Then what was this all for? Hm? You can't just waltz into-""Yes, ma'am!" With her Irish accent, Rose's "ma'am" sounded more like a "mum". The woman quickly began fitting and sealing her helmet back in place, with Jenkins' stoic assistance. This wasn't Rose's first sortie, but it was the first time she was getting this close to the action. With Belarus... well, it was better not to dwell on that. This one probably wouldn't involve gorillas, right? When Rose met Herman's eyes, she started to wonder if that might actually be the case. Worse?!Then, the intern joined in. This was just wonderful. Astra received Herman's ire worst of all, a cold, icy stare rather reminiscent of the kind of men that ought to stay behind stuffy office desks. Herman offers no words to her. His expression says plenty. After that exchange, Herman mustered the wherewithal for his colleague. He took strides towards her, grimacing at eye-level. He points - rather dramatically, as he was wont to do in these moods - "Whatever it is, you don't want a round 2 with that. You should know better than anyone here that you're the most vulnerable asset with this new information. You should be staying here, far from the anomaly. It is liable to react volatilely now, especially to someone who may as well be a genetic match for it!"The man takes a moment to breathe. It turns into a sigh. Herman clasps the back of his neck while he cranes a glance at their surrounding. Once Jenkins had finished preparing Rose for insertion, he had gotten busy. Already he was arming Kwan with proper munitions, setting a closer, personal perimeter. It would seem that decisions were being made for him. What else was new? "Don't do anything reckless. You have nothing to... prove." Herman trailed off mid-sentence. The rift had continued to become more active. Arcs of ethereal light were shooting out from the center now, which itself was growing larger. The containment apparatus that had been arranged in the anomaly's immediate vicinity vibrated for a moment, then was uprooted, violently, before being sucked into the other side as if in a hurricane.
Things started happening too quickly. The wind began to pick up around the rift, which was growing in size, now roughly thirty feet in diameter. If there was anything else not bolted down nearby, it likely would have been sucked into the vortex. The rift itself swelled with light, then expelled it in all directions. It was a gradual process, more like a spotlight shining in your face than being blinded by a flashbang. Being rather close, Herman was forced to raise his arms to shield his eyes. He stumbled backward, wanting to get to safety, but his stubborn nature stayed his feet. Jenkins and Kwan kept their distance, waiting to see what happened next. Rose, now beside Susan and Astra, couldn't betray much expression behind her pressurized helmet. She raised a gloved hand to her brow to help her see through the brightness. "Is that...?"Once the light from the rift had started to fade, a lone, humanoid figure could be seen emerging from it. They were of a slim build, several inches taller than Susan and Herman. They were covered in a full-body environ-suit, with a bright golden visor that frequently cast blue and white reflections off of it from the surrounding anomaly. The rest of the suit was rather plain, looking light and comfortable. It was cast in monochromatic colors. The stranger was not looking anywhere at first, marching with a sluggish gait in the general direction of Susan's team. Then, something clicked. They stopped, staring straight ahead at all of them. It reached out towards the group, like it was trying to grasp them from far away. Then, they started to stumble, and the rift behind them exploded. There had been no warning from the rift, other than the general signs of growing in size and intensity. The eruption of force and cosmic radiation was spontaneous. The stranger in the suit was flung forward, flailing helplessly as they tumbled sharply against the shore. Miraculously, their suit appeared to be intact, but they did not move.  The rift did not stop there. Its shape was considerably more unstable now. The errant arcs of energy were far more frequent now. Their points of entry were much more visible now, appearing as jagged fractures in the swirling nexus that continued to spin. The streaks of energy quickly took shape, darting out several times before stopping mid-movement, on the ground as well as in the air before taking somewhat definitie shape. Each one was a demi-humanoid, more akin to a creature out of a nightmare. Their size varied, ranging from a medium-sized panther to that of a hulking automobile. Many different parts of the creature's form moved independent of one another. Their body emanated a low-pitched drone; sight unseen, it coul have easily been mistaken for an industrial machine. When they turned to look towards the Planetary team with what one would presumed to be their face, they had only a shifting, black void to greet them. Their forms rippled, and the drone became an earsplitting klaxon. Jenkins didn't wait. Kwan didn't either. They started opening fire. Rose stood her ground, waiting to see how these things came at them. Herman bolted for cover at the far side of the beach, where they had parked their vehicles. All hell broke loose. Science would have to wait. |
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Post by BijuuGuy on Sept 18, 2023 21:36:06 GMT
Indeed, the expected reactions bombarded Susan at once. Though not all were unreasonable. Susan had to admit that she was now blinded by the prospect of exploration. A new piece had been added to the puzzle that made it all the more enigmatic, despite the answers she had gotten. But the spark had been lit, she couldn't not find out what laid behind that gateway. While the first voice she heard was Herman's, Susan shut it out. His words rang true with concern, however. Something the lead scientist thought she had portrayed this entire time. Then again, Herman's demeanor always struck her as him being threatened by her. She had long imagined when the two would finally gain common ground aside from the science. It seemed such a day would never arrive. Sue didn't fault him for it either, knowing exactly where he was coming from and why he was the way he was.
Instead, Susan's gaze darted towards Astra. The intern she had come to treat like one of her children. It was Susan's subconscious that initially discarded the idea of letting Astra be involved in such dangerous operations. Motherly instinct, some would say. Yet she had to realize that Astra wasn't Franklin or Valeria. And even then, both of her children would likely express themselves the same way Astra did. Valeria less than Franklin, to be fair. But Astra was there for a purpose. To learn, to experience. Something that Susan had perhaps neglected, knowingly or not. A pang of guilt rushed over her. A sense of failure followed. Teaching her pupil was supposed to be her priority. The anomaly, however, had its way with Susan's focus. It was as if everything else ceased to exist. A fixation on the unknown that Susan wasn't a stranger to. She thought she would know better by now. But mistakes don't care for experience or knowledge.
"Alright. Get ready."
Her gaze softened as she addressed Astra, visually apologetic. Before Astra could fully begin to prepare, Herman grabbed Susan's attention once more. Clearly in distress, displeased by the sudden burst of Sue's action-mindedness. Again, she understood. She also knew there was little else they could do from the sidelines. However, there was one word that caught Susan off guard. So much so, that she didn't even care for the very reasonable context her colleague was offering.
Vulnerable.
A word that had been ever-present throughout her life. One she was intimately familiar with and had owned fully. And even so, it triggered a sensation of anger. Not something explosive or particularly cutting, but one that still made her feel as though she was being undermined. Herman's points were sound. Susan had her eye on the danger. Danger she was willingly about to face. His concerns didn't matter now. In a snap, she was meeting his stare. Her own was more cold and confrontational than usual.
"I am anything but vulnerable, Dr. Hughes. We are equipped to deal with this and I will not let an opportunity go to waste."
She used his title on purpose. Partly to make it seem less personal, partly because it was exceedingly personal. None of that mattered a few moments later when both of them were distracted from their unfinished sentences and thoughts by the rift coming to life. Increased activity in a mere second made it seem like the anomaly's previous dormant nature was but a ruse. The containment equipment was sucked in before Susan could react, her own force field closest to the rift dissipated as well. A combination of the energy surge being sudden and powerful, as well as Susan's brief lack of concentration on that particular field. At least they still had a ground to stand on.
Other equipment began flying towards the rift as well. Most of those, particularly the primary mobile lab and drone, Sue was able to catch in her fields, sending them quickly to the shore. Whether or not they remained intact enough for later, was to be examined after. The rift's light forced Susan to shield her eyes for a moment, before faced with yet another anomaly. A suited man, emerged from the other side. More questions popped up than answers, no time to think about, let alone answer, any of them.
The rift's explosion was sudden. Susan was only barely able to form a field around her team, though even that was destroyed in a second, knocking her back enough to force her to the ground. She regained composure as quickly as she fell, the rift's instability growing. Glancing at the emerged figure, now stumbling to the shore, Sue let him go from her mind for now. Whoever he was, he wasn't in a condition to do anything to them or help them. What dominated her mind immediately after, was the possible cosmic radiation effect on everyone else but her. Her fields typically repelled it outright, but the burst of energy, its speed and ferocity were enough to get through at least the one she failed to properly put up. A possible issue to be handled later on.
To scientist Sue, the plethora of surprises that followed were fascinating. Something worth studying, if they weren't so very clearly hostile in nature. To retired superhero Sue, the surprises were unwelcome. Particularly when the noise kicked in. Unsettling, to say the least. Despite being retired, the superhero instincts kicked in. A moment before the battle commenced, Susan examined the enemies and their numbers. 9 in total. Seeing the power of the rift, it was logical to deduct that these sentries weren't pushovers. Regardless of their varying sizes. Sue knew they would have to adapt to the situation, not yet knowing what these creatures were capable of. Most of them, by visual examination, seemed to have elongated claws or one arm fashioned into a blaster of sorts.
This could take a while...
Jenkins and Kwan began firing, clearly affecting their opponents, though seemingly more by annoying them. The creatures let free their cacophony of uncomfortable noise, launching themselves at the remaining group. Herman seemed safe enough, for now. At least he didn't look like a point of interest for the assailants. Yet. Sue made a mental note to keep an eye on him and the suited stranger. Right now though, not being torn to shreds was her priority.
Now having enough time, Susan immediately set up a field around the group. Hopefully thick and strong enough to keep their enemies at bay. She had already formulated the beginning of a plan, but the most probable strategy was to adapt to the enemy's capabilities.
"Everyone! Get close, form a perimeter! Nothing gets in!"
While her field did the heavy lifting on the defensive part, she still needed everyone near for maximum efficiency. Being scattered only meant casualties. When Jenkins and Kwan would reach them, Sue would gradually decrease the size of the field, making it denser, while retaining enough room for movement. Additionally, the bullets fired by her companions would make it through the field to hopefully strike their targets. In the meantime, Collins was swiftly removing the more cumbersome parts of her gear, readying herself to join the effort. Susan didn't merely use just the defensive field as well. She formed six long, sharp spears in front of her, launching them at two of the humanoids in her direct line of sight. If all went as planned, three would hit one, three would hit another, all aimed at vital places: the head, the heart, the stomach.
Regardless of the outcome, Susan had one more pressing matter. Astra. Combat situations were still foreign to her and Sue wasn't about to put her in harm's way if she could help it. Going through the rift was one thing, facing down unfamiliar assailants was another. While she focused on the field and the spears, she turned her head towards her assistant. Her look determined, yet highlighted with worry.
"Astra! When we get an opening, I'll form a field around you and Collins. You both will run to the shore. If I can, I'll lift you. There are additional weapons in the trucks. Rose will show you how they work. If it comes to it... I need you to protect Dr. Hughes and our suited guest. In case it helps, I don't think these things are particularly sentient. Whatever comes, we'll adapt."
She gave Astra a nod that more or less expected her to agree. Sue also knew Astra well enough that she was prepared to work with any other ideas or protests she might have to offer. But her safety was a priority, the same went for everyone else. Immediately after, Susan raised her right arm to her face, the suit's built in computer lighting up in its vicinity.
"This is Dr. Storm requesting immediate backup! Anomaly no longer dormant! Surrounded by nine hostile humanoids! Currently one injured, situation liable to change. Coordinates transferred."
Susan was fairly confident her request went through. However, with the amount of radiation and, who knows what else, surrounding the area, it could've messed with their tech. Planetary equipment was built to be resistant to most types of known sources of interference, but they weren't faultless. Backup would take time to arrive, even with their Quick Travel Portals. They would have to hold their ground for now.
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Post by Beriadan on Oct 2, 2023 10:50:53 GMT
In retaliation to his stare, like a cold winter morning full of frost and ice, Herman received Astra's beaming grin, a response she held onto for him whenever he rarely acknowledged her presence. It didn't bother her too much. She knew Herman was someone Susam trusted, and vice-versa (so she imagined), so she didn't let him get to her. Not that it was an easy feat to undermind Astra'a cheerful, excitable side. Besides, she hadn't come all this way in her life for this man. The woman she seeked acknowledgement from stood before them both, in all her glory.
Then, while she was mentally gearing herself up to follow Susan come hell or high water, the tone shifted. The rift began to change, from a benign object to something more sinister. Astra shielded her eyes from the glare, comforted by Susan's shield around them. There was energy emanating from this anomaly in ridiculous amounts, light illuminating the area and a fierce wind rushing out like a storm. Astra lowered her arm, just in time to see the figures come from within the rift.
Within moments, her colleagues were firing. The lightning rifles crackled and buzzed through the air, and she had to clamp a hand over her ears to withstand the ongoing din. Astra looked to Susan, and Susan was looking back, giving her orders. Grab a weapon and protect Doctor Hughs... and the first figure that had come from within the rift. She nodded without question, though her mind swirled with them like eddy's in a river.
As soon as the signal came, Astra was ready to do what needed to be done. When she had first come to Planetary, she had spoken about her pacifism, her hatred of violence. Susan had shown her ways that she could be useful on the field of combat, taught her that not all violence was bad... though it was scary. Still, she had learnt so much from Dr Storm, and now seemed like an apt time to put it to the test. Astra looked at Collins, at Herman, and gave a firm, ready nod. Her eyes glittered with determination.
"On your orders, Doctor Storm! We're ready!"
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Post by Bixir on Oct 19, 2023 6:05:02 GMT
Jenkins and Kwan wasted no time moving inside Sue’s protective field. The creatures had started firing at them with their arm blasters already, long enough that Kwan’s leg nearly got clipped by… whatever it was these things were shooting at them. It looked like pure energy. Better not to find out. Once they were inside, they took forward positions before continuing to open fire on these things. The force field ripples just long enough for the streams of electricity from their weapons to pass through to their targets. It was hard to tell what - if anything - the electricity was doing to them, but it seemed to be doing something. Not even eldritch horrors liked getting zapped.
Three of the monsters had been on Jenkins’ and Kwan’s tail when they were repositioning, two of which were Susan’s targets. One of them was caught dead on by all three of the invisible spears thrown at it. The first spear stuck through the stomach, and while it buckled the creature’s momentum, it still tried to power through the pain to get to its prey. The second spear, into its heart, slowed it down further, though still it crawled forward. Its drone became a whimper, much more like an animal in pain. Then, the third spear impaled its head, and its body recoiled back several feet, as if it had been struck by… well, a spear. It did not get back up. The body dissipated into the air almost immediately. No blood or evidence was left behind of the thing save for environmental damage. The second creature was more evasive, enough to completely dodge the spear aimed for its heart, while its head was only just grazed by that spear. The spear to the stomach landed, prompting it to slow down its charge. Not to a full stop, but it bought the rest of them a few precious seconds. The third creature continued charging at the field full force. It howled in its alien tongue, loosing energy blasts from its arm as it charged. It rammed the barrier, first with the initial impact, then twice, thrice, a fourth time with its claws. Two other creatures had run up on the left flank to do the same thing. Though Jenkins and Kwan weren’t able to stop them from getting that close, their suppressing lightning streams fire was able to keep the rest of them darting around the beach. Good thing they weren’t in the water.
By now, Rose had finished discarding the equipment that was no longer relevant to the matter at hand; which was to say, most of it. What was left was the base layer of her pressurized suit, as well as the gravlink technology integrated with her gloves. SHe reached out towards the stranger that was lying several yards from their position, then quickly tugged with the same arm. The gloves let out a technical whine, and the body jerked up, flailing like a ragdoll before hurdling into Rose’s arms. From how she reacted to the impact, this person seemed light. She closed her arms around her chest, holding the person tight. She walked towards the back end of the force field, making sure that she was in Astra’s sight lines. “Onna us will need to carry the goat. Can I count on ya to watch my six?” Her Irish accent lilted strongly, even through her suit. She couldn’t wait too long for Astra to make a call. Though it didn’t seem like these things were smart, they at the very least hunted like a pack. It wouldn’t take long for them to notice Herman, who was still running towards the truck. It was honestly a ways away.
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Post by BijuuGuy on Nov 2, 2023 20:53:19 GMT
The situation kept escalating with frightening speed. Susan knew that even with the strength of her fields being able to keep them safe for a while, they couldn't stay there. They would have to take risks. The three creatures directly slamming on her fields made it clear and also complicated matters. She was glad she was able to dispose of at least one of them, with her eyes briefly on the other damaged in the stomach. Them simply dissipating after death wasn't an unheard of phenomenon. Sue could only hope that they retained enough data to get to the bottom of this. Now, however, she was readying Astra and Collins for extraction. As if Rose read Sue's mind, she had already handled the stranger's situation. Granted, that made their escape marginally more difficult. But there was no time to debate the risks. Herman was out in the open and they had to get a leg up on these creatures. Sue didn't wait for additional conformation from Astra either. Her already established determination was acknowledgement enough. That girl had a will similar to her own. Maybe it was fear masking as will, though if it was, Astra was mighty capable of hiding it well. Susan made a mental reminder to commend her, should they all make it out in once piece. The minute both of them seemed ready, Susan formed a field around them both. The tricky part was focusing on everything around her and keeping those two safe at the same time. Multitasking was one of her many skills, but them being under direct assault made that cumbersome for even the best multitaskers. She just had to trust herself. Not a moment sooner, she essentially pushed the duo through the denser field, with direct line of sight to the beach and Herman. Her plan finally began to take shape. Sue had finalized it not a moment too soon and even then, it was liable to change and surprises. Didn't matter. Before moving on to the next step, she had one clear command for the two women.
"GO!"
With Astra and Collins on the way, Susan made sure to keep their field up and as durable as she could. Susan and her three subordinates remained under her own field. Their weapons helped keep most of the other creatures at bay, but the three at the field were still hacking away. They were much stronger physically than she had expected. The next step involved Sue enveloping part of field in large protruding spikes. All of them aimed at the left flank, where her targets were. She knew she had to form many, in order to have a chance of striking vital points. She also knew that conjuring them for a longer period of time would quickly wear out her limitation of how many fields she could keep up at once. So instead, Susan concentrated on the three and made the "wall" protrude and retract the spikes swiftly. As such, the energy dispersed would drastically lessen the possibility of any of her fields failing. She did so twice, hoping it would be enough to, at the very least, injure and stun them long enough for her, Jenkins, and Kwan to start moving towards the shore. With fewer of them in the field and fewer obstructing forces, moving around with the force field would be easier.
In theory.
"Don't let up. We have to keep the pressure on them. I have a plan to get us to the shore."
Susan's life was all about theories. She had the experience and knowledge to confirm those theories. Right now? She wished she didn't have to theorize a damn thing. |
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Post by Beriadan on Nov 6, 2023 12:18:02 GMT
Astra cocked the rifle, checking it in the way Doctor Storm had taught her. How ready was she? She looked at Rosa, at the being slung over her shoulder. Herman, a fair distance away now, retreating, hopefully, from danger. She looked again at her Irish companion, and gave a firm nod.
"I've got you. Let's go!"
Following Rosa within Storm's bubble, Astra would keep her rifle high and ready. Any of the creature's coming close to them would get a blast of lightning, indiscriminate and fairly accurate. Herman was a real worry for her, so she would keep an eye on him too, trying to make sure he didn't have any unwanted followers. All she could do was fire at any enemies heading his way, and that was if they didn't also target them. Astra bit her lip. This was a tense situation, but she felt ready!
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Post by Bixir on Jan 13, 2024 21:36:13 GMT
The two creatures on the left flank of Susan' shields weren't at all aware of how she was reacting to their attacks. They were near-mindless things, completely focused on tearing through this obstacle between them and their prey. When her psychic spikes shot out of that portion of the bubble, neither of them were prepared for it. Once, then twice, their bodies were cleanly impaled, then fell limply to the ground. Like the one before, their disfigured forms inexplicably dissipated into nothingness. The surviving two beasts on the other side of the force field, on the other hand, continued to tear into Susan's defenses with their claws and lasers. Once they saw what Susan was doing, Jenins and Kwan redoubled their efforts to that flank, doing what they could to keep the monsters at bay, but to little avail. While their weapons seemed to leave a mark on them, they did not feel terribly endangered by electricity either These anomalies, whateer they were, did not necessarily possess superhuman strength, but they were much stronger than what any Earthbound animal was capable of. Thanks to dispersing some of her energy, however, Susan's shields remained to hold. For now. In the distance, a couple more of the creatures could be seen moving towards them. These were moving more carefully, watching from a distance rather than charging ahead. Kwan frantically popped his charge pack, scrambling at his belt for a new one. There weren't too many left. Jenkins, on the other hand, hadn't even finished his first charge. Something about trigger discipline.
Kwan looked over at Jenkins' results, scowling. "Whatever it is, Doc, you better make it quick."
Astra and Rose, on the other hand, were able to extricate themselves from the main group. They were closer to Herman now, and protected within their own force fields at that. Suddenly, one of the creatures leaped out at Rose; rather than seize her neck in its claws, it instead met a few inches of force, soundly rebuffing it, if only momentarily. Rose hadn't been sent to the ground - on account of her sturdy astrosuit - but she was still reeling. The woman backpaced quickly, doing what she could to get any distance from the beast. The monster looked ready to continue the assault. Conversely, there was another abomination coming up on them fast. Its attention was fixed squarely on Herman, who was nearly to the truck by now.
Astra would have time to shoot one of them.
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