Garden Salsa vs Sweet & Spicy BBQ

September 15, 2016:

Taskmaster takes Lunair out on a field trip of possible villainy. It gets interrupted by a nosy Avenger.

North of Bludhaven

Characters

NPCs: None.

Mentions:

Plot:

Mood Music: [*\# None.]


Fade In…

Location: Bludhaven, North of Gotham, South of New York
Late Day, plenty of Rain and Clouds - Dark Soon

"So, Loon, you ever killed someone outside of like… combat?" Taskmaster questions, a crunch sound escaping the deep blue hood covering his features. For once, just maybe his face is visible beyond the shadow. Not that she will see this. He's good at exploiting shadows to keep his identity concealed, it is almost a game for him.
*CRUNCH*
*MUNCH*
"I love these Garden Salsa sun chips, they are tops." The rain beats down around them as they sit overlooking an assortment of parked sedans, SUVs and one military HMMWV or Hummer. She has no clue why they're playing stake out, why they're sitting behind a high powered energy rifle that is set up on a bipod. It isn't the usual gig. "Man, I don't know what tastes better, these or the Sweet & Spicy BBQ…" Their vantage point is overlooking the outside of a gated storage facility. These people look professional, serious, shady. Maybe they're government, maybe they're mafioso. One can never tell, Task like Slade tends to be all about the 'need to know'.

Lunair is hanging out with Taskmaster. She doesn't question his weirdness about hiding his face. Maybe he really is Skeletor. "Umm. I've assassinated people who didn't see it coming but not like, unintentionally." She furrows her brows. "And really? I'll have to try some," She remarks. "They have sweet and spicy?" Oh my. She's behind on chips.

For her part, she seems unruffled by the set up. She's used to kind of being quietly pointed at something until it needs to stop moving. She is watching, nibbling some M&Ms after awhile. Sigh. "How about you?"

"Have you!? Well, dollface, you are just full of surprises. I was hoping I was popping that kill cherry." A chuckle comes from Taskmaster, not even an electronic distorted one, his normal voice this go around, "They do. They are good and if you see them in the cabinet at HQ, no touchy. Mine." Joking is always a dangerous route with Task. Its one of those hard to tell things.
"Have I killed people who didn't see it coming? Hah haha hah, you're adorable. My middle name is 'killed all those stupid distracted people', I know, its long and I tried to shorten it once but… just.. hold up, here we go."

Why does he need the big fancy energy weapon? Because aliens are involved, yes, actual aliens, the distortion in space around the gathering transmits an energy pulse that most sensors won't read, a tachyon discharge associated with FTL particles, to the normal non-hyper advanced brain, these break the laws of physics in this reality, they are very much a reality. "How does he know these things? Time and place, set and match. Though, shooting aliens count as murder? They ain't people right?"
Taskmaster pops his neck and moves up behind the large energy rifle then pauses, "You wanna do it? Actually, better idea, you do it and you make this puppy meaner, feed it some of your weird technomagic gogogadget bigger stuff you do… we need to turn these guys in to goo. They're bad for our business plus I doubt any of them are here legally."
The mercenary steps back, hand motioning towards the rifle, his skull mask is back on. It was pulled down again at some point and it looks like he is smiling Joker huge thanks to the bone white spread of teeth.

What the hell? Tachyon fractures incoming… all over Bludheaven! Nathaniel's armor sends all kinds of warning and alarms. Because he set it up to detect the tachyon steams that usual mean time travel. But there are other causes.

Other possible causes. It is also entirely possible someone is moving something VERY large through time. Like a city. Iron Guard is flying there right now, also sending messages to the HMS Starfire to see what they are seeing. Who else can help? Maybe Captain Marvel. No cellphone signal. He really needs to find time to work in the Avanger communicators.

Re-reading and studying the readings calms him down some. No time travel. Instead someone probably has opened a portal to another planet. That is pretty horrifying dangerous too, but not as bad as, well, Kang moving a whole city into the 21st Century. Which is the kind of thing that keeps him awake at night.

Lunair blinks behind her visor at Taskmaster. "I see. And okay, okay," She beieves him. No touching Task's chips. Noted. She listens, at least, and seems quietly amused. Taskmaster is an enigma to her, but she seems to make peace with it - especially now that she hasn't been getting brained recently.

"Depends on sentience, but if they're trying to kill us all, it should be okay, I guess," She considers. Lunair is less moral and more animalistic. She fights and if she loses, so be it. Or if they lose. It is simply a struggle between two parties. "Okay." Lunair just rolls with it. She's gotten considerably better at weaponry these days, though she coniders the mounted thing. "I can change it a bit. You think we need a projectile or energy might work better?" She's open to advice, at least. Whatever the case, the gun shifts, clacking and soon resembling something that a freaking Gundam would use. She is a champion of overcompensating. She overcompensates so hard because she has no dingdong. That's clearly it.

"Yanno honestly I don't know. Deathstroke had it delivered to me and said, 'go shoot things in here', so we're here shooting things." Taskmaster slips a chip up underneath the jaw of his mask, crunching again, quieter this time. Can't resist. The bag is then rolled up and shoved in to a pouch. "Maybe try both. It honestly depends on the shields they're using, its not often I have time to slow and figure this sorta thing out but the worlds an ever changing place."

Below, those men gathered appear at first startled, they begin to shy back away from the tall (near 8 feet), purple skinned humanoids appearing, creatures with long smooth hairless bodies, golden armor covering their frames and wings that are bug-like and relaxed, there is nothing audible, these men and the aliens exchange is unheard but the portal is motioned at several times, it is being kept open by something the men earlier deployed. The mobster looking men. This is clearly a business transaction.

"Intergang." Taskmaster confirms. "Not sure why Slade cares. Wait, hold up… you hear that? Nothing, nevermind. Fire at will, Loon. Make Earth a very inhospitable place to Gumby's people." He almost thought he heard something incoming, thrusters, air currents, his imagination. Almost. Maybe it was instinct or his 'Super Hero senses' were tingling. Possibly also just indigestion.

On flight, Nathaniel is trying to figure out from where exactly is the portal opening. His armor can't calculate it, so he is getting a little worried. This is like the first time his armor system are stumped since he got it… unless there is magic involved.

Taskmater super-hero sense really works. Iron Guard doesn't use repulsor thrusters for flight (they are for show only) and he is coming supersonic anyway. He would hear the 'whosh' only after he has passed.

Lunair would hear him, though. Since he is very familiar with her armor and he opens a comchannel the second he spots her. "Luna, what are you doing there? Who are those guys? Wait… Parademons!? Didn't they attack Metropolis last year?"

"Oh, I see." Lunair just accepts that. If Deathstroke says it, there's probably some reason within a reason, a burrito of plans. She doesn't seem bothered by the chip munching. "And yeah," Lunair agrees. She blinks as the aliens emerge. She can't fault the mobsters, maybe.

"I think he's not a fan of them," Lunair offers to Taskmaster. "And what's a Gumby?" She looks puzzled beneath her power armor's visor. "Eh? Hey, someone else is here. He's worried about the parademons," Lunair relays to SKELET— askmaster. "About to snipe intergang, no idea, and probably. A lot of things attack Metropolis. It's like a super powered version of traffic jams." All this calm, cheery. Like, duh, sometimes Darkseid sometimes feels like doing a cabaret down main street.

But there's no time to tarry. It's time for a souped up railgun sparkle funtime party to rain down on the aliens.

"Is that what they're called?" Taskmaster inquires about Parademons, he seen the news. They looked different, similar but different. Nathaniel's system scans will not register these as Parademons nor is it even the same tech being used, no mother boxes. Nothing that was posted anywhere to warn about Apokaliptians, similarities are there. This is something very different. As he tries to scan the tachyonic emissions its the entire area ABOVE the aliens, a portal opened and dumped them down. A massive life signature exists on the other side, Godzilla sized life form.

"Wait-ta-minute. You're talking to Iron Man up there? Shoot his ass down, he'll get in our way. Shoot them, shoot him, shoot all the things, Loon. We're here on work. You're spooning a super energy canon there, you could kill a building with that thing. Lay waste, dollface." Obviously Taskmaster is more than eager to see some destruction, hell, hes eager to see that canon fired. Every kid who ever loved Star Wars would want to play with that monster of a weapon.

Unfortunately Iron Lad's entrance is not unnoticed, those mobsters, the Intergang are starting to point and take aim. One of them already taking off a shot at the Avenger.
The aliens have likewise spotted him, curiously one of them tips its head and lifts up a small circular gem, looking at Nathaniel through it. He will be pinged that someone is scanning his diagnostics, or attempting to.

Close enough reveals they are not Parademons, after all. Whew. But then who? "Uh oh," they are scanning him. He should have been more careful and less speedy about approaching here. He tries to disrupt the scanner by sending garbage through the frequencies it uses and flies down, but far from Lunair's position, so not to draw attention to her. "Any idea what is going on?" He transmits to the young woman.

"Probably," Lunair offers. "But they aren't using the same stuff. Like the knock off toys you see at flea markets," She muses. "Um." This isn't good.

"Oh. Shooting him wouldn't do me much good, really. Plus, he's running distraction. I'll totally take it!" She beams at Taskmaster. Lunair is going to turn to lay waste to the land, or rather, the aliens at least.

Lunair takes aim, and the immense rail gun is going to do damage to the building and unfortunates standing in front of it like a dozen fat elementary school kids damage a wounded pinata. Debris, what's left of the target and dirt are mingled in a hailstorm. A primitive war god roars as beings become simple matter once more.

And again, the gun fires. There won't be too much left.

Lunair pauses. "Nope, is bad. Text you later."

"Iron Mook is going to get caught in the middle of this. Maybe two for one. Might be able to pull up a bounty on him if he does, I get a 30% cut if you waste him." Taskmaster declares while the shield on his back is unclasped to wrap around his forearm and then it happens…
The energy rifle becoming an amplified rail gun cracks to life, Intergang and Beta Aliens caught in a direct blast that connects with an explosive BOOM, a boom that creates it's own outwards shockwave knocking cars, people and debris falling in all directions, the tachyonic energy signature around the extraterrestrials amplifies as the portal above them wavers, rippling like a pool, the large life force on the other side is now curious what is transpiring.
Who knows if aliens or high tech mobsters will be standing when the smoke and hellfire clears.

"I don't wanna be crass but I am definitely, maybe just a little aroused." Taskmaster is having an Archer moment. "So much firepower… Oh goodness."
No, Iron Guard is not fazed about the rail-gun shot. He saw it coming. Nice to see what Luna is really able to do when she wants. No more questions. She will text him later. Oh well. He lands, and grabs the closest non-unconscious mobster. "Care to explain what you fools are doing here?"

Lunair let off the chain is apparently a force of destruction. Utter, raw destruction and obliviation. For her part, she's going to follow it up. Doubletapping with a railgun. Only Lunair. She is a bit wide-eyed. "Sure." She blinks owlishly.

"And uh. I can't blame you." It's rare that she's genuinely allowed to cut loose. "Right. That guy seems to be out of the — way? I think he's talking to a goon. Um. You want a turn with this thing?"

Post Explosion and Rail Gun fire the smoke clears to reveal the warehouse obliterated, a globe of red surrounding the aliens who sit crouched within, all three of them. The bubble opens long enough for one to reach long arms upwards and pull itself through the portal, as if it stablized momentarily, only two remain as they await, their red defensive shield holding. Unconscious men is all Nathaniel will find, none of the Intergang were shielded against this sort of thing.
"We were hired to just shoot at what we pleased… " The second tap from Lunair has the red defensive globe buckling, wobbling but it witstands, like a bubble being poked bluntly. They look as though they are attempting to retreat, their exchange interrupted.

"Gimme that, hope he isn't a friend of yours." The weapon is snared from Lunair and Taskmaster takes aim on Iron Guard, "Not getting paid extra for him… but damn I really really want to shoot this thing." Its as if he is in debate, Taskmaster remains aiming and poised, "Pick a number between one and ten, Loon."

Hmm, they don't make the gangsters like they used to be. Not that Nathaniel would know how they were. He drops the unconscious guy and watches the second shot fail against the aliens' forcefield. Interesting that. Definitely worth some testing.

He shoots a repulsor pulse to the shield, followed by some burst of different frequency lasers, and takes readings of the effects to try to gauge how much the bubble can stand.

Lunair blinks at the bubble. "Well, then." That was not what she expected. "He kind of is, actually." Lunair remarks. "And 6. Also you might wanna look at the dudes in the bubble because they are gonna be PISSED at us." She remarks. Lunair doesn't push though, instead watching the carnage to come, eyes wide. That was SO COOL.

"Dudes in the bubble look like they're running away. We showed up, we shot things, no one is buying or selling any space goats today but here, we have a genuine Avengers we can pop… " Taskmaster still looks to be in debate when she says 6. "Even number! It's his lucky day… damn. I always pick odd numbers and this happens." The weapon is hefted and tossed over his shoulder, "… "

The aliens ignore Nathaniel's attempts at their barrier with his repulsors, waiting a moment then the final two slip through that wormhole to beyond. "Wonder if we get our M.I.B. badges now? Lets go. Maybe I'll find a can to shoot on our way home." Best not to poke the Avenger's ant-hill just yet, Taskmaster is still trying to figure out what the hell happened to the Justice League, "Loon, toots, I'll see you back at the place." Final words as the mercenary stalks off with the BFG strapped to him. He really isn't in the mood to fight Iron Guard right now anyways, even though hes feeling mighty confident with that super canon in hand.

And… they are gone. Hmm, Iron Guard is going to remain here and call the police, he wants to see what the Intergang guys have to tell about this. But he glances to Luna and her friend and transmits to the girl. "Luna? Is not that the guy that always hits you in the head with the Frisbee shield? What are you doing with him?"

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