Summary:Toni, Veronica and Ava watch the newest blockbuster in the new year, Danger Girl, and in the process end up discussing both movies and hostage issues. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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Pneumatic pops echo off the walls of Posse's quarters in the Swamp. Small and relatively under-furnished, the Chief of Security has for herself the same style of one-room suite common to most of the building, with plain and standard furniture with bare wood and tight, short carpeting. The cyborg's kitchen most prominently features little more than a blender and five pound drum of protein powder, but where one would expect small accent tables and mild decorations, spread across pedestals and walls, the tawny veteran's dwelling has been rendered into a veritable museum of military arms.
Pistols, rifles, shotguns, knives, and bayonets are all preserved behind glass, aligned neatly and systematically by category and vintage, tracing as far back as a Spanish black powder pistol and as far forward as a well-augmented AR-15. Counters and tables are spotless, glass has been polished to a crystal shine, and the room air is warm - but kept comfortably humid by the building's central heating.
Proned out on a black mat in a t-shirt and shorts, Posse has the stock of a Springfield bolt-action rifle pressed to her metal-clad left shoulder and is aimed dead-center at the completely blank and unmarked lower edge of her bedroom wall. Covered from the nose up by the bulky frame of a VR headset and connected by wires to a pneumatic block on the barrel of her rifle, another trigger squeeze drives the dead click of a hammer against an empty chamber and the tell-tale *paff!* of her mod's air-powered kick as it taps the weapon back against her. Posse smiles as she watches the imaginary target in her headset gain a new hole.
A soft thump sounds in the hallway. Then the tinny sound of the buzzer resounds inside the apartment. Out in said hallway a wheelchair has been twisted about, tire thudding into the wall, and a reacher has been used to push the button for the buzzer to notify the occupant of a visitor requesting admittance.
Toni, because she felt bad having Roni carry everything, has her arms full with the fruti platter and some recycled bags hanging off an arm for chips as she waits outside as well. She looks a bit frazzled and probably had to be pried out of her lab a bit, considering.
Posse looks up as she hears her doorbell… then removes her headset as she finds nothing but a virtual sky. Clambering back up to her feet, the tawny cyborg answers the door with the wooden-frame rifle propped casually against her metal shoulder. "Hey, you made it," she greets with a comfortable smile. Something about the wheelchair-bound doctor always seems to take some of the frost off the white-haired veteran.
Veronica is, at least, not wearing her white labcoat as she turns towards the door and nods to the tawny vet cyborg. "We made it. Toni, you go first. You're going to drop something if you don't put some of it down." Roni has the unfair advantage that her packages are either in her lap, or in the backpack behind her chair; she's not going to drop anything. But she does roll in promptly after Toni, a rather large and varied, robust veggie tray covering her lap. Bottles of various drinks - all but two of them non-alcoholic - are in the backpack. "Why are there near-gunfire sounds coming … oh. Some kind of simulator?"
Toni mmphs. "I could hold it…" she protests faintly but obediently goes first, making for the attached kitchen counter area to set down her burdens. "Oh, I remember the work order for that, to get it all installed. Air rifles or something, wasn't it?" she says curiously, starting to unpack the bags.
Ava nods as she backs into her suite to make room for the pair, then shuts the door behind Roni before starting to unscrew the mod from her rifle. She's dressed down in her own way for the evening: no metal suit, running shorts that reach to half-thigh, and a grey t-shirt with a winged running shoe framed by the white bold words ZONK TRACK CLUB.
"Yeah it's a jury-rig MILES. The trigger makes a kick from the air gun on the end and a laser dot paints where the round went. It's not as realistic as firing blanks but it's a lot more legal off the range; quieter too."
"I know I'm going to regret this. But I'm too curious not to." Veronica offers as she rolls in, then follows Toni to the kitchen and sidles up to the counter, hoisting the very heavy tray of veggies up to the counter; Roni may not be able to use her legs, but her arms, shoulders and core are great! Then she reaches over her shoulder for the backpack full of drinks. "Why? What's the point of that arrangement? Wouldn't a simple VR rig and VR rifle do just as well?" Says the woman who has never fired a firearm in her life.
"Regret what, movie night? karaoke? I mean, we haven't even firmly decided which we're doing yet." Toni points out as she starts getting out glasses and ice and drinks for people to have. "What's your poison, Ava?" she says, glancing over to where the rifle is being undone. "And what's a MILES again?"
Ava busies herself dismantling her weapon, handling the venerable bolt-action rifle with care and the aid of a microfiber cloth. Along with the barrel, its trigger and stock both get a wipe before she sets it back in its wall case and closes the glass. Green eyes reflect back at her as she glances towards the kitchen. "Got any Old Monk?" the veteran asks. It's worth a shot.
"MILES is training sim stuff; guns with blanks and laser dots, and laser vests to score hits. Think Big Army laser tag. It's how friendlies shoot at each other for practice without anyone bleeding out," Ava explains loosely as she walks over, making a slight clank as her bare metal foot lands on the kitchen floor. She passes Roni a smile for the show of interest. "For one, it's easier to build mounts than whole VR firearms for all the different shapes and sizes; for two, it's more realistic… and for three it's just more fun to handle the real things. You should try it sometime."
"Firearms? Sorry, Ava. No thank you." Veronica offers honestly. No sound of disgust in her voice, but her answer is firm and no-nonsense. "So, the air-gun attachment … what? Replicates kickback? Is that the point?" The rest of those all made some sense to her, at least in the abstract. "What? Old Monk? No, I didn't bring anything clerical with me."
From Toni's slightly blank look, Ava appears to be out of luck. "I'm guessing that's a beer, and no, we don't." she says wryly. "But I'll put it on the list for the future if you'd like, I'm sure we can find it somewhere." She tilts her head. "I have hard cider?" She reaches over to pat Veronica. "We don't have to do shooting, I was just curious…." She mmms. "It wouldn't really help me anyway, my weapons are all palm-based, I'd have to completely create a gauntlet that would interface with the system and…mm, probably just a low power stun lasers, if I dialed it down I could provide the concussive force without damage, most like, though I'd need to fine tune it…" Annnnnnd, she's off, the drink orders forgotten as she ponders what would be needed.
"'Recoil', yes," Ava affirms to Roni with an amused shake of her head. "Sweet summer children…" she can't help but murmur. "Sure I'll take a hard cider, thank ya'. And oy," the cyborg adds, walking over to chide Toni lightly with a tap on her shoulder, though the smile on her lips betrays her deeper thoughts. "Keep it simple: laser dot and recoil."
Of all the geeks, Roni's weapons systems in the Augmenta armor are the closest to conventional, with darts and what could be called unconventional 'grenades'. But she clearly has no interest in 'real' firearms. "My vote is for movies. I don't want to torture anyone, or have anyone torturing me with singing." That said, she gets the rest of the drinks out of her backpack, and then opens the one of orange juice, then pours out a plastic cup full.
Toni frowns a little at Ava. "It wouldn't be as authentic that way though!" she protests mildly, before Roni distracts her as she looks over, then rummages in a bag, pulling out a bluray case. "Well, I happened to get an advance copy of the new Danger Girl movie…" she says, smiling a bit. "I know none of us had time to see it, but hey, that's what home theaters are for…"
"Your setup is a little better for a movie night, but sure if you two want - pop it in," Ava offers to Toni. She glances for a moment to Roni's cup full of orange juice before grabbing an empty Solo of her own and reaching for the hard cider. "I'll get you singing one of these days," she challenges to the chair-bound doctor. "Karaoke's singin' for fun not singin' for sponsorship. Road trips are good singin' excuses too, maybe we should ride up to Niagara."
Veronica makes a very ugly face. "Trust me. No one wants to ever hear me sing, myself included. I have many talents; managing not to offend the world's canine population with my singing is not one of them." Then she sips her orange juice and looks around for a plate upon which to divvy up some of her share of the rather large and varied veggie tray she brought in. "What for movie did you grab, Toni?" She doesn't even know.
"Bah, that's the point of karaoke, enjoying trying even if you're not great at it." she says , walking over to Posse's entertain ment system and sliding in the bluray. "Danger Girl, have you seen it? Lots of action, trio of female friends, it's a bit like that old Charlie's Angels one, but less spies and more Indiana jones and such.
Posse sets down the cider bottle and catching Roni's look, procures a few plates from an overhead cupboard before setting them in front of her. The veteran grins as she rubs the doctor's shoulder. "Listen to your fellow egg-head, and trust /me/ too, bad singing is the best kind when everyone's singing together. Toni and I'll give you backing vocals."
"Never heard of it but go ahead," she asides towards the living room.
"It's not a question of 'not great'. It's a question of actively awful. I torture those of improved hearing when I make the attempt." Veronica admonishes, pointedly eyeing Ava, whose prodigiously enhanced hearing Roni herself designed and implanted.
"I've never heard of 'Danger Girl'." Roni offers, but she does not object. "I remember hearing about Charlies' Angels, the old tv series. I think there were a series of movies a while back? Sorry, they weren't really on my radar at the time." Bookworm geek, here. Veronica loads up her plate with veggies, thanks Ava for fetching a plate - so often out of reach from her low seat - and then rolls towards the living area to find a spot to park it.
"If you two really insist, I will try. But you have been warned. I am absolved of all consequences to your hearing and sanity in advance." Veronica insists.
"Mmm, well, this is the original movie that just came out, so it's setting up who's who, you won't be too far behind." Toni promises, moving over to the couch as she scoops up a remote enroute. "And as long as you're willing to try it sometime….can do it in private if you prefer." She hmms. "But, basically…English Indiana Jones type adventurer, Abby Chase, then sisters Syndney and Sonya Savage, both kick ass Aussies. Sonya is an intelligence operative, Sydney is..kinda femme fataleish?" She gets comfortable, kicking off her shoes and sitting crosslegged.
Ava smiles back, with a look of calm determination. No, she won't scare off the idea that easily. "I have had /years/ of practice appreciating bad singing," she assures as she slides into the spot vacated by Roni to fill up her own plate. It might be healthier than she'd expected, but she'll still eat it… except for the raw broccoli.
"Intelligence operative?" she echoes, casting her voice into the living room. "Like CIA Hollywood-style, Jason Bourne kind of things?"
And yes. Roni will eat raw broccoli. Carrots. Various peppers. Edamame bens. Snap peas. Califlower. Sprouts. Tiny squash. "I can try it, but would definitely prefer private. Remember, we're co-CEOs now. We make idiots of ourselves in public, that can affect the company's rep, the bottom line, and even hurt our employees. I don't so much care about me, personally. But I could not stand to do harm to our employees if it can be avoided."
That said, Roni settles to watch the movie. "Isn't a femme fatale just a flavor of spy?" She can be so reductionist sometimes. It's unfair, surely. "Hopefully the science isn't too awful." she teases, as the movie begins.
"You worry too much. It just makes us look human and relatable." Toni says, waving it off idly. "Well, Sonya is trained by the ASIS…Australian secret service, so she's definitely a spy, yes." The movie opens with a corporate building, in Moscow. It cuts to a woman from behind, ressed in a fur coat and fur hat…and as it slides off, a slinky white bikini underneath as she slips into a hot tub already occupied with a slightly greasy looking Russian. with several golden chains. It's pretty clear that she's his entertainment for the night…meanwhile, another brunette girl is busily and effectively taking out several guards for the suite. As things go on, the blonde lures the man back to the bedroom by convincing him to show off his newest aquisition, a Indian diamond that belonged to a raj a century ago. And then, when he opens it, the blonde knocks him out with a gun she's lifts off his bedstand. The other girl comes in at that point as the blonde pulls out a small security case from teh safe, ignoring the diamond. "Good job Natalia. Let's hit the evac and we're clear…" The blonde runs her fingers over it. "Sure, let's go."%R And when the other woman turns, she shoots her in the back of the head, then shoots the unconscious man, before she saunters out, scooping up the fur on the way past. The camera zooms in on a earbud lying in a pool of blood on the floor as a young voice on the other end says. "Guys? Dorrie? Natalia? What's going on, I've lost you, what's happening?!" It pulls back to show the blonde flying away on a parachute, angling for the street below as the scene changes to the inside of what looks like some sort of ruin, as a rope falls down from above, then an attractive blonde woman, different from the first, rappels down to land easily, dressed in a white top and khaki shorts with a backpack and pistol on her hip, as the title DANGER GIRL comes up on screen.
Posse makes her way into the living room as the movie begins and takes a seat on the couch. "Private or public's fine by me," she shrugs off before tucking into her plate. "Nice intro - and that's why none of this is stored loaded," the veteran remarks with a wave of her metal arm around the room full of guns.
Veronica watches the movie and frowns. "Better infrasonic mapping, a warning of the weapon." she actually murmurs right before the blonde spy lifting the weapon to shoot her partner; clearly Roni wants to save everyone. "And I prefer not using firearms at all if I can help it." Non-lethal weapons for the win!AX
"It'd be nice if you saw a spy thing like this where they had things besides guns." Toni admits. On screen, the woman, who, from a comment made to herself, appears to be named Abby, proceeds through the crumbling tomb, until she finds a door and carefully forces it to eel her way through into the room beyond, which appears to be some sort of tomb, complete with three statues pointing a variety weapons at the door she comes in through standing watch over a stone sarcophagus. "Alright, let's see….sword, stave, mace…sword not the favored weapon of the royal house, he was a priest technically so not the mace…" She makes her way up and carefully pulls the stave, causing the sarcophagus to shudder open with a rumble. The blonde grins. "Abby, genius."
Then part of the roof comes down over the statues and smacks the sword arm, which apparently triggers traps. "….ah crap…" What follows is a daring run through a variety of death traps as she snatches the jeweled stave in the coffin and make sa run for it, culiminating in her being trapped in a room filling with water where she has to quickly solve an underwater puzzle that opens a small door and squirts her out water chute to land in a small lake outside, where she swims ashore. Where a tall muscular blonde man wearing a mask and a bunch of thugs in armor sporting a styled warhammer insignia propmtly take the stave from her while she's trying to recover, though she's able to evade when they try to kill her, making a break for it into the woods.
"It makes the movie funnier this way," Posse contends while propping one leg across her knee and wiggling her metal toes comfortably. It's a testament to Roni's work and Toni's refinements just how natural the cyborg looks lounging as she is. "Do a shot every time someone reloads a magazine off an empty chamber and I bet you won't even get buzzed."
"Ah, yes. 'Infinite ammo, except for plot tension.'" Roni murmurs. She is very familiar with that trope, apparently. "I suppose we're supposed to feel bad for her, that she got beaten up and her shiny got stolen?" Yes. Roni is dissecting the movie while it's playing. But she tries to keep it soft and not be too contentious. It is only just beginning, after all.
"Well, she did work pretty hard to get it, and those guys seem like jerks." Toni comments, opening a bag of chips as she munche son them. On screen, Abby is saved by a long haired brunette who distracts a trio of guards who get the drop on her, confusing them seductively to get close enough to beat the crap out of them, though Abby manages to take one out by herself, before the stranger, who introduces herself as Sydney, helps leads them through the woods as the pair fight off the Hammer minions and make it to a small boat Sydney has hidden and escape, narrowly ahead of the masked man. At the safe house, Sydney introduces Abby to a young teen named "Silicon" Valerie, who appears to be brilliant, especially with the computers, and is the same voice heard on the earbud in the first scene. She's also introduced to a man who speaks over a speaker (and sounds like Sean Connery) who is called Deuce, who explains that Sydney is a member of Danger Girl, a secret NGO that deals with worldwide threats, and the people she encountered are part of the pro-facist Hammer Empire, who are attempting to acquire mystical artifacts (something that Abby scoffs at). They reveal that one of their number, a woman named Natalia Kassle, has gone rogue..the first Danger Girl to ever do so, and is believed to be working with Hammer to create some sort of device to allow them to purge Europe of those they deem undesirable.
"Oh hey, Nazis," Posse grins, sipping her drink and crunching here and there on her food. The cyborg is comparatively quiet as she watches, though not quite without her own comments. "Nice cast, too. If you like that Roni, I've got a whole collection of movies for you."
"If I like what?" Roni questions, as she continues to watch the movie. She has apparently decided that continued dissection might not be a great idea. Maybe she's worried about upsetting her movie-mates?
"Pretty much future Nazis, yeah. Best way to make them not particularly identifiable with, or to midn when people punch them." Toni notes, leaning back as she munches away on chips. Danger Girl needs Abby because of her knowledge of the particular stave she found, thta they think might let her lead them to the other components before Hammer can find them. Of course, Natalia had all of Danger Girl's data, so they're ahead of the game and they're playing catch up. After some discussions and looking at the information with Sydney and Valerie, they identify the next location as being in Australia…where they travel, and are introduced to Sydney's sister, Sonja…Australian intelligence, and assigned to assist them with their search while in sovereign Australian soil. Of course, there is a Hammer traitor who's one of the ASIS agents with her, who informs them of their arrival, and their truck is ambushed enroute, forcing a exciting car case with sunglass wearing Hammer agents (men and women) who attempt to take them out.
"Infinite ammo, Hollywood gaffs like that," Posse explains. "I've collected some other movies like that. They're good for a laugh - and cheap action."
"No. I don't, quite. Just aware of it." Roni offers quietly, as she watches the movie play out. She does, at least a little bit, like watching the mental challenge play out as the Danger Girl team strives to out-think their more knowledgeable, more prepared enemies. "Mmm. Abby and Val are clearly being played up as very bright."
"Nice to see that they didn't make them all action and not a lot of brains….though Sydney's definitely doing the sexpot thing. Then again, that cat suit does look /really/ good on her…." Toni muses, watching admiringly.
Just when it seems like the girls are going to get away, Natalia pops up…with a rock launcher, having scaled up to a cliff overlooking the road….then smiling icly to herself as she sends the rocket blasting into the ground under the SUV, sending it flying off a cliff, apparently exploding and killing both heroines! Or at least Natalia thinks so as she reports in. In reality, Sydney, being a spy, had a parachute concealed in her backpack and paraglides the pair of them down to a relatively safe landing, with Sonya and Sydney clinging to her on the way down. Not the best landing, but they land in water so it could be worse. And of course, those outfits do cling when they get out of the water.
Posse glances to Toni with a brief look of surprise before smiling in amusement. "The movie did start with lingerie, and a little eye candy never hurt anyone… that parachute pack might. I'll need to ask DARPA where they were hiding that nylon wunder-tech."
Roni snorts. "Well, that was convenient. Bit of plot armor there. But adroitly handled on-screen." She makes no comments about the sexy, and not many about the tech. Indeed, the sexy stuff never seems to affect or bother Veronica one way or the other; just seems to pass without notice. The tech here isn't really up her alley, so she's less interested in it. "Home they can find the clues to keep it going." The movie isn't over, so one presumes they will.
The location is reached by the girls…which turns out to now have a tourist trap built over it, Crazy Dabby's Crocodile and Spider Tours. The girls are not thrilled. But head up to the house to try and set up a tour so they can get inside. Dabby is about as crazy as expected. As they're being led through the house on the tour showing off taxidermied critters of various types, Abby spots a slightly tarnished looking helmet on a supposedly 'accurate' Atlantean warrior model and recognizes it as having the same symbols as the stave. Dabby admits that his grandfather found it when he first came out to homestead when he was digging the well, and he's hung ont o it, because, well, bling. Looks almost gold! (Spoiler, Abby quietly confirms it IS gold.) Sydney and Sonja distract Dabby while Abby carefully lifts it off, then after loking it over, slides it on curiously. She immediately experiences a strange vision showin what looks like a volcanic island, pulling back into the sky to where she can identify some nearby islands she could use to tranagulate it.
That's the point where the giant with the mask from before smashes right throught he wall, Hammer thugs charging in as Abby snaps off witty at him, and he responds by ordering them killed in a robotic voice. More gun dodging! Also martial arts with Sonja and Sydney primarily while Abby dodges the masked guy, who announces himself as Major Maxim of the Hammer Empire, right hand of the Hammer Fueher. He appears to be some sort of cyborg. To someone who builds cybernetics, really more steampunk looking than moddern.
"This guy is so clunky and slow> Clearly they built that up so that he could be powerful, but overcomeable." Veronica comments. "And … so hamfisted. What's the point?" She tilts her head, sighs. "Visions? Really?"
"Maybe there's a mutant messing with them off-screen," Posse suggests. She takes the transition more in stride but can't help snickering at the return of the Hammer Empire. "Hammer Fuehrer… They really set all of this up and nobody's calling it 'Hammerzeit'…"
Hammerzeit?" Toni questions, munching on her chips. "And yeah, it's pretty ridiculous. Stereotypes are a thing, then again. Ease of sticking people in mental boxes for categorization." Maxim seems to have a lot of physical strength and toughness, shrugging off attacks him and sending Sydney flying through a window at one point, though luckyily the drapes precede her through it so she's not cut to pieces. Natalia, however, arrives, and catches Sydney off guard at knife point, but Sonya intervenes before she can drive it home, the two having a pretty good martial arts fight as Abby bolts outside with the helmet as Maxim smashes through the wall after her.
Veronica just points over at Posse. "Granted, we didn't rebuild her at some ridiculous size. But she is incredibly strong, and not at all slow or lumbering, thank you very much." Yes, yes. Categories. Stereotypes. And all three of these women - and most of their friends - blow those stereotypes out of the water.
Roni winces and flinches at points in the fight, especially whenever Abbey herself is in trouble; clearly her closest analog in the film, even if she is able-bodied.
"'Hammer time' in German. It's a joke that circulated a few years back, might be before your time," the resident cyborg replies to Toni. She glances over to Roni and raps on her knee, producing a distinctive clang before lifting her metal fist in acknowledgement. The fight scene, as much as she's watching it, only seems to draw the veteran's idle amusement. She even seems to enjoy a few suspenseful moments when the Danger Girls are on the defensive.
"Not that it didn't take a little tuning," Ava chuckles, "I wouldn't try to arm wrestle Maxim but those are bodybuilder bolts; all show and no go." And then the cinematic cyborg plows through a wall. The white-haired woman blinks incredulously. "Well . I wonder if I can do that…"
"It think it's more they're going from the Darth Vader school of intimidation." the purple-haired engineer notes wryly. Abby manages to fake out Maxim long enough to get to DAbby's old truck outside with Sydney, who hotwires it before they drive it straight at Maxim, catching him off guard and smashing him into a barn outside that promptly collapse on top of him, then run for a battered looking crop duster plane outside. Sonya is able to not quite beat Natalia by herself, but holds her off and grapples the wheels of the plane as the other two get it airborn just as Maxim bursts out from under the barn again, throwing…well, a tractor at them, which they narrowly avoid, though they lose the tip of a wing in the process. The three are able to escape as Maxim growls, but a slightly bruise Natalia smirks and reveals she planted a tracker on Sonya before she was able to get on the plane….
"Disturbing that the bad girl is the one smart enough to use intel and sensors, rather than ignoring them." Veronica opines sharply. Yes, she's trying to lecture the characters in a movie. Or the writers of the movie. Something. "Please, Ava, do not just go running through walls. The repairs that might require … I'm getting tired just thinking about it."
"Maybe if I had a shield first. PCB has a couple in inventory but they mostly collect dust. Or maybe a forcefield?" Ava wonders, glancing to Toni for more ideas. "Well if the Danger Girls used intel more the movie would be over already. Give the police a little lead time and that 'Hammer Empire' would have a problem on its hands."
"I could easily create a heater shield like force field, it's mostly how long it would last." Toni notes. "I mean, wouldn't have suit batteries to work off of, it would have to be something smaller. Though you can carry more weight than most." She hmms. "She does seem the most spylike so far."
On screen the girls reconvene at a safe house where they can clean up and get a change of clothes. Which leaves them not wearing much at all for a bit, or at leat undergarbed until they finish changing. Sonya wants to take the helmet back to ASIS, but Sydney protests that there's no time and they don't know who might have been infiltrated by Hammer, which sets Sonya off a bit as the loyalty of her fellows is being questioned. Abby, meanwhile, is studying the helmet, and a bit disbelievingly notes with it and earlier information she's acquired, she's starting to wonder if some of the myths are true or not…myths of Atlantis, specifically, or some variety of them. She notes that she's not quite sure what material the helmet is, but it doesn't appear to actually be gold, but something she's never run into before. The two sisters bicker a bit more before Abby separates and notes that they need some rest before they go looking for the last piece…some sort of shield, if she's reading it right, at the island she saw. They'll need transportation after all, so Sonya gets on that and the girls turn in with Sonya setting a few security measures in place. meanwhile, outside the Hammer thugs start to gather, led by Natalia.
"Shouldn't the professional spy have scanned for stray signals and established a watch of their supposed 'safe house'?" Veronica protests. Poor Roni can't seem to turn her brain off to enjoy the movie for what it is, and she shows no appreciation one way or the other for all of the scantily-clad-ness. Neither, however, does she object to it. She just doesn't seem to care at all. "I will also note, even the pros apparently went to bed without their weapons or gear." Yeah. She's expecting the forthcoming fight to go poorly for the heroines.
"Why not use the suit batteries?" Ava questions while returning her attention back to the TV in time for the changing scene. "Hello~ nurse," she quips and watches it through before tipping back the last of her drink. "Heh. Well there are professional pencil-pushers and then there are actual professionals. Post a watch, call police, capture footage, use rally points, bring a heavy caliber for the walking barn of a cyborg… Have I spoiled you with base security so much you can't enjoy a spy flick?" she teases of Roni with a toothy grin as she stands with her plate and glass. "And you two want anything from the kitchen?"
Toni shifts, pulling her knees up against her chest a bit as she squirms in her seat, watching. "R-right, well…mm. I mean, maybe they don't have that equipment to do scans?" she says, feeling like she needs to defend the movie a bit now. "Or that kind of firepower, I mean. Um, another drink please?"
On screen, Major Maxim is contacted by the Hammer Fueher, who demands a status update on the helmet and shield. Maxim notes he has already sent an expedition that he will be joining shortly to find the shield, and that Natalia is attempting to acquire both the helmet and the last 'piece' they need to be sure of locating it - Abby Chase. Natalia of course sends her expendable goons first. Who trigger the security alarms. It turns out Sonya has a armory hidden in a rollout drawer under her bed and pulls out what looks like a automatic shotgun with an extended magazine and begins blown bad guys through the walls and windows with them as Sydney and Abby scramble for the helmet, then head toward the escape route out of the safe house….where Natalia is waiting and coldcocks Sydney as she comes out, before putting a gun to her head and demanding Abby's surrender. Of course, neither are entirely clothed for this scene since they were sleeping, so shorts and panties are the uniform of the day.
Veronica holds up her empty glass. "More orange juice, please? I'd love more of the pepper medley, if it isn't too much trouble." She offers her plate as well.
Roni considers Ton's response and Ava's, and shrugs. "I don't really know. Maybe I am a bit spoiled. You have tried so hard to teach us the smart way to do things, I can't help expecting any professional to show at least as much sense as you do." Due credit given unselfishly. "Just like with no sensor pod, no mirror, no stun grenade out the chute before they exit."
Then Roni blinks, as Toni starts the rewind. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin it with my complaining. I'll be quiet."
Ava's eye gleams as she turns to Toni before disappearing back into the kitchen - snatching Roni's offered plate on the way through. "Sure, I'll get a cider and an orange ju—" Interrupted by the staccato blasts of the semi-automatic weapon, the cyborg stops mid-sentence. "Oh come on! I step away for two minutes and someone finally pulls out a shotgun?" There's a brief pause. "/Semi-auto/ shotgun?"
"You're not ruling it, I just wanted to, uh, check something." Not at all the scene where Sydney and Abby are crawling on all fours towards the escape hatch in panties and t-shirts. Of course not! "So, you'd think they'd change security after they knew one of their agents went rogue. But maybe they thought she didn't know about this safe house? She had to track them there, after all…" Abby reluctantly surrenders to spare Sydney, before Natalia knocks her out with an injector then hands her off to some minions to carry back to their vehicle….before tossing Sydney back into the house and stepping out to order the flame nazi (yes, they have a flamer nazi) to just set the building on fire to hide their departure. Oh no! Surely Sydney and Sonja are lost!
Veronica glances over at Toni confusedly as the woman says she wasn't ruining it, but she reverses the movie to watch the crawl through the tunnels again. What? "Maybe I'm a fool." Roni mentions. "But I'll never understand surrendering in the face of someone like that. She has to know surrendering won't save anyone. But she does it anyway, instead of going down fighting. Why?"
"Thank you, Toni," Ava replies as she clanks around the corner and notices the movie back on its earlier scene. With a plate freshly reloaded with peppers and an armload of glasses, the cyborg re-enters the room just as the movie returns to where it was when she left. Crouching to pass out the movie provisions, Ava moves carefully to avoid spilling any contents. "Aaaand there's the flammenwerfer…"
Glancing to Roni, she opines, "Fear. Point a gun at someone and fear of death'll get in the way of thought real quick. Point a gun at someone they care about and for a good person that's even worse. I'd take a bullet for you or Toni, I'd /dodge/ a bullet if it were coming for me."
"Well, that, and she know she'll definitely be captured either way most likely. She at least gives the chance Sydney will be free and able to help her if she survives though." Toni points out. "She's trusting that her friend, if free, can save her and get the job done, even if she's a prisoner, right?"
On screen, Abby wakes up in a white dress in a bed…which is part of a cell on the Hammer flagship. She's dragged before the Fueher, who is a very erudite man, rejecting her accusations. No, the new world will not be narrowly focused on some ancient emity towards a Middle Eastern race, but on the idea of finding a purer humanity where the weakminded or bodies are culled to make the race stronger. Not built on a false Aryan idea, but on the greatest attributes…intelligence. Physical health. Superior senses. Abby isnt' having it, pointing out that just because someone isn't perfect doesn't make them unworthy of existence, or lesser for it. It makes them human. The Fueher dismisses this, and points out that once he has the stave, helmet, and shield, he will evolve into a perfect being, capable of making the hard decisions needed to bring all this his level of perfection.
Veronica accepts her plate and glass, and thanks Ava for her kindness and help. Then she keeps watching, but shakes her head. "But she had no way to be sure the evil bitch wouldn't kill her friend after she gave herself up." She sighs and shakes her head. "Honestly, I'd be more in favor of shooting myself than letting someone taking me hostage."
And yeah. Roni hates the villain's motivations. Go figure!
"That's why the hostage isn't the one who gets the choice," Ava notes adroitly before turning to look directly at Roni, giving the doctor her full attention for a moment. "But if that does come up I'd rather you keep a cool head and keep quiet. Hostages /can/ get rescued without casualties."
Toni frowns. "I'm not good at being a hostage." she says, shrugging her shoulders as she sips from her drink that AVa brought over. "Thanks…" She mms. "I don't know…it's risking a certain death for a possible death. Isn't it better to choose the chance of survival over the certainty of death?"
"If it robs the hostage taker of what they want? I'm not sure." Veronica offers. And yes, she's approaching this more like a science problem than a psychological or emotional one. Like she's working a game theory proof, not talking about the actual end to her own life.
"That's the job of the one who comes in after you and puts a bullet in their brainpan. Besides you're assumed alive until proven dead for op planning, so offing yourself doesn't even help much," Ava answers in counterpoint as she props her leg back up and leans back against the couch, casual in body language but remaining attentive on the medical doctor's face. One of her green eyes shines just a little more than the other in the reflection of their still-playing movie.
Toni snags the remote and pauses the movie. "But we don't always have that advantage. Sometimes we're the only people available who have the power to help the situation. I couldn't put myself ahead of a civilian who was being held hostage, or risk them."
"If I had the ability to do something, I'd try to stun everyone rather than surrender to a hostage taker. But if I have no weapons, no options, I don't know what I would do. Giving myself up to the hostage taker does not seem like a smart thing to do. But I must first do no harm." Roni isn't terribly emotional, but that's something vitally important to her.
"Which is what I suggested at the start. That 'do no harm' should apply to yourself too," Ava reminds as she lids her eyes lightly and gives the doctor a dash of dry humor. "Otherwise who's going to patch up my metal bits after I clear out the room you're in?"
Toni considers, frowning to herself. "It would depend. I mean, yes, you're giving yourself up as a hostage, and you don't know that they'll follow through. But still…" she points out, raising a finger. "If it gets innocent people out of the situation and we can figure out a safe way to make sur ethat happens, it can be a choice?"
Veronica nods a bit jerkily. There's … something. In her eyes. "To save other lives, I would risk my own. But if giving myself to them endangered others, then I would have to have a plan to take that leverage away. No matter what." There's a soft, insistent fatalism to her. She would risk anything for others. Not quite so much just for herself.
"That means resist, and if you can't, stay alive gathering intel and planning an escape. Your cold, blood-stained wheelchair would endanger just as much - the rest of you alive is actually worth that risk," Ava adds before taking a veggie from her plate and dipping it liberally. "I know you've read that tattoo of mine."
The purple-haired engineer nods firmly, snagging another piece of pizza from the array of snacks. "Mmhmm." she says in agreement with Posse. "If you're alive, you've got that wonderful brain of yours to think your way out of the situation, or to adapt to what's going on. If you're dead, well, you're dead. You've got a lot of people you can still help that won't be."
"I'm not a soldier, Ava." Roni replies. "Of course, I've read it. I recall. I may very well have to accept defeat. It wouldn't be the first time." She is the one of them still in a wheelchair.
For now, Veronica sips more water and watches the rest of the movie unfold. Eventually, they do apparently track down their friend and realize she is alive. It helps that they do manage to escape alive, for all of the fanservice their half-dressed crawl through the dust and dirt may have been.
"Hardest for me, I think, would be the betrayal of someone trusted." Veronica observes, regarding the movie.
"I meant the last line. Offed or not I'd still go after ya," the white-haired vet clarifies.
"Yeah," Ava adds as the conversation turns back to the movie. "That'd suck."
Toni mmms as Roni restarts the paused movie, leaning back a bit. "Dying does sort of wall off anyone rescuing you, yes. And we would rescue you. It's in the name, I mean." she points out, before taking a bite out of her pizza and munching.
On screen, Sydney and Sonya, having survived the attack, stow away aboard a HAMMER transport seaplane making for the island where Abbie chase been taken, with Silicon Valerie's help in tracking her. Apparently Sonya decided to slip her a trackign device. Just in case. On the island, Abbie is taken to a temple where she's made to translate Atlantean and make her way pass several clever death traps she's able to either think or acrobat her way past, while Sydney and Sony "borrow" one of HAMMER's "Destructonaut" tanks and launch a suprise attack while the HAMMER troopers are paying attention to Abbie returning with the shield. The HAMMER Fuhrer and Natalia drag Abbie into an ancient Atlantean temple while the cyborg Major Maxim leads a counter attack, boarding the Destructonaut and leading to a three way fight on the top of it as it grinds along a crumbling old road winding towards the temple.
Veronica does smirk when Toni makes the smart-alek comment about RESCUE being their name. Otherwise, though, she stays quiet, watching the movie as it plays out. She wows softly as the fight begins to pick up speed. Wow.
"Looks like it's the big finale for the bigger, dumber cyborg," Ava remarks as the flickering lights of the television reflect a dazzle of colors off her eyes. "Five bucks he gets a Disney death."
"Wilhelm scream and all?" Toni muses thoughfully, watching as the Fuhrer take possession of all three of the artifacts at once, just as the Destructonaut goes smashing through the side of the temple and crashes to a hault in the main chamber, tossing Sydney, Sonya, and Maxim off the top, the cyborg crashing to a halt near where Natalia is holding Abbie, who uses the distraction as a good time to headbutt her to make her let go and scrambles away to join her friends, who promptly open fire on Maxim and Natalia as the two villains dive for cover. Unfortunately, that's when the artifacts turn the Fuhrer into a towering armored figure. "AHHAHAHA! Ja, JA, it works as ze stories said it would! I am ATICLEAS! ZE EMPEROR OF ATLANTIS REBORN!"
Cue manical laughter as Sydney looks at Abbie. "So, the bad guy has ultimate cosmic power. What now? Got a genie lamp handy?" Abbie mmphs. "He's not invulnerable. And that armor was made BEFORE Atlantis sank. If we can get him outside to the cliff and into the ocean, I don't think he's swimming anywhere with that armor…" And more fighting! Abbie tries to lure off Natalia only for Sydney to ambush Natalia and keep her busy, while Sonya continues to distract Maxim. Aticleas doesn't help by tossing around energy bolts and swinging his sword, still laughing maniacally. Maxim has Sonya pretty literally on the ropes…she's quick but she just can't hurt him with her weapons, and eventually she stumbles as he grabs her by the throat, lifting her up off the ground easily one handed. "Your insolence has exhausted my patience." he rumbles, turning to dangle over over the looooong drop into the darkness of the old temple.
The sword flailing comes ino handy, however, when Sonya manages to get a clear view on the Destructonaut's open cockpit and empties her pistol into the controls, hitting the turret control lever which causes it to swing round and smash into Maxim, sending him staggering back into one of Aticleas' wild swings into the sword blow at which point he loses an arm.
Sonya drops and catches hold of the edge of the platform, dangling, before throwing herself clear to grab a dangling vine nearby as Maxim sparks and staggers, then falls over the railing for the platform they're fighting on, letting out a yell as he goes falling into the dark depths of the temple…with the Destructonaut tumblign over after him as its platform gives way. Really, the temple doesn't seem too stable after driving a huge tank through its ancient loadbearing structure areas. Abbie dodges energy blasts as she figures out how to translate controls on a raised platform and opens a huge door leading outside to a ruined platform overlooking the waves far below.
Roni watches it all, pretty agape. She even has the temerity to ask, "What is a 'Disney death'?" Because she's one of those super-boring workaholic study mavens who didn't have a life through her teen years and twenties, so she missed out on some stuff.
Ava glances over with a chuckle as she's reminded of her audience. "A fall death where you don't see the body. So - that," she concludes with some satisfaction back towards the screen. "You've really never heard that before?"
"Disney is all family friendly until recently, so deaths generally happened off screen or where the bad guy just fell off a cliff or something so you didn't actually see them die. And a Wilhelm scream is a particular dying yell that's an established Hollywood sound effect used in lots of old movies in the 80s and 90 sand still today sometimes. It's sort of a running joke.
"You mean like the Star Wars people? Down the magic tube in a flash of lights and special effects, and never a body to be seen?" Veronica inquires, hushing up aftwards as the action scene plays itself out. "No. I hadn't." she murmurs in answer to Ava. "I don't exactly watch movies much."
"Well we can fix that one film at a time," the white-haired cyborg notes. "Something like it. At least you get out of your lab more than Toni," she adds with a teasing grin towards the purple-haired engineer.
Toni hmmphs. "I get out plenty." She just disappears for days when she has a project she's really into! "We will have to fix the Disney thing though…at least, the better princess movies."
On screen, Abbie is forced to dodge around as a HAMMER helicopter sets down and bad guys swarm out of it, with Sydney and Natalia's battle continuing with Sydney taking the worst of it…at least, until Abbie throws herself on Natalia's back to distracxt her, letting Sydney get in a good belt before she can knock her off, then grab hold of Maxim's severed arm that's rolling around and football rushes her with the metal fist, knocking her flying off the cliff with a scream as she vanishes from view. "Iron fisted!" Sydney crows, then eyes Abbie. "..what?" At the look she's getting. Sonya is desperatly trying to keep Aticleas busy as she kites him out onto the platform while Sydney and Abbie pile into the helicopter, then take off, firing off the gatlign gun on it to stagger Aticleas so they can swoop in close enough for Sonya to grab hold of the landing skids, before firing miussiles into the back of the platform, causing it to crumble into the sea, taking a roaring Aticleas with it as he tumbles into the water. Immediately the whole island seesm to shake as waves start to build on the horizon…tsunami sized waves coming from the four cardinal directions directly towards the island!
Roni bahs. "Who needs princesses? That's just silly." Says the woman who never watched them, or at least does not remember any of them that she may have seen as a little girl. She stays quiet, then as the rest of the movie plays out in front of them. No comments. No jokes. No questions. Not until the waves. "That … that is improbable to the point of ridiculous impossibility!" she complains. "Four different waves from four different directions converging on a single point? At crest? Please! I'm not the super-physicist, and even I know that's crap!"
Ava for her part barely blinks at the display of the supernatural. "Compared to angry Zeus there?" she asks with a raised eyebrow, regarding the doctor's skepticism with mild mirth. "Call it alien superpowers if that makes you feel better. Maybe you should visit Mutant Town more. I'd believe anything at this point."
"It's maaaaagic." Toni explains, as she jazz hands. "I'm guessing the ocean doesn't like Atlantean artifacts it hasn't already swallowed up?"
There is a light at the top of the temple that glows to life, energy flowing out from where Aticleas fell. The girls have a thrilling ride where they skim down the trough of one of the massive waves, as it turns out earlier weapons fire damages the chopper, meaning that Sydney has to climb out on the moving chopper and reach up to reattach a metal bit to the rotor assembly to allow them to go up, just missing being engulfed by the tumblign wave as all four crash down on the island and the HAMMER troops remaining there. When they pass, the island is washed clean, barely visible as a rocky, sandy plane that water covers, everything else having ended up in the drink. The camera zooms in, showing the three artifacts, the helmet, shield, and stave sans the Fuhrer on the wet sand, before they're washed away into the water and vanish in a last sparkle of gold as they disappear into the dark depths, as the girls fly away.
The girls made it back home, having formed a new team. Sonya informs them that she was assignbed to watch them, but after seeing them in action, she feels like she needs to watch over her little sister, and so she's going to not reup with the Aussie spec ops unit she's with and join Danger Girl instead. Abbie reveals that she managed to nab several maps from Hammer's collection while being forced to translate the Atlantean glyphs, that might lead to new treasures in AFrica! Sequel! And then credits.
But THEN! Teaser!
But then the camera descends into the depths, past slowly tumbling drown HAMMMER troopers and equipment, as a small minisub with a HAMMER insignia dodges between tumbling bits. Inside is a bloody, battered Natalia who looks very worse for wear, crude bandages wound around her. Her eyes light up as she sees something amongs the rubble, extending the sub's claws…then catching hold of Maxim's body as it tumbles past, his red optics glowing dully to life again as she scoops him up, then vanishes into shadowy water with her prize.
Veronica objects to both women. "Magic is just science we don't understand yet. And that thing is just stupid. We've all seen armor and gear that can do that to someone. But four waves, from cardinal points, aimed at a single target simultaneously? There'd have to be some kind of aquakinetic effect." Yep. The doctor is a scientist, through and through. Bah to your magic, and humbug to your mysteries! "It was amusing to watch, though." More water, now.
"Whatever you say, doc," Posse concedes with a saccharine sarcasm. The vet cleans off her plate and leans to set it on the table as the screen darkens for a slow, ominous pan underwater. She blinks.
"…Well , he dodged the Disney."
"Gotta sequelbait with the sharkbait." Toni says amusedly, then raises a brow at Veronica. "Actually, I go with the theory that magic is interdimensional physics leaking into our world. Magic pulls energy from other worlds and their physical laws with it, which creates spaces in ours where our physical laws change temporarily to match that of the other dimension." She sips from her diet cola can absently. "So it's not really science per se, in that science relies on our understanding of our particular dimensional laws, but I suppose you could call it something like that elsewhere." She frowns thoughfully. "Mmm, though honestly there may be dimensions out there that have very chaotic rules, enough that something like the scientific method just wouldn't work…it might be more a matter of sensing changes in the laws than fixed laws, at that point. Chaos magic. Blood for the blood god, skulls for the throne of Korne, etcetera." She grins and heads Roni off. "And that's from a sci fi game where there is a dimensions that exists beside ours where chaos monsters reign that are created from the collective subconscious of the sentient races of the galaxy, so silly. But. Possible. Anything is." She shrugs her shoulders, then finishes off her can, getting up. "Hmm, but you can pick the next one Ava, since I picked the first one…so you've seen Star Wars Roni?" she questions curiously.
Annnnnnd … that was clearly the bridge too far for Veronica, who just turns her head and glares at Toni. "You're just making things up, now." she teases. Yeah, she knows Toni isn't doing that. She knows it. But she doesn't comprehend it. This is too far outside what she understands for her to put it into a living context. And without that foundation, it is just washed away like that beach sand.
"Star Wars? Yes. I saw those. My parents made sure. My aunt after they were gone. She seemed to feel it was important." Veronica usually comes off so mature, so well adjusted and 'normal'. But in this her affect is pretty dull. Muted. Restrained without effort. "She especially hated trying to schedule to see a movie during finals season of both med school and graduate school."
Toni nods in thanks to Ava as she snags some of the dirty dishes and leftovers and carries them off to the kitchen area to start putting them efficiently away. "Well, it is. I know it's silly space opera for a lot of shows like that, but it's creativity. What we imagine, we can later create, perhaps, or at least we can see if it's feasible." Toni says thoughtfully. "I always liked Star Trek for that too, but there's a ton I watched when I was younger. 5th Element, Blade Runner, the Abyss, Last Starfighter, Buckaroo Banzai…though admittedly that was mostly for the name." she admits. "None of them would have what I'd call good science, or at least not like more modern movies have, but they were interesting to think about."
Roni listens. She doesn't interrupt. She's good at that. When Toni finishes Roni glances towards the kitchen, then back to Toni and nods. "Mmmm. OK. I can get that. But I was too busy trying to do and be everything I needed to do and be. I just didn't have time." She doesn't mention that she honestly didn't have any friends her own age growing up. That it hasn't been until the last several years with RESCUE that she has actually managed to have friendships and friends. People she cares about and shares her life with. But it's not necessarily that hard to guess. "You really think I should watch those things, now?"
"Well, if nothing else it'd be fun to watch them together, I think. This was fun, I haven't gotten to hang out with people like this in a while." Toni admits. "Having a movie night every so often kinda appeals."
"No public karaoke." Roni responds, firmly. "But, if we can agree to that, sure. I could go for this." She looks around and smiles. "I imagine Ava's apartment is likely the best of ours for this, what with her entertainment center." Roni hasn't seen Toni's, but she knows her own is rather anemic by comparison, not well suited to a group movie night. "It would give us an entire playlist of movies to pick from, right?"
"Oh, sure. Plenty of streaming places to go to get them these days, and old ones are easy. Long as they weren't completely flops that everyone forgot about." Toni says thoughfully. "You could think of some movies you might have wantedt o see that you never got around to watching? Or…I dunno. Genre? Types of plots?"
Roni can't help looking blankly at Toni. "I … yeah. Sorry. Nothing. I just didn't pay much attention to movies. But I'll watch whatever you all want to watch. Then at least I'll have seen them, right? And I might accidentally learn what I like and don't, or something."
"Sooo….do you read then, for fun?" Toni wonders. "Or what do you do for hobbies?"
"I listen to music a lot. I read. I work out." Other than Ava, she might be the single most devoted physical fitness nut in the group.
"Well that last is obviously, yes." Toni admits. It's pretty much impossible not to notice how toned Roni is, considering how she moves around in and out of her chair. "What type of books and music?"
Veronia shrugs her shoulders a little bit. "Mmmm. I listen to a lot of things. I like most any music." she admits. "I'm not a huge rap fan, but I don't mind some of it. I love a lot of classical. Showtunes. Folk, folk rock. Country, classic rock. Pretty much all of it." Interestingly, it has been a rare thing for anyone - aside from perhaps Ava, who has known her the longest - to actually hear Roni listening to music. She hasn't shared that with anyone. "Most of what I read is science and medical journals, articles and research. But I do read other things. Mysteries. Histories. Autobiographies." Not a lot of fiction in there.
Then Roni glances down as something on her chair starts buzzing softly. Light flickers in the corner of the lenses of her glasses. "Sorry, Toni. One of my patients needs me." She then calls out, "Ava? I'm sorry, I have to go. I'll call in a bit, let you know if I can make it back. You two have a good evening, OK?" And then Veronica rolls for the door.
RESCUE Movie Night One: complete?