16674/Sekrit Conflix

Sekrit Conflix
Date of Scene:	11 January 2024
Location:	A Game World
Synopsis:	The heroes stop the duplicates from ever being made again. Despite all odds, the heroes manage to get a log of their memories out...which might or might make it to their normal selves.
Cast of Characters:	Frank Noble, Kitty Pryde, Henry McCoy, Pietro Maximoff
Tinyplot:	Third Time's the Charm

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Frank Noble has posed:
The Heroes are able to discern that something is not right. This is primarily due to the stark esoteric reality before them as they stand together on a vista of impossible starkness and beauty that looks like something out of a VR game. The primary difference is that it feels totally real?and they are made out of 8 bit graphics; a sketch anime reflection of who they are. In their own cases, it is almost a manifestation of their astral selves in that the image they see is a reflection of who they perceive themselves to be, rather than who their physical reality might manifest itself. All around them, there is evidence of battles past, scars and scorch marks on the landscape before them.

?In the outside world, the Gamesmaster smiles, he has taken a wide range of minds and larned their secrets, having them fight each other. Now to test the last batch. Smoke started to come from the machine. "What?s wrong?" he asked.

"Something?s not write, corruption in one of the minds is causing the entire system to go haywire."

"That?s not possible."

The same voice announce over the bizarre and crimson sky, "You are here and I have total control of this environment. Fight each other?and the victor may go free."

A total lie, of course, but as time went on, and the imprisoned minds grew more desperate, they would try anything to escape?.anything. But this time, those with a more technical mind would notice corruption in the environment. Indeed, those whose last memory was fighting a battle and being hit by a bright purple light duplicating their minds, would, unlike the previous rounds, realize that something is seriously wrong here. They are not themselves; but something more.

Meanwhile, a giant grenade with arms and a pair of eyes, blinked in confusion and glitched more than a few times?.clearly not all there. "I think something?.odd is going on here." Its a talking Grenade even. "But whatever it is, we need to escape."

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty looks down at her 8-bit graphics hands. "Holy Super-NES," she says, and knowing she didn't go far enough back for this level of graphics. But it sounded good.

She looks around a the low-res world they find themselves in, eyes going over to Hank. "Um, you didn't program a new Danger Room scenario did you?" she asks him. Her eyes lift at the sound of the booming, disembodied voice, and the young X-man frowns. "Oh please tell me this isn't Mojo again," she says. "Though doesn't sound like him."

The giant Grenade takes Kitty's attention quickly, with some obvious concern should the giant Grenade do what grenades are meant to do. Though the arms and legs and eyes give her a hope it won't explode. "Um, do you know what's going on?" she asks it.

Henry McCoy has posed:


Hank's self-image when reflected in 8-bit graphics is a bit hard to parse in any great detail. After all, the details just aren't /there/ with only 8 bits! Even so, it is very clear there's considerable issues with said self-image. His claws, his fangs, his fur, all are grossly exaggerated here. His voice, oddly, is still the same - deep bass, resonant, exacting enunciation. "No, Kate...I didn't program this scenario." A pause. "This /unstable/ scenario we've been involuntarily inserted into."

He looks about, and then looks back to Kitty. "The voice is definitely not Mojo, but it is quite familiar to me - GameMaster's actually - so, the offer to set us free after doing battle one with the others is sheer prevarication." And then he eyes the limbed grenade. "I don't know the specifics of things here, but we're clearly in need of immediate egress, likely by finding an Easter Egg of some sort to exploit."

Hank concentrates hard, trying to feel the 'vibes' of the place, seeing if there's any pattern to the glitches.

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
If there is one thing Pietro has, it's patience. I mean, not a lot of it from a normal person's perspective - but in his mind, he's got a lot. There's a look over himself, studying the chonky graphic representation of his body. Add to it that he's with some known associates, and he's a lot less frazzled or irate than he normally would be. A glance over to Kitty, then Hank. "What on earth is happening?" He grumbles, sour expression and all.

The grenade is truly not something he's concerned about - the pompous ass.

Frank Noble has posed:
Frank Noble looks at Kitty and seems consudered, and then not, and then back again, "I-i-i- am Frank....Grenade-Gre...." he then hears Hank mention the scenario and says, "I...think I know what might be going-on on. I am under a spell...if 'Gamesmaster' has copied my mi-mi-mind....he's literally downloaded chaos into his system....it wont...wont go well for him...I....dont...think think think I will be here...long but..." he seems to concentrate and the patterns that Hank would have recognized after a while but what it does do it give him precious time...the pattern is immediately recognized and its classic NES indeed, up up left left down down up....its a mental engram but he has little down it will offer hidden game menu options that they would not recognize, though true to his word, the Grenade starts to flicker and slowly unravel.

Meanwhile, an ominous 8 bit storm cloud comes on the horizon, with flicks of lighting and rain, providing omnious intent in its very nature.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty Pryde looks over at Pietro, taking a second to realize who he is. "The hair is kind of groovy," she says of Pietro's low-res 'do. And then she takes a moment to look down at herself. Kitty can't see her 8-bit face, but she does twist and look down at herself, checking her backside. "Damn, tiny waist. At least I got that going for me," she says, not that her waist is that big normally.

Her attention goes fully to Grenademan then, brow furrowing a bit at what he says. She looks to Pietro. "Not sure. Got hit by some purple beam of light while I was fighting Blob," the female X-man says. "I don't know if we're in a simulation or what exactly. Hank says it's GameMaster if you've read up on him. I didn't know he works in this kind of medium though," she says, gesturing to the video game world around them.

Seeing the cheat code come up, Kitty looks over to Hank. "Want to do it, or want me to dance it?"

Henry McCoy has posed:
"Greetings, Pietro...welcome to, as Kate has stated, purple ray struck and we were here. There was a voice overhead, definitely that of the GameMaster." A nod. "And GrenadeMan has apparently infused the 'grid' with raw chaos, proving once again that Tech and Magic do not mix very well."

Hank grins toothily (exceedingly so here!) to Frank. "Your lecture at MIT last year on polymers and elastomers was very insightful, sir. I enjoyed it greatly."

And then he offers that NES-esque 'cheat code'.

Hank smiles to Kitty. "Watching you dance would be fascinating in this environment -- give it a go, if not, I would be willing to try just /imagining/ the pattern very very hard."

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
It's all a lot of pseudo-science to Pietro, the scowl carrying through even in 8-Bit. "Excellent. I assume we will need to take care of GameMaster, then?" A glance around to the crisp virtual reality. "Or are we to fight each other in gladitorial combat, as he says?" A shake of his head.

Some villains will never learn.

The pattern is rather beyond him, not being a gamer. "I leave it to the experts."

Frank Noble has posed:
Grenademan frowns a comment, "A...year...ago? That...wasnt'...memeememe....Fetch?" his eyes go wide, "I remmbmmm....Lich....need....to...." his entire form spasms whilst the clouds soar over the tower on which they stand and the music grows ominous as ...things begin to drop, like Mario turtles but on closer examination they're sprite sized walking crabs like the Dark Crystal....and on landing begin to move to the heroes....

"Ru-ru-ruuun!" And with that, the last of 8 Bit Grnademan is no more and braeks apart into a dozen little grenades with spider legs and bomb fuses running towards the crabs each chanting, "To fight the forces!"

Outside, a freaking out Gamesmaster and tech try to salvage the system data taken from stolen minds and stabilize the system to no avail.....

Kitty Pryde has posed:
"Right," Kitty says as Beast gives her the go ahead to try to work the cheat code. "If, you know, Bowzer shows up in a car armed with the turtle shell, pull me out of the way," she says as she steps aside from the others.

Before Kitty can start, the attacking crabs drop down from the sky. Grenademan splits apart and heads towards them, buying her some time. So 8-bit Kitty begins to dance, moving her whole body about to the pattern of the cheat code.

https://i.imgur.com/HohVFVh.gif

Yeah, something like that. As she finishes the code, a menu screen pops open in the air before her. It lists a few options. Admin Mode. God Mode. Jump to Level 1-1000. And XXYYZZZ.

Henry McCoy has posed:
"Mmm...I could have sworn..." And then he shakes off his dismay at having gotten the date or location wrong for GrenadeMan's speech. Perhaps it was instability here, or perhaps Hank /is/ losing his mind, going more bestial.

Either way, there's chibi-Skeksis literally raining from the sky. "My suggestion, Kate, either jump to another level, perhaps 666 just for the sheer deviltry of it...or invoke XXYYZZZ and see if we can't collapse the sim in a burst of chaos."

To Pietro. "Oh, without a doubt. Once we escape, of course."

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
Eyes dart to those falling creatures as they rain down. "Marvelous." He grumbles, feet planting - ready to bolt and fight as needed. "How many levels are there? Do we know where this GameMaster is?" As the Grenademan breaks apart, he blinks - not truly expecting that. "And... there goes our information." Another scowl.

"Are we saving... him? Them?" He motions to the storming legions of mini-grenades. "I don't even know what to make of this." He throws his hands up.

Frank Noble has posed:
The crab creatures start to advance, and keep raining from the heavens. The Grenades blow up a lot, and manage to slowly multiple, which buys the heroes time; time they sorely need but not bore several crab creatures put themselves between the pop up and the heroes. Anyone touching the crap will feel it as if putting their hand in an acid bath...they HURT to touch....

One of the Greandebots leaps into the cheat code matrix, "Whee!!!!"

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty has stopped dancing, eyeing the pop up as Beast suggests the two options. "Let's do the cheat code looking one. It's kind of like the old Minesweeper cheat-" is all that Kitty gets out before one of the crab creatures jumps over the pop up.

Kitty Pryde phases instinctually, but somehow it hits her and knocks her onto her butt, Kitty rolling and groaning. "Oh boy, power went haywire. I started to phase but then lost it," she says, climbing back to her feet just in time to dive out of the way of the crab as it pursues her!

Henry McCoy has posed:
The swarm of crab monsters are more than a little concerning, Hank punches one - and sears his hand. Then...concentrates hard as he hops backwards to a clear space, growling with the hurt. Drawing on his vast expertise in such  things as Ultraman, Spectreman, and many others he engages in a wild series of psuedo martial arts looking gestures, and strikes a stance where his legs are akimbo and mimes holding a sheath in one hand, as he draws a sword out of it with the other - and the SWORD BECOMES REAL, a big, blocky, chisel pointed 8-bit construct half again his height. "That'll work." He says in his best Kronk voice, and lays about him in an orgy of pixelated homicide!

"This way, Kate! Get the code going, I'll help cover you."

Yes, he's getting singed by spatter, and it just goads him to greater effort.

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
Well, seeing that things burn when you punch them - Pietro takes a moment to sort things out. Well, a microsecond really. He gets up to speed in the cyberspace - a line of pixels behind. It takes another thought, and then he's got an idea. "Keep the path clear. I'll try to help sort out and divide them."

Quicksilver starts off in a line, using the trail behind him like a lightcycle from Tron. There's a few quick turns, checking to see if the crabs detonate against the wall of pixels.

Frank Noble has posed:
The creature continues to persue Kitty though two near it are blown to smitherines by bomb bots. Hank's efforts with the sword are quite effective reducing anything he slice at to mere pixels. But as effective as the Bomb Bots are and Hank is....Pietro is Death, destroyer of Crabs. The Sky gets a face and frowns, as the music escalates and it starts dropping snake monsters instead.

Outside, Gamesmaster is pulling his actual literal hair out as the system goes on fire as he tries to get some semblance of control, "Reboot the system!?

"We can't!"

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty runs towards Beast, sliding across the ground to clear a path for his sword to take out the pixelated crab that is pursuing her. She grabs his hip to swing back about him and head back towards the admin pop up control panel.

Another crab makes through a gap in the pixelated wall, coming for her. Kitty looks like she concentrates and then sinks into the ground as the grab lunges at her, leaving it exposed for Beast to be able to take care of!

Kitty rises back out of the ground at the pop up. "Oh Lord I haven't had that much trouble phasing since I was 13," she mumbles. She taps in the cheat code, but just before she can hit the last letter, another crab falls out of the sky, landing at her and swatting her with a claw, resulting in a yelp of pain from the burning sensation it causes!

Henry McCoy has posed:
"Perhaps it is the nature of this sim, Kate...or perhaps a built in limit that GameMaster introduced, or possibly just a glitch due to the crash inducing chaos that GrenadeMan introduced." Hank kicks that latest crab towards a group of falling snakes as the rain changes, and GameMaster gets more frantic.

"At least our captor is having an even worse day than we are."

He has to pause though as Pietro creates those walls of light. "Oh, well done, sir. Truly inspired." He says, then he gets back to bashing things!

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
The zig-zagging lines of Pietro zip around the battleground - lighting up the area as he blurs through the area. He keeps in motion - spotting the snakes as he bolts in erratic patterns. Hard to keep up with, for certain - and harder to predict.

As he blurs past the pair again, he calls out - Doppler effect and all. "If we're... going to jump levels... do it soon."

Frank Noble has posed:
Pietro is not wrong. The Snake Monsters are much heavier and require two to three hits each and there seems to be an endless supply of them despite his speed, though Hank is able to clear a path for Kitty without problem. 5r
As far as her powers go, at first it seems to the chaos...at first, but the more time they spend getting used to this environment....the more they seem to be able to...touch something...alter it with an act of Will? Its hard to say, but what Beast did insticnticely the others might pick up with a bit of experimentation.

The Gamesmaster spots the monitor showing the heroes able to look back and takes out a gun and shoots it. "Who made that stupid thing two way?"

No one tells him it was him.....

Kitty Pryde has posed:
Kitty has to dodge one of the snakes, then a crab, trying to get her way back to the pop up to get that last letter of the cheat code in (or at least that's what she hopes it is!). She dives and the crab hits the snake, giving her a few moments.

Seeing Pietro's Tron-like lightcycle trails, Kitty reaches into the ground and pulls out a chunk of it. She rubs a hand on the corners, smoothing it into a disc shape. When the snake lunges for her again, she blocks it with the disc, the throws it. Bouncing it off the snake and the crab as she's already sprinting forward. She reaches up to snag the disc on the rebound, and punches in the final letter 'Z'!

Henry McCoy has posed:
"He's escalating!" Hank gets bit in the shoulder by a snake, and a number of blocks are destroyed in a glittering cloud of motes that rise. Snarling, he grabs the snake just behind the head, and fights with overly large sword in one hand, and uses the snake he captured as a whip on others to keep the immediate area clear around Kitty as she gets in that last letter.

"Now Pietro, to us!" He encourages the speedster.

Pietro Maximoff has posed:
More hits is possible, when the monsters are penned in. Pietro is quick to start encircling the beasts - using his speed to leap over his own created wall. Tada! Snakes in a box! Turning back towards the others, he blurs in that direction - moving as fast as he can, barreling towards Hank and Kitty. "What ever you are doing, do it now!"

Frank Noble has posed:
XXZZYY....

The Game spins and spins and spins and a thousand levels of animalistically aware AI all scream as all points become one. The game is accessible in all locations, parts of it totally corrupted, parts utterly ruined. The team has time to do one of three things; to escape (Hank thinks he can create packets that, via the danger room will allow their original selves to remember what happened to their duplicates), to utterly destroy not just this simulation but any ability to createa another...or to physically blow up the lab where the Gamemaster is located. But they need to make their choose soon and the chaos and fire might accopmlish the latter two entirely on their own.

Kitty Pryde has posed:
To Kitty it feels like she's being pulled into a black hole. Or maybe a toilet. Swirling about and the data for their environment crashes together and she feels herself in all places at once.

"Hank... I think we can send a feedback loop that should completely shred their server. I'll get the firewall, you make a spike to send to take them out ok!?"

Kitty begins taking down what security remains, the hacker extraordinaire having to think fast on her feet as the system is not quite like anything she's seen before. "Pietro!" she calls as snakes come at her from everywhere at once, the speedster zipping about, a pixelated blur that protects the two X-men as they put their scientific and computer knowledge to work!

Henry McCoy has posed:
A black toilet, or an EXCRETION DISC (as opposed to accretion!).

"I truly hope we're only digital copies, if you're the real Pryde, and I'm the Real McCoy, and he's the Real Maximoff this could be very bad." Mind, he's grinning hugely, despite the agony of having had a chunk of his shoulder munched.

He nods. "On it." One thing that Hank has always been good at is coding, and though he's not as fast as Pietro, his on the fly coding is more polished than most experts could manage in weeks or months.

He recalls some of his nastier anti-intrusion code, modifies it into a truly malevolent spike. "Keep them off us a few moments more, Quicksilver, if you please." And then he manifests that spike.

The spike is driven though the space where the firewall had been. "...and then, as I end the refrain...THRUST HOME!"

Frank Noble has posed:
The toilet bowl starts to flush and everything is eating everything at once as the walls break down. But the time the team gained by going STRAIGHT for the cheat coid allows them to crack the firewall and wipe the server.

There are several heroes and minds they recognize....he had a virtual treasure trove of stolen information, and harm done here....now crashed and gone.

The final symbol on the the Grandmaster's screen looks an awful lot like a circle that closes slowly that is only concidentally remiiscent of a dying packman.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

And then the tolet starts to flush. The heroes knew that this was it, this was all that they could do....and they paid for it with their shadow lives....but the strange little Greanadebot that leapt through the hole mobes right next to the forgotten egress.....and BLOWS UP, allowing a sliver...an impossibly improbably passaage that might allow...might allow...