1737/How To Make Micro Lad Sad

From United Heroes MUSH
Jump to navigation Jump to search
How To Make Micro Lad Sad
Date of Scene: 31 July 2017
Location: Unknown
Synopsis: Summary needed
Cast of Characters: Triplicate Girl, Brainiac 5, Invisible Kid, Wasp (van Dyne)




Triplicate Girl has posed:
    Luorno had left Janet with a Slip-Gate, a portal directly up to the Cruiser. At this point, Janet may as well be an honorary Legion member though nothing's been formally said, or voted on. At present, all three Luorno's are working various systems on the ship to arrange for the final stages of preperation, diligently.
    "Once this is taken care of," she is telling Lyle, "We can finally get onto other matters." She adds, offhandedly, "Congrats, by the way, on not winning the election." The one speaking, the White Lu, grins casually while the other two Lu's both giggle, quietly.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
Brainy says, from where he's standing at some holographic computer terminals, "He had one vote." He does not say who that vote came from, but he does smirk a bit. "I've decided to adopt a policy of voting for Lyle whenever possible, just so he sweats it out a bit..." He muses, to himself.

Invisible Kid has posed:
    Lyle chuckles, and high-fives the nearest Lu. "And I couldn't be happier to not be the people's choice!" He reaches up to his shoulder and tries to pet a cat that isn't there... oh, right. Shadow is in his room, safely out of the way. This is neither the time nor the place for kittens.
    "Oh, Brainy... you voted for me? And I thought you were my friend! Well, anyway, now we know the difference between intelligence and wisdom." He laughs again, and peers at one of the monitors instead. "Do we have his position nailed down with anything approaching precision? The tinier we get, the more ship there is to search, you know."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
It is not like Janet would just go to the Cruiser at any old time. The girl does have sense, even if it doesn't seem that way to the public. Yet...a key to a spaceship? Pretty damn cool. And so, when Janet shows up on deck, she has the full on grin that shows she knows exactly how cool it is.

"Hellooo everyone! Are we ready for a little trip?"

Brainiac 5 has posed:
"I have located his position, actually." Brainy says, "And you can thank Lightning Lad for it. Micro Lad set up a base... in the Auto-Chef. Which is how he was collecting supplies." He brings up the coordinates. "I accidentally discovered it while I was trying to fix Garth's attempt to program chili into the machine." He shakes his head. "I have no idea how he managed tar..."

Triplicate Girl has posed:
    "We're ready," agrees the Black dressed Luorno, while the grey dressed girl waves happily to the fashinista super-heroine, and the girl in white greets with a, "Welcome aboard, Wasp."
    The black girl continues, "We've got monitors set up, once you and Invisible Kid change, we're going to be able to mark your positions, and follow you with a video feed that Brainy set up special for the event so we can monitor. Additionally, if you see any sort of - damage - or anything unusual," which might be a lot, for Janet, "Let us know. We're going to have to go over -everything- after we get him, to make sure each system is clean."

Invisible Kid has posed:
    "I guess I'm ready. I only really know the sub-visual scale from this end of a microscope, but I'll trust you to be a good guide," Lyle says, nodding in Janet's direction. "We really appreciate your help here."
    He glances to Lu. "I *really* hope there's not too much damage... since the rest of the cruiser seems to be operating normally, we might be okay."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
A wave for all three Luornos, and a nod as Janet shifts to a slightly smaller size. Small enough for her wings to emerge, allowing her to hover. "Will you be able to fly once we get down in there? I could carry you if not. It wouldn't be a big deal." She offers a grin. "no big deal at all."

A pause, then Jan continues. "So...report any damage. I am not going to worry about weird stuff. Because...well....it is all going to be weird. so, so weird."

Brainiac 5 has posed:
"All right." Brainy says. He gestures, and then says, "Go ahead. I've set things up so we'll be able to communicate with you. Just remember, if things get out of control, return to normal size immediately and we'll rework the plan. There's no reason for either of you to engage in excessive risk."

Triplicate Girl has posed:
    "We're all ready," agrees the Black Luorno. The girl in white tells Janet, warmly, "Kick his butt, a couple times. Brainy's got a lovely little prison all ready for him, too." She points to the small, encapsulated tiny little 'house' that Brainy had been diligently worked on just to the side of her. "Cute little prison, until we get back home."
    "Good luck," the girl in grey says again.

Invisible Kid has posed:
    "Yeah, the ring should work fine at that scale now that it's been calibrated." Lyle glances at Brainy and says *nothing*. "If we get too small, I might not be able to go fully invisible due to quantum effects, but we'll see. Besides, I don't need to be invisible to slug him." He reduces to match Wasp's size. "So far so good, right?"

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
A giggle escapes from Jan's throat. "I'll kick his ass three times for you, Lu." She tips a wink to all three, then turns to Lyle. "oh, good. I don't think you would have to worry about invisibility this time, though. After all, I can't do that...and I will make sure all your little pest will see is me, anyways." Finally, a turn to Brainy. "So, you said you had his home, right? Microscopic, I assume?" She glances back to Lyle, "if we go small enough, anyways, then no one will see us." She flutters over to Lyle, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You got the coordinates. Let's see if we can catch us a bug." Funny...no one told Jan that Brainy gave the coordinates to Lyle. She must have overheard that conversation as she walked in.

"Just head there and go as small as you need to. I can keep up. Be just like back home with Hank. Though, fair warning, make sure you let me know if there are any systems down there that you don't want an accidental power surge. I am usually pretty accurate, but I am not usually navigating through future tech either." Then, with a squeeze of the hand on that shoulder, Jan offers a smile. "Whenever you're ready."

Brainiac 5 has posed:
Zoop!

Welcome to the Microscopic Universe. How are you breathing? How do physics work when you're this small? Decent people shouldn't think about that.

Microscopic critters are as big as beasts, and particles hang overhead like moons slowly propelling themselves through the sky. And above you, the Auto-Chef looms, like an enormous fortress, its smooth surfaces now craggy and jagged.

Which is when the bacteria emerge. Micro-circuitry has been grafted into their monocellular bodies, and they let out great and terrible noises, as they lunge to attack with pseudopods, acid in their wake!

Triplicate Girl has posed:
    Luorno puts the images on the monitor, while Luorno monitors systems protocols, and Luorno monitors comm systems. Each now in full team-mode, "Be safe," calls the white Lu on the system. "Stay together. And, eyes open."

Invisible Kid has posed:
    Lyle drops to microscopic scale, before he can really think about what he's doing. The autochef. Never imagined what it would look like from this... "Oh, for--!" Lyle splutters. "When did he learn to hack cells?"
    Well, at least at this scale, quantum effects won't mess with invisibility, and he flicks out of view. Some things are instinctive regardless of the scale -- as is scaling up enough to be just a bit too big for the bacteria to grab pseudopodically. "I got these on the left," he says -- yup, the flight ring still works.
    Two options and one objective: the objective is avoid the acid. The options are yanking the circuitry free, or creating a short circuit to frotz the microbe.
    Either will do nicely.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Remember when I said I wasn't going to worry about weird?" Jan, in full Wasp mode, speaks out in the general direction of Lyle...but it is definitely intended for those others watching. "Yeah...about that. It isn't every day I see bionic bacteria." Truth be told, it isn't every day that one sees bacteria face to cell. But, much less so when that cell is techno-organic. "That can't be good."

Fortunately, Janet doesn't spend a lot of time thinking about physics, specifically the physics of flight with wings that are smaller than most cells. And, also fortunately for her, she is able to manuever in much the same matter as she is used to, which means that the bacteria are in for quite an aerial show. Up the Wasp flies, weaving past one pseudopod, down and under another, then back up, pointing her hands at the grafted technology upon the bacteria. What appears to be a blast of bioelectricity shoots out from both hands, striking the circuitry directly.

It seems that Janet picked up on the second option.

"So....hacking cells? That's a new one."

Brainiac 5 has posed:
The Bacteria make *blooooooooor* sounds, and they put up a good fight, spitting poison and leaving oozing acid in their wake (it's what they do) but really, they're just the first wave of attack.

Because up on the battlements, a ferret-faced man in cobbled-together armor is riding a dust mite, which looks absolutely terrifying at this size. He waves a sword, which he made from something, and says, "So you've finally come! Well, this is MY kingdom!"

Then he wheels his steed around to ride back into the gates of his mighty fortress, as his Bacteria soldiers form a screen to keep Invisible Kid and the Wasp out.

Triplicate Girl has posed:
    "Got him on camera," Luorno tells Brainy, as one of her points to the monitor. She switches, then the transmission to the other monitors on the Cruiser so other Legion members doing their own duties can also watch. The other two, almost in unison, say, "Kick his butt," again.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
"He seems to have gone a little feral," Brainy opines. "I wonder what Salu would say."

Invisible Kid has posed:
    "Rrrrright." Lyle flicks back into visibility. "I'll get their attention, Wasp, so you can get past -- I'll join you soon as you do!" It'll be easier than trying to defeat them all... hopefully.
    Lyle deliberately makes a target of himself, enticing the wall of bacteria in his direction. "I think she'd say to slug him one for her, Brainy," he says, flying close to tease the Little Pest's guards. "I'll add one for her to the ones for me, you, Mon, Nura, Garth... and three for Lu."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
In the back of Jan's mind, there is a little sympathy for anyone that might have to watch her camera feed as she dips and dives around, looking for a breach in the wall of germs. "Hey up there watching at home. Don't mind me telling you so, but you really need to get a maid down here. Or a really, really strong disinfectant." The flight pauses, as there seems to be no way through.

That is...until Lyle appears back in view. "Smart move, grandson. Let's see if your old granny can still move like she used to." Even in the heat of battle, the teasing tone that Janet uses is obvious. With a laugh, she darts forward, as it becomes quite apparent why she is called the Wasp. The flight pattern is reminiscent of Jan's namesake, with stings lancing out to those that get too close to her. All the while, Jan pours on the speed, hoping to reach the deranged little king before he fully retreats into his fortress.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
Perhaps to his credit, Micro Lad is not retreating. He grows larger on the back of the Dust Mite, which is HUGE compared to him, and his sword grows with him.

"If I'm stuck here, SO IS THE LEGION!" He proclaims. "And you must be whatever cheap stand-in they brought in to replace Shrinking Violet."

He lunges off the back of the Dust Mite, showing himself to be both quick and deadly with that blade as he feints and cuts at the Wasp, all the while retreating toward his fortress, and its relative safety. Which is when the Dust Mite steed joins in the attack as well, trying to catch and eat the Wasp! And all the while, the Bacteria brigade is trying to hem Lyle in.

Triplicate Girl has posed:
    To the side, one of the Luorno's away from the comm, "I like her, a lot, Querl. Can we keep her?"
    "Quiet. We need to concentrate," the other Lu calls to her counterpart. Yet, she isn't getting sick. She's flown enough that Janet's razzle-dazzle isn't making her ill.

Invisible Kid has posed:
    Lyle is nearly surrounded and then... winks out of sight, and reduces even further, turning the remaining small opening into a comparatively vast one, especially at the speed he's moving. Once clear of them, he returns to a size more suited to the action at hand, but not to visibility, not just yet.
    Operating under the assumption that Our Little Pest hasn't got a way to detect him, he tries swooping to the side and getting around behind, knock wood. Er, cellulose cell.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
The outrage in the voice is feigned....but only a little. "Cheap!? I may be many things, but I am definitely not cheap!" As Micro Lad lunges at Jan, she dodges to the right, that sword missing her by microns. A quick glance catchs the mite heading in towards Jan, with his Royal Smallness on the opposite side, trying to skewer her with that sword of his while still retreating. "Really, the least you could do is pay attention to your history lessons. Then you might know who it is that is about to kick your tail." Janet flips around as the sword almost finds purchase, leaving her in an awkward, upside-down position, with that mite still bearing down on her.

That is...until Janet ascends upward, while still upside down. Moving at the last second, she sets up that age-old comedic meeting of the minds....that of the dust mite crashing into Micro Lad. Though...the mite might have the edge on this particular encouter. As the two threaten to crash into each other, a pair of yellow bolts flash out, one for each target.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
Micro Lad was once a candidate for the Legion himself, a Champion of Imsk, who was outed as murdering his competitors. And he has moves of his own. The blast wings his shoulder, making him grunt in surprise, but then the Mite stumbles, crashing, and he's clambering over it, lunging into the air, his sword raised in a downward thrust at Jan.

But he doesn't know Lyle is there, and he's left himself open. It would be easy enough for a master of dirty tricks to tackle him to the side and choke him out. But there is only an instant to decide--

Brainiac 5 has posed:
And Lyle is invisible, but Bacteria it turns out... don't see. And Janet can see one rearing up behind where Lyle has hidden, acidic pseudopods lashing out to try and wrap him up with the grip that kills.

Triplicate Girl has posed:
    "They've got him. Better make sure that little house you built is ready to go, Querl." White Lu sounds pretty excited, and the other two breathe a sigh of some relief. The black one murmurs, "I'm not relaxing until he's in there."

Invisible Kid has posed:
    That's all Lyle needs is an opening -- he pours on the speed and scales up just a little, to make the impact that much more attention-grabbing.
    And no, he does not notice that he himself is being snuck up on -- he's been waiting to get his hands on Our Little Problem for some time now. Wonder what's faster -- unintelligent sack of protoplasm, or annoyed superhero with a flight ring and a target in sight...

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Well...at least the mite is out of commission. But it only served to provide Micro Lad with a shield for the moment he needed to gain tactical advantage on the Wasp. He's up, with that deadly sword positioned just perfectly so. And, to make matters worse, there's that stray solder cell, about to get the drop on where Janet assumes Lyle is at, invisible to her as well as to their quarry. "I sure as hell hope you got me covered, sonny boy..." Janet turns, growing larger instinctively in an attempt to absorb a potential sword wound, but turns away from Micro Lad, her fists up to fire her bioelectric stingers to the Bacteria.

The two stingers fly, sailing through what is hopefully empty space to strike the Bacteria while Janet herself closes her eyes, bracing for a pointed discussion with a sword.

Brainiac 5 has posed:
But that's what it's really about, isn't it -- the Legion is never alone, and neither are its allies. Micro Lad's about to hit home -- and something hits him from the side, seeming to yank him out of the air and to the ground. He gasps for air and clutches at something locked around his throat, his sword skittering away to the side --

And the Wasp's bio-electric blasts hit that bacteria, causing it to recoil in pain, thrashing about but finding nothing.

Micro Lad gasps for air, his face turning purple... and then he starts to grow, trying to break Invisible Kid's Invisible Grip.

Triplicate Girl has posed:
    "Here it comes, Querl. He's finally increasing his size. Now we just need to lock him in," calls the Lu monitoring the videos, while the Lu on the comms tells Lyle, and Janet, "Lead him back here, if you can, so we can activate the containment field and lock him away."

Invisible Kid has posed:
    "Good shooting, Granny Jan!" Lyle calls cheerily, then "Whups" and re-focuses his attention on the Little Problem.
    Lyle grows with him, unwilling to give up *finally* getting his hands on him. "Oh. No. You. DON'T," he snarls, remaining invisible. Of course, it's not like the Little Pest has no idea where he is. "Just 'cause I have to bring you in alive doesn't mean undamaged! Give me a reason... come to think of it," Lyle says, drawing his invisible fist back and letting fly, "you already have."

Brainiac 5 has posed:
"I'm trapped here in HELL, Invisible Pest -- and I swear I'll trap all of you here with me forever --"

Then Lyle slugs him one across the jaw. Maybe more than one.

The end result, Micro Lad is lying in a heap, bleeding from the mouth.

Brainiac 5 says, "...And we've got him. Lyle, I'm setting the cell down near you." He deposits on the floor, "If the two of you could please place him inside, and I'll seal it up. Wasp, thank you. We wouldn't have been able to do this without you. We owe you a debt."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
The Jan Cam bobs a little in an approximation of a nod, an indication she heard Lu's instruction loud and clear. Another bolt of bio-electricity is sent to the bacteria, dissuading it from coming any closer while Jan immediately turns around to find Micro Lad, which isn't all that hard, considering that he is progressively getting larger by the moment. But, two can play that game...and Janet is one of the originators of the size game, so she is able to shift just as fast as the struggling Lad. She brings her hand to bear and fires off three stingers in rapid succession towards Micro Lad (one for each Luorno), each sting not enough to truly hurt...but enough to show she can do damage if she wanted to.

That...is followed up with Janet leaning down, holding a fist right in front of Micro Lad's face. "Now listen here, Short, Squat and Gruesome. If you don't behave and come along peacefully, I might have to see just how much current I can put out. And, unless you want to see just how much fun getting electrocuted really is, I better..."

But Janet doesn't get to finish her taunt...as Lyle chimes in with his own and knocks out Laddy cold. Still, it was a lovely intimidation, complete with electricity playing over Janet's exposed hand.

"Aww...you're sweet to say so, hon. But, it was really Lyle that did all the heavy lifting." Jan tips a wink to the general area where Lyle might be at. "Wanna dump him inside? Seems you earned that."

Triplicate Girl has posed:
    "He's right, Wasp. You are the best," agrees the White Luorno. Then the grey Luorno turns to watch the trap, the prison with interest on the camera, "Pretty amazing, Invisible Kid," she says, helping to inflate his ego just a bit more. But she doesn't care.
    "Excellent job, both of you. One -huge- problem dealt with. Finally."

Invisible Kid has posed:
    "Nah, let's do it together. It's a family affair," Lyle says with a grin. "And we don't even need to be gentle about it."
    He gets his arms around the Little Pest's shoulders and hoists him up, waiting for Janet so they can fling him bodily into Brainy's cell. "And don't sell yourself... uh... short." He grins sheepishtly, and adds weakly, "Pun unintentional. We couldn't have caught up with him without you."

Brainiac 5 has posed:
When they toss Micro Lad inside, Brainy closes the lid on the cell, and lifts it up to peer into it. "Got you, you little nightmare. You're not going anywhere." He sets the cell on the table, and then says, "Now then. That's solved, we can deal with our other problelms." He puts his hands on his hips. "Janet, thank you again. You're welcome on the Cruiser anytime. Please... be our guest."