13700/Ring Chasers

Ring Chasers
Date of Scene:	04 August 2021
Location:	Highway 87: North of Woodbury
Synopsis:	John Stewart, aided by Shanon and SHIELD Agent Skye Johnson, chase after his Lantern Ring when it is squirreled away by some rather fleet footed robots!
Cast of Characters:	Shredder, Quake, Red, Green Lantern (Stewart), Nightingale

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Shredder has posed:
(This Scene follows directly after 13656: Even Green Lanterns need help sometimes) https://www.unitedheroesmush.com/index.php?title=13656/Even_Green_Lanterns_need_help_sometimes

    The two robotic signals cruise down the back roads, and by the time the Quinjet is in chase, they are already hitting Route 32. They are fast, even if they aren't very large, the single wheeled Rodneys are trying to get back to New York City at their very top speed.

Quake has posed:
The beautiful thing about the quinjet is that they don't have to ride on the roads!

Skye is making sure that they are on the right track. "Any idea how you would like to do this? "

Red has posed:
Alice shrugs, eying out of the window, the baggy shield coverall slowly adjusting to be less a hazard as she works on it. "Well, depends on which one we need to stop, right? If I was a film director, I'd... hmm, film them coming in, cut to us, prepping weapons. Camera turns to out of the open door as the jet zooms past the drones. People jump. Cut to the ground, Superhero impact on the ground - bad for the ankles - one lands on the left bike impaling it on a spear or sword. The other bike swerves out, trying not to crash into the rest of the team. Epic firefight in the rain with lots of slowmotion..."

She chuckles as she raises her shoulders. "But that'd be a movie, this isn't one."

Green Lantern (Stewart) has posed:
"The ring is what matters. If I'm lucky, it still has power and I'll be able to mentally pull it to me. If they've drained the power from it, we'll need to retrieve it so I can charge it personally." John tells Skye, "If worst comes to worse, I can contact Oa and have them recall the ring... but that will mean a while to travel back, and I'm right here."

John checks his ICER sniper rifle visually, before he looks to Skye directly, "Let's get the lay of the land where they're going before anything. Depending on their route, I can shoot out their tires from above." John gives a side nod to the M16 he has next to him. "I've made harder shots."

Nightingale has posed:
     "Rarely is it ever as neat and clean as it is in the movies, Alice," Shannon says, as she's pinning her hair up in a bun on top of her head. For her own part, she's in a very plain black jumpsuit, that looks as if it can withstand a few good direct hits if necessary. She grimaces, shaking her head as she checks the quiver on her leg, which is full up. There is, somewhere on her person, what proves to be a collapsible black bow, but she does not have this immediately in hand at the moment. Strapped to her right forearm is what looks to be a spring-loaded holder, and it bears a very plain-looking metal rod within its grip.

     "Let's hope to hell I don't have to pull a Clint and actually fire this thing," she grumbles, resting a hand on her bow. "Mr. Summers is gonna be pissed I took it off grounds with me as it is." Too, there is a fairly complete medkit strapped to her back, should it become necessary. Part of her can't help but look around the quinjet, fascinated with the differences between that and the Blackbird. Too, talk of Oa and the rings captures her attention for a moment, and for a split second, there is the look of innocent, wide-eyed wonder. "And here I thought the Lanterns were myth," she murmurs, allowing herself a small smile.

Shredder has posed:
    As the quinjet closes on the signal, the two Rodneys come into view. Roughtly shaped like a human torso, riding on a single wheel, the curved domes reflect the afternoon light. Given that most traffic is going out of the city at this hour, it means that there isn't as much congestion going in, though the highway is not even close to being empty.

    "PURSUIT DETECTED." Comes the alert from one of them to the other they hop the entrance ramp, sliding up seamlessly into the high speeds of interstate 87. One of them pivots, without changing speed or direction, the upper half facing the incoming quinjet, but it hasn't taken any actions yet.

Quake has posed:
Skye just *looks* at Alice for a moment. Shaking her head, she remarks, "Are you sure you aren't from SHIELD?" Well, Clint would make a joke like that. ..okay, maybe Skye too.

She listens to John, and nods. With sharp shooters like Natasha and Clint, she knows that someone like John definitely can do those shots.

"Surprise? In my job you eventually throw out the book on fairy tales and myths." Even monsters. What with WAND..

As they close in on the pursuit.. "They know we're here. John are you okay to help me with firing back?"

Red has posed:
Alice keeps up shifting fabric around, stashing the extra material under the arms and sides as a single layer. And between the legs. Pretty much, turning it into a Wingsuit. How hard can it be to glide in that? "Eh... Why do I suddenly get a flashback to Ghost in the Shell? The episode where the sniper sits on an interstate sign and waits for a drone to pass so he can shoot it? That one did kiiind of shoot back..."

Green Lantern (Stewart) has posed:
Taking both rifles, John looks to the back ramp, still closed. "Just get me an angle." He confirms. Then, he looks to Alice. "What's that? Ghost in the Shell?"

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon allows herself a wry grin over at Skye, and just chuckles, shaking her head. "I've already learned to throw out that same book. Doesn't mean I don't still appreciate it, though. Never want to lose that sense of wonder." Her smile fades a little as one of the Rodneys just pivots to face the quinjet in pursuit, and she presses her lips together in a bit of a thin line. "Just what are those capable of?" she asks, her 'game face' falling into place.

     Alice's latest creation earns a lofted eyebrow, and for just a split second, it looks as if she might smile again. "Don't think I've ever seen you use a wingsuit. You going to be okay?" For the most part, she hung towards the back of the group, making sure her comm earpiece was in place, and what she had for gear was ready to go. Hopefully, none of it would be needed.

     Hope always springs eternal....

Shredder has posed:
    Alice's commentary seems predictive. As the Quinjet gets closer, Skye may detect that they are being scanned. Two small compartments open from the front of the reverse driving Rodney's chest, and small caliber barrels appear. The spitting begins, a high pitched Vvvvvvvvvip can be heard from below as small robot unleashes, weaving between two vehicles down the white line, aided by precision computers within as it strafes the opening in the quinjet. Apparently they don't want to be followed.

Quake has posed:
Skye can't help it - Alice and Shannon are instructed to sit tight with their 'seatbelts' in. Despite Shannon's wings. It's habit!!

But for John she opens the hatch to the quinjet.

For herself? She's still got a lead. After all, her first job with Shield was in computers. "Nothing yet, but keep peeled."

Red has posed:
"Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Episode 2, Runaway Evidence. Some heavy assault multi-ped tank is stolen and Saito attempts to snipe it but the tank hacks the sattelite so he can't see it with his sattelite-uplink-cybereye and miss. In the end, the Major brainhacks the tank... I guess that makes no sense if you don't know the series, right?" Alice smiles excusingly, stretching an arm up to see how the fabric wing looks so far.

"How hard can it be Shannon? Just stay horizontal and keep the arms and legs stretched to glide, right?" She almost chuckled a moment. Lucky they were still in the quinjet... Which was when the minigun buzz started and she ducked into the seat. "S...dang!"

Green Lantern (Stewart) has posed:
There's a bit of a blank stare from John towards Alice. "Sounds like some of the stuff I hear about out there." John points up, towards the sky, with a thumb. "Nova tends to have lots of cybernetics. St-"

Then a machine gun starts firing into the quinjet, and John presses himself against a wall, grabbing a strap with his hand, "This is gonna be tough."

He tosses the M16 and grabs an actual sniper rifle then, "KEEP ME AS STEADY AS POSSIBLE!" John yells out to the cockpit.

Then, he drops to the ground, and starts to crawl up to the hatch... slowly, but surely. Pressed up against the side, John tries to take aim for the tires on the one firing...

Nightingale has posed:
     "Famous last wor..." is about all Shannon can manage to quip to Alice, before the mini-Rodney opens up with a spray of gunfire right at the quinjet. Immediately, she snaps her wings inwards, tucking herself into the somewhat protective cover of her seat. But, she doesn't make a sound. There are no cries of fear from this one. Oh, no. The only thing she does is reach behind herself to make sure her medkit is intact, breathing a sigh of relief when it proves to be so.

     Glancing around, she takes stock of everyone in the craft, doing a quick visual assessment for any signs of injury, hoping and praying that, as of yet, she would not be needed....

Shredder has posed:
    As targets take cover on the quinjet, the second rodney pivots, both facing behind them now. The sensors spot John's sniper. and in unison, they both sidle up next to insterstate travelers that they would have passed, and instead, hide behind them.

    One might expect the drivers to notice them, but in reality, they are able to easily use the rear quarter of the cars' blindspots, as they are much smaller than a car is to begin with. However, they have stopped firing. After all, it would alert their unwitting hostages if they were to open fire. They seem to be quite advanced in their logic programming, perhaps reducing the pool of places that may have made suche advanced robots for the Foot Clan.

Quake has posed:
Skye had an idea, but it's going to take a little time to isolate the program. Because, right now, the Rodney's are a danger.

"Someone keep them on us. I am trying to stop them from using witnesses as a shield. We want to know where they have taken the ring." And from then, she was silent, using her hacker skill.

Nightingale has posed:
     "Will a second aerial target be enough?" Shannon asked. She just shook her head. This was madness. Utter, complete madness. But someone had to act, and act fast. She does not, however, just jump out rashly, instead looking to John and Skye for confirmation, only reaching for her seatbelt.

Red has posed:
Alice kept her head down for the moment, eying over to the Hacker and then John at the exit. The best she could do for the moment? Secure the latter to the ground. Snatching some strap, she did let herself slide to the exit, slinging it around a cargo loop and then working on securing the other end into his costume. "You just do the aiming, I keep you on the ramp!" She yells against the screach of the engines and rushing air.

Green Lantern (Stewart) has posed:
There's a moment as John assesses the situation through his scope, then... "SHIELD will cover aftermath expenses, right?" It comes out as a rhetorical question, by his tone... and it's easy to see why in a moment. "If you have any anti material rifles in there, drop one next to me." John practically orders of the group inside.

Then, John pulls the trigger... aiming for the engines of the cars being used as cover. A military grade sniper rifle should have more than enough punch to get through civilian grade hoods and disable those cars, forcing them to stop... or at least swerve away gently.

Shredder has posed:
    The first car takes the hit, and smoke plumes through the hole made. Inside, a very panicked man pulls his car to the side under the inertia, landing himself in the grass between the north and southbound lanes.

    The second, a minivan, swerves violently, a panicked soccer mom can be seen screaming inside her driver side window, and slams on her brakes. That was a mistake, as she's immediately rear-ended by a pickup, the two rolling to a stop off to the right side of the road.

    As a result, both Rodneys are now exposed. The one in the right lane takes off, increasing speed, while the one in the left lane does something very different.

    That left lane Rodney suddenly falls back, and something explodes from its shoulder. A metallic line of some sort zips out, stretching like a grapple gun, only to catch the tail of the quinjet. With a zing, the steel ring can be heard as the line goes tight, and the robot zips up to the roof of the pursuing SHIELD vehicle. You have been boarded.

Quake has posed:
"Fuuuuuck."

Skye pollutes the air about her with expletives. "Working on it!"

Red has posed:
Alice grunts as she tries to hold herself to the ramp as the one Rhodney attempts to board, slipping backwards some. Good she had secured John, because now she doesn't need to hold him. But it also exposes her almost slipping from the same, her fingers clinging to the metal grating.

Green Lantern (Stewart) has posed:
Standing up and backing away from the hatch, John cycles the bolt of the rifle as he tosses the ICER to one side and grabs the M16 back up, switching it to semi-auto. "Stay behind me. Time to see if I need a bigger gun." John growls almost as he aims for the hatch. "COCKPIT, WE MIGHT HAVE SOMETHING GOING FOR THE ENGINES!" John shouts out to the cockpit.

Nightingale has posed:
     With Skye occupied in the world of ones and zeroes, and John and Alice otherwise taking care of matters in the back of the quinjet, it was left to the youngest of the lot to go EVA. There's the clink of metal as she unfastens her seatbelt and heads for the hatch, launching herself outside without a second thought. Snowy white wings are spread wide, and she takes to the air, easily keeping within range of the quinjet.

     Drawing her bow, it springs to life in her hands. An arrow is nocked, the string drawn back.

     She might only have one shot at this.

     With a wing and a silent prayer, she takes aim at the wheel of the Rodney, and lets her arrow fly, drawing a second as backup if necessary. "Let's hope all that practice wasn't for nothing," she mutters to herself.

Shredder has posed:
    As the first Rodney continues to speed down the highway, the second simply pivots, and opens fire on the right tail engine, rittling it with live ammunition. There's an explosion as the turbine can be heard losing power. Fortunately it takes much more than that to put down the advanced SHIELD aircraft, but it does lose speed, and if the other Rodney gets away, who knows what will be the result.

    The only thing the little robot had to do to finish its objective was pivot and fire again. There's no way to stop it.

    Except that an arrow lodges in the wheel rotator as it does so, causing the torque of its turn to throw it from the jet. A metal line zips out, grabbing the wreckage of the damaged engine, and suddenly, there it is, dangling helplessly at the entrance of the bay, right in front of John.

    Even worse news for the little AI. The hack just completed.

Quake has posed:
Finally!!

"Come to papa.." In other words, she'd just broken into the data stream and successfully turned off the things that caused them to fire back, and hide behind the cars. IF she did it right, they will still follow the path home where the ring should be. Skye was pleased.

Red has posed:
Alice clings to the hatch of the plane, the fingers dug into the grate as the fight around her wages, trying to hold on to it. Then, the plane started to shake, smoke emerging from theengine and they were loosing speed. For a moment the falling drone seemed to fall to where she clung, but then it swung more away.

pulling herself forward a little more, Alice tried to reach a better leverage point to get back onto the hatch fully, but as wind caught her improvised wings, it dragged her back and threw her to the side. Her left hand lost purchase and she was turned to her back, almost loosing purchase with the other hand too...

Green Lantern (Stewart) has posed:
"Is the ring nearby?" John shouted in a question to Skye as he brought his right hand out to grab Alice by a hand and pull her somewhere stable. Once she's safe... John looks to the robot.

He takes both hands, shoulders the M16, flicks the burst fire mode, and starts firing at where the robot is connected to the line. "I just need around half a minute to recharge the ring and I can help stabilize this aircraft from there."

Nightingale has posed:
     With the more immediate threat neutralized, Shannon keeps pace with the quinjet, keeping out of John's line of fire. She keeps her head on a swivel, scanning the area for any more of those Rodney 'bots attempting to board or otherwise sabotage the SHIELD craft, her bow at the ready. Her respect for what must have been the result of relentless, exhaustive training by the agents on board is renewed, as somehow, despite the engine belching out geysers of thick smoke, there does not yet seem to be evidence of flames spewing forth as well.

     Tapping her comm, she says, "Looks like that bot jambaxed one engine but good. No fire yet, thank god, but it sure did a number on it. Everyone okay on board?"

Shredder has posed:
    The robot is burst as the burst fire blasts away its armor. It's able to take the first few rounds, but it can't take that much, and it's soon shatttered at the shoulder, and the bot plummet to the ground, smashing to the ground. Clearly out of commission, there is only one left, which never made an attempt to turn and fight. It might have even been what tipped the battle, but it's priority was to escape.

    The other robot continues down the highway peacefully, nothing more than an oddity to the people around. However, that one remaining command may give a clue of where the ring is. RETURN ASSET TO STATION Q4.

Quake has posed:
"We should have no problems from here." Of course, Skye didn't comment on when they would get there. That is a whole new ballgame.

Red has posed:
Alice grunts as she is helped to cling better to the ramp, pulling her legs onto the ramp. "Thanks... Uh... Stop the other?" Steadying herself, she works on getting to drag herself in slowly, rolling to the side to use the bench to get up and not be in the way. "That... went not the worst?"

Green Lantern (Stewart) has posed:
Slinging the M16, John tosses the other two rifles into the armory, securing them, before he grabs a seat and secures himself. "I'll follow your lead. Where are we going from here?" John asks of Skye.

Nightingale has posed:
     With Alice and John both retreating to the confines of the quinjet, Shannon soon follows, skidding in for a slightly awkward landing in a small space. "Ugh. Going to have to work on that," she mutters, her face aflame with chagrin at the awkwardness. She heads back to her seat and straps in, taking a moment or three to catch her breath. Is that perhaps a small smile of pride forming on her face, or is it a trick of the light? No, surely it must be an illusion....

Shredder has posed:
    While the team regails in their success against one robot, the other tears down the freeway, making a beeline to take its cargo back to the city. The congestion of city traffic thickens as it gets closer to the metropolis of New York City, but it makes little difference to the little bot as it weaves effortlessly between cars and taxis, trucks and motorcycles on its way into the city. The trees give way to buildings as highway 87 enters the metropolitan area.

Green Lantern (Stewart) has posed:
As the other motorcycle speeds off, John looks towards it as it enters the Metropolis. Then, he glances to Skye, a focused look in his eyes, "What's your range?" John asks.

Quake has posed:
Skye gives a short laugh. "You'd be surprised. For this? Outside the metropolitan NewYork area." In other words, they should have no problem finding it.

Green Lantern (Stewart) has posed:
"Getting a clear shot in this mess is going to be very hard. On the highway, it was easy to target it since they had to keep relatively straight." John looks back out, "Using the rounds I'd need to hit it at this distance... the risk of collateral would be lethal. Can you hack that thing from here like you did with the other one?"

Quake has posed:
"I might." It all depends on the software, and whether the drone is aware of changes to it."If I am lucky, the same will work on it. If I'm not, it's going to be tricky. I'll have to find another way, and look out for the bits and pieces which will be noticing my actions."

"Not impossible, but a bit stickier."

Skye sat down to hack the drone.

Shredder has posed:
    The quinjet speeds ahead, easily faster than the roadkill rodney, making keeping up with it fairly easy, but as a target, there is indeed a large collateral threat due to it's bobbing and weaving between the rush hour traffic. Still, it's not impossible a target for a good enough shooter.

    The system interface, as advanced as it is, does follow the same protocol. In fact, it's the exact same system as the first, giving Sky a decided advantage in hacking the unsuspecting robot's system.

Green Lantern (Stewart) has posed:
Keeping an eye on the robot with a sniper rifle, John simply waits and watches. "Keeping an eye on it. If we're lucky, you can just get the thing to hand the box over to me."

Quake has posed:
"Ha, perhaps. But we might need to pull it over, don't you think?" Skye pings the drone, intermittently. "It seems to be going north-west. Shall we slow it down once it's off the highway? "

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon frowns a little bit as she listens. She was the junior member of the team here, and not really in much of a position to speak up. Hell, by all rights she wasn't even -on- the team, just a medical backup at best. Glancing between Skye and John, and up into the cockpit where Clint was surely keeping things under control on his end, she tries to think for a moment, nibbling her lower lip. "I don't know much about this stuff," she begins, a little hesitant. "But do we have anything that'll slow it down without having to fire and put civilians at risk?"

Green Lantern (Stewart) has posed:
"Do what you need to do. You're the expert on technology." John replies, "I'm a marine and architect turned Green Lantern, not an engineer." Then John looks to Shannon, "I think that's what she's trying to do now."

Shredder has posed:
    The bot continues down the road, and south next to the Madison Ave. bridge. Then...it gets off. The exit is navigated as it deftly zings against a red light, causing a fender bender as a driver screeches his brakes to avoid striking it, only to be hit by a cabbie from behind. Of course, the rodney doesn't stay to learn about the invariable squabbling that ensues. Skye is able to detect it's map awareness. It's heading for...the Bronx Police Station?

Quake has posed:
As far as the quinjet, it was too far to be shot, and had turned the invisibility on - just in case. Skye could easily track the drone, and furthermore she began to slow it down when an offshoot came to lead the drone on the highway and onto a normal road.

Then she will stop it.

That was strange.

"Why would it be heading for the Bronx Police Station?"

Nightingale has posed:
     "Something's rotten in the state of Denmark," Shannon murmurs, crossing her arms. She does glance over at John and nods briefly, her cheeks coloring at her apparent mis-step, and an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I've still got a lot to learn." She waits and listens, not sure how best to assist at this point, but ready to lend a hand where and when she can.

Green Lantern (Stewart) has posed:
"Probably has an agent there." John tells her, "We'll probably need to get inside. Can you whip us up some VIP passes to get inside without a fuss?" John asks, the rifle keeping on it as he stays scoped in. "This has 'trying to hide behind law' written all over it. I've seen it before."

Shredder has posed:
    Sure enough, it does head to the station, and straight up the ramp and inside as if it owned the place. What happens next is anyone's guess, but nothing remarkable seems to change on the outset.

Quake has posed:
"With. What?" Skye shakes her head. "*If* and I do mean *if* we had a probable cause to before we started out on the trip, but No. Sorry. The best I could come up with is in their registar?" A start.

Nightingale has posed:
     "Curiouser and curiouser," Shannon says, watching the rodney just mosey on into the station without so much as a by-your-leave. "Question on the VIP passes. You guys want me going in there with you, or hanging back here?" She's holding up her left wrist by now, ready to tap something there. An image inducer, perhaps? "And is that thing trying to hide behind the law... or worse, work -with- the law?"

Green Lantern (Stewart) has posed:
"Copy that." John replies to Skye, "So what do you suggest?" John looks back to Skye. "That ring is effectively stolen property. I don't know how your agency works, but that's breaking the law." John points out. Then, he looks to Shannon, "I have no idea what we're going up against. Are you trained for combat at all?"

Shredder has posed:
    Inside, the signal for the little robot doesn't remain stagnant. If Skye continues tracking it, she'll note that the robot goes subterranian, and somehow just accessed the sewer systems under the station. The signal disappears for several seconds, and it almost seems that it's lost, no longer detectable under heavy layers of stone...

    But then, about 45 seconds later, it reappears. It's three blocks away, moving south!

Quake has posed:
"Right." Skye checks the signal. Twice. "It seems to be in and out of range. Probably underground. Tunnels I bet." Then she shows them where it is, and according to the data, probably where it is going to be next.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon grimaces at the mention of combat, pressing her lips together in a thin line. Straightening her right arm briefly, she tenses the muscles there. There's a soft -click-, and something metallic shoots into her right palm, which she curls her fingers around. "I'd say perhaps... hmmm, well, I'm not a beginner, but I'm no expert, either. Enough to get myself out of more trouble than into," she replies to John. "I could definitely stand to learn a bit more, but I've been working more on keeping my grades up."

     At least she can't be faulted for her honesty....

Green Lantern (Stewart) has posed:
"Sounds about right, since you're here." John notes as Shannon explains herself. Then, he looks over to Skye, "If you know where they're going, can you redirect agents to intercept?"

Shredder has posed:
    It seems that the data isn't wrong, and soon the signal is following a subway rail underground, the spotty signal present, even if it's a little inconsistent. There's plenty to be able to tell it's current trajectory. The Bronx.

Quake has posed:
Skye shrugs. "Just because they are breaking the law.. well we've got a broader band of what we can do, but, really, remember, we are the good guys."

She nods to John. "I can, but this really is low down the totem pole, especially since we are on it." But she sends a message to SHIELD." Just in case. "What shall we do?" Figuring it's John ring.

Green Lantern (Stewart) has posed:
"I don't know these people or what they can do, but I'm going with worst case scenario: They are trying to bypass the security measures built into the ring. I doubt they'll succeed... but letting evil keep it is a universally bad thing." John looks to Skye, then. "I can safely say that allowing them to in any way reverse engineer the technology of it would be one of the worst things that can happen to your planet. If the other Lantern Corps come knocking, you'll need us to defend you from them. If enough Lanterns come to this planet in force, not even Superman will save you from them without our aid."

John looks towards the laptop ping, "if anything, this should be your agencies highest priority. I have no way of contacting the Guardians without that ring, so I can't guarantee a recall until another Green Lantern comes by to check on the lack of reports." He looks back to SKye, "We keep going and at least keep track of it. If we can get it before it reaches it's destination, all the better." Jonh taps the ping, "This is one of the most powerful weapons in the universe. You don't want it in their hands."

Nightingale has posed:
     "I've only ever heard of the Lanterns once, a year or so ago," Shannon begins. "But the implication was that they can be incredibly powerful. So if you're all on this, miss Skye, I wouldn't call it low on the totem pole." She snorts lightly, shaking her head and looking at the metal rod in her hand. "How do I keep getting myself into these things?" she mutters softly, before glancing over to John with a wry smile.

     "Guess this is the time for a crash course in just what the capabilities of that ring are, because right now I'm pretty much in the dark here. Y'all were myth to me up until this started, so..." She shrugs, and flicks her eyebrows upwards briefly in query.

Shredder has posed:
    The signal has come to a stop it seems, there in the bronx. There's no station where it ends. It seems to have a position about a hundred yards of the side from the rail. There's...nothing on record there under the city, actually. It's a collapsed part of the old power grid. The system's signal remains intact, but it seems that it's powering down. It's reached its destination.

Quake has posed:
"Hrm, good to know." Skye resends the message to SHIELD as priority. Hopefully they've got a brain! Then again, they've already got two high up agents on it! "You know, they never steal the piddly little weapons. Always the big ones - or in this case, little ring, big, massive weapons."

*ping*

*ping*

*ping*

"I think it's here. Down below." She looks to John. "It's your mission. What next?"

Green Lantern (Stewart) has posed:
"We're spread out throughout the universe." John tells Shannon, "But so are the others. If you see more than two or three Green Lanterns in a sector, it usually means something big is coming and we're gathering to prepare for it." John smirks, "At that point, you want to be anywhere but where we are."

Then, he looks to Skye again, "Find it and intercept still. We cannot lose it. If we lose track of it, we'll need to start a grid search to find it again."

Nightingale has posed:
     "So noted," Shannon replies to John, her own lips quirking upwards in a brief smile. "Problem with that is, you usually find medic-minded folks heading -towards- trouble, not away from it. Only thing I've heard of that pretty much none of you want to get near is Cybertronians."

     My, my, the adventures this one must have been on!

     "So, tell me how I can help." Her fingers tighten around the truncated metal rod in her hand, and she nods briefly, attentive and ready.

Shredder has posed:
    While the team may have been able to track the little robot, it wasn't tracking back, completely unaware that it still had someone pursuing it. It's signal remains still as the team is able to track it to the subway, and a small opening that has been carved from the rock leads the way into a long corridor. It's large enough for a person, and a bit wider. And at the end of that tunnel is a rack with ten of the Rodney's stationed on it, seeming to be in a powered down state. The room is fairly small, and seems to be for the purpose of an off-site storage alone. But they do have one protector.

    A large bipedal robot stands at the opposite end of the room, currently motionless. Weapons are attached to it at the shoulders, autocannons, small missiles, and a large robotic maw of sorts. In fact, the design seems very similar to the M.O.U.S.E.R.S. that are used by the military to diesarm minefields. Only this one is significantly larger. It stands almost seven feet tall.

Green Lantern (Stewart) has posed:
"Cybertronians?" John asks with just a hint of surprise. "Huh. Didn't think those things came out this way...."

Bringing an M16 into the corridor as they scout ahead, John drops into a marine combat stance in a practiced routine: Shouldered stock, hips and legs in a good solid stance, eye to the red dot sight. The training is obvious... and possibly comforting when you consider things.

Still, he does drop his rifle into an idle position as he looks up to the robot... and barely stops himself from whistling, "Big boy. Not many civilizations go for these. Too many afraid of AI with the war." John looks to Skye, "You know what this is? I count probably a dozen weapons on it."

Quake has posed:
"Cybertronian? I have heard of them. As for weapons, I always presume the worst, and expect the best." Nowadays anyway. Skye still was finding her role as a big hitter, as opposed to a secondary support role. She knew the little ones extensively, though.

Nightingale has posed:
     Many things Shannon recognized, but those behemoths that the group now faced were not among them. However, John's training was. She just smiles briefly, nodding once to him. "Armed forces?" she murmurs, making sure to stay behind and to the side of him. There was no way she wanted to get caught in the back-blast from that M-16, not if she could help it! Now -that- would take some explaining back at the school! "I think this extends a little beyond any combat training I've had...."

     Regarding Cybertronians, she just smiles--and there is actually a little mist in her eyes. "Not all of them are bad," she finally says. "Just like any other being in the universe."

Shredder has posed:
    The low voices are enough to trigger the defense, and suddenly the large robot comes to life. "Intruder detected. Unauthorized personnel detected." The two shoulder mounted cannons swivel, and it takes one step to square up to the unexpected guests as laser sights zone in on John and Shannon.

Green Lantern (Stewart) has posed:
"Well, that answers if it can wake up." John quips, before he starts running -right- for the thing, trying to calculate where the cannon aiming for him will be out of arc to reach him.

"Other side, keep out of it's arcs!" John barks to the others.

Seems like John has a natural leaders instinct.

Quake has posed:
Meanwhile.. Skye tries to crush those lasers, before they let a payload erupt. Mind you, she only got vibrations to work with. It's very particular! But if she's right, they won't have to worry about that anymore.

Nightingale has posed:
     Meantime, Shannon keeps low to the ground, her wings tucked in tightly behind her, scurrying out of the way of the arc of those cannons. A few rather colorful metaphors escape her, and it is rather plain this is not the first combat she's seen, albeit she's still younger with lesser experience than the others with her. "You got it!"

     Nope. There was no way arrows or bo staff were going to be of any help with this monster. Best thing she could do would be to stay clear and watch for a chance to help.

Shredder has posed:
    Click. That's the only sound before the eruption of .50 caliber rounds tear through the room, a deafeningly loud burst as they attempt to track both Shannon and John. As they go in different direction, there's a mild pause as it decides upon the priority target, unable to swivel the cannons on a 360 degree angle. It chooses the advancing John only for the sighting lasers to suddenly crack, diffracting the beam. It's cannons stop, unable to properly aim in the low light with its current camera.

     It's maw opens on John, looking to scoop him up in its mouth. Over it's shoulder comes a second array, a small missile launcher. Each missile looks to be the size of a pencil, and almost immediately a whistling streaks from it as several small smoking launches fill the room, fanning out as an area attack toward Skye and Shannon.

Quake has posed:
Ah, this type of attack Skye is familiar with. She'd been practicing for a long time before she had shown it to her friends, and Clint. They were suitably astounded.. and a little bit freaked.. what with Skye using only her hands and vibration to stop the bullets. But stop the bullets she did. This was old hand for her.

Anywhere that Skye could reach in a semi-circle the bullets were stopped and eventually fell onto the floor.

Nightingale has posed:
     "HIT THE DECKS!"

     That's about all the warning John and Skye get before Shannon takes to the air, betraying a little bit of her training. She might not be the greatest when it came to hand-to-hand combat, but that did not mean she was out of the fight--and she knew it. With the missile fired at her and hot on her tail, she's zipping through the air at a fair speed for a rather confined space....

     ...and flying right -towards- the maw of the robot! Somehow, by some miracle, she managed to skim right between the jaws of the beast--with its own deadly payload in hot pursuit behind her.

     Someone was about to have a very bad day.

Green Lantern (Stewart) has posed:
"Who designs a robot with a goddamned /mouth/?" John gripes aloud as he finds himself suddenly diving and going into a combat roll to get away from that maw.

Then, he looks to the launcher.. his eyes looking over the components, and firing a couple solid bursts at it as he tries to disable something, before getting up to run again.

He's trying to keep to a tight circle just around the robot, so that it's forced to use it's body as a weapon... or close combat weapons that he can fairly easily dodge with the speeds involved.

Shredder has posed:
    Snap! the clang of the jaws snap closed, catching only a single feather of Shannon's wing. Far less than it desired. What was even less desired was that it also didn't catch on the other side of its mouth. The missile strikes the jaw, destroying the opening mechanism.
    As John lets the burst free, the launcher is struck, the remaining missiles detonating and taking the mega-mouser off its feet. It scrambles, trying to get back to its feet, but it's clearly stuck at a decided disadvantage.

Quake has posed:
While the two of them take down the remaining 'mouser', Skye looks around to see that they aren't being attacked from the other side.

Nightingale has posed:
     With the bot trying to get back to its feet, there was little time to waste. Executing a hairpin turn mid-air, Shannon dove straight at the metallic monster once again, bringing her feet to bear upon it at the last possible second at a fairly high clip, aiming for the damaged jaw. Her feet connect with a dull -clang-, metal creaking and groaning as she makes contact. A low growl emanates from her, the young woman scrambling away from the bot, retrieving her missing feather on the way and calling out.

     "AND -STAY- DOWN!"

Green Lantern (Stewart) has posed:
With the robot temporarily dealt with, John looks around the room, then back to Skye. "Is it in here? This thing can be be kept disabled until I can recharge the ring." John asks, his rifle kept pointed at the robot in case it recovers.

Quake has posed:
While Shannon and John finished up, Skye was checking out the trace of the ring. And amazingly she found it on the first try! "Hey, John? Try out this one. I bet you'll be happy."

'This one', of course, is one of the Rodney's. Of course.

Green Lantern (Stewart) has posed:
Seeing which one she points to, John nods and walks over. Grabbing the box the ring is in, he opens it and plucks out the ring proper, dropping the rifle in the process.

Looking it over, John inspects it... before he nods, and places the Power Ring on his right index finger. Then, the backpack comes off, and the Lantern itself is pulled out.

"Might want to shield your eyes against bright light for this." John warns them as he picks up the lantern handle with his left hand and plunges his right hand into the center of the lantern. The green energy inside suddenly flares as if a fire was stoked.

"In brightest day, in blackest night, No evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might Beware my power-" The lantern suddenly flares with energy, "-Green Lantern's light!"

Suddenly, a green energy field envelops John as green energy suffuses him, and he pulls out the ring... which is suddenly bright green with energy itself. The Green Lantern cosplay outfit is altered visibly into an actual Green Lantern uniform, and his eyes glow visibly with green energy, his eyes having disappeared beneath it.

John floats just slightly in the air, and aims the ring at the robot, constructed green energy turns into pincers that start tearing the robots legs and weapons off one at a time....

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon had seen some intereting things in the past couple years. She'd survived what should have killed a god, hobnobbed with gods and kings, befriended a childhood hero, and made many new friends along the way. She'd seen gifts and powers that could shake the foundations of the Earth itself.

     But nothing was quite like the transformation she witnessed there, when John finally recovered his ring. The legend of the Lanterns became very, very real.

     While mostly shielding her eyes with her hands and wings, she manages to peek out just enough to witness the flare of light, and the rebirth of the Green Lantern. A low, soft whistle escaped her, and she just smiled, chuckling softly as she witnesses the robot's fate.

     "Remind me not to get you mad there, sir."

Quake has posed:
What she said!

Really despite her closing her eyes, some of the Lantern's light crept through. "Holy shit! You weren't kidding about being one the galaxy's biggest weapons."

Skye looked away until it was safe.

"All good?"

Shredder has posed:
    The megamouser's joints try to resist, pulling against the Green Lantern's power futily for a moment before it's ripped to pieces, a mass of sparks and wires exposed. The Rodneys, well, they do nothing at all. They are clearly shut down at the moment and defenseless. This station seemed to be a staging point, rather than a central hub of activity. The Foot were smart enough not to lead the rescuers straight to anything sensitive. Still the wreckage and the existence of the Rodneys themselves might be useful to hunt down leads. But for now? All is clear, and the threats have been neutralized.

Green Lantern (Stewart) has posed:
Then, as Skye is answering, suddenly John aims upward as a gigantic jackhammer constructs above the robot. This isn't a hollow one another. It's amazingly detailed, with all the bolts you'd expect on a real one.

And it dives right into the center of the robot, the bit turning 'on' as John proceeds to slowly turn it into slag right through the middle, probably sending parts everywhere as John wrecks it.

"All Good." He says as the construct fades and John floats over to the Rodneys, landing as he aims his ring and scans them with his ring. "I appreciate the assist. I think taking one of these back would be a good idea, let SHIELD see what they're dealing with."

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon's brows loft, first one, and then the other, both of them inching slowly up her forehead. "Holy shit. How'd you do that?" she finally asks John, gesturing with one wing to the jackhammer construct. A million questions rattled around inside her mind, and anybody who'd had any degree of contact with her might recognize the signs of an active mind at work.

     As she glanced around, however, the presence of the Rodneys reminded her of their immediate situation, and she frowned, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Guess there's time for questions later. Maybe I'm just the kid here, compared to you two, but I'm tempted to suggest let's leggit before whoever sent Buster Bot over there decides to check up on why it's not reporting in."

     Mission accomplished.

     Time to go home.