18004/Injustice For All: All Along The Watchtower
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Injustice For All: All Along The Watchtower | |
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Date of Scene: | 28 May 2024 |
Location: | Observation Deck - Watchtower |
Synopsis: | The Watchtower comes under attack as the Calculator's schemes are revealed and the war with the Injustice League continues to escalate. |
Cast of Characters: | Barry Allen, Diana Prince, Monet St. Croix, Damian Wayne, Oliver Queen, M'gann M'orzz, Bruce Wayne
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- Barry Allen has posed:
The Watchtower.
Built to provide an external vantage point to literally watch over the world below, the world that the Justice League has dedicated themselves to defend. A space-borne vantage point to keep tabs not over the Earth, but the greater solar system. A chance to have an early warning of threats that come from outside the planet itself.
Threats that have manifested far too often in the grand scheme of things.
It also has the advantage of being far less accessible to the vast majority of the population. The Hall of Justice is valuable in that it is amongst the people, positioned to help insure that all members remember that they are very much a part of the people that they are sworn to protect.
But having a refuge away, that cannot become such a focus for their enemies to target due to it's sheer inaccessibility, has it's advantages too.
It is those advantages that probably resulted in the decision to hold Noah Kuttler -- The Calculator -- up here in orbit, up here on the moon. Away from the members of the Injustice League that seem intent on gaining revenge for his seeming betrayal.
The Hall of Justice has come under assault on a few occasions in the recent past. The Watchtower is a tougher nut to crack.
So their captive remains, sealed away in one of the holding cells onboard, a powerful forcefield sealing him in where he sits hunched over on the bed, a wry half smile curved on his lips. He doesn't glance towards the video surveillance that constantly monitors him, sending the feed back to the command area. But he certainly seems aware, if entirely indifferent to the fact that he is being kept under observation.
And as for the League and their allies? Certainly there are plenty of reasons to find one's self visiting the Watchtower. Be it to take in the view that just never gets old, the sparkling gem of the Earth spread out below. Whether for duty, the requirement to spend time monitoring all those communication feeds, all those scanners that keep vigil over the planet below and the space nearby. Or to make use of any of the many facilities on board.
Or maybe it is happenstance. That sense of trouble just a handsbreadth away, about to descend.
Though that would beg the question when isn't it?
For Barry Allen, the Flash -- Fastest Man Alive -- it is actually the extensive scientific facilities that have brought him aboard, that have him busying himself within. They're certainly a far cry from the MPD Forensic labs, as cutting edge as they might be compared to other cities. Puttering about the lab, working at superspeed without the fear of being caught, he plows through a heap of work in a very short amount of time.
- Diana Prince has posed:
Wonder Woman, and the Invisible Jet, had set out from Metropolis earlier today. The alien-tech-powered jet transport vehicle was delivering Diana, a few Amazons, and 'others' to the Watchtower upon the surface of the Moon.
There was a lot happening on the Moon these days, and not all of it was related to the affairs of superheroes.
Earth's first Lunar Colony had just opened, and construction projects revolving around it were in full swing. One major project? A Lunar railroad was being built.
The Lunar Colony was to be connected to the Watchtower's civilian section via a high-tech rail line that would see passengers safely across the surface of the Moon between the distant Colony and that of the Watchtower. this was doubly helpful for civilians who wanted to work within the Watchtower, while transiting back to the Lunar Colony where they could stay with their family within a residential section of the impressive Colony's design.
Wonder Woman was eager to see the rail reach the tower, and subsequently further push mankind toward a multi-planet society.
After the 240-some thousand mile trek was taken within the speedy Invisible Jet, the group had arrived at the JL's space headquarters, the Jet having parked within the cavernous landing hangar. There, Wonder Woman, and her Amazon contingent disembarked, and were immediately greeted by Watchtower attendants, and its many serving robots.
- Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet is here for some time to relax. To be up and look at the stars and to share information if anything on the guest up there. And on the latest threats facing the X-Men. Which aren't often the provence of the Justice League beyond the occasional presence of a member at a crisis point. But it's still good to keep the flow of information going back and forth. Something which isn't always maintained as efficiently as it shouldbe.
So with a datachip on hand that could have just been easily transmitted up, she goes to make a hnd delivery.. Purely so she can enjoy the view of the stars. Peace, quiet.. And unlike the last time she was in space, fleeing hard over from a mad Kryptonian despot from another realm.. There is no threat. Just the joy of the expanse and everything surrounding the small blue world. She goes to tap her fingers along a rail, looking out the horizon and taking a rare opportunity to close her eyes.
- Damian Wayne has posed:
Having recently started following in his father's footsteps, Damian has been spending more and more time with the Justice League learning procedures and practices. He's a fast learner. Not quite an eidetic memory, nonetheless Damian picks up news skills and retains information with impressive precision and accuracy.
And today is his first foray into space! And he gets to travel there with none other than the legendary Diana Prince on her Invisible Jet. Keeping an unapproachable mien is basically Damian's schtick but even he is utterly unable to hide his excitement at his lucky circumstances. He sits in his assigned seat on the Jet in his Robin uniform, peering out a window into space. SPACE! He's in frickin' space!
- Oliver Queen has posed:
For Oliver Queen, the reason for being up on the Watchtower is a combination of duty and personal. Everyone is expected to devout some time to staring at monitors until they go cross-eyed. Not the most attractive part of League membership perhaps, but sometimes you take the bad with the good.
In the case of Green Arrow, he has just gotten off his shift at the monitors, a cup of coffee cradled in his hands as he paces up and down in the command center, staring at the monitors.
Or in this particular case, one monitor. The one keeping tabs on the holding cell that is currently playing host to the Calculator. In this case though it is a little personal, given the fact that Kuttler is the father of Felicity.
Nor can Oliver entirely rid himself of the feeling that there is a whole lot more going on here then has presented itself. Yet.
So he paces, paying no attention to the amazing view, the immensity of space beyond. He just scowls that that monitor, occasionally taking sips from that mug.
And trying not to go cross-eyed.
- M'gann M'orzz has posed:
M'gann arrives to take a shift at the Watchtower. It's possibly the least favorite duty of the various Leaguers, but it's one that M'gann doesn't seem to mind at all! It's made her quite popular as a call-in for others when they would rather make different plans. Of course, the fact that she needs neither sleep nore food for days on end probably helps with the happiness to take on extra shifts!
The Bioship is docked at the Watchtower while she heads for the command center, stopping along the way to poke her head in and say 'Hello!' to people in passing. Wonder Woman, Robin, Monet, Barry, even Noah Kuttler gets a cheery greeting from the Martian girl on her way up to take on a post at the console!
For perhaps obvious reasons, Miss Martian is in her green-skinned glory today, trying out a new costume! A full body black suit with red markings across the torso, a dark blue cape attached to the outfit. She offers a cheery smile towards Oliver as she enters the room, "Hello, Green Arrow. I'm here to relieve you at the post. I hope you have a fun evening!"
- Barry Allen has posed:
The moon is an increasingly bustling locale as rojects like the colony being established there spring up. Nor could the Watchtower operate without some civilian assistance, even considering the advanced technology called upon in it's construction.
Likewise it is no surprise that, given the hazards involved in any enterprise in the vacuum of space, that there are redundancy after redundancy to try and ensure that existence on the moon is as safe as possible.
Something that enemies of the Justice League would surely ve well aware of. Something to be anticipated. Something requiring schemes within schemes to circumvent, considering the state of the art security and the difficulty to reach this particular stronghold.
Efforts that might be assisted by having someone on the inside. Because the League is not the only one to access with incredible technology. Not the only one with access to phenomenal psychic abilities and magical forces.
And in his cell the Calculator just sits there, unmoving, staring straight ahead with that half-smile. Visible on that monitor.
At least until every monitor on the station is suddenly hit with a burst of static, the images present blurring and fading out. Just seconds later the continual flow of information fed to the Watchtower from satellites in orbit around Earth goes dark too, cut off all at once.
There is time -- if only a few more seconds -- until the internal communication within the Watchtower itself is cut off, both wireless and direct site-tosite intercoms.
All of it is sudden and deeply concerning to be sure. The likelihood that the all those systems could fail at once? Pretty unlikely.
And then lights go out.
Abruptly the station is plunged into darkness. Darkness that is only broken by the scant light filtering in from the viewports that are spread about. At least in areas that are nestled against external bulkheads at any rate.
And in the labs? As the power seemingly goes out, automated systems begin to slide heavy, reinforced doors down into place. Meant to seal of areas of particular potential danger in just these sorts of conditions, it is only Barry's superspeed that allows him to dash from the quickly sealing door, to lay one hand upon the wall and follow it through that rapidly diminishing opening.
At the last possible moment the Flash drops into a slide, sheer momentum carrying him through, sliding out in a pile in the darkened hallway. "Flash to Command," he says, trying to access the comms. "Flash to anyone onboard the Watchtower?" he adds, waiting a beat until it becomes clear that any contact has been cut off.
Then, slowly getting back to his feet, he begins to make his way down the pitch-black corridor, trying to find his way by memory.
- Diana Prince has posed:
Diana was taking Damian on a small tour of the facility, with the eventual last stop being the Watchtower monitoring center. It wasn't a terribly official tour, but the Princess of Themyscira was happily pointing out different areas as they passed them by, and ultimately they were just near the monitoring center when the lights went out, and emergency precautions were being enacted.
With one door closing directly ahead of her, Diana simply reached out her right hand, and grasped hold of the heavy metal door. She simply held on to it, keeping it open, and keeping them the ability to reach the monitoring center.
"Something has happened," Diana says, not that it would take a genius to figure that out. She first tries speaking in to her JLA comm, before she looks back toward her Amazon sisters. "Try to back track to the hangar. It may be in lock down as well." She tells the trio of women in red hooded robes. They quickly turn, reaching for their golden javelins mounted on their backs, and begin to march with a renewed intent, back toward the hangar.
- Monet St. Croix has posed:
She had tojinx them, didn't she? Just as she was observing across the horizon and through space the entire station seems to rock (metaphorically of course) and then the lights go out. Emergency lightning comes back on quickly and Monet goes to rapidly float in place while trying to get out a mindlink over with anyone she could pick up throughout the station.
<<What is going on?>> She presumes that they're under attack. She however does not know the layout of the base well enough to rendezous somewhere with the others. So she's trying to find out whomever is closest to her mentally to head in their direction - presuming the bulkheads don'tlock her away and cut her off!
She closes her eyes, trying to center herself and tracking others mentally to lead herself along. In the darkness, her eyesight won't be particularly useful. She goes to send out mental 'pings' of trying to locate others, presuming that the comms are not gonig to last particularly long if they even work at all.
- Damian Wayne has posed:
Damian definitely isn't one to lose his head in a situation. So when things start going wrong he slips into analytical mode. Plus it's pretty easy to remain calm when Wonder Frickin' Woman is with you. He slips through the door that the mighty Amazonian is holding open with her bare hand. As he does he tap-tap-taps something on a panel on one of his gauntlets.
"I am getting positioning data from a nearby Wayne Enterprises sattelite," he reports to Diana. "So this isn't some kind of jamming interference. It must be internal."
- Oliver Queen has posed:
As the monitors are the first to go, the screens filled up with static, Ollie grunts out, "What the hell!" and immediately starts to cast his gaze about the room. Not personally monitoring comms, it is only when someone points that out that the Green Arrow will have any clue that both their eyes and ears along with their ability to call for help has been cut off.
The same can't be said about the lights though. While he might not have any ability to see in the dark, what he does have is a host of technology to deal with troublesome little things like this.
And a bunch of gimmick arrows. Soooo many gimmick arrows. In this particular instance he pulls out one of them -- a flare arrow -- and striking the end hard against the ground produces a bright white light that he then holds up like a torch, casting a bright, wide glow over the command center.
"I don't care that he's locked up, ten to one Kuttler had something to do with this," the blonde billionaire grouses. "Someone needs to get down to security to see what's going on. Make him give us some answers.
And by the sound of it he has just the person in mind.
- M'gann M'orzz has posed:
M'gann frowns when all power goes off on the station, turning towards Oliver and lifting a brow, "I don't suppose this is another of those 'training exercises' that Batman likes to do, suddenly and without warning?" She's guessing not, but it never hurts to ask!
Ollie's grumbling over Kuttler has her nodding, "You may be right. They did promise retribution... this may well be it." Still, there's more important things to do first! Taking up a lotus style position, M'gann closes her eyes and hovers mid-air, reaching out mentally across the station to those she had 'popped in on' on her way up to the command center.
Forming that telepathic link with all (except the Calculator, she merely keeps mental tabs on his whereabouts and general health).
<< Link established. Please feel free to speak through the link until such time as communications are restored. Green Arrow and I are in the command center. Might I suggest everyone make their way here? Arrow and I will work on getting the doors open at the least. If anyone runs into trouble or gets stuck, please say something so someone can assist. >>
To Oliver, she offers, "I don't suppose one of those arrows could act as an acetylene torch to cut through the locks on the door? At this moment, I believe I'm the only one uninhibited by doors and locks. I am uncertain how often Flash is able to vibrate through before he needs to refuel."
- Barry Allen has posed:
It is pretty eerie, being trapped in space with absolutely no artificial light. No noise beyond that which one makes, or is made by the others around.
The tell-tale hum of electronics, of machinery that is ever-present onboard the Watchtower is suddenly missing, plunging the base into silence as well as darkness. At least unless one is close enough to hear others call out, or to hear their footfalls on the paneled floors, or fumbling at the walls, controls, or other miscellaneous items.
Regularly spaced throughout the station are compartments built into the walls containing a variety of emergency gear, ranging from oxygen supplies and light sources, to full on environmental suits meant to protect from a vacuum.
At least for a time.
With no sensors, no communications, it is difficult to know exactly what has happened. What to expect. There are no readouts to look over. No means to contact the engineering sectors. No way to determine if this is all some sort of mechanical failure. Or if it is an attack.
For the moment at least there is still air to breath, still gravity keeping them from maneuvering through moon-gravity instead of the Earth-gravity that most of them are used to.
How long that will last for? One more unknown for them to deal with in these present circumstances.
Fortunately mind-to-mind communication is a possibility, and at the moment the Watchtower is playing host to a pair of telepaths.
As those mental links are establish, by Monet and by M'gann, there is an earnest sense of relief coming in from the not insubstantial number of people needed to crew this station. While members of the League and their allies check in, so to do the various crew from other parts of the station. And while they try not to clamor too loudly for attention -- trusting that the Justice League will deal with the matter and see them through safely -- they do respond to inquries.
Yes, the hangar bay seems sealed off, though outer force field keeping them blocked off from the vacuum of the lunar system beyond. For now. Others also report being sealed in, being in private quarters or the larger sections like engineering. They are likewise able to verify that none of the systems were showing an issue until abruptly failing.
The Flash too checks in as he finally finds one of those emergency supply caches, fumbling it open to find a light source, feeling a small sense of relief when he is finally able to light up the area around him. << Flash here. I'm down in the labs. The individual labs have been sealed off. Standard proptocol in the event of a power failure like this. Not sure aobut the entire section yet, though now that I can see again I can find out quick enough, >> he indicates over that mental link. And almost before he has completed that thought that red-gold streak has made it's way through his area.
<< The larger areas do seem to be all cut off, though I believe there are manual overrides by most of the hatches, >> he thinks at the others.
A shame Bruce isn't caught with them. He would almost certainly know.
- Diana Prince has posed:
Diana's hand continues to simply hold the door open with little, or no visible strain upon her person. She watches Damian, as he gathers that pertinent information from the panel, and simply nods once to him. With the mental link coming online within their minds, Diana's voice speaks through it.
<"There should be a master key in the command center's storage space. It can allow one to operate the manual release levers behind every door panel. It is a slow way, but a mechanically reliable way to make one's way through the station." She pauses, "Robin says that other satellites are still functional, and that this is seemingly a targeted failure on our own systems."
Diana motions Damian through the door as she steps in behind him, and then leads him on toward the command center doorway...
The closed command doorway is simply pulled open, grinding its gears as the Princess merely pulls it open, electing not to attempt to force the panel open instead.
With the command center revealed, she stares at those within it. "Find the master key, and get yourselves suited up incase we lose oxygen, or find sections of the station venting atmosphere..." She draws in a breath as she keeps any look of concern from her visual visage.
- Monet St. Croix has posed:
All right, this is doable. From those eyes over on the screens, Monet goes to connect through each of the clusters of minds. She pulls the broad layout of the area from someone looking at the map of the Watchtower, focusing and then sending it to each group. An added glowing that is an essentially 'you are here' is given to each cluster as Monet takes information from Barry and the others to pass along. Areas of danger, places of safety. Locations that they could go to to to bypass teh lockdowns.
Each bit carefully pulled and shared. This was among dozens and dozens of minds, most of them unfamiliar, and having to process and share information with things far beyond her line of sight and thought. When there was a level of unease along with the sudden loss of power. It takes much of her focus and attention, even as she just hovers in place, staying still with her eyes closed. She makes herself breathe in and out regularly, taking some momenters to center herself and keeping it up.
She's acting as a relay. A very, very careful relay. Not as efficiently as another telepath could do it.. But it frees up M'Gann to go to more important tasks - like dealing with whatever the danger in the first place here was!
- Damian Wayne has posed:
<< I can get a message to the Bat cave through this passing satellite but I don't know if anyone is there to receive it. >>
Robin enters into the command center and looks around. He's been in his share of high-tech places but /this/ is incredible. He takes a moment to take in the view despite the emergency.
He nods to the others in the room. "Hi. Robin." Yeah. Duh.
When Diana gives the order to get suited up, Robin goes to an emergency cubby. He hasn't been trained on one of these suits before, but improvising is kind of his thing. So in a matter of minutes he is suited and prepared for a catastrophic loss of atmosphere.
- Oliver Queen has posed:
He has the bow. He has the torch. They're stuck in the dark.
The Watchtower might as well be a dungeon in their present circumstances. "If we hear any drums in the deep I'm tossing someone down a well," he grumbles, doing a slow circuit about the room, finding who else is present with them, caught in the command chamber and gathering them up so everyone can stay together. He ignights another flare arrow for the civilian crew, handing it over to one of them with a nod.
Look, he's the only one here with a beard. Clearly he's Gandalf. Maybe he's call dibs on Legolas for the bow too.
Glancing towards M'gann, he gives a nod. "I do, though it sounds like I might not need them. At least if I can get at the manual releases and they;re not, like, designed for someone who can juggle planets," he says with a frown. "Either way, I'm starting towards the detention area. I'll cut my way there if I half too," he says, starting to stamp towards the nearest hatch that leads in that direction, at least until Diana indicates the presence of a master key. Then he stops in his tracks, gives a much put upon sigh, and goes to search for that.
"This better not be Bat's idea of a training exercise..."
- M'gann M'orzz has posed:
<< We will organize those nearest us and get them suited up. I would suggest that those in key ares of the Watchtower remain at their posts to keep an eye on things. There may be surges or lingering issues once power is restored. Speaking of which, we should attempt to reach the power core and see if it can be restarted, or fixed and restarted. Otherwise we may need someone to bring one to us. >>
When Diana and Damian enter the command center, M'gann offers a brief smile, still hovering in mid-air as she work with Monet to keep the entire station (minus Kuttler) connected through the telepathic link. "Welcome to the command center. This key. Is it unique in some fashion, or is it simply a key? If so, I may be able to unlock doors simply by shifting an appendage into the appropriate shape and using it that way."
To Diana specifically, she opens a side link to speak directly and solely to her. << You may want someone to stay with Green Arrow. He is blaming Kuttler and seems intent on reaching the man and causing him harm. Not that I necessarily disagree that Juttler could be involved, but if neither Monet nor I could discern whatever was hidden in him, then I doubt hitting him is going to make him speak. >>
"We may want to make sure everyone is able to leave certain areas, or at least has access to whatever suits and breathing apparatus will be necessary. Those in dangerous areas we may wish to move to a central location. The commissary, perhaps? And we should certainly extra those stuck in cargo bays immediately. If the force fields there fail, they will have no protection..." All suggestions, of course, worries plucked from anxious minds, idle chatter amongst the workers, and thoughts from those in key areas of the Watchtower.
- Barry Allen has posed:
Slowly, the initial panic of being trapped on a space station that is suddenly without power, with out light, without communication. Stuck, trapped away from others. All of that brief panic begins to fade as light sources are found, as emergency gear is distributed. As that mental link pops into existence and joins everyone together so that they are no all alone, trying to survive, to try to manage this crisis without any semblance of support.
Community can make a big difference in any crisis.
There are the beginnings of a plan of action. The likelihood that they can slowly gather up together and get to the bottom of all of this. Who wouldn't be comforted by that. For at least a moment, the unknown doesn't feel quite so scary. Quite so isolating.
The mental maps gathered up and sent out probably help too, a reminder in the disorientation of muted lights and sealed of chambers just where everything is. Information is, so often, the best way to counter the unknown.
Then there is a faint sound, the brief whirl of machinery coming to life. That faint rush from vents suggesting that fresh air is indeed being generated and pumped through. All the kind of things that one wants to hear at a moment like this.
Except the lights.
Still, even they pop on too, after a moment. After a fashion. Not the bright light panels above that light up the chambers of the Watchtower in a warm glow. But the muted emergency lights that casts everything in that uneasy reddish glow. That reminder that something is very wrong still.
And just what is wrong becomes clear moments later.
Of course the watchtower would have defenses. Means to protect in case of attacks. Given just who they are, it should come as no surprise that those defenses are of the effective, if non-lethal variety.
And now those security systems spring into place.
Energy fields are a big part of the Watchtower, adding additional security, additional structural integrity to the physical bulkweads that seal them in from the vacuum outside.
Now a number of those fields spring into existence, in some cases just making the contained areas that much more secured. But narrower fields also begin to visibly sweep across some of the larger areas -- like the Command Deck -- trying to trap some of those present as glowing blue beams begin to sweep across the room, trying to set up containing fields.
Particularly aimmed at the Justice League and their allies in particular instead of random patterns. Some one is turning their own security against them.
In his corridor, the Flash finds the same thing, security fields beginning to slam into place, trying to trap him. And while he can't phase with the ease of a Martian, vibrating through the walls is pretty effective too. At least as long as he can maintain the energy.
That their own base's defense would be turned against them is problematic. But with them suddenly having to deal with that a loud chime begins to sound throughout the Watchtower. Like an alarm. But not one generated by all the technological monitoring systems in place. No, this one is quite clearly from the wards that members like Zatanna and Dr. Fate have setup around their moon base.
Wards indicating the use of hostile magicks.
- Monet St. Croix has posed:
Monet St. Croix's mind would snap along over through the link <<Don't you have any password protection here at ALL?>> That's probably a bit less fair - they had computers designed by people that are borderline technopaths, afterall. Things which can break them couldn't be stopped by anything at all. <<We're cut off from one another.>> She goes to immediately scan for minds, confirming quickly <<Towards the holding cells. It looks like our prisoner is making it out on his own or is having others help him with it>> The fact that M is putting the (possible0 blame on Calculator for this even though breaking the security here /should/ be beyond him is probably a bit much.
<<En route>> Which is problematic right as she goes to run into one of the security fields.. She bounces off it even while going to scan ahead of herself. <<Multiple of our adversaries are there>> In the prison. <<I can't confirm who it is yet.>> But she's trying to get there as best seh can. Which is slow thanks to the energy fields and the extended layout!
- Damian Wayne has posed:
Dodging the security fields is a task that Damian is well suited for. He agilely weaves and dodges around them to keep himself from getting trapped. When he recovers his feet from a shoulder roll he is holding a scanner from his utility belt, a gift from Bruce to remotely pick up electrical surges in systems under load.
<< I'm getting a lot of surges twenty meters outside this room. Let me see if I can isolate some of these systems to reduce interference. >>
Now that people have been getting doors to open, Robin is able to duck out of the room to head toward the source of the surges.
- Diana Prince has posed:
Diana moved past Oliver toward the cabinet section where she entered a code upon the small metallic keypad. With the door popping open, and Diana's mind listening to the message that M'gann told her, the Princess reached for a number of long slender metal keys. She gathered up the largest of the collection, and turned to offer it to Oliver. "Try to get to the power core chamber..." She says, a mere second before the sound of the environmantl vents draws the Princess' attention. Her advanced hearing allows her to hear the system coming online, as well as other indications of power returning.
"Something is cycling systems." The Princess softly says.
"Magic." She adds, a second there-after, when the fluttering alerts of their magical alarms sound themselves.
"We're under attack by the Injustice members." She announces, now assured of it, even if it was a creeping suspicion from likely everyone.
When the energy grids came online, and the shields began to move toward them, it didn't take Wonder Woman long to figure out their intent, and with a second not wasted, she lunged toward the wall, to begin slamming her balled-up fist in to where one of the projection systems was emitting the energy field.
her intention was obvious, bash the damn thing in to submission before it could simulate the Death Star trash compactor scene on those gathered within the command center.
"We have to find where they are!" Diana says with gusto behind her words, her patience running more and more thin.
- Barry Allen has posed:
To put it mildly, to be apparently traped on the moon in an outpost no longer under their control is a less than ideal situation. The cold vacuum is far from welcoming to most of their number, most of the technicians and other personal onboard that insure that the Watchtower can operate seamlessly. And while the scattered emergency supply caches with environmental suits, rebreathers and flashlights are meant for short term emergencies. Not for prolonged survival.
And help might not be coming.
Much of the crew is trapped through the various levels of the Watchtower, having been attending to their tasks and while the reddish emergency lights have sprung to life, offering an ominous glow on the various level, communications remains very much cut off. Fortunately, between Monet and M'gann there is at least a telepathic link in place, the ability to stay in contact with one another and the crew.
Of course, most members of the Justice League -- and their allies -- are at least gathered together now, on the Command deck, normally the hub of all Watchtower business. Now reduced to a useless afterthought.
In the case of Barry Allen -- the Flash -- he reamins on the science deck, though has begun to vibrate his way through the bulkheads to the rest of the group.
Complicating all that is the fact that the power has turned on once more. But only to activate the security systems onboard -- and turn them against the rightful inhabitants of the Watchtower.
The source of this trouble? It increasingly appears likely that this can be laid at the feet of the Injustice League -- somehow aided by a supposed outcast from thet group, languishing for the past several days in one of their holding cells. Supposedly for his own protection.
That man is Noah Kuttler, the Calculator and while all looked straightforward enough on the video monitors before the power went out, the timing of all of this seems suspicious.
Adding to that suspicion is the fact that the magical wards put in place by Zatanna and Dr. Fate have now been tripped. While the Injustice League is certainly not the only ones to have magic at their disposal, they are certainly the most likely ones given the circumstances. They are the ones causing the most trouble for the Justice League and their allies as of late. They have a number of practioners amongst them. And the fact that the Calculator is being held here, well, it just all seems to be too much of a coincidence.
If the Injustice League is in control of their home, they are truly at the disadvantage now.
- Monet St. Croix has posed:
There's an irritated look on Monet St. Croix's face as she forces herself to focus and goes to try and telepathically coordinate with the rest <<Are the internal defenses going to be activated against us? If so how are they setup?>> If the Justice League used heavy equipment and speicalized things like technology taken from Brainiac to fight him or the like.. They wouldn't last long - not when the bad guy swere here to dance.
And everything was too convenient. A defection.. But how could the man bypass all the security of the cell when being watched by the best security known to Earth?
First issue - presuming the defneses weren't going to try and kill them would be loss of heat and air. The facility was big so it could hold both for an extended period, but if the hull were breached, then the population of the lunar colony could be endangered.
She moves to keep up the mental link and goes to speak to Diana <<Orders?>> Wonder Woman was the greatest tactician amongst them. Monet got ready to fight as best she could.
- Oliver Queen has posed:
Those roaming security force fields are a pain in the ass, and while Oliver might have reached the hatch leading out of the Command Deck with the master key in hand, he still casts a wary glance towards those fields that seem to continually regenerate, seeking to trap them.
At least they can take some solace in the fact that it is unlikely that any of the Watchtower's defenses are of the lethal variety.
It's a small comfort though, knowing just how advanced the systems are likey to be
While Diana hammers at bulkheads themselves, the Green Arrow inserts that key in the manual override slot and turns. And, remarkably enough, the door does spring open revealling the dark corridor beyond -- lit now only by the swirling red emergency lights and the bright flare arrow that the archer holds in one hand like a torch. "I'm gonna put an arrow in Kuttler's knee. Then I'm going to punch him, square in the face," the blonde billionaire bristles and grumbles, starting to stalk down that hallway, eyes peeled for that sudden surge of blue energy that signals the holding fields about to be engaged.
- Diana Prince has posed:
Diana had come to the command center to get to the master keys, which were stored in a series of cabinets along one of the walls. The master keys would give easy enough access to the manual release levers for every emergency door closed throughout the base. Of course, a second after she'd handed the keys out, and given out marching orders for those they had on-hand, a return of power had come across the base... soon there after followed by the energy barriers activating, and Diana moving quickly to one of the walls that the energy was being projected from. She'd balled up a fist, and began to pound her hand through one of the panels covering said wall. Once she'd dented it enough, her fingers wrapping through the broken metal, and she tore it from the wall entirely.
"Is the command computer back online? We need to gain full access of the station here again, and root out whatever deceptive means they've managed to use to get control of our systems."
This shouldn't be possible, Diana told herself, but voicing those thoughts aloud served little purpose in the emergency moment they're currently within.
Utilizing what space, and time Wonder Woman, she tries to rip the power connection from the force field projectors before the damnable things can box them off, or worse.
- M'gann M'orzz has posed:
M'gann is still hovering in mid-air, focused on keeping in touch telepathically with the rest of the ship. Touching bases with Monet to pass information and keep the link solid. Makes sure people have supplies as needed, or that they're taking stock of what supplied they have to ration them out accordingly.
"We should think abut evacuating non-essential personnel. If the security systems are working against us, those people will be sitting ducks in labs and cargo bays and private quarters. I have my ship at dock. I presume the Invisible Jet is likewise docked. We should look at getting many people off this station as possible while we can." This aimed mostly towards Diana, though said loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear.
She doesn't so much look at Oliver as she sends him a mental map of all the security measures between him and Kuttler. << Be certain this is worth the lives you could be saving, Arrow. >>
- Bruce Wayne has posed:
A disadvantage is just an advantage they haven't exploited themselves.
Batman has been here. He's moved around the station with the level of stealth for which he's known, but kept himself hidden for the duration of events so that he can observe the tactical prowess of the enemy they face. They are them, the Injustice, but how closely to they represent the Justice League of this world? He doesn't know.. So he's watching to find out. There's no enemy without a weakness.
All he needs to know is the weaknesses of his allies applies to their current enemies.
IF they do?
He's well equipped to exploit them.
It would mean tipping his hand to the Justice League that he has detailed files on how to bring them down, but... if they weren't expecting that level of preparation from HIM, they've really missed the plot.
That's when the forcefields boxing them all in... just deactivate. They deactivate and Batman steps out from where he was standing on the other side with his arm raised to access his gauntlet mounted computer. "This is precisely why I said we should put slave encryptions into the route systems, Diana." He sounds.. calm. Given the situation, he shouldn't, but given who he is? Is anyone surprised. "I understand yours and Kal's hesitancy." Glancing from face to face. "I did it anyways." To Diana. "Sorry." But also, "You're welcome."
- Barry Allen has posed:
Regaining control of the Watchtower would seem to be a pretty good first step towars dealing with that situation, and with the power snapping back to life it would appear that they have an opening. The Command Deck crew who have been gathered up, kept out of harms way by their earlier efforts hastens to race back towards their consoles at Wonder Woman's question, beginning to scour those displays, to test and see what information they can gather, what systems they can access.
For a moment, those are the sounds that dominate the command deck, the chatter back and forth between the highly trained crew members. They might not have superpowers, but their service is no less extraordinary.
Unfortunately, after only moments the news that they relay is not good. "Generators are powered up again, as is the gravity drive. But we don't have control. It's been rerouted," one of the operators begins, his tone glum. "To the holding cells.
Not what any of them probably wants to hear. Except maybe Green Arrow who can now justifiably crow that they never should have trusted Kuttler and that his desire to hurt, possibly maim the man are entirely justified.
And while the desire to evacuate the crew off the Watchtower is a good, and probably proper impulse under the circumstances, that's easier said then down. With dozens of personnel scattered across at least a half-dozen decks, assembling them will be a chanllenge. Never mind getting to the hangar with all those security fields in place.
Then the answer to that little problem comes in the form of the sudden presence of the Dark Knight. Those security fields boxing them in, keeping them all seperated? They suddenly power down.
While they might not be able to regain control of the Watchtower -- yet -- apparently they can at least take out some of those systems being used against them.
The sudden loss of those forcefields seems to finally provoke action from those responsible for all of this chaos and confusion. Abruptly holographic projectors spring to life in the various populated sectors of the station. The image flickers and then finally resolves.
Showing the Calculator standing in his cell, arms wide. Showing one of those magical portals that they have become familiar with over the past several months, the mystical defenses of the Watchtower breached as the purple haired sorceress Tala stands and one end while the golden masked face of Morgan LeFay stands at the other. Several other members of the Injustice Leage stand there as well, clustered close to that entrance point -- Captain Cold, Deathstroke, Mr. Freeze. Dr. Polaris, Sonaar and the Parasite.
Then the Calculator's smile grows and the air around him seems to flicker. At once what appears to be dark tentacles seem to be flowing out of the arms of that jumpsuit he wears, out of the buff of his pants. But quickly it becomes clear that those are no metal tentacles, but streams of millions, tens of millions, maybe hundreds of millions of tiny nanites. Running from him, breaching the security field of his cell and entering the main power supply.
"I thank you for your hospitality," Kuttler says smoothly. "I can't tell you how disappointed that you did not have any more information on the potential traitor in our midst then we have already gathered. But I suppose we can take some small satisfaction in the fact that we have crippled your little Watchtower. With any luck you'll all suiffocate up here once we're gone," he adds with the sort of smug overtones likely to drive the Arrow wild.
- Monet St. Croix has posed:
Well, Oliver was right. That's the sort of thing that Overwatch will crow about no doubt (or that Oliver might crow to her on, perhaps). Monet goes to glower over and pauses as she can quickly guess what those things are - nanites? They could rewuire the whole complex and infiltrate all the systems. Worse than they already are.
She takes a breath and goes to look at the console and goes to look through the systems. Going to try to speak to Batman telepathically <<Can you guide me through a.. Focused discharge and then reboot of the power system?>> They've already lost main power and control of the systems.. Monet goes to look through the computer as she sees if she can be talked through what her intent is to make the main generator essentially an EMP. Which would fry the nanites and hopefully a forced restart of the system would kick out existing database breaches. They were already locked down after all.
Of course, that prseumed that the system had such overrides possible - likely not from the main control room during a lockdown.
- Oliver Queen has posed:
That voice in his mind draws Oliver up short as he starts down that corridor, whirling around to cast that baleful glare at the martian hovering in midair, back towards where he just came from.
Someone's not a very happy camper, that much is for certain, but any biting words that he might have are held with some small show of discipline.
It's probably a good thing that the mindlink that binds them all together barely touches the surface of each of their minds though. It's probably not to go reading the Green Arrow's thoughts right now. They very well might blister skin.
Nor is he likely to be a whole lot calmer as that holographioc message suddenly appears, hanging in midair as well, dominating much of the command deck. And when it's done, when the Calculator has taken that taunting shot, Ollie reaches out and slams a fist into the bulkhead beside him. "We're just going to let them march into our home and pull this kind of shit?"
Deep down, he surely knows, understands that the safety of the Watchtower's crew should, has to come first. But knowing something and accepting it can be two very different things indeed.
- Diana Prince has posed:
When Batman deactivates the energy fields, causing the boundaries of power to dissipate, Diana's eyes move toward him. She draws her hand from the hole she'd punched within the side wall, letting some of the components she'd gripped go loose and drop to the floor. "Clearly I should have backed your side of that argument, Batman..." She tells him in a sincere voice. "We will go over a list of changes you have already put together, I am sure, when this is all over..." She walks toward the command center computer terminals there-after.
"M'gann, if you can send a telepathic message to all personnel aboard the station to make toward the hangar and the docking collart where your ship resides, my Amazon sisters will see to it that the people are safely placed aboard the two vessels."
She regards the computers, and lets out a soft exhale. "We need the pathways to be open for them to reach said locations, however..."
When the holograms of their enemies present themselves, Diana is left to look upon them with a clear measure of restrained disdain touching her facial features. Cutler's reveal is received with a cold loathing, and a glance toward Monet. "If we can shunt all excess power directly to Cutler's containment cell, perhaps the sudden blast of power will sever his connection to our systems, and we can gain full control once more." Or, maybe it would kill him. Diana wouldn't really mind if it did that either.., and the look she relays to Oliver would show him that she's mostly onboard with his feelings toward Cutler at this phase.
- M'gann M'orzz has posed:
"Understood, sending the message now," M'gann enlists Monet's assistance to broadcast the message across the telepathic link that keeps those on the ship connected. Simple, direct, to the point. << Drop whatever you are doing and head for Docking Collars 1 and 2 for emergency evacuation. All non-essential personnel please head immediately to Docking Collars 1 and 2 for emergency evacuation! Essential personnel please remain at your stations for further directions. Keep suits and rebreathers on hand. >>
It's directly on the heels of the telepathic message that Kuttler's message plays. Her brows furrow together, a pinched expression coming over her face. She reaches out to Ollie telepathically once more. << You have my sincerest apologies. I'll make sure to leave plenty of him to beat on. >>
With that strange comment, she hands the bulk of the telepathic link to Monet and reaches out with that incredible mind of hers, taking a telekinetic grip on Kuttler in his cell, holding him in place.. and delving into his mind. She's not brutal about it, but she focuses on lasering through the astounding number of mental shields the man has in place. Magical... technological... there are redundancies layered on redundancies layered on more redundancies. No wonder they couldn't glean anything from him initially. This time, M'gann is taking her time. Peeling back the layers like skinning an onion. Digging for information. He'll be left intact for Ollie, though!
- Bruce Wayne has posed:
Most of the defenses, as many as Batman can anyways, are shut off to allow them access to the parts of the ship necessary to begin reclaiming their Station... He follows along, deactivating hatches previously baring them with a key stroke, <<"Yes.">> He answers the telepathic question, whether he realizes she intends to use the generator as a massive EMP, it is precisely what he would do, so regardless of her intent... he's giving her directions on how to turn this place into a massive electromagnetic bomb. There are contingencies in place, however. <<"Direct power to the primary coupling manifold. Redirect auxillary power along the same axis.">>
He's not even trying to hide it.
<<"We will be powerless. I don't know for how long, exactly, so we should prepare for that. Zero gravity, no oxygen. Pitch black. Within two or three minutes the system power should-">> Nobody should really like it anytime BATMAN says SHOULD, <<"- come back online. Starting with mandatory life support.">>
He regards Diana and nods, once. "I'll give you a list. We should talk later." It isn't about this, but he can multitask. Already, he's looked away towards Oliver, "I've calculated the odds of our making it to the cells before they've escaped, especially using magical portals, and limited access to the elevators, corridors security systems, and the fact that we're about to be without any power. If you are determined, I'll go with you, but we wont make it. It'll be very dramatic. We can slam our fists against the wall and scream... no." He doesn't scream no. "Or. We can take control of our home. Save our people." He knows what they're capable of. If he can find out how they gained access, he can use that. "Once we have, we come up with a plan. You know me.
This does not end the way the think it will."
- Barry Allen has posed:
While the Dark Knight hasn't regained control of all the computer systems with his gambit, taking out the security fields that could have potentially prvented them from evacuating thethe civilian personnel is pretty key.
More, it might have possibly given them at least a potential route into regaining control of some systems. Or at the very least overloaded the systems. Not that isn't fraught with all sorts of risks too. If the overload should spread, they could easily lose some essential systems as well. Things like gravity, environmental control and who knows what else.
And they are definitely not in the position to just crack a window. Until now, the isolation of the Watchtower has been part of its defense. Now it is potentially a trap, keeping them from escape.
Still, it might be their best shot too.
Unfortunately, at least when it comes to the idea of sending a surge through the energy field sealing Kuttler's cell, the likelihood of that seems to drop precipitously as that cell finally opens that the computer genius steps out, that shit-eating, self-satisfied grin still very much in evidence. Those streams of nanites begins to thin, finally falling away from entirely as the entire collection appers to have been released, those diminishing trails vanishing into the various input ports.
But while one door closes another opens and one of the techs gives a subtle nod towards Monet and Diana as she manages to find a backdoor into the system at last, not daring to vocalize the details given the possibility that the Injustice League is tapped into all the systems, allowing them to hear what is said aloud.
The chances that they are listening telepathically seem much diminished, now that Grodd is living his best life as a pig, thanks to his betrayal and the anger of Circe.
Miss Martian's psychic might has been proven again and again, against stronger minds, stronger wills then Noah Kuttler surely boasts. But that mingling of magical wards combined with technological implants go a long way towards explaining how the Calculator was able to thward the mental scans he underwent before being brought onboard. How he could conceal those cloaked nanites.
It isn't a perfect wall though, to keep her out. Instead his -- and the other Injustice Leage members -- their minds seem like they are shrouded with a fog, think and full of shifting shadows. BUt every know and then it is possible to catch a piece of something useful.
Like the fact that the nanites might be vulnerable to a powerful enough EMP. Details like part of a computer virus that would disable them, a safeguard in case they ever escaped his control. Like the fact that right this instance Dr. Polaris is reaching out with those magnetic threds, starting to shift the whole of the Watchtower, to lift it from it's resting place on the moon and send it hurling out into the void of space.
Again, Batman's device changes the equation. The techs might have come up with a blue print to sneak back into the system, but the Dark Knight is there to provide a blueprint to not just access a subsytem here or there, but retake the whole station. Not without some risk, but they are already facing a fair bit of that.
Finally, as Batman is having that little heart to heart with Oliver, a red and gold blur vibrates it's way through one of those inner bulkheads, the Flash coming to a screeching stop just feet away. "Sorry I'm late," Barry says, flicking his fingers in a sort of salute there way. Superspeed could shift the equation slightly.
Then the who station gives that lurch, seeming to shake slightly back and forth as if the moon beneath them had suddenly been hit by a powerful earthquake.
"Ahhh... that doesn't seem good," Barry adds, glancing at the horizon through one of the nearby viewports, the view still shifting and moving with some violence.
- Monet St. Croix has posed:
Being guided through shutting down the power systems of the Watchtower and then rebooting it is a harrowing experience for Monet. The man has so many legends. Even when she's helping out there's an almost instinctive level of fear going through it. Unless one was looking right at her or reading her mind, it wouldn't be apparent. But it is something harrowing for her as she would quip mostly to herself, "Then make sure to hold your breaths.." Even as she goes through the system and goes to redirect power to the primary coupling manifold. She does not ask questions. She does exactly what she's supposed to.
Going through the routine exactly as instructed, time to push the system into an EMP and then hopefully a reboot..
And then she goes to push down the final key in the sequence to initiate it.
The final key is of course a button.. And the button is RED as her fingers press it almost through teh control panel.
- Oliver Queen has posed:
This plan doesn't involve hitting anyone. So Oliver does not love this plan. Right now the blonde billionaire is really feeling the urge to hit someone.
given the glare that turns Batman's way, there is at least the small suggestion that he might settle for the Dark Knight.
Or at the very least try. Swinging a punch at a middle-aged compute nerd isn't quite the same thing as trying to hit the Dark Knight.
Besides, he is not oblivious to the fact that the man has a point. That Miss Martian has a point. This might not be something that can be solved with a punch. Or an arrow to the knee.
But it would be a whole lot more satisfying, wouldn't it?
"...fine," Green Arrow says with a little huff of discontented air, glancing towards the comannd consoles, listening to the mental instructions beind delivered. Then he reaches out and slips his arm through one of the hatch handles on the wall.
- Diana Prince has posed:
Diana levels another stare upon Batman's face, when he indicates that they need to talk. She can't linger on that idea for long, however, as her eyes dart back toward the command center crew. "Make a note, that once we resolve this, everyone has to go through a security check again. We need to make sure that none of our own personnel aboard the station were involved in this security leak."
She spins around, headed toward the doorway back to the corridors, before she draws to a stop when the base begins to shake at its very foundations...
A look is cast around her immediate area, before Diana looks back to Batman. "The Injustice League is going to demolish the whole place. Can we somehow vent life support in the holding cells?" She asks the Dark Knight, before glancing toward Monet who was already doing her best to manage systems, and power flows.
"I am headed there now, since this is unlikely to be solved by computers alone."
With that said, Wonder Woman starts toward the corridor, passing by Barry, and motioning to him. "Lets see to it that they leave our base, one way or another."
- M'gann M'orzz has posed:
M'gann's constant pressing, poking, and prodding pulls little bits and pieces of information from Kuttler's head. Bits that are passed immediately to another. Along with a question. A question that is posed as the Watchtower begins to creak and groan. The respond she receives earns a nod and she releases her hold on Kuttler rather suddenly.
Rising up through the air quickly, she phases through the ceiling, the next, the floors above, the roof of the very Watchtower itself. Out into the blackness of space, leaving Batman to explain... or not. She has a job to do.
Flying down at the Watchtower's roof, she exerts her strength against it, doubling down by adding in her telekinetic strength, pushing against the Watchtower to keep it in place. To keep the Justice League, and all the tower's personnel.. from floating off into space. To buy time for the others to regain control of the Watchtower.
<< Someone should really deal with Polaris. Otherwise the Tower will continue to unmoor itself. >>
- Bruce Wayne has posed:
Bruce is a pretty deft judge of situational awareness, probably one of the best. But it wouldn't take the Dark Knight's robust ability to read people to let him in on the fact Oliver would very much like to take a swing at him. Perhaps not because it is him, but because he is there. He doesn't flinch away from the onboard threat, but Bruce usually doesn't. He just stares at his colleague until the seeds of truth in what he's said sink in. Then he nods. Would he have gotten hit? Who can known for sure.
"Flash." Said as the entire base begins to shake beneath them. Batman's hand lands against the wall to keep him from slamming against said wall. He's squirrelly for an older fella. Diana has already started towards the holding cells. His inclinations are to follow the pair, but he's far better suited to what he's doing in the control room.
There's a moment shared between himself and M'gann, a glance down, to his left, as if looking at her. Then he's leaning over the consoles with his fingers working the keys while Monet finishes her work shunting power as he directed her to. While they aren't in the same room, he's got route access. Enough that he can partician enough power to the hangers life support systems that all those people they'd just sent there don't die.
Two to three minutes without oxygen might not be a very long time for him, but not everyone has the cardiovascular training he does. The fact he's not handing Ollie a rebreather is about as close to a sign of respect as there is. Then there's the whole notion of Batman sharing information hanging out there in the ether. He does, of course, share information. When it's necessary. When it will change the course of events. Currently, telling them that he told M'gann to stablize the station rather than tearing Kuttler's mind to shreds doesn't seem mission critical.
Because it would piss Ollie off.
And then they'd have to find out of he could hit him.
And Batman doesn't have time for that right now.
- Barry Allen has posed:
Under Monet's watchful eye and Batman's mental instructions, the Watchtower command crew gets to work, setting up everything, sending those electronic tendrils weaseling their way outward, waiting for their cue to unlease that surge of electro-magnetic energy that will shut down everything.
The lights. The environmental systems. The gravity. All about to be gone. The small mercy remains that it will take a little time to use up the oxygen already in the system. So as long as the system reboots, so long as they have control again when it does they should be fine.
It's a big if though.
Still, if anyone has calculated all the odds, all the angles it would definitely be the Dark Knight, right? It's not very often that his plans go completely arry. And if history is any sort of teacher, if this one doesn't go exactly to plan he probably has thirty or so more contigencies to work through to still turn the situation in their favor.
Then the button is pressed, the Watchtower plunged into darkness. This time the gravity begins to fail as well though, and anyone who hasn't managed to grab a handhold, hasn't managed to strap in or can't fly might suddenly find themselves flaoting, at least partially. The moon is not devoid of gravity afterall. It is just considerably less then Earth's.
With Miss Martian turning her attention away from trying to infiltrate the minds of the Injust League members on the decks below and instead bring that telekinetic might and natural strength to bare, it becomes a battle. Dr. Polaris' mastery of magnatism versus M'gann's psychic strength.
And there is no clear winner. The Watchtower still shakes, the ground left unsteady, more then a few ominous creaks and cracks as the strain on the structural integrity increases significantly. But the tower no longer seems to be making much progress shaking itself free from the lunar soil.
Which leaves Barry and Diana to spring into action. Pausing just long enough to grab a flashlight from one of those emergency cache's, the Flash is quickly on the heels of Wonder Woman, racing through the corridors of the Watchtower, by passing sealed hatches, finding an open path at last as they near the holding cells.
Within those cells, that sudden resistance, that electro-magnetic surge that blots out all the lights, steals the gravity clearly takes the Calculator and his associates back. More troubling it would seem is the fact that the plan to simply rip the Watchtower from the ground and hurl it into space as clearly failed as well.
"Well?" he snaps at Dr. Polaris, at the strain on his helmeted brow. the not so good doctor gives a small shake of his head in reply with draws a very impolite exclaimation from Kuttler.
"Can you at least rip holes in this place before we go? Let them focus on rescuing their precious crew if they can?" Kuttler suggests instead. And this time Polaris gives a slight nod, creasing his efforts to try and rip the Watchtower entire from the ground.
And instead, in various compartments throughout the station the metal bulkheads that shield those within from the vacuum and the lunar surface beyond begin to sequal. Begin to buckle.
"Time to go," the Calculator says, turning back towards the others.
- Monet St. Croix has posed:
And all Monet can do at the moment as gravity kicks off and there's a short time before it's on again is make a chain of the workers and technicians up there in the control room that are flailing and floating them about. It will be a few minutes befor gravity kicks on again and if they're spread out when it does they'll all be falling, smashing into things hard. So she has to come up with something.. Quick.
She sees over a long hose for the emergency system that could be used to spray over a wide area with foam. Sheg oes to yank it out of the wall, and moves to rapidly tie it around the waists of everyone up in the room.
Then she goes to tie it down to the ground, from one wall over to the other, essentially tying everyone together on the ground in one massive slip-knot.
- Oliver Queen has posed:
For a moment Oliver almost insists that Barry drag him along.
Damn it, taking the fight to them has been his rallying cry, almost since the moment this whole situation presented itself. But there is truth to Batman's words, to M'gann's thoughts poured inside his head. The lowered gravity makes him much more effective as a combatant and while he is not entirely without training, operating in this level of gravity, neither he nor his arrows are ideally suited to it.
"Alright," he says crisply, make sure you're ll gathered up and good to go if we need to make for the hangar. Get into those emergency caches and start getting out as many rebreathers, environmental suits and lights as you can get your hands on and start sharing them around," he instructs, bounding over towards M has gathered up the crew. "If you could send that out to the other compartments as well," he suggests. "Those already heading there can always raid the caches on the way."
The fact that they have so many of them, spread out strategically thoughout the Tower has certainly proven to be a good notion.
Probably Batman's. Grrrrr.
- Diana Prince has posed:
Near the docking bays, the Amazons that had arrived on the Invisible Jet with Diana, are actively ushering Watchtower crew in to the hatches leading to both their own vessel, and to M'gann's as well. With the situation on the station still fluid, and still clearly dangerous, there is likely little time to waste.
In the station corridors, Diana navigated through them with familiar ease, Barry's light helping illuminate the way, where it would otherwise be that much more challenging in a space without power. Or Gravity.
Diana didn't need gravity to get around, however, and when she arrived at the holding cells, she utilized the manual release to open the door, followed by a grasping hand to cast it aside with frustrated ease. The door clanged back in to its internal housing, and with the light from Barry's torch guiding their way inside, Wonder Woman glares at the members of the Injustice League across the way from where she now stands, with items floating past her presence in zero-g... such as a trash can.
A second later, a heavy metal trash can flies through the air, directly toward Dr. Polaris' forehead!
Oliver has grounds to yell at her, if no one else, for not rushing here sooner, and she knows it. But, of course, the pathways were blocked initially as well. All the same, they still have problems to fix here, and now!
- M'gann M'orzz has posed:
M'gann is only vaguely aware of what's going on within the Watchtower, the vast bulk of her focus on keeping the structure in one pice and anchored to the moon! Still, when Polaris stops trying to rip it free of it's moorings, the going gets easier. And she can likewise refocus some of her impressive intellect towards telekinetically countering Polaris' attempts to tear holes into the Watchtower.
She even has a spare bit of bandwidth to reach out to Kuttler, trying to keep him frozen in place, held, so he can't run away with his friends.
So Ollie might still get a chance to punch a face today. Or, you know, so they can more thoroughly probe his mind for answers towards their next moves. And who this mysterious traitor is. Possibilities!!
Bio-Ship shifts herself to her maximum proportions to take on as many personnel as possible, holding steady despite the creaking and shaking and groaning the towar is doing. The moment she can't hold any more, her doors slide shut and she takes off into space, seeking to get outside of the range of the Watchtower as quickly as possible. There she will hold until given new instructions.
- Bruce Wayne has posed:
The gravity emitters cut off with the power and there's a period of weightlessness. It's not complete, but every motion has the potential to send someone hurtling towards the upper bulkhead. Not Batman, of course, but lesser people who didn't come prepared for this. Not that he could have possibly known that he was going to be directing Monet to shut off the power to the Watchtower tonight, mind. He hits a button on his computer and a magnetic charge runs through the bottom of his boots, pulling him back to the ground with a CLUNK-CLUNK.
There should be enough oxygen that, should his calculations be accurate (and they usually were), they'll barely even notice. Unless, for instance, someone tears a huge hole in the side of the station. Which would create a vacuum. Which would force all that compressed environment out into the void that is the Moons atmosphere, tearing sections of the entire complex up into a catastrophic nightmare of bodies flung into space where they would freeze in a matter of miliseconds.
Bruce peers at his wrist computer, connected to the Batwing in the hanger. It is illsuited for transporting the crew, intended for one, perhaps two, individuals, but.. it's retrofit with space flight. So, as the section of the bulkhead begins to rend, the creaking groan of the entire facility in the dead silence that accompanies the sudden loss of power (because power actually has a sound that everyone is just use to now), Bruce programs the Batwing to takeoff. Flying to one of the tearing sections of station to slam itself into place as a temporary patch.
It is not even remotely suited to this task.
At least not for longer than two or three minutes anyways. Should be enough.
If his calculations are correct.
And, as we said, they usually are.
A glance over to Ollie and Bruce is walking, calm as you like, using his magnetic boots. Weighted cape still draping down around him as he holds out a hand to help one of the technicians who was holding on a little too tight thinking she'll float away. "Everything is fine." A rebreather held out to her. She doesn't need it, at least not yet. But it's reassurance in the only way he's likely to give it.
- Barry Allen has posed:
The crew in the command center are gathered up, bound together to make moving a little more tricky. But at least none of them will end up bounding away by accident. In short order Oliver has them gathering up and dispering that survival ger -- just in case.
It is a sensible precaution, especially given that there is no guarantee that the Injustice League will not still find a means to cause a little chaos. Fortunately the chances of that drop precipitously as the Flash and Wonder Woman arrive at the holding cells.
The villains in this story clearly didn't expect this quick a response, just as they didn't expect the lights and gravity to be turned off on them. The Calculator seems to be frantically working to restore contact with all those nanites that have flooded the Watchtower computers, but by the look on his face he's not having any luck. Another explosive expletive is hurled by the man just as he glances towards the doorway.
Then his eyes widen and he starts to call out a warning.
Not in time however.
Diana kicks that trash receptical straight towards Dr. Polaris' head. Under other circumstances, the master of magnetism could surely block that effort rather casually. But he has expended a great deal of power trying to literally pry the Watchtower up from the lunar surface, in trying to breach bulkheads all across the structure. His face a mask of concentration, he never sees the makeshift projectile fly across the room and strike his forehead, sending him staggering back.
"Through the portal, now!" Deathstroke barks, the sword in his hand sweeping up cleanly in front of him. Intent on pressing the attack, the Flash lunges forward now, that trail of lighting following in his wake as he races forward at superspeed... and pulling up short just in time as a glittering mystical barrier springs up, butting off the room. Grabbing hold of the downed doctor, Captain Cold and Mr. Freeze start to drag him through that magic portal, vanishing from view as the rest of the League soon follows.
Or almost all of them. Kuttler turns to start for that portal when Miss Martian's psychic attack threatens to bind him in place. The magical and technological mask helps. He isn't frozen, but instead slowed and it is only the last minute intervention of Morgan LeFay -- pausing before she slips through to safety and murmuring a quick spell that plucks Kuttler from the ground, dragging him bodily through the air and through that rift in space, vanishing at last.
Not ideal, but it does fulfill Diana's promise to kick them off their space station.
While the Injustice League might have retreated, their legacy remains. That structural damage has already been done and the outer bulkheads not so far from the hangar and most of the evacuating crew begins to buckle in earnest, that metal plating visibly twisting, bunching. The hissing of escaping air begins to grow louder as those micro-fractures begin to widen, threatening a full breach.
At least until the Batwing slams into place, blocking that growing hole. For now.
It will do until the power comes back on and force fields that solidify the area until it can be repaired.
- Barry Allen has posed:
The assault on the Watchtower is over and once more the Injustice has slipped away. The damage to the structure can be repaired though, and they did manage to keep everyone onboard alive and unharmed, beyond some minor bumps and bruises.
But they have gained something else as well. Kuttler's taunting may have revealled a truth. While the Calculator might not have intended to ever truly betray the Injustice League, the strong implication is that someone has. The intel they received before the attack on the TransAtlantic Internet lines was from within their members.
This, all of this, was a mole hunt. And the mole remains undiscovered.
Now, perhaps they truly have somewhere to begin in the quest to bring the Injustice League down.
Once and for all.