7882/Stand And Deliver!

Stand And Deliver!
Date of Scene:	18 September 2021
Location:	Manhattan
Synopsis:	The Sentinel and the Thing ran off what appear to be mechanical thieves - but to what end? And what terrible substance or object was inside the truck they tried to take, that exploded so spectacularly?
Cast of Characters:	Michael Erickson, Ben Grimm

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Michael Erickson has posed:
    Interstate 78 on a weekend is a busy beast indeed, especially with folks streaming out of the City. Tourists, truckers, folks on day trips, all these and more run the long asphalt ribbon to Pennsylvania and all points in between. This is the constant cycle of the week, into certain perpetuity.

    Just outside of Hoboken, though, this orderly flow is disrupted in a clapping peal of thunder and a billowing mushroom cloud of flame. On the interstate, a semi truck has been turned on its side, the cab a burning, mangled ruin. Several smaller trucks have pulled up to it as the other traffic pulls away or stops - figures in blocky armor emerge like refugees from a 80s toy line, dull gray plating reflecting the flames of the burning cab. As they begin to converge upon the fallen semi, their intentions are unknown.

    On the other side of Hoboken, Michael Erickson was having coffee. There for an unrelated purpose, he nonetheless hears the explosion - and, ducking out of the diner he roosted in, goes into the alley behind it. None see the flash of violet light that see him transform into a different thing, a suit of steamlined red metal that looks a cross between a Art Deco hood ornament and an anatomical model. They only see it leap into the air, arms tucked forward with wings made from aerofoil segments tipped with gleaming, razor edges, as it hurtles into the New Jersey sky toward the site of the incident amd the column of smoke that marks it.

Ben Grimm has posed:
Ben Grimm was actually on the road as he had to pick up some electronics, and some more physical hardware for some of the big brains experiments. So we find the ever loving blue eyes thing stuck in an oversized tractor trailer with a load behind it. At first he is aggrivated at the slow traffic, but but as the explosion smoke, and flames show in front of him, the big man, climbs out from the cab and starts heading towards it, with a Pardon me, coming through, gang way." He grabs a bumper of a car here or there lifting it to move it a few feet to the side so he can get through.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    By the time Ben is hurtling toward the scene, the armored figures are set on cutting open the side of the trailer. The blocky gray suits are busy, five man-sized figures cutting through the bottom of the trailer with built-in cutting torches. Two others, hulking figures standing at eight feet, bristle with rotary cannon at shoulders and forearms. They keep guard, leveling their guns on anyone who might draw near. The sound of Ben's heavy footfalls absolutely get their attention, and two of the smaller suits train smaller arm cannon in his direction. Can't see him yet thanks to traffic, but...

    Meanwhile, above the stopped traffic, Michael soars with a hard focus on the column of smoke. Sensor-enhanced vision stretches out, sights the apparent thieves - and the Yancy Street Bulldozer of whom he has long been a fan. From the depths of Null Space, Michael grins in his crystal prison. They'll never know what hit them.

Ben Grimm has posed:
Ben Grimm comes up from between two vans that hid his progress or at least who it was progressing on the scene. As he steps into the clear area to be seen "Ok, you mooks can put down your guns, and step out of your suits and you don't have to be pummeled. He rolls his neck as he cracks those rocky knuckles with a pop and grinding sound. He will step to the side trying to put himself between the guns and the people in the cars. He hopes they have enough brains to put their camera down and run when the shooting starts.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    Suddenly, there's a boulder in the road - and not the kind you can just drive around. The Thing is well known but these guys, whoever they are, apparently are going to choose the hard way. As one, their guns spin up and bark with startling speed and synchroncity, hurtling a wall of slugs down the way aiming at Ben, center mass. But they aren't just driven by gunpowder; the guns don't roar and they don't spew flame from their barrels, instead releasing their lethal cargoes with a bright whine and a chorus of supersonic pops. Electromagnetically hurled, the bullets that careen toward Ben are a wall of hard metal with dense, depleted uranium cores. Maybe not enough to pierce the rocky hide of the biggest member of the Fantastic Four, but one never knows...

    Michael banks and descends from above, aiming to make the scene - not quite there yet, but almost...a red meteor, gleaming in the sun, hurtling down with dangerous intent.

Ben Grimm has posed:
Ben Grimm will start taking the shots, and smirks "That tickles." He says but does bring one arm up to cover his eyes. There are some chips on the rocky hide of Ben Grimm, but though it does sting and hurts a bit, he knows it is more like a normal person being shot by BBs, a crap ton of BBs but BBs none the less. He will start making his way towards them, wading towards the closest of the machine gun wielding men. "Well you made your choice, so only one thing left to say ""It's Clobbering Time."" He calls out as he will bring an upper cut to the first guy as he gets within arms reach.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    The wall of slugs is far more lethal than they would be with most other foes, but Ben's dense, rocky body does in fact shrug off the hypersonic slugs with relatively little fanfare. The armored figures take a step back, but they do not let up their assault - until Ben's stone fist collides with one of the big, bulky guys. It tries to dodge, of course, /tries/, but for all his bulk the bruiser is still fast - and with the force that strikes the armor it is lifted bodily into the air. One shoulder cannon is torn clear, spewing a fountain of sparks, and it is flung into the side of the overturned trailer. The rest try and get out of the way with guns still blazing, with those trying to cut through the trailer now turning to open fire with their accelerator guns. Though they do not have the firepower of their bigger brethren, the smaller figures' arm guns suddenly begin to land with an electrical buzz as the weapons change function, and the physically unstoppable Thing faces himself with a thousand-papercut flood of taser slugs. They're going to try and at least knock him out, if they can.

    It's now that the armored shape that, bonded with Michael, arrives under his mental control. Direct from the Null Zone, ladies and gentlemen, the Red Sentinel has arrived. A voice emits from the cycloptic helmet with metachrome trim, a voice which sounds human, but breathy and metallic all at once. << Ben Grimm, >> he says, << Do you require assistance? >>

Ben Grimm has posed:
Ben Grimm looks up to the red armored figure and gives him a bit of a dumb founded look for just a moment "Your new huh kid, yea, you can help." He winces a bit at the electricity, but will look over and grabs the armored truck they came in and puts it between them and him, and takes a moment to rip the tires off his side of the truck, and then tears a bit off and puts them under his feet, before coming back around the truck, towards the big gunner. Seems Ben has learned a bit from the Big Brain.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    << Not new. >> The suit springs forward as the armored figures spew electrifed slugs, the sheer volume of fire pouring a vast, stunning charge into the big rock man; they don't stop him, espeically not with the tires under his feet, but by God, they don't seem to be stopping either. Michael's red shape flashes into one; long, hooked eagle's claws have unfolded as if from nowhere at his fingertips, shredding through one man-sized figure's arm. Completely severed, the limb falls away, but there is no blood, no meat, no bone. Just metal and cables, the strange gray tissue of synthetic musculature. Machines, apparently. Or something like it.

    << Just polite. >>

Ben Grimm has posed:
Ben Grimm sees that the guys seem to not be real guys "Well that makes things a bit different." He says be it to the metal men, or the polite flyer, something Ben is not used to. He will move towards the big guy and this time, will grab for his gun, ripping it off the things shoulders, and using it like a baseball bat. He swings it into the robot with full strength "And the fan's go wild." He makes crowd sounds for just a moment, and then turns back to the electro guys. He points the gun towards them, and says "And who is going to be the next home run." He starts making his way towards the truck, trying to see if he can figure out where iut is from as he walks forward

Michael Erickson has posed:
    Yes, with the human equation out of the way, these guys are ready to go to smacktown. That's Smacktown, folks, population: the android that just got hurled like a meteor through the air and and into the side of the truck, mangling metallic body and truck frame alike. Meanwhile two of the others, seeing that Ben isn't going down and has backup, sprout jet nozzles from their backs, leaping up into the air to change their aspect - not the remaining big fellow, of course. That one's happy to keep shooting, because what else is he going to do? Pouring fire upon them, the two remaining slender fellows continuing their work, trying to at least put a dent in the big guy.

    Michael shreds through the chest of the machine he was working amputation on, then leaps skyward to intercept the rest - though he makes to avoid the bullets hurled from the three flying fellows, having a bit of a time avoiding the hypersonic slugs. But he's agile, damned agile. Agile enough to do the trick for the moment as he approaches them like a headsman's eagle...

Ben Grimm has posed:
Ben Grimm Will move towards the last of the big guys, palming his head and starts to shake him, to see if he can deactivate him that way, Reed does like it when he brings back robots in one piece. The stone man will move to get to the last of the two on the ground leaving the flyers to the flyer for now "Sow what were you mooks after," He says as he closes on the last two.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    Michael makes contact with those claws of his just as he's strafed with a hail of solid slugs - one arm comes up as he soars forward, deflecting the bullets with the tightly-interlocked blades of his 'wings', but their kinetic energy slow his approach. He only makes the first, but he rakes through the flying body with easy that makes for gruesome imagery; components spilling out as if intestines, the machine makes odd noises as its jets misfire and it goes hurtling down to slam into the street, adding to the flames and smoke around the trailer.

    Meanwhile, Ben's head-shaking deactivates the big shooter, all right; the android's head comes off in his grip, another vibrant electric charge spent against his rocky hide. The remaining androids look at Ben, then one another. Their backs open up with their own jet drives and they head off in different directions as fast as the engines will take them.

    The last of the big ones, tangled up in the frame of the truck, lets out a faint whine before exploding - and whatever was in the truck goes off, too. All at once a wall of concussive force sweeps forth like the wrath of angry spirits, threatning to knock the combatants out of the air, but not, you know, Ben. Because Ben is a rock. He is an island!

Ben Grimm has posed:
Ben Grimm will be rocked back on his heels but yea he is still on his feet. He frowns at the two going off in different directions. He will take the head he has in hand and with the dreams of playing for the yankees in his head from a kid, leads off with a fastball to send the robot's head into or maybe through one of the fliers. He will then look around for some remains of the truck looking to see if the polite fellow needs help.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    The remainder of the androids - or whatever they are - have had /quite/ enough. They, too, take off to follow their fellows, and for a moment it seems as if Michael is going to follow...but one of them is struck in the back by the head of their tankish fellow, which leads them to explode, showering fire and metal across the interstate. Michael lets the last one depart, and in the shimmering flames that escape the truck, flames that grow more and more silvery as the seconds mount, Michael returns to the earth.

    << Hey, >> he says as the wing-blades retract into red-chromed arms, << What about the driver? Do we know what's in this thing? >>

Ben Grimm has posed:
Ben Grimm shakes his head a bit and says "Not yet, now is the first time, I could get to it." He will make his way to the front of the truck to see if it survived, he hopes it has but he has seen alot so steels himself for the worse. "You see if you can see anything in the back." He tells the armored one.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    << Right. >> Michael's shape reflects the silvery glow of the flames as he tries to get into the truck's trailer, a full-body mirror that sparkles as he starts to tear open the bottom of the trailer where the androids had started. He doesn't need torches, of course. Great strength and laser-sharp talons do the work with ease.

    As for the driver, there is a mercy. The cab of the truck is oddly reinforced, much more so than it should be, and curled up in the back a man lies tangled and unconscious. Leg broken, probably a bad concussion. But alive.

    Behind them, the trucks that ferried the robots in begin to explode, now, rattling the interstate and every window a mile around. Evidence being wiped out.

Ben Grimm has posed:
Ben Grimm is hoping maybe the one whose head he pulled off won't explode, but he is busy right now, he gently separates the cab from the rest of the truck, and moves it towards where he expects the ambulances will come in. He does pull a phone from his pocket, and mutters as it is fried, and says "Can someone call 911?"

Michael Erickson has posed:
    << On it. >> Michael jumps down from the ruins of the trailer as Ben pulls the cab away, willing internal comms to patch with a nearby recent tower and make a silent call to emergency services -- likely not necessary, of course, what with people witnessing the whole thing. But the flames that boil from the trailer are incredibly bright, now, pale silver radiating from holes that are eaten through the metal - the whole thing is /melting down/, and the heat that builds is like unto the heart of the sun. What the hell is in that thing?

Ben Grimm has posed:
Ben Grimm looks over after he makes sure the cab is far enough away it is not going to cause issues with the fire, and looks over squinting at the fire. "Well looks like what ever was in there, who ever was moving it did not want people finding out about it. I will have to have Reed look into it along with any robot parts are left.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    << Not all of them, please. >> Michael pauses, looking down at the wrecked androids, bodies scattered across the interstate. Brilliant silver fire reflected in the surface of his armor, almost as if he burned as well. << I'll take some myself. I have a feeling they're related to something that I'm working on. >> He crosses to crouch down next to the headless - and intact - body of the remaining tank armor, the visor of his helmet flaring bright purple as he looks it over. Augmented senses, internal instruments, sweep over and through the inert mechanical body. Looking for...something. But not finding it. Relief floods through him and he stands anew. << I should like to speak with Doctor Richards as well, if you bring this to him. I am known as the Red Sentinel. He may know of me, albeit in a different armor. I've been around these last twenty years. >> The head turns to look at Ben, then. << Big fan, by the way. >>

Ben Grimm has posed:
Ben Grimm smirks a bit and says "Ah sorry had not heard of you, but I don't keep track of the other heroes as much as the others do." He will offer his hand, and a card "Show this to the guys at the front desk, and they will buzz us to let us know someone is there who is not just a jobber. Then we can send someoen down to get you and talk to Reed.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    << I keep it quiet. >> He nods once to the big man of stone, takes the card - it slips into a slit in the wrist, spirited away. << Though that's changing. I was around when Doom rolled in, saw you guys fighting him off. Made my career, in a way. >> The Sentinel, as he calls himself, emits a shuddering, metallic chuckle. << Anyway. Do you have this? Him? The driver's okay? >>

Ben Grimm has posed:
Ben Grimm nods, to the other man and says "Yea, I got this, am sure, Reed or Johnny is already on their way and I will stay with the guy, looks like he should be ok." He hmmms guy runs off quickly might be why he aint heard of him.

Michael Erickson has posed:
    << Good. We'll talk again soon. >> And then...he's off, wings spread, like the hood ornament - a gleaming red metallic missile, hurtling skyward without flame or exhaust. Into the sky, and then...gone.