Log:Earth-1102 Vs Earth-1103
From Champions MUSH
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| Contains Appearances by: | |
| Barricade, Quicksilver, Jennifer and Jessica, Captain Liberia-1102, Etienne Bombardier-1103 | |
| Log Date: | |
| 05/10/2007 | |
Scene: Port of Colonial Bay
It's not the most pleasant of days: high winds, black clouds and the promise of a downpour. Especially, it seems, over the docks, as if the foul weather is centred there somehow.
Jennifer and Jessica are wrapped in raincoats as they wait for a cargo ship to dock. There's a delivery for the Gym systems on board. Or that's what they have been promised by the company shipping it.
Dockworkers too are wrapped up against the rain, not having been eliminated fully by the automation. With a gust the wind changes directly abruptly, and on one of the great cranes the box container sways unsteadily.
With the darkness of the day and and the beginning of the rain with the gust of wind, you don't notice anything amiss beyond the unsteady container, which now looks in danger of slipping lose from the crane's grasp.
Jessica glances hurriedly to the area underneath the unstable crate to assure herself no dock workers or anyone else is in danger should the crate fall.
Unfortunately, the dock worker directly under the crate seems quite unaware of the problem, being more concerned with getting his hood up against the rain, and the crane operator's shouts are not only distant but lost in the wind.
Whichever twin is closer breaks into a flat out run to the dock worker aiming to scoop him up and carry him to safety. Just in case the timing is off the other twin readies her energy whip for a last moment grab and push. A secret identity is not worth someone's life.
Jessica has almost reached the dockworker when there's a screech of metal on metal and the box begins to fall.
Jessica mutters a soldier's curse and dives out of the way of the falling crate. Jennifer activates her whip to try and grab the dock worker and pull him out to somewhere safe.
The dockworker utters a surprised "Hein?" as he's grabbed. But Jennifer may be no less surprised as the box doesn't smash next to her but rather, with another metallic groan, stops in mid-air, some 2 metres or so off the ground.
Jessica rolls deftly back onto her feet at the end of her dive and looks back at the hovering crate. "Nice trick." she says to nobody in particular. Jennifer hurriedly switches the energy whip off and steadies the dock worker. "You okay. That meta must have grabbed you with TK to get you out from under in case the crate was too heavy for him or her."
The green-and-yellow-costumed figure which until now has somehow eluded the twins' attention deposits the crate on the ground. Clear now he's on this side of it, he says, "Fear not, citizens: Captain Liberia is here!" But he seems to catch a glimpse of the energy whip and his expression immediately changes to a frown.
"Hein? Vous ne parlez pas francais?" asks the confused dockworker.
Barricade having been notified about some isolated foul weather over the docks from the SG weather satellite team, Barricade drives the SG Sedan over to see what is going on?
Jennifer lifts her hands slightly up and out from her flanks to show Captain Liberia she is empty handed. "Hi. Glad you arrived. And just in time too. That crate could have hurt someone. Oh, and please don't jump to any hasty conclusions, okay. I'm one of the good guys, well girl actually but you get my drift." Both twins look relieved on seeing Barricade. "Hi, Barricade."
Barricade steps out of the sedan and greets the twins. "Hello. Everything alright here?"
Jessica says, "I hope so. Although I make be asking you to vouch for me in a moment. Our strange meta friend over there recognised my energy whip from the frown on his face after seeing it in use."
"The word of a Yankee will not reassure me," says the Captain.
Barricade smiles under his helmet as he puts a force wall overhead to shield the rain. "I'm not a fan of the Yankees. Padres are my team."
Jessica sighs, "Guess we're not in Kansas any longer. Sir, mind telling me today's date and what country we're in?"
Barricade seems puzzled at first by Jessica's request. After a moment's hesitation he states, "May 10th, 2057. United States of America."
The Captain seems experienced enoguh to follow Jessica, if not unsceptical. "It's May 10, 2057, and this is the People's Democratic Republic of Liberia."
Jennifer grins, "Wasn't asking you, Barricade."
Barricade chuckles. "Seems like we have some discrepancy though..."
It's at about this point that gunfire can be heard in another part of the docks.
Barricade makes sure to cover everyone from the rain, but as the gunfire is heard, the barrier is dropped. "What was that?" The SG officer looks in the direction of the source of sound.
The poor dockworker, meanwhile, looks like he doesn't understand a word of the exchange.
Jessica nods. "Sir, we're not from around these parts. One or other of us has accidentally passed through a dimensional rift. Not sure whi... gunfire?"
"Damn, a distraction!" exclaims the Captain - evidently meaning you - and flies off full speed towards the gunshots.
Jennifer says, "So are we in his or is he is ours?"
Barricade runs after! "No time.. Let's follow."
As Cap speeds away, there's energy weapon fire from among a stack of shipping crates - aimed at him.
Barricade can't raise up his barriers in time, "Watch out!!!"
The good Captain is, howver, untouched - though he turns to face his assailants.
Jessica grins to Barricade, "Some day I'll actually get to use me equipment. Maybe I should start wearing colorful spandex under my normal clothes." as both twins race after Captain Liberia.
Barricade nods to Jessica, distracted by the comment. He doesn't see anything.
Barricade tells the twins, "We'll keep in communications through our SGG coms. I'll check out the initial gun fire. You see what is going on here with this fellow."
Jennifer answers on the SGG channel.
Barricade comes upon a scene where seemingly one lot of dockworkers(?), who are uniformed, predominantly black, and armed, are attacking another lot who are of more mixed race, more casually dressed, and no more armed than you might expect of the average American.
By the time the twins reach the scene, Captain Liberia is in a pitched battle with a group of people in some sort of battlesuit uniform.
Barricade shows his SG Gamma Badge and informs the group. "Freeze! Cease and desist in hostile activities. Barricade, officer of SG Gamma." He readies himself for defensive action.
The twins pile into the fight on the Captain's side, "You saved the dock worker so I'm assuming you're the good guy, which makes these the bad guys. I hope that's right."
Barricade's introduction at least sorts out who's who. The less-armed side seems relieved that Barricade is there, while one of the aggressors shouts, "A Yankee meta! Get him!" Guns are immediately (if futilely) turned on Barricade.
Barricade puts a force barrier up to protect himself. Hopefully the works are separated enough that he can make barrier large enough to protect the less-armed side as well.
Captain Liberia has taken to the ground now he's in battle, oddly. He marches over to the nearest opponent and gives him a straightforward punch. "I'm a good guy, for sure, and these guys seem to be bad guys, whoever they are. Still don't know who you are.
Captain Liberia's opponent flies back further into the crates and doesn't seem to move any more, though his armor looks unhurt.
Jessica and Jennifer shrug. "I'm guessing we in your dimension, in which case there's nobody around from home to notice little Jess and Jenn using wolfie equipment." They activate their force armor and Jenn lashes out at one of the remaining armorsuited attackers, aiming to strike with her whip and impact downwards.
Jessica just gets everything right, the timing, the angle of attack, and the result is a set of powerarmour nailed to the hips into the ground.
The powerarmour shows a few cracks.
Jennifer says, "Oops. Better lighten up a bit. Those suits might not be as tough as they looked."
Jennifer holds her action for now, waiting to see if any tactical advantage can be seen in the next second or two.
The captain exclaims, "Elles sont metahumaines!" - hardly necessary by this point, surely - but following it up with a shot at Jennifer makes the implication clear.
Rain fizzles as the blast misses Jennifer widely.
Jennifer says, "Hey, watch your language. I'n still human. Well, mostly human."
The four guns point at Captain Liberia. They're still more worried by him.
Barricade works on separating the combatants.
Captain Liberia is nearly knocked off his feet, but seems to be tough enough to take that.
One side crowds behind Barricade's shield while the others try in vain to penetrate it. The best weapon the have to hand - a SMG - isn't enough to get through, it seems. On the other hand, they have Barricade and company a bit pinned down.
Jennifer has had the most dangerous of the remaining powersuits indicated. The one that reacted fastest of course. So she works on slowing him down, with a whip strike or two.
Jennifer strikes the intended target but with less success. This one's going to take a little more work it seems.
Captain Liberia stays where he is and fires an energy blast at another guy. New trick!
New trick, but no less effective! The guy is blasted clear into one of the containers.
Jessica strikes at the fast reacting powersuit guy with her energy whip. Jennifer saves her action to widen the twins' tactical options.
Barricade thinks . o O (when are they going to run out of ammo...)
The guy dodges entirely the wrong direction.
Jessica strikes the target despite his frantic dodge and knocks him to the ground with the overhead blow from a curling energy whip lash.
Jennifer lashes at the down but slightly stirring powersuit on the ground, ensuring that one won't be returning to the fray any time soon.
Quicksilver comes leaping onto the docks, managing not to break anything in the process. He surveys the scene and gets his bearings on what is going on here, ready for his next action.
Barricade continues to shield the lesser armed group and himself. "What do you have against us?"
"You Yankees come here and you dare ask that? We threw off your yoke long ago and we won't wear it again! Liberia forever! Last bastion of the free!"
The remaining gendarmes look at the twins and at Captain Liberia and turn to run away through the rows of containers, screaming into their radios for backup.
Jessica says, "Looks over at Captain Liberia, friends of yours? Since I've gotten myself involved maybe you could tell me what the heck is going on here?"
Captian Liberia says, "Never seen them before. You say they aren't from your world?"
Jennifer says, "Can't say that for sure but I've never seen them. And it looked like they were picking on you as a favoured target."
Quicksilver leaps towards the twins and then Captain. He doesn't try to do it stealthily or anything.
Jessica says, "Oops, so much for the nobody to see me using my equipment theory." She says on seeing the new arrival. Then she calls over to Quicksilver, "Hi. Do you remember meeting me. This isn't a trick question by the way."
"Were they French? Can't say the French like us much, but they don't usually pick fights with us." Cap wheels to face Quicksilver. "How about this one?"
Jessica says, "I may know him. There's a good chance he's from my world."
Barricade blinks under the helmet. "Threw off your our yoke? What are you guys talking about?" He glances over to the protected ones, "Do you know what they are talking about?"
Quicksilver nods, "Yes, I believe I am from your world, though from what I could see, there are three colliding at the moment."
<SGG> Jessica says, "Barricade, I'm getting the impression this is not just a simple rift. I thinks we have more than one alternate dimension involved here."
The protected ones shake their heads. "They just appeared out of no where and started yelling about an invasion and shooting at us!"
<SGG> Barricade says, "Alternate dimensions? These people are fighting off dockworkers talking about throwing off yankee yokes.. I have no idea what is going on.. We are still in the US right? Our time line right?"
Barricade nod to the protected ones and ask them, "Alright.. this is complicated.. No one is hurt are they?"
Jennifer glances back at the two unmoving powersuited figures showing energy whip marks. "Uh, Quicksilver, I guess it's a bit late to be telling you I'm just a normal girl who got mixed up in this by accident?"
Some people, certainly were wounded before Barricade reached the scene. On both sides, indeed.
<SGG> Jessica says, "What's the situation where you are. Under control? The gunfire seems to have stopped."
Quicksilver shrugs, "doesn't bother me any." He looks about and dips his head to the three.
<SGG> "Starguard HQ here. We read you Barricade: this is Earth-1. Well, at least as we count them. Hope you're Barricade-1."
Jessica says, "I think my head hurts, that's what I think. Captain Liberia, would you mind coming to see my boss. That's the guy who went towards the gunfire. Quicksilver, you want to tag around with us until we get this sorted out. And what was that about three worlds? What do you know that I don't?"
You know, now that Quicksilver mentions it, there seem to be a set of French-speaking dockworkers, who seem to be a distinct lot from the mostly-black, English-speaking Liberians.
"Go back to the States, you damn Yankees!" calls someone on the far side of the barrier.
Jessica points towards where Barricade went. "Captain, this way, okay. Let's see if we can get this sorted out."
Captain Liberia says, "Agreed. Whatever's going on, this fighting isn't helping matters."
Jennifer nods, "So what's your world like? Going to hell in a handbasket like this one?"
Captain Liberia starts to follow, then turns back to the downed gendarmerie. "Hold on - I've seen this before."
Barricade asks the groups, "Look we got injured people here. Let me help. We aren't here to kill each other are we? Let me treat the wounded. Can we agree on a truce?"
CL points to the symbol on the arm of the gendarmes. "I've seen this before - in British America, I think. Can't recall what it means, though."
Learning they are probably, or at least possibly, still on their own world, and being in civilian clothes the twins deactivate their force armor and put away the energy whips. "You have, Captain? That's interesting."
Barricade gets reluctant agreement. Though people beg him to keep the shield up just in case! The wounded get treated, though, by the people on their own sides.
Jessica thinks for a moment. "Let's peel a lobster. Might be worth talking to one of these guys." and so saying she looks for a means to remove the powersuit from the guy.
Captain Liberia nods, and just peels it off with his bare hands. He's strong.
Jennifer grins as the armor gets torn apart. "Okay. I was looking for the unfastening mechanism but that works too."
Inside, is, well, just a guy who's out cold. He has a moustache and is dressed in a tight-fitting grey bodysuit underneath. Oh, and he has ID which identifies him as Etienne Bombardier of the Gendarmerie de la Virginie de l'Est.
Jessica looks at the ID, "Mean anything to you, Captain?"
His driving license, however, indicates he lives in les Etats Unis de la Nouvelle France.
Captain Liberia looks at it. "New France? Isn't that what British America was, long back?"
Barricade uses his paramedic skills to help people while trying to figure out about the deep rooted hatred.
Jessica says, "In this world Britain lost the new world colonies a long time ago. Between Mexico and Canada the whole place is called the United States of American. Not a bad place to be actually."
Jessica grabs the guy now he's out of the suit and drapes him over her shoulder. "My boss is that way. He gets paid to think. I get paid to break things and hit people. This is a thinking situation. Lets go see him."
"Never heard of Canada. The United States we've got, though we could do without it. Time was we thought we'd be better off up north, but since we threw of the yoke - well, they're as bad as the old aristos were, I tell you. No freedom up there. And now the Soviets have gone and we're the only real socialist power left. Yeah, in a handbasket, as you say."
"Right, lead on."
Jessica and Jennifer head over to Barricade. When there they take over the paramedic job, using their medikits, and let Barricade talk with Captain Liberia and the unpeeled French guy.
Having Captain Liberia there helps defuse the situation: clearly he's popular among the Liberians.
It looks more and more like fair chunks of the docks of two worlds were shifted to Earth-1. This is a big as well as a multiple rift, for whatever reason.
CL asks, "Did someone say you've been having a lot of these rifts?"
Jessica nods, "Yes. A whole heap of far too many. Some of our metas are investigating.
"Guess that makes you the experts. How do we sort this mess out?"
Jennifer sighs, "Half the time they end by themselves. Other times there's kind of a trigger and various actions bring them to an end. But this is a new one for me, having three worlds all mixed up together."
Captain Liberia frowns. "I wonder if there's something that makes this one different."
The peeled guy groans as he comes to consciousness.
Jennifer says, "It's bigger than most. Looks like it covers most of the docks."
Captain Liberia stoops over the waking gendarme. "Perhaps he knows more."
Etienne Bombardier is obviously quite horrified to find metas looming over him, and clearly expects the worse.
Jessica says, "Maybe. Let's hope he speaks English."
Jennifer says, "Hi. Can you understand me?"
"Pardon?" It seems he can't. But he's trying.
Jessica looks to Captain Liberia, "Can you speak French?"
CL shakes his head. "Not much call for it." Etienne listens. "Vous parlez peut-etre ecossais?"
"Ecossais?" He scratches on the ground a rectangle, and puts a cross in it, corner to corner.
Though you're getting nowhere fast, you are surrounded by dockworkers - it's not too hard to find someone who's picked up a bit of French in a major port.
The rain has stopped, and the winds seem to be settling down a bit too.
Jessica asks Captain Liberia, "When you saw my use of an energy whip you frowned pretty badly. Why?"
"In my world, I know only one group that use a weapon like that: a very unpleasant organisation based in Europe."
Jennifer nods. "Same here. I resigned. As you said, a very unpleasant organisation."
Barricade calls to Jennifer to let her know of the situation.
"So what happened here? How is this the United States? Was the Confederacy never formed?"
Barricade tries to keep the peace as he patches people up. The hatred is deep, yes, but perhaps they can judge individuals differently.
Again, certainly, seeing the heroes working together helps ease the tensions.
Jessica says, "I'm not American so my knowledge of its history isn't great. The Confederacy was formed, fought the Northren states and lost."
Captain Liberia nods grimly. "And so Fate catches up with us. Just the North took longer to start the fight in my world, it seems. Between that and your whip, I think our worlds might have more similarities than might be guessed."
Jessica leans in to whisper to Captain Liberia , "If you're right, listen. That unpleasant organisation. There's maybe a bunch of kids being taught the assassin skills. Maybe, just maybe, if someone was to talk to those kids you might get a bunch of seriously powerful kids on your side. Worth thinking about."
Barricade tries to ask around to see how the hostiles got here. They are still in USA right?
Captain Liberia nods, pensively. "It's a good thought. Thank you."
The "hostiles" still generally seem to think they're in "Liberia". But they seem to be wrong.
Captain Liberia says, "I wonder if we can learn anything from - where'd he go?"
The gendarme seems not to be there any longer!
Jennifer says, "Home I hope. The rift may be closing." She offers a hand to Captain Liberia, "If so, it's been good meeting you."
He shakes Jennifer's hand. "And good meeting you. Thank you for reminding me that there can be heroes, and friends even among seeming enemies. It's a lesson my world and my country sorely needs, I think."
And Jennifer proves right: hardly have their hands released when he, and his countrymen, vanish back to their own dimension.
Jennifer turns to Barricade. "Turned out to be quite a decent guy."
