A Wretched Hub of Scum and Villainy

[nofileext]

It's a simple enough plan: go to a system the Guardians haven't taken control of yet, explain the situation to its citizenry, and recruit volunteers to aid in the fight against Daemon.

The tricky part is finding a system with a decent-sized population that hasn't attracted the Guardians' attention yet.

Fortunately, the Crimson Binome believes he may know of just such a place.

"Can ye open a portal to these coordinates, lass?"

Comments

[feminine-menace.livejournal.com]

"I know," YT admits, "But it's better than the alternative. We're not sure what Daemon's angle is, but I can guarantee that it's not gonna stop with choking off 'Net travel. And hey, if you can help us get the word out, we can get enough people and firepower to take on the Guardians for sure. That'll be the only way to stop Daemon and get the 'Net open again."

[nofileext]

"I hope you're right, child. I truly do."

After a long moment of thought, Lucinda turns to Babbage. "Get our people together. Spread the word however you can. Get Vectori to send an announcement from the Principal Office if ye have to. He'll do it, I know some things he wouldn't like told..." She pulls a datapad from somewhere and starts typing furiously. "We'd best move quickly. If what ye say is true, they could be here at any nano--"

[nofileext]

And as if on cue, there's a loud commotion from outside. It sounds like the beginnings of a riot, or people running away from a fire...

And then, suddenly, over the top of it, there's a loud, mechanically distorted voice of someone talking over a P.A. system:

"Attention. In accordance with special directive seven point zero five, this system is now under the direct control of the Guardians. Resistance will be met with lethal force."

[feminine-menace.livejournal.com]

Evidently, Murphy's Law applies in cyberspace too.

"Aw, shit," YT grumbles. Then she looks at Capacitor. "What do we do? Fight, hide or vamoose?"

[nofileext]

Capacitor draws his sword. "Ye can do as ye like, lass. But I'm through with runnin' away."

[feminine-menace.livejournal.com]

"'S what I thought," YT says, her eyes twinkling. She looks at Capacitor's mother, Babbage, and the assorted goon-types. "How about you? Sounds like someone needs to show these folks what time it is."

[nofileext]

"You even need to ask?" responds Lucinda. "This is our home, child, and we won't stand idly by while some virus takes it away!"

She's drawn a pistol from her hip as she's talking. Everyone else has their weapons at the ready, with looks of grim determination on their faces.

[feminine-menace.livejournal.com]

"All right. Let's go fight some Guardians," YT says. She throws her plank on the ground and hops on it. "Don't worry 'bout me. I've got a secret weapon." She winks at the assembled binomes.

[nofileext]

* * *

Outside, the situation, as one might expect, is total chaos. A dozen white, oblong-ish Guardian transport ships are raining down fire on the docks and the surrounding area. Some of the citizenry is firing back, but not many.

"We'll need to get our defenses prepared," says Lucinda. "Babbage, get up to the Principal Office. I'll head to port control."

[feminine-menace.livejournal.com]

"Can we tag along?" YT asks, jerking a thumb at Capacitor. "It's not like we've got the firepower to deal with those...whoa!" YT ducks as one of the Guardian fighters buzzes them.

[nofileext]

At the moment, Capacitor's attention is elsewhere. His eye is fixed on a somewhat larger transport that has broken away from the fleet.

"What in blazes is that?"

[feminine-menace.livejournal.com]

YT looks up at the ship, being escorted by a wing of Guardian fighters. "Whatever it is, I think it's headed the same way we are," YT observes.

[nofileext]

"Aye." Capacitor looks grim. "And that's not a good sign at all."

"Well?" shouts Lucinda. "Don't just stand there gaping! Do something!"

[feminine-menace.livejournal.com]

"Let's follow it. But we better keep under cover on the way there." At least, if they don't want the Guardian fighters escorting the transport to fry them completely and utterly.

[nofileext]

"In that case," says Lucinda, "I suggest we go that way."

She points to what looks suspiciously like a manhole cover.

[feminine-menace.livejournal.com]

"Sewers?" YT asks, looking vaguely disgusted. But when a stray shot from one of the Guardian ships hits a nearby pile of crates, she loses her reluctance. "Okay. Lead on," she says.

[nofileext]

* * *

Digital sewers aren't much more pleasant than organic ones. Fortunately, Lucinda knows the layout well, and within a few nanos they're lifting up a manhole (spritehole?) cover mere pixels away from the port control tower.

"Blast it!" curses Capacitor when he sees the blasted-open doors of the building. "They're already inside!"

[feminine-menace.livejournal.com]

"Better hurry then," YT says. She can't rise out of the hole on her plank - not enough room for that - so she makes it fly out, then hauls her humanoid half out through the opening. Then she jumps on the plank, pulling her minimized 'poon off her belt as she does. With the magnetic cup reeled in and the thing held in her hand, it looks like some wide-angle intergalactic death ray.

And here, it is kind of a death ray. Or a death something. Magnets can do a lot of damage in the virtual world.

[nofileext]

Capacitor, Lucinda, and three other binomes are close at hand, weapons drawn and ready.

Just as a half-dozen heavily armed sprites come out of the building.

This could be interesting.

[feminine-menace.livejournal.com]

They're spotted before they can get back under cover: one of the Guardians barks orders to the rest, who lift their rifles and start firing away. YT jerks sideways and up, releases the reel on her 'poon, and starts swinging the cup around like a lasso. After a couple of rotations she throws it, then hits the switch to engage the magnetic charge.

The jumps at one of the Guardians like a striking cobra and hits his chest, causing him to jerk spasmodically. YT disengages the magnet and reels in the 'poon cup as the Guardian topples over, flickering.

Unfortunately, this move results in quite a lot of rifle fire being concentrated on her.

[nofileext]

Lucinda and her hench-nomes rush in to defend YT, returning fire on the remaining Guardians.

"That's some 'secret weapon' ye have, lass!" Lucinda calls over her shoulder as she reloads.

...but where's Capacitor gone?

[feminine-menace.livejournal.com]

"Hey! Captain!" YT calls, swooping in on a Guardian and knocking her out cold with the baud.

They seem to have a handle on the ground troops now, but a couple of the fighters seem to have taken notice and are headed in their direction.

[nofileext]

Three of the remaining guardians suddenly stop firing.

Mainly because they're trapped inside three translucent green file-lock cubes.

Capacitor steps out from behind them, brandishing his 'sword' proudly. "Right behind ye, lass!"

[feminine-menace.livejournal.com]

"Awesome! Um, I think we'd better get back in the sewers before those ships get us. Or maybe in the control t-"

Just then, there's a bright flash of light and a deafening boom accompanied by a wash of heat and ground-shaking vibrations. YT's almost knocked out of the air by the blast.

[nofileext]

Two other things are happening almost simultaneously:

First, a wide beam of orange light lances out of the port control tower and blasts a jagged-edged hole in the sky of the system.

Second, the control tower trembles, tilts, and, almost in slow motion, topples to the ground.

Unfortunately, it happens to be toppling in the general direction of our heroes.