What Ifs and Have Nots

July 02, 2016:

Nate and Ripclaw discuss resources

Characters

NPCs: Chip, C.C.

Mentions:

Plot:

Mood Music: [*\# None.]


Fade In…

"What is wrong with my van?" Chip asks loudly, his voice squeaking in it's carry through the inner chambers of X-Force HQ. "It's fully armored, custom built G-Series, brushbar, foglights, quad square exhaust tips and the shag carpet, that carpet is one of a kind…"
"Settle down, Chip. The van is fine, especially in the looks department but our team is growing and mobility is a must and your van is a target, CyberData knows it. We can't get anywhere close to their more secure locations in it."
"We have motorcycles."
"Only a couple and they're all loud."
"What about SHIELD? Have the X-side of the Force request a Qwanjet or something? I'd love to fly one of those babies." C.C.'s turn to speak, "Ratatatatatpewpewpewpew… locked and loaded, bitches. Lets mow down some CyberData scum."
"Not an option." Ripclaw counters. No need to explain the relationship they have with SHIELD is very limited. SHIELD will cover their asses where it can and give them the occasional intel but thats it. "We're doing fine for now but these are things to consider should we expand more and once we need to take operations further than just New York, the Tri-Cities even."
"Yeah, well, Ripclaw, you're thinking too far out. We ain't even crippled 'em here yet."
"I'm aware of this."
"If we had some more money and the right connections we can assemble something, C.C., Timmy and I can put together something pretty impressive in no time at all."
"How long is no time?"
"With the right stuff? Maybe six months."
"Too long."
It is too early to argue. Well, probably it is not too early, but Nate just woke up of one of his no-sleep-in-three-days crashes. So it is too early for anything in his book. Like every 'morning' he is homing on coffee and foodstuffs. "Hey folks," he greet-grunts. "What are we… oh, we need to hook up with Emma already. She has more money than Tony Stark."

Coffee is found, put on a mug and the mug in the microwave oven for a minute. Nate is a barbarian.
"No she isn't. No way." Chip states. A ballcap worn on his head backwards, a set of work goggles sitting up on his brow. He'd been tinkering on something this morning. Turrets was his latest kick but making sure they were safe for everyone here is a trick and it's not like they have any fancy WayneTech BioK scanners to use.
"Stark could buy Frost several times over."
Ripclaw isn't sure if this is fact or opinion on either side there. Nate's not exactly from this dimension but he does know Emma Frost and Chip, well he doesn't know Stark but hes a massive nerd from this dimension and a techy. That might be his bias though, "Anyways, good day, Nate."

C.C. is seated on the table upon a stack of old phone books and National Geographics formed in to a throne, a handheld gaming device in front of his paws, modified joystick built just for his particular physical makeup. Duct tape. Lots of it. It's a necessity around here with all the jury-rigged gadgets the cybertwinks pop out. "Frost is way hotter. Dem legs."

"We were discussing resources and expansion, mindless morning chatter. Pipe dreams most of it but I find the sound-boarding helps at times… you're well?" Ripclaw inquires, a cup of his own coffee in hand.
Nate gives C.C. and odd look at his comment. What has Chip programmed in there? Glance back to Ripclaw, "I'm fine, or I will be in ten minutes," caffeine fixes the wake-up headache, usually. And the coffee mug has some milk added and a truckload of sugar.

"So what is going to happen in six months? Because we really should have Mother May nailed sooner than that. Not that I had much luck finding her, trail has gone cold. Do you know if she has a hideout in other city?"
"Mother May-I will show herself again. It's only a matter of finding the right trail." Ripclaw says, "Nothing detailed or set is happening in six months, three or even a year. Cyberdata knows we're amassing but not to what extent, they toy with us right now and don't take us as seriously as they should, but if in six months we operate and maintain the meager assets we have now… we won't be."
"That deception is our strength and it needs to be maintained but we do need to be prepared, we need that 'what if' factor… and CyberData is one of the worlds most technologically advanced firms, we have to be able to match them on that avenue."
Ripclaw exhales and sets his coffee mug aside. Empty now of course. It's his third cup of the day.
"Options is the topic I suppose. Sitting idle lately has me growing anxious and the most relevant targets we are aware of right now are at extended ranges, you ever heard of Gamorra Corporation? That vessel we attacked a few months ago had cargo manifests linked to the Island of Gamorra, once known as Parousia. A rival in cybernetics and genetic engineering to match Cyberdata… on par in how horrible it truly is with Genosha."
"That is not something of an immediate threat but it had my mind working on the 'what ifs' what if we're required to travel that far? What if we need a fast escape? What do we have? A van, several of us capable of limited flight?"

Nate sips from the mug, eyes narrowing. "Gamorra? Yeah. I think one of the Purifiers we fought last year got cybernetics there. It is a shithole island, right? One of those places like Latveria or Madripoor that are controlled by super-criminals but are too useful for the 'big countries' to act against them."

Nate shrugs, "I can be there in a couple hours, but if I had to take you all it would take me… not sure. I would have to stop a couple times. And I couldn't go supersonic." So it would be faster in a commercial plane, sad as it sounds. "So do we need a private plane? In my experience that kind of junk gets blown up every three missions. You need really deep pockets."
"Yep. Deep pockets and… well him." One of Ripclaws clawed thumbs juts in Chip's direction.
"Super-villains? Lots of politics involved in Gamorra. I'd call them just sleezy politicians or tyrants at best. Though, how much is really known is what? Like, what do we know? I don't even want to try digging in to their systems to find out what is truth. But what I do know is their cybernetics are choice. Like, it's not GodTech that Cyberdata can field but its pretty prime time stuff. I'd love to get my hands on it but we haven't encountered any of them before… just you know, what I've researched and seen."
"All I care about is destroying any alliances between Cyberdata and Gamorra. Even small exchanges. We make it cost them too much and they should pull out, beyond that Gamorra isn't our concern not yet at least. Cyberdata is and should be, but thats where the concerns for travel come in, if we're forced to engage outside of the immediate, no, your abilities ren't enough.."
"Right, just saying, I'd love to get some of their tech." Chip mumbles behind Ripclaws chattering.
"What Scratchy is saying is hes worried we're gonna have to fight overextended." C.C. adds in, "And his stereotyped default is guerilla tactics and that doesn't work this time if… "
"Right, the cat has summed it up."
"Well months down the road is something we can be prepared for, at least to a limited extend. That should be good enough right?"
Ripclaw shrugs at the question. "I suppose we'll see when we get there."

"Long time plans are not my field," admits Nate. In fact short term… well. Plans. Not his thing. Although he is not as bad as a couple years ago. "If we really need to get fast somewhere maybe the X-Men will let me borrow their jet."

Nooooot likely. But Nate's definition of 'borrow' is pretty broad.

"Fact is…" he considers, "if we got to be in Gamorra, or even in Metropolis, for any length of time, maybe we'll do better establishing safehouses there and not just trying to get faster transportation."

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