Powered Marines

Lucky Escape

For three days and three nights the trio of beasts kept the city in a grip of terror, three of it’s champions, and numerous citizens taken as well. And of the quintet that remained, even combined their power could not best the beasts. In attempt to return order to the city martial law was established and the Armored Cores who once assisted in the battle that decimated thousands of lives and property returned in force. The war machines now patrolled the streets seeking out the claymen and the monsters, working beside the quintet to restore order, and find the abducted. But when it seemed like victory was assured the three beasts vanished, leaving only the clay army in their wake. Waking disoriented and naked the 3 missing champions find themselves alone at opposite ends of the city. Within a hour of their waking they are teleported back to the command center, a welcome return with the vanishing of the beasts. As they arrive and are getting dressed Rotoscope takes a long look at the spider manacles on each’s arm while the quintet catch their friends up to speed.

“What happened, it’s all a blank.” Tara asks.

“We were owned, straight up.” Malcom adds “Without you three Reeva’s monster trio just steamrolled all over us. But when the government swooped in with back up they fled like cowards.”

Kenny moved to Rotoscope looking at the displays, “Any new info on those metal spiders?”

“None, I am positive they were how Reeva abducted and hid the three from us. But I can not pierce their secrets, or find a way to remove them.”

The ruinion doesn’t last long however as the three creatures, or something very similar show up on the main display, causing trouble down town. The heroes are transformed and in the thick of it in a instant. Backed by 3 squadron’s of the Armored Cores the beasts soon crumble under the assault. Micheal approachs one of the Armored Cores and extends his hand.

“Thank you, as you can see our missing allies have been found, and thanks to you those creatures are gone.”

“Not a problem, you are the professional Champions after all.”

“We’re just doing the job we’re uniquely qualified for, We would love to have your people assisting us from now on.”

The man in the armored suit shakes his head, “Sorry but unless there’s a confirmed, credible threat to big for the local Champions to handle we have to head out. There is always another city in need.”

“Like, are you sure you can’t hang around for a week to make sure?” Claire asks.

“A week, that’s all we can give, and only on standby.”

“Sir?” One of the other unit commanders begins “Their may be a way to keep a prolonged presence here. These Champions obviously need help. I propose we meet at town hall and have a official meeting wit hthe officials.”

“Good suggestion Lutenient,” the original speaker adds, looking to Micheal. “Town hall in a hour, we’ll work out the details there.”

Micheal nods and looks to the second speaker “Thank you, a hour it is.”

A hour passes quickly as the city charges down from it’s alert state. The 8 champions, 7 Armored Core leaders in their full military dress, and the office staff of the mayor are all seated in a large conference room. After introductions are over the meeting begins in ernest.

“As the recent incendent shows,” the second speaker from before starts “The citys dedicated Champion response hovers on a razor’s edge, at the same time the Armored Core can not keep up a steady presence in a well defended city just due to a razors edge.”

“We need a solution, one that gives our multi colored defenders some room foe flexability. However the police are not equipped to handle the threat even on a delaying front.” The uniformed chief of police add.

“There is the Sidekick Support Protocals in the Champion Rights and Responsibilities Constitution.” The symphetic Armored Core leader states.

“Excuse me,” Kenny interjects, “But what is that? And what do you mean when you say official Champions?”

A murmer rises fro mthe gathered, a man in a suit pops open his laptop and begins to look up something. “Well this is peculiar.” He finnaly says “I have a entry in the database for a team matching the core make up the team, red, blue, yellow, black, and pink are all here. But they are listed as inactive and were last in duty in the early 20th century, the wild west era.”

“Is there a problem?” Tara wonders.

“Well,” the man sates “Your not official registed, your vigilantes, criminals.”

“Now hold up,” Malcom protests, “Your telling me we’ve busted our asses for this city and your gonna arrest us?”

“Heavens no!” the Mayor injects “I take it you inheritite your uniforms and are a legacy team, at least the core five of you. We can get the matter strighted out no problem, and get to work on replaying you’re your back wages. Don’t worry. But we will need some additional information on the other 3 to smooth out the red tape.”

“Cha…wait? What? We get paid for this gig?” Claire wonders aloud.

One of the Armored Core pilots nods “Champions are a cival service and are thus subject to regulations and benefits of the station? You were all doing this probono?”

Jason lowered his head as his voice dropped a octave. “We were sort of drafted, I started off as a brainwashed minion of that space witch whose’s been terroring the area; she apparently stole the 6th marine’s power ages ago. The silver knight was in a similar situation and the Hydro Hag is one of her monsters turn traitor to her cause. That’s our story.”

“When Reeva was accidently released by astonoughts on the moon the 5 of us were empowered to counter her advances.” Micheal adds.

The man with the laptop was already entering this new info on his computer. “Alright, now we just need a representative who will serve as your banker and handle your paychecks, I trust you all want to maintain your masked or secret identities?”

The 7 nod, all except Hydro Hag. “I don’t have a secret identity, not really, I have a human form but I’m not officially a citizen of your city.”

The mayor smiles “We’ll work out your details seperatly then Ms. Hydro Hag. And get each of you a copy of the laws and benefits info. But back to the issue at hand, the Sidekick Protocal. Can you provide some of your technology to a select group, not all of it, but enough to bump them up past Armored Core level as your sidekicks.”

The 7 look to Kenny, he pauses in thought. “I’ll need all the Armored Core data, but I think so.”

“Excellent!” the mayor says excited.


Turncoat

“Don’t these things ever learn?” Micheal groaned as he brought down his sword across the chest of a new monster that resembled some kind of bat/dog hybrid.

“I think Reeva’s plan is to wear us down through attrition, to break our spirit with constant battles.” Kenny added as his staff smashed through a trio of cley men, returning them to dust.

“Just keep it together people.” Jason says. A voice of command and authority matched only by his brother.

“Cha, Easy for the Power of Determination to say, us lovers find keeping it together when the people we care about being hammered like nails into a wall no easy feat.” Claire added, whincing as Hydro Hag do a devestating blow to the chest.

After a moment the 8 stood ready to face the monster unified, the clay minions all dispatched, the monder laughed, a coold sound somewhere between a shriek and a howl. The 8 took up defense for what ever secret weapon was about to be unleashed. In a flash Reeva’s staff was in the ground between them, but unlike normal it did not spit arcs of lighting that grew the monster to mammoth proportions, instead their was a blinding flash of light.

When the light cleared Jason, Tara, and Trinity stood tall, breathing hard, while the other 5 lie at their feet badly hurt. Jason had his brother’s sword in his hand and had it poised to his brother’s neck. The monster was gone. Trinity loomed over Claire, mace poised to smash in her skull, while Tara had a dagger poised at the throats of Kenny and Malcom.

“Why brother?” Micheal asked, a obvious ting of betrayal to his voice.

The trio staggered, the weapons falling harmlessly from their hands.

“W…What happened?” Tara said as she returned to human form, shaking visibly.

In an instant the 8 were back in the command center. Jason, as were the others, in human form as well. “What happened,” He asks, voice quivering.

The display comes to life and the trio watch in mute horror as they draw their weapons and precede to aid the monster in brutally attacking their friends, the battle in the trios favor the monster vanishes off. The trio all come to the same conclusion almost simutaniously as they pull back their sleves and stare at the spider mancles on their arms.

“Reeva, she…must have…” Trinity started.

In a instent the trio teleport out of the command center, each on the verge of tears.

“Wait!” Claire shouts moments after they vanish.

“Let them go,” Micheal adds “Let them get their head together, then we can figure out what’s going on together.”

Slowly Claire nods. But things go from bad to worse when that night the Rat, Cat, and Wolf beast return to terrorize the city. And once again Trinity, Jason, and Tara can not be reached. Their biosigns showing to the scanners of the command center that they are sleeping, and yet they have somehow, all three, blocked the teleporter controls.