Hazmatter

No mention of the Spider-Man Clone Saga? Really? I'd think that the "reveal" that the Peter Parker featured in Spidey comics for the last couple of decades may have been a clone, and the following re-retcon backpedal, would've made this list.

And the Nightcrawler piece deserves a side-mention of the equally stupid retcon of making Warren Worthington an actual half-angel somehow. Not to mention hooking him up with the much younger Husk.

Hi there!

Yes, the Cerulean Legion is still around, and pretty much everything you need to know can be found here. There also should be some decent info on Virtueverse, like Soul said, but it's probably a little out of date.

Just for the heck of it, some fun with the 4th Doctor.

...

O_O

Dayum.

That is all.

Either way, it's new Ascendant-y goodness!

Good show, sir.

"You've got the POW-AAAAAAAAAHH!!!"

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
(QR)

Excellent story. Had me hooked from the start. Don't get discouraged. Looking forward to your next production.

The rikti mages were a nice complication. Is the Black and Grey Vanguard outfits cannon?

Keep up the good work.

[/ QUOTE ]
Thanks, and I'm glad you enjoyed it!

As for black/grey Vanguard armor being canon, I don't believe so (although you do see the paramilitary ops in all black all over the place in the Vanguard base). And given that Gaussian's division tends to be the closest thing to 'black ops', it seemed a nifty idea.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, the Sword branch of Vanguard seems like a pretty good match, with their darker armor pieces and proactive attitudes/methods for battling the Rikti.

If I haven't said it before (and I can't imagine why I wouldn't have!), this is an all-around excellent story, Dark. It doesn't matter if it isn't technically canon, the characterizations are perfect.

Yeah, Libby! You show that skanky mirror-universe you who's boss!!

[ QUOTE ]
Anything/Anything, really. All the Stalker sets will allow you to solo quickly and successfully.

[/ QUOTE ]Just try to avoid missions that involve hostages whenever possible. Very annoying.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Of the Phalanx, my favorites are Positron and Synapse, due (in no small part) to how Troy Hickman characterized them in his Top Cow comics arc "Smoke and Mirrors."

[/ QUOTE ]

Troy Hickman is a worthless piece of sli---oh, wait.






No, no, I was right the first time. Troy Hickman is a worthless piece of slime.

[/ QUOTE ]
Wow... he really does appear when you say his name!

This actually makes a lot of sense. Considering psi attacks are pretty much the one glaring weakness in the Clockwork, I imagine the King would be a bit more wary and respectful toward psychics like Malaise and Sister Psyche, as long as they respect his domain in return. It's the heroes who jump right in and just start smashing his creations that he really despises.

I think you mean Captain Dynamic. Captain Awesome is on "Chuck."

Still, the Captain Dynamic stuff seems to be the brainchild of the guys behind the "Red vs Blue" series, so we'll have to wait and see if they come up with anything better using the actual game. *shrugs*

[ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]
Any men are housed on a compound on Oës. Men washed ashore there often choose to stay, and perish of exhaustion after several years.

[/ QUOTE ]

I got a chuckle out of that^


[/ QUOTE ]

Death by snoo-snoo!!

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I've actually grown somewhat fond of Synapse over the course of this story.

I hope he can think of something!

[/ QUOTE ]

Think of something? I would think a bit of TRUTH would help more than any slick phrasing at this point; though they may have to wait a little bit before having that conversation.

There are a couple dozen people who may not like their nice, clean lab being trashed.

[/ QUOTE ]

At times like this, I like to remember Batman's line to Lois Lane from the "World's Finest" episode of Superman: TAS.

"Now, I never actually said I wasn't Batman..."

/em popcorn

More, please?

There's a part of me that really wants to make a brother/sister (maybe husband/wife?) hero duo named Bill Wright (politician) and Miranda Wright (police officer).

I've got a little one-man VG for my Mastermind. Haven't started on my base, though...

If tigerslife800 plays the blaster, and Arashi plays the defender, we may be able to get this off the ground...

((I dunno, just thinkin'))

My play schedule is a little wacky at the moment, but this concept intrigues me and I'd love to take on the Tanker role if you can't find a husband/wife team.

Feeling slowly began to creep back into Brainframe's unconscious form. He opened his eyes to find that he was no longer outdoors among the skyscrapers of Steel Canyon, but looking at what appeared to be the ceiling of an ordinary warehouse. Which meant that he could be virtually anywhere in the city. He also found that he couldn't move his arms or legs, and it was oddly difficult to form a coherent thought, as if his thought processes were still frozen after his body had thawed.

Frozen. The last thing he remembered before waking up here was the squad of armored Crey goons, and a very blurry memory of another figure dispatching them before he lost consciousness. I could've been out for hours or days, given the retrieval teams plenty of time to move me...nobody besides Positron even knew I'd come back to Paragon--

The realization hit him like a sledgehammer. Positron. He should've known that a call to the Freedom Phalanx through his personal network would raise a few red flags with those corporate vultures. Even in Ziggursky he'd made it a point to foil their attempts at recovering the scientific breakthroughs he'd made with his body and mind. Salvaging his technology was never going to be enough for them.

As if on cue, a figure in modified surgical garb entered his field of view. "Ah, back in the waking world, Simon? Good. My colleagues were beginning to worry that you wouldn't be awake to participate in this little...procedure."

"He's on the table, Doc, now do your thing and we can go."

A glance told Brainframe that the new voice came from one of Crey's "security" personnel standing off to the side, a semiautomatic pistol aimed squarely at the spot where his body lay a few feet off the ground. A handful of other men in blue uniforms and black bulletproof vests were scattered around the concrete and steel structure, looking as anxious as their leader sounded. The doctor turned his attention back to his unwilling subject.

"I do appologize for the...unconventional setting for this, Mr. Freeman. But our superiors value efficiency above all else in your case. It seems you left quite a mess when you departed for the Rogue Isles, and certain interested parties within the company felt that you were an unforgiveable loss. I'm told the Countess briefly entertained notions of inviting you back, past sins forgiven. However, we both know nothing ever comes free, don't we?"

As he spoke, the doctor was joined by other similarly garbed scientists wielding a series of very sharp looking mechanical devices, each taking up positions around the end of the table where his head rested. Brainframe experimentally clenched his hands and tried picturing the targeting reticule from his missing headset encircling each of their faces as the lead doctor brought a gleaming scalpel into view, seeming to relish the effect it had on him. "You're carrying a great deal of valuable Crey property in that cranium of yours, Simon. We'll be taking it back, now. One way, or another."

As the scalpel moved down out of his line of sight, Brainframe forused his thoughts and forced out a single word through tightly clenched teeth.

"Backup."

"ORDERS CONFIRMED. ENTERING AGRESSIVE MODE."

A collective shout went up as an electric popping sound brought a seven-foot tall robot crashing into the room. While the assembled scientists stumbled back in shock, the enforcers quickly brought their weapons up and opened fire on the unwelcome intruder. Brainframe closed his eyes and began focusing all his mental strength on restoring his drug-addled motor skills, while the sounds of a pitched battle raged about him. Finally satisfied, he opened his eyes to see the robot backhanding the head doctor into a wall while blasting away at a Crey tank he hadn't even seen before. Partially sitting up, he spied his gearbelts and headset piled in a corner, likely awaiting inspection after the intended operation. When at last the tank collapsed to the floor, the robot stomped over and removed the straps holding his wrists and legs in place. A satisfied smile crossed his features as Brainframe looked up into the mechanoid's face.

"Good to see you, Haxx."

"And you, sir. You are unharmed?

"For the most part. How's the now body running?"

"Fair. However, it's power cells are severely depleted, and several of my motor functions seem to have stalled."

"Right, we'll need to work on that. Probably not ready for extended use in the field yet." Brainframe moved to retrieve his equipment and gave a cursory glance around him. "You okay to head home?"

"Affirmative. Return vectors initialized, will upload once storage is complete."

"See you there, then." Brainframe shouldered his pulse rifle and strode out of the warehouse as powerful rockets returned the robot to the Rogue Isles. Touching the side of his headset as he exited, his lips set in a line.

"Time for work."

Brainframe and his remaining robots began peppering any straggling Nemesis troops with laser fire, drawing them away from the crowd a few at a time only to be cut down by Positron's blasts. Now that Longbow had arrived, the Nemesis army was facing far greater resistance, drawn much more thinly across Blyde Square in an attempt to engage all their myriad foes at once. Making the individual mechanical soldiers easy pickings for the odd team of legendary hero and criminal mastermind.

As the pair pushed closer toward the center of the main battle, Brainframe ordered his robot minions to continue the attack, while he began to slowly fall farther behind the action, finally ducking behind one of the few parked cars not yet overturned by the fighting. The main objective of this little walkabout had been achieved, and it was nearly time for him to make his exit.

"Job's nearly done, Haxx. Sending extraction vectors, request delayed recall command for all active drones at t-plus 15 minutes."

"Command re---ved, sir. Pre--re fo- ---ediat- ex---ctio-..."

"Haxx?" A note of concern began to creep into Brainframe's voice; his system was supposed to be untraceable by Longbow and Arachnos, nobody should have been able to scramble the signal. Unless...

True horror twisted his features as he looked down to see a layer of ice forming over his body, freezing his hands and pulse rifle solid and leaving him all but helpless. He began frantically sending subliminal return commands through the neural link to his drones, knowing deep down that they were already in a similar state. No. Nonono...please God not...

His eyes widened when the trio of heavily armored figures landed on the pavement in front of his helpless form. The leader stepped forward and pointed directly at him.

"Simon Freeman, alias Brainframe. You are in posession of Crey Industries property. You belong to us."

((OOC: Love the Clockwork twist, Kellis! Gives me an idea for later...))

"Alright boys, careful now..."

Brainframe's robot minions had already begun stripping the Nemesis "corpse" of any salvageable materials within seconds of its collapse at the hands of Hellcat. The repair sled had been returned to the unmarked Rogue Isles warehouse that held much of his other gear, repairs to the wounded Positron having been completed. Brainframe himself had retrieved his headset and was currently multitasking between issuing commands to his 'bots and hurriedly making arrangements back "home."

"Tell the guys we've got some sweet salvage inbound, and try to set up some interested buyers."

"Got it, Brain," came the reply from a female voice slightly muffled by static. "Excellent feed you set up, by the way. Who knew you looked so good on TV?"

"Just a walk-on cameo, Terminatrix. I'll be back in friendly waters soon enough, and we can split the take then."

Contrary to Positron's voiced concerns, Brainframe wasn't worried about Longbow coming on the scene. The brightly costumed super-Marines had long since stopped being of interest to him in the Rogue Isles, and today he was a very small fish surrounded by the far more obvious sharks in this metallic feeding frenzy.

Still, best to err on the side of caution. Starting with making himself a less noticeable target. He turned toward the robot nearest him and tapped a code into the controls on his wrist. "LMN-8R, get that back to base immediately." He pointed to the pile of metal parts for emphasis.

"By your command. Initializing launch sequence. Returning to base." Powerful thrusters on the underside of the robot's legs flared to life and it roared into the sky.

"Right, then," Brainframe said as he checked the power level on his pulse rifle and put a hand to his headset. "Let's find out how that backup's coming."