| Technical Difficulties | |||||
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| What: It's like Tron... for superheroes. | |||||
Well, the mission to assassinate one geek had failed. Time to try and capture the biggest (hunkiest?) geek of them all.
Bloody Rose is not normally one for grand gestures, but a big target needs big bait. Whilst she could try to take out Stark in the middle of his own powerbase... that seems remarkably stupid. The man /is/ genuinely brilliant, after all. Hopefully that meddlesome Thunder God has gotten off somewhere else entirely, and now she can put her backup plan into action. It is a little known fact that New York has an official Beach Volleyball league. Las Vegas' own Dirtbags had been put up in one of the glittering skyscraper hotels of Midtown Manhattan, and if Rosaline has understood a single thing about Tony Stark, it is that threatening such a group of young women will get him rocketing over quicker than blood to a shark.
So the group of frightened young women have been tied up, gagged (because she cannot stand idiots), and each have a suitably menacing-looking (but entirely harmless) beeping device to act as a 'bomb' attached.
"My demands are simple." She says into the phone, kicking her legs and looking out over the skyline. "I want a large pepperoni pizza, one hundred thousand dollars per head, and a helicopter. If I see so much as a single siren, well, I will be losing one hundred thousand dollars, and you will be losing a head. I do hope we understand one another."
She sounds, vaguely bored. Light french accent, toting a heavy-caliber pistol idly in one hand. This isn't the main show. Not that she'll /complain/ if she actually gets what she asks for, of course. But she is not so naive. Not at all.
Stark Mansion, Ten Minutes Ago...
Tony's in his workshop, as per the usual, rocking out to some Snoop Dogg and working on some sort of design for the next version of Iron Man armor. He's occasionally taking a sip from something delicious, orange and non-alcoholic. It is not until J.A.R.V.I.S. interrupts the music to play the police band report of some semi-french chick demanding all sorts of nonsense does Tony lift his head up from his work.
"I think the NYPD has this one covered, JARVIS."
"Very well, Sir. I'm sure the Las Vegas Dirtbags will be fine."
Tony freezes in mid-chair spin. "Dirtbags... I know that name for some reason." He looks over at the big screen on the wall. "Show me."
J.A.R.V.I.S. pulls up a stock image of the Las Vegas Dirtbags Beach Volleyball Team.
Stark is already dropping his screwdriver and rushing across the room to the Platform de Transformation Sequence. "Tell the NYPD I'm en route. And get me schematics on the building. Somebody's gone too far."
"Very well, Sir."
Cue: Suit Up Sequence.
Glittering Skyscraper, Now...
Iron Man explodes out of the sky and soars straight for the skyscraper with incredible speed! He makes epic streaks through the sky as he does, helping to announce his presence and make his entrance all the more epic. "I need eyes inside, JARVIS." is said to his most trusted A.I. companion, whilst a series of scans and other technobabbling mumbo jumbo are sent out towards the Skyscraper to give Tony a much better view of the inside. And what he's going to be dealing with.
There are several interesting things to note about the building, aside from the fact that the twelfth story has a woman with a gun and a small group of terrified women and nobody else on it. The first thing is that the internal security systems - the cameras, locks and even the safe - have all been shut down.
The second is that there is no trace of explosive material anywhere within the building, and indeed, given that the security guards all use tasers, and are milling around on the bottom floor in confusion, the concentration of actually dangerous things is... minimal at best. She has a gun. That's about it.
Bloody Rose is also keeping her eyes open, and she's got her open line to the police negotiator - who along with an extremely minimal force, is located just outside the doors of the hotel itself. The Sunshine has rarely seen such excitement.
She's working on her own, there doesn't seem to be any other immediately obvious assistant or backup.
In truth, the most exciting thing she's got with her, is a portable hangglider she's stored underneath the bed, just in case things really do go completely and terribly wrong. If she's going to succeed, she's got to have the element of surprise, nothing else.
"You've got two hours." She says, down the phone, with another yawn. "After that, I will have to see if volleyball girls bounce. Please, let it not get to that."
And she hangs up.
"Hm. That's weird. Everything inside is down and out in Beverly Hills. JARVIS, see if you can reboot the building or something. I'm gonna' go say hi to our special guest villain."
Iron Man soars up and to the twelfth floor, where he hovers right outside the window as epic and heroic as he can. He only hovers there for a moment, hoping that the volleyball team spots him before the bad girl does, thus the little wave that clearly says: Guess Who's Here To Save Your Cute Asses? And then, he starts with the heroics. Hands go up and he turns on the suit's magnetic field, raising the level high enough to pour through the glass of the building and yank at everything metal that's on the inside of the that room right there. Oh yeah, time to see what villains on a windshield looks like.
Meanwhile, JARVIS attempts to remote access the buildings shut down computers by way of his own personal and dedicated high speed connection to see if he can't get some rebooting going on. If he can regain control of the building whilst Iron Man is keeping the villain busy, maybe they can get the surprise drop on her with security. Sound plan!
But do things ever really go according to plan?
Rose's first hint that something might be wrong is when her gun starts to tug from her hand. She raises an eyebrow, and looks out the window, and... at that moment, Iron Man might just realize that something isn't right, because far from being overly frightened by the appearance of one of the world's finest heroes, she smiles, releases the gun, and returns the wave. There's a heaving groan as the bed she is sitting on lurches towards the window after it, but she's already jumping, and as she touches down, she twists, and holds out her empty hand. And then... she goes very still.
Because her consciousness leaps between the intervening distance. She's no idea what trying to control something as complicated as Iron Man's suit is going to be like; the most impressive thing she's hit so far is a nuclear reactor, which has to be at least an order of magnitude below the intricate device... but she knows what she wants, and the first priority is to make sure that he doesn't ding up her new toy, or kill her whilst she's wrestling him.
Weapons systems off. Suit, come in, and sit down.
That's what she's after anyway... but as she projects herself into the suit, becoming an avatar sheathed in a black catsuit with glowing red highlights (to designate her as the badguy), she has to appreciate the design. A cheeky, ~energized~ french voice buzzing into life in Tony's ears.
~Now this... this I like. What's your special effects budget?~
J.A.R.V.I.S. is a little busy focusing on the building that becomes rebooted with all sorts of dramatic timing and flair and soon enough, things will be back online. Like elevators. And security cameras. And... "Uh. What?" Tony can see this little catsuited hottie on his HUD and it's not really the best thing for him to be viewing right now. Okay, that's a lie. "Okay. You're hot, I'll give you that. But unless you're a new strip poker program I suggest you back off." His words are, likely, a secret code for the likes of JARVIS to pick up on. Because JARVIS needs to get his focus back on this chick that's trying to invade the suit's systems. Of course, there's a problem. And that problem is that he wasn't prepared for her attack in the first place and therefore she's already gained some sort of control over the suit. Not good.
Bloody Rose: 75% J.A.R.V.I.S.: 25%
Tony's pretty much powerless at this juncture as the suit does what it does and that's SMASH right through the window and into the room, where it proceeds to spin haphazardly and flop down on the floor. Indian style. Tony's voice comes from within the helmet, "Hey Girls. It'll be just a minute. Having a little technical difficulty right now."
Luckily, the Iron Man suit doesn't have anything registered in it as a 'weapon' so, there's a terminology loophole that J.A.R.V.I.S. can exploit to keep the repulsors and such online. They may come in handy later.
Strip poker programme. Hah!
Whilst it is definitely nice that Tony Stark thinks she's hot (hey, she's a cold-blooded killer, not a cold-blooded prude), the untold fortune that she could make selling his suit is definitely far more attractive. Besides. Getting hit on by Tony isn't exactly a rarity, she suspects.
~I bet you say that to all the villainesses~
There's some amusement in that. Of course... the cameras are back on, which she /doesn't/ know about, and that definitely marks a first for her - Bloody Rose has never been caught on camera before. Not that she's been throwing that name around, but it'll still potentially be an annoyance to deal with later.
Particularly as her body is just maintaining the position with one arm stretched out, eyes staring blankly into space; glassy, with an erratic, occassional burst of unhealthy-looking electricity across the iris.
Inside, though, she's starting to explore. Nothing is immediately trying to force her out, so she sees no need to rush. If nothing else, her expanding consciousness is getting a delicious look at the internal workings. Her avatar's high heels click-click-clicking a steady rhythm. She's no super-genius, but she has an instinctive understanding of this, as though those sections she is gaining control over are an extension of her own being.
~This really is nothing personal, just so you know. But... I'm afraid I will be taking this suit. You can have the girls. Seems like a fair trade to me, non?~
J.A.R.V.I.S. is already running quite the program of his own. Nothing that's too obvious, really. It's a simple program that is designed to deal with viruses and whatever else attempts to take control of the suit. To think that Tony Stark hasn't planned for these kind of attacks is to gravely underestimate him. Which is exactly what both Tony and J.A.R.V.I.S. planned on.
"Not all of them. You're certainly a special nutcase. Do I get a name to go with the body or shall I start running through appropriate technobabble until one sticks?" Tony Stark's part of the plan? Keep her talking and busy.
The Road Less Traveled is easy for Bloody Rose to use. Wandering around in the suit's systems seems to be a piece of cake. There's literally nothing stopping her or in her way. It's really a cake walk. And it'd be too easy of a cake walk if things were not being complicated by the voice of Tony Stark every few seconds. However, there's going to be a wall. A wall that's glowing and seems to be overrun with epic levels of security. The damn wall looks more like a safe than anything. Probably the last 25% that needs to be taken for the suit to become fully hers.
"I'm not really in the sharing mood. Maybe we can make a better deal?" Don't look now, but that catsuit of hers has been changed to something more fitting. Literally. French Maid, anyone?
Bloody Rose: 70% J.A.R.V.I.S.: 30%
Bloody Rose is a little suspicious; how could she not be? If it was her suit, she'd want to make sure something like this could never happen. And as she's now well over the majority share of Iron Man, she is in a spectacular position to admire the genius that is Tony Stark. The thing which makes his enemies most furious, isn't just the giant, sweltering ego which threatens to block out the sun itself... but the fact that the ego is /entirely justified/. Or, well. Mostly justified.
Not that she is going to dwell on this. When she hits the wall, she whistles with appreciation. And... she comes to a halt. Hands go to her hips, and she notices that her clothing has changed. That, throws her for a moment. Hmph! Raising her hand up, she brings it down sharply, and the black and white lacy pixels explode into a shower of bright blue sparks, swirling about her before they reform into a scarlet dress. This is no less flattering to her figure, but rather more... dignified.
She isn't underestimating Tony, exactly. She's just had... no evidence that JARVIS actually exists, and thus, no inkling that she can't afford to flatter herself a little as she approaches her moment of triumph.
~You may call me The Bloody Rose, Iron Man~
And there's just a hint of laughter in her voice.
~I admit, I admire your spirit! There aren't many men who would try to negotiate when I have them on the ropes. I will tell you what, if you can give me a suitably, impressive figure to spare your pride, I won't take away your fun little toy, today. How about that?~
No more advancing, and... despite how professional she likes to think of herself, Tony has practically got Rosaline monologuing. The sly dog.
Yes. Monologue. Do it.
Because that means one is not paying attention to the fact that the wall has expanded and spread to encompass the hallway that was just there. In fact, the change happens to quickly that noticing it may actually take a moment, since it actually kind of looks the same. But then again, that could just be J.A.R.V.I.S. doing his thing. He's sneaky when he wants to be. Or when he has to be. He's also very, very, quiet. Which is good because Tony is very, very loud.
"Impressive figure? Well, why didn't you just say so? I think I can handle that." Tony actually smiles, which is probably one of those smiles that reads: 'Gotcha.' to people like Bloody Rose who are all about this kind of banter and... wait. Tony Stark shouldn't be smiling. He's losing. Right?
"JARVIS?"
"Initiating Lockdown. Now." Even J.A.R.V.I.S. sounds a bit smug as the sound of a gigantic heavy swinging metal safe door slamming and locking with more clicks and whirrs than should be available happens. A glance around, besides Tony's beautiful face, will show that entire hallway is now a claustrophobia causing impenetrable solid techno-steel safe. There's even an Admiral Ackbar soundbite that plays: It's A Trap! the moment the door seals.
Should Bloody Rose take the moment to look down at herself, she will also find that her figure has been made more impressive by Stark Standards. (i.e. Top Heavy).
"Nice Try, said the spider to fly." comes from Tony in that next moment.
J.A.R.V.I.S.: 98% Bloody Rose: 2%
Bloody Rose has never actually tangled with an AI before - and quite suddenly, she's introduced to the concept. JARVIS comes out of nowhere, and produces what should, by all rights, be a finishing blow. In reality, the French woman's body shudders, but, she manages to cling on. Not... entirely eradicated from the systems.
She'd be more embarrassed about her body, if her mind wasn't ringing and swirling. Claustrophobia, fear, the instinctive desire to FLEE. She could still do it... she could just relax her mind, let herself be forced out of the suit and make her getaway... but she wants to know, what the hell just happened. It is a risk. If the suit obtains complete control, and she doesn't get out beforehand... who knows what that means for her?
~That is... impressive... I have never, been pushed /back/ before!~
There's no room for innuendo or banter. She sounds genuinely awed! And with an effort of will, she reaches into her newly-expansive cleavage, and produces... a discus? The bright glowy red weapon buzzes, before she throws it out, aiming to strike at and punch through the safe - hoping that, well, whatever had caused such a fantastic turnabout will be forced into the open, where she might at least catch a glimpse of it before she has to retreat.
Clever Girl.
Throwing a discus at walls that are mostly brick means that we're going to get this kind of pong action and brick by brick the discus, as it bounces around from wall to wall to wall to wall, obliterates pieces and chunks out of the damn thing. Piece by piece the walls start coming apart and falling down.
"JARVIS? What the hell are you doing?"
"It's her, Sir. She's stronger than I thought."
Tony frowns and eyes at her with his big ol' face that just seems to hover over everything. It's weird looking at her through his HUD, but not at all uninviting, considering what her new impressive figure did to that dress. "Put her down! Now!"
And if she wanted a glimpse, she gets just that: A glimpse. Because the barrel of a rifle pokes through a chunk of missing safe and fires a tranquilizer dart right at her.
The catch? The same thing happens behind her. And from either side. All at the same time.
J.A.R.V.I.S.: 100% Bloody Rose: 0%
Rosaline is starting to get the picture, but, when the guns come out... well, she tries to dodge. Unfortunately, there isn't much space to do that. She is pretty surprised, but, soon enough, she doesn't even have control over her own icon any more. Though that has been a fiercely contested battleground throughout this.
"Two against one." She whispers, and it is from her lips, not Tony's speaker, "Oh, you cheeky son of a..."
As she slumps, so too does her body. This... also leaves JARVIS with an interesting opportunity that the AI has likely never experienced before. Whilst she has never fought one (and will certainly be taking this experience forwards in the future), she is also entirely unaware of the fact that now... the machine has a very small window in which it could, potentially, take the fight back to her brain in turn. Turnabout, after all, is fair play.
Only, right now, she isn't exactly in much of a state to resist very much at all. Awful, to suspect that the /best/ thing she can hope for is to wake up in a prison cell.
"Nicely done." Tony tells JARVIS as he finally gets up to his feet. Outside of all this Techno World stuff, the girls have been freed and security and police are already coming into the room to make sure that this girl gets herself all handcuffed and handled. Iron Man, too, can get back to his feet now, even though there's a busted window and such.
J.A.R.V.I.S. simply makes notation of what has happened to Bloody Rose at this moment, for future reference and proceeds to file it away under the new file for the new villainess.
"Okay, ladies, soon as I get out of this suit, we can commence with the thanking. Who's up first?" Tony's face plate is up now and he's smiing as the Dirtbags come rushing towards him with bouncing and giggling and happiness.