Traitor Game L: Existential Crisis

[Anodyne]

The Players
Anodyne: Dr. Terrence Thirteen
Deadpooligan: Ultra Rogue
Jeremi: The Cat
Mighty Roman: Superstorm
Indigo Al: Amason
Cthulhudrew: Gammastorm
Wolvie616: Thor Odinson
Chris Lang: Green Lantern Mary Jane
Josh: Superboy-Prime
Masterbasset: The Weaver
Nschornhorst: Circe
The Purple Skull: Superior Iron Man

The Dead:
Jimmy Kudo aka Batman--crushed and bloody
Princess Kitana Prince--burned and stabbed
Sage--exploded
Hawkman--head shattered all over the place

The Eliminated
Red Lantern Dex-Starr--possessed by a Hound
Lobo the Duck-possessed by a Hound!
Hummingbird--an Agent!
Arak Magnus--failed to vote
Superboy-Prime--The Speaker!

The Guard and the Judge did not act.
The Speaker was eliminated

Round ends Saturday, July 25th, at 11:00 PM EST. Try to get your votes in before then!

OOC: Can Superboy Prime still be a player even after he's been eliminated? The other killed or eliminated characters are active with the Wanderers, but they aren't listed as players.

IC: "A lightning bolt might have caused Hawkman's head to explode by overheating his blood," Dr. Thirteen speculated. "It would also explain the flash of light we saw. And Thor wields lightning."

Terrence was about to vote for Thor Odinson when Circe's words caught his attention:

"I shall vote for Superstorm, I suppose-- although, I have been rather lax in my detective duties. Something about this place seems draining. There is magic, yes, but it seems as though that mystical energy is... desperate... almost invasive-- at least compared to that of my own realm."

Circe sat for a moment, trying to gather her breath.

"Maybe the energy feels 'invasive' because it's invading you, Circe!" Dr. Thirteen exclaimed. "I don't know exactly how your magic works, but I do know some magic can be used to cause explosions. If you're possessed by the remaining Hound, maybe the desperation you're sensing is your own."

OOC: Vote for Circe. (I'm gonna feel very embarrassed if Thor turns out to be the possessed one.)

[Chris Lang]

Killraven listened to Mary Jane Watson talk and a look of eureka crossed his face, before turning back to straight laced and full of concern

"Killraven she's right? I mean she has a Lantern ring and those haven't been seen since-"

"I heard Grayson, and yes you are right. However do you really think you can handle the swarm by yourself? I sensed your shaky confidence when I scanned those of you I could earlier. If you really do think you can do this then by all means I would like for you to try. The reason for my plan being that way was that Earth's population is near extinction or cattle for the Kreehawks. The people here in the Great Refuge are all that's left and of my small band there are few who could do what we have done to protect them, the most important being Kamandi, the boy. With the Starro Swarm slaughtering and enslaving whatever it can and the Kreehawks mining Earth for experiments, we're doomed no matter how this war ends unless we get the cube. The Starro Swarm is a collective of aliens that look like starfish. However, great strength and immense psionix power belie their harmless looking bodies. The fact they travel in a pack adds even more horror to their existence. Their psionix abilities are so immense that even scouring Earth from orbit I can get a nosebleed just by their presence everywhere except here. I see that you are a Lantern and that requires great willpower. However, I don't think you should do this alo- Killraven told her only to be cut off by Captain Wonder.

"Green Lantern won't be alone. I'll accompany her in fighting off the Starro Swarm. Solomon's wisdom may not have all the answers, but it knows how to deal with mind control" he said, hand on MJ's shoulder as a sign of reassurance

Mary Jane took in Killraven's speech, all the while thinking back to the words spoken when the ring chose her. "Mary Jane Watson Parker, you have the ability to overcome great fear."

And she had shown it, in the past. She had beaten on the Chameleon. And she had calmly faced the Jackal-possessed Peter in their home, betting her life that the familiar surroundings and pictures would be enough to snap Peter out of it but knowing that if it wasn't, it wouldn't be Peter who killed her but the Jackal. Even away from Peter and his enemies, she had run into trouble and managed to get out of it by keeping her wits about her.

"Thank you. I can create things with the ring ... giant fans, swatters, whatever ... that might push them away. But I'll still need backup." Mary Jane said. "One thing's clear -- to get that cube, we need the Starro Swarm AND the Atlas Squadron out of the way, or at least distracted."

...YES YES YES I SENSE THE BEHEAMOTH PSIONIC ENERGY AN ARMY OF CONTROLLERS CONTROLLING EACH OTHER AS A VESSAL THREATENING PUISSANT ANOTHER OBSTACLE...

...I MAY BE ABLE TO HIDE BEHIND THE AETHER SO THEY CANNOT TOUCH ME VISIBLE YET INTANGIBLE I CAN PROVIDE MORE DISTRACTION THEY WILL BE DRAWN TO MY OWN PSYK-WEAVINGS I SHALL TAUNT THE STARS AS THEY STRUGGLE TO FIND A FOOTHOLD SEE BELOW SEE BELOW PERHAPS IT WILL BE ENOUGH FOR OTHER CHAMPIONS TO MOVE IN SEE BELOW...

The Weaver drew a crude diagram of his plan.

Attachment 25202

...I OF COURSE SHALL AID IN EITHER FRONT RENDING FLESH AS NECESSARY...

...AS FOR THE AFOOT GAME I MUST INSIST ON THE IRRADIATED ERUDITE GAMMASTORM EFTSOONS RAGESTORM HIS NEWFOUND MIGHT MAY MAKE ME EVEN MORE RIGHT THAN AFORE...

OOC: Vote for Ragestorm!

"Thanks, Weaver." Mary Jane said. "Okay, we're going to have to work together and time our moves just right. I might not have a spider-sense or something, but my ring will help alert me to some of the danger. If we're going to win this, we'll need to be on the same page."

She paused. "I don't know if I should be voting on the Hound or not. I came in to this late. But we've got to do something about that, too."

OOC: Seriously, I don't know if second characters are voting characters or not, so I'm staying out of the vote for now.

[Chris Lang]

Meanwhile...

The Wanderers have already defeated Immortus's forces before Captain Wonder is summoned. "You have defeated my Limbo Legion... who were, in truth, just Space Phantoms," Immortus says, the Phantoms taking their true form. "I stand by my word. You can have what you came for." They were able to access the Armory of Limbo before being summoned to their next mission...

"I knew it." Linda said. "I knew there was something off about that Vandal Savage. I wasn't sure about the others, but him I knew."

"I knew it! Pick up the phone because I called it! You're still rotten though mister, rotten!" Saturn Girl said as Clark Sparks, Kori and The Demon loaded up the artifacts on the shoulders of Captain Thunder as his body started to glow. As Blue Skies replaced Captain Wonder, Kori picked up Dex-Starr and glared at Immortus. Clark looked at him as well as they began to leave, and waved.

"Well, can't say it's been a pleasure sir, but I hope you continue to enjoy being the tin-pot emperor of time" he said as they left, and the group appeared on what would look like to some, New Genesis hovering over New York! In the distance, Orion on his Astros-Harness would be seen flying next to Iron Man!

"What is going on here?" Linda asked. "Is that ... Orion? The Orion Wally told me about?"

"What is THAT doing hovering over New York?"

[Deadpooligan]

Ultra-Rogue was absent from the others on this world, and with good reason-- the wear and tear of heavy battles had taken a severe toll. She'd just barely survived a fight with the strongest of the Amazons, and after barely surviving such a concussive blow of Nth Metal Mace to Bracers of the Gods, Gammastorm's terrifying transformation and fierce attack had laid her out.

Recovering on the Monitor's Satellite, Rogue focused on one part of her powers-- one part so rarely used in an active manner. Radiation absorption. The Eternal physiology of her body could harness this energy to exacerbate her recovery, but it otherwise left Rogue incapacitated as it restored her.

With mind dwelling on who could be a Hypertime Hound, the mutant's thoughts fell to Circe.

[Froggy]

"I shall vote for Superstorm, I suppose-- although, I have been rather lax in my detective duties. Something about this place seems draining. There is magic, yes, but it seems as though that mystical energy is... desperate... almost invasive-- at least compared to that of my own realm."

Circe sat for a moment, trying to gather her breath.

"I wish I had an explanation for you, but the only person who could answer that, Stephen Strange, was killed by the Swarm. All he could tell me was the gods have abandoned us. Every day that seems more and more likely" Killraven told her, his voice wistful and slightly dejected, though he tried to hide it from them.

...YES YES YES I SENSE THE BEHEAMOTH PSIONIC ENERGY AN ARMY OF CONTROLLERS CONTROLLING EACH OTHER AS A VESSAL THREATENING PUISSANT ANOTHER OBSTACLE...

...I MAY BE ABLE TO HIDE BEHIND THE AETHER SO THEY CANNOT TOUCH ME VISIBLE YET INTANGIBLE I CAN PROVIDE MORE DISTRACTION THEY WILL BE DRAWN TO MY OWN PSYK-WEAVINGS I SHALL TAUNT THE STARS AS THEY STRUGGLE TO FIND A FOOTHOLD SEE BELOW SEE BELOW PERHAPS IT WILL BE ENOUGH FOR OTHER CHAMPIONS TO MOVE IN SEE BELOW...

The Weaver drew a crude diagram of his plan.

Attachment 25202

...I OF COURSE SHALL AID IN EITHER FRONT RENDING FLESH AS NECESSARY...

Kamandi jumped back defensively as he heard Weaver speak, so did the other humans besides Killraven who stood face to face with the beast.

"Yes, you'll be in the air with Captain Wonder and the others Weaver. Your...unique nature definitely be an asset" Killraven told him

"Maybe the energy feels 'invasive' because it's invading you, Circe!" Dr. Thirteen exclaimed. "I don't know exactly how your magic works, but I do know some magic can be used to cause explosions. If you're possessed by the remaining Hound, that could explain the desperation you're feeling."

OOC: Vote for Circe. (I'm gonna feel very embarrassed if Thor turns out to be the possessed one.)

OOC: error Anodyne, just an error

"Thank you. I can create things with the ring ... giant fans, swatters, whatever ... that might push them away. But I'll still need backup." Mary Jane said. "One thing's clear -- to get that cube, we need the Starro Swarm AND the Atlas Squadron out of the way, or at least distracted."

"Right, that's why you'll be accompanied by Weaver, Rogue, Thor and Superstorm. The rest will engage the Alpha Squadron. Now that we have that established, I'll take you all to our teleportation system" he told the group, urging them to follow. The former home of the Inhumans. Below them was something Iron Man would recognize, Illuminati chambers made by Black Bolt, and in front of them a gate swelling with energy.

"This portal was left here by a group of heroes known as Checkmate. Ever since The Purge, it's only been used by us and ever since Natasha's uncle passed...we've stuck to simple usage. This is all one way, so onward we go!" he told our heroes, rushing through the gate. As each of them stepped over to the other side....

"I knew it." Linda said. "I knew there was something off about that Vandal Savage. I wasn't sure about the others, but him I knew."



"What is going on here?" Linda asked. "Is that ... Orion? The Orion Wally told me about?"

"What is THAT doing hovering over New York?"

"Yes, that is Orion of the New Gods and that thing is New Genesis. This world had the New Gods emerge from Ragnarok. We need to find a Mother Box, which is a communication tool for these deities, among other things" Saturn Girl said. Princess Kori would frown at seeing Iron Man fly by them.

"Well, best way to get one is to ask directly right? Let's go follow them!" Clark Sparks said to the other Wanderers, floating into the air then taking off.

[Froggy]

update coming! No posts as the update is being prepared!

[Froggy]

And so, the heroes from another world marched onward with Killraven to save his. The portal teleported them out fifty yards from the site where the Cosmic Cube was being held. They split up into two teams, one aerial and the other storming the ground. In the air was Thor, Superstorm he called himself, The monstrous yet strangely dapper Weaver, The Iron Man, Rogue, the Lantern and the one called Captain Wonder who looked like a friend Killraven said he once had. On the ground there was Amason a male amazon, The Cat, Dr Thirteen, Gammastorm and Circe. Killraven snuck into the base and gave out warning to the aerial group as the Starro Swarm arrived in the stratosphere above the base. It's shadow covered the whole landmass of what was New York and was an awesome but frightening sight. As the swarm emerged, so did the champion of Kreegar and the tormentor of our world, Captain Marvel. His imposing blue skinned body flexed golden wings as he changed the neat bands together, smugly ready to assault the intruder Killraven, but ended up caught by Amason's lasso and while he struggled Gammastorm or Ragestorm landed a massive fist to the captains face. Even though he broke free and flung himself at Ragestorm, Marvel found himself outmatched by the gamma powered titanomachia action of his opponent but still fought with intensity, blasting at the male amazon and the other non powered heroes but could not find the witch. When he finally did, she was above him, well everybody was above him. And below him. And to the side of him. They were everywhere. Circe whispered something to Ragestorm who cracked his knuckles, then with frightening speed for it's size, unleashed a ground zero barrage that Circe shielded the others from. The field was filled with a green light that dissipated as quickly as it came and Ragestorm was revealed to have Captain Marvel, unconscious and in his grasp. Circe and the others rushed over to keep him from ending the alien's life as they removed the Nega Bands from his wrists.

In the air it was equally as wild. Killraven's nosebled as the aerial group took to facing the swarm. The Lantern erected a shield that kept them from being under fire but The Iron Man maneuvered away from them and materialized a large cannon over his shoulder to blast at the swarm but it was blocked. The Swarm's collective of beams overpowered his and nearly sent the Iron Man falling out of the sky until he was caught by Thor. Captain Wonder whispered to The Lantern and she focused the shield she made onto her body and took took the fight directly to the Starro Swarm. A stalemate happened with the Lantern reflecting blasts and she was valiant in her effort, but the overwhelming numbers of the swarm and the angles she couldn't account for, along with the psionic attacks she had to deal with made her effort a struggle. Mary-Jane Watson Parker was no quitter though, and she willed herself to continue on, but was thankful for Rogue showing up in the air and swatting them down as they came at her.

Rogue was startled when the Swarm started to gravitate towards her radiation filled body when Killraven informed her it liked to ear nuclear energy. This gave Captain Wonder an ide and he sped around the group, whispering to Thor, Superstorm, Lantern, Rogue and Iron Man. Rogue took flight higher and higher into the atmosphere, followed by a long tentacle of the Starro Swarm swinging at her. While this happened, Thor and Superstorm swung their hammers, chaining up Iron Manos armor and launched them at the beast. While it struggled to push them away, the Lantern covered the Starro Swarm in a green bubble with only a small hole at the top that Captain Wonder flew into as he barreled himself at the heart of the swarm. Numbers of them latched onto his body to try and slow his path, wear him down but that did not deter Captain Wonder. When he got to the center the captain shouted one word.....SHAZAM!. The thunderbolt, mixed with the current running through the hammers stunned the beast, but our heroes didn't stop there. Iron Man kept blasting at the creature and Thor brought down the lightning with Superstorm. The strange squeals of pain in their minds let the heroes know they were hurting the beasts.

It was at that moment Killraven found the cube and as he touched it, The Starro Swarm folded in on itself and disappeared. The sun started to shine and the heroes were brought into the room with Killraven, who held the Cosmic Cube in one hand and the Absorbascon in the other. When asked what he wished for, Killraven only said "For things to be fixed, then faded away. They were surprised and some tried to console me that he's out there, but I didn't need them to do that for me. While Killraven was out there, he told me about how he didn't feel connected to this world, like he was brought here by some force to change things. Maybe it was fate that he lead those heroes and saved our world. Either way, I have benefited from his actions, as have the rest of the world. I hope I can see him again someday and when I do, I will let him know about the legend of Kamandi and how I am no longer the Last Boy on Earth

Our heroes found themselves back on the Monitor's satellite with all their gear in tow, and Rogue carrying a child in the oversized costume of Captain Wonder. The blocking of a blade was heard, but no death seemed to happen!

"I see you all were successful! Great job! Once we resolve this mess, Killraven's world is headed for a great change. Killraven himself has disappeared somehow, more than likely related to our current dilemma. I'll need you to hand The Monitor all the artifacts you retrieved from that world, to further strengthen our plans and make up for the loss of the Starheart--which, fortunately, we've managed to locate."

Moments later...

"Lincoln. Seems the remaining Hound has attempted struck again and have been foiled again. The Hound was blocked by the Guard again, a valiant save. We are one step closer to finding them and solving this crisis" The Monitor told him.

"However, Circe amassed the most votes this round, and she is not possessed by a Hound. The numbers dwindle and time is of the essence, remember this" The Monitor told them, arms folded in disdain.

"Yes, and with that said, the Suicide Squad is hot on our tails right now. You've encountered the first four members, but there are two far more terrifying, if I may say so. Harbinger will tell you all about the next world," he said, zipping back into the recesses of The Monitor's satellite a bit quick even for him.

"Sure thing but before we get moving, let me say one thing, SHAZAM!" Billy said, transforming in Ultra Rogue's arms. He then blushed and hopped out of her grasp.

"Thanks for the save back there, and great work to all of you! The Monitor chose well but now I gotta go"

"Be expedient, Captain" The Monitor told Billy who was teleported away waving and replaced by a, no The Demon.

"So. It. Is. My. Turn?" it asked Roy. Harbinger popped up to answer

"Yes demon, it is your turn, you will lead these heroes to Earth 76. You will all need to listen to this intently because the nature of this world is even more volatile than the last"

[Froggy]

The Players
Anodyne: Dr. Terrence Thirteen
Deadpooligan: Ultra Rogue
Jeremi: The Cat
Mighty Roman: Superstorm
Indigo Al: Amason
Cthulhudrew: Gammastorm
Wolvie616: Thor Odinson
Chris Lang: Green Lantern Mary Jane
Masterbasset: The Weaver
Nschornhorst: Dr. Zoom!
The Purple Skull: Superior Iron Man

The Dead:
Jimmy Kudo aka Batman--crushed and bloody
Princess Kitana Prince--burned and stabbed
Sage--exploded
Hawkman--head shattered all over the place

The Eliminated
Red Lantern Dex-Starr--possessed by a Hound
Lobo the Duck-possessed by a Hound!
Hummingbird--an Agent!
Arak Magnus--failed to vote
Superboy-Prime--The Speaker!
Circe-innocent!

The Guard DID act! Judge did not!
The Speaker was eliminated

YOU MAY POST NOW

[Chris Lang]

Our heroes found themselves back on the Monitor's satellite with all their gear in tow, and Rogue carrying a child in the oversized costume of Captain Wonder. The blocking of a blade was heard, but no death seemed to happen!

"I see you all were successful! Great job! Once we resolve this mess, Killraven's world is headed for a great change. Killraven himself has disappeared somehow, more than likely related to our current dilemma. I'll need you to hand The Monitor all the artifacts you retrieved from that world, to further strengthen our plans and make up for the loss of the Starheart--which, fortunately, we've managed to locate."

Moments later...

"Lincoln. Seems the remaining Hound has attempted struck again and have been foiled again. The Hound was blocked by the Guard again, a valiant save. We are one step closer to finding them and solving this crisis" The Monitor told him.

"However, Circe amassed the most votes this round, and she is not possessed by a Hound. The numbers dwindle and time is of the essence, remember this" The Monitor told them, arms folded in disdain.

"Yes, and with that said, the Suicide Squad is hot on our tails right now. You've encountered the first four members, but there are two far more terrifying, if I may say so. Harbinger will tell you all about the next world," he said, zipping back into the recesses of The Monitor's satellite a bit quick even for him.

"Sure thing but before we get moving, let me say one thing, SHAZAM!" Billy said, transforming in Ultra Rogue's arms. He then blushed and hopped out of her grasp.

"Thanks for the save back there, and great work to all of you! The Monitor chose well but now I gotta go"

"Be expedient, Captain" The Monitor told Billy who was teleported away waving and replaced by a, no The Demon.

"So. It. Is. My. Turn?" it asked Roy. Harbinger popped up to answer

"Yes demon, it is your turn, you will lead these heroes to Earth 76. You will all need to listen to this intently because the nature of this world is even more volatile than the last"

"More volatile than a swarm of alien starfish?" Mary Jane asked, incredulously.

She wished that was all that was worrying her. There was also the Hound to consider. They hadn't the slightest clue who was being possessed by the Hound, especially since the Hound possessed different people all the time.

At this point, Mary Jane didn't really know who to talk to. She realized that she hadn't really had the chance to chat and get to know the people around her better. Everything was just moving from one crisis to another, and the only conversation they'd had was to talk strategy against their enemies.

[Joe Acro]

Harbinger goes on to explain, "We must again travel to a Gotham City. However, instead of wandering the city, we will be inside Arkham Asylum, a building for the criminally insane. Like Xanadu's shop, this, too, served as the location for a Traitor Game. A few years have passed since then. Within its halls are a few artifacts leftover from that game, as well as numerous items the occupants once employed."

The Monitor chimes in, "Due to the increasing danger, we insist you use the next few hours to rest. We need you at the peak of your performance. We cannot afford a failure like we achieved in the previous Gotham."

OOC:

OOC: Can Superboy Prime still be a player even after he's been eliminated? The other killed or eliminated characters are active with the Wanderers, but they aren't listed as players.

Superboy-Prime is not a player, since he was eliminated. I just neglected to remove him from the list.

OOC: Seriously, I don't know if second characters are voting characters or not, so I'm staying out of the vote for now.

Yes. Second characters can vote. They also can be possessed by the remaining Hound (except in the round in which they're introduced, as, of course, the kill was done before they got there).

[Chris Lang]

Harbinger goes on to explain, "We must again travel to a Gotham City. However, instead of wandering the city, we will be inside Arkham Asylum, a building for the criminally insane. Like Xanadu's shop, this, too, served as the location for a Traitor Game. A few years have passed since then. Within its halls are a few artifacts leftover from that game, as well as numerous items the occupants once employed."

The Monitor chimes in, "Due to the increasing danger, we insist you use the next few hours to rest. We need you at the peak of your performance. We cannot afford a failure like we achieved in the previous Gotham."

"So, what happened at the previous Gotham? I wasn't there." Mary Jane asked.

"I don't really know much about you, so I'll say a few things about me. I'm a struggling actress trying to make ends meet. My husband was what they call a superhero, even if some people didn't see him that way."

She still couldn't believe how over the top J. Jonah Jameson got during the first year or so of Spider-Man's career.

"Anyway, a few years ago, my husband was ... injured in a battle, and he ended up realizing that superheroes are like professional athletes. Unless they're Superman or something, they only have so many good years before the years and injuries wear them down and they have to retire. There's more to the story than that, but I'm not sure if it'd be right to reveal secret identities."

"And then two years later, I met a dying space alien who'd been injured in some battle over Earth. Only his Power Ring had been keeping him alive long enough for me to find him, but he didn't have long to live. He told me the ring had summoned me. The ring itself spoke, telling me that I had the ability to overcome great fear, and was worthy of becoming the next Green Lantern."

"He didn't have long to explain, but he said the Green Lanterns were a group of intergalactic agents appointed by the Guardians, each patrolling a sector of space to help defend against things worlds couldn't defend themselves against. After he died, I took on the ring and this costume. But I've mostly stuck to the street-level threats my husband fought against. Until now."

"My guess is things like the Starro Swarm, the Suicide Squad, and the Anti-Monitor are what he was talking about. And now ... here I am."

She turned to the others. "So what are your stories?"

[The Purple Skull]

The Monitor chimes in, "Due to the increasing danger, we insist you use the next few hours to rest. We need you at the peak of your performance. We cannot afford a failure like we achieved in the previous Gotham."

The Superior Iron Man took advantage of this free time to continue observing the players around him.



[SCANNING]

[WARNING - CONVOLUTED ORIGIN STORY IMMINENT]

"Anyway, a few years ago, my husband was ... injured in a battle, and he ended up realizing that superheroes are like professional athletes. Unless they're Superman or something, they only have so many good years before the years and injuries wear them down and they have to retire. There's more to the story than that, but I'm not sure if it'd be right to reveal secret identities."

"And then two years later, I met a dying space alien who'd been injured in some battle over Earth. Only his Power Ring had been keeping him alive long enough for me to find him, but he didn't have long to live. He told me the ring had summoned me. The ring itself spoke, telling me that I had the ability to overcome great fear, and was worthy of becoming the next Green Lantern."

"He didn't have long to explain, but he said the Green Lanterns were a group of intergalactic agents appointed by the Guardians, each patrolling a sector of space to help defend against things worlds couldn't defend themselves against. After he died, I took on the ring and this costume. But I've mostly stuck to the street-level threats my husband fought against. Until now."

"My guess is things like the Starro Swarm, the Suicide Squad, and the Anti-Monitor are what he was talking about. And now ... here I am."

She turned to the others. "So what are your stories?"

[SUBJECT IN POSSESSION OF WEAPON OF ALIEN ORIGIN]

[POWER LEVELS VARY]

[CATALOGUED]

[Chris Lang]

The Superior Iron Man took advantage of this free time to continue observing the players around him.

[SCANNING]

[WARNING - CONVOLUTED ORIGIN STORY IMMINENT]



[SUBJECT IN POSSESSION OF WEAPON OF ALIEN ORIGIN]

[POWER LEVELS VARY]

[CATALOGUED]

Mary Jane turned to face Iron Man. She noted that this Iron Man had not spoken. "I've seen the Iron Man of my world a few times. I think there have been at least two different guys under the armor. The other guy went on to get another armored suit and call himself War Machine, if I heard right."

[The Purple Skull]

Mary Jane turned to face Iron Man. She noted that this Iron Man had not spoken. "I've seen the Iron Man of my world a few times. I think there have been at least two different guys under the armor. The other guy went on to get another armored suit and call himself War Machine, if I heard right."

[SCANN-----]

Suddenly, a rather familiar sound starts coming from the Superior Iron Man's arc reactor. His chest then displays a hologram...



"Hello? This thing on? Oh good. My programming's finally running. About freakin' time if you ask me. Sorry about that with bucket head over here giving everyone the silent treatment. While my own programming was getting up to speed with things, the suit went into "safe mode" for a lack of a better term, hence the overly boring default computer voice. Don't mind what you may have heard coming from this thing before. Personally MJ (can I call you MJ?), I thought the highly illogical way you received your ring was not convoluted at all.

Anyway, I'm just babbling on. Let me introduce myself. I'm the main A.I. interface within this Iron Man suit. I do have a name, but it is some overly complicated computer mumbo jumbo, so we'll just stick with the acronym. My name's Tony."

[Chris Lang]

[SCANN-----]

Suddenly, a rather familiar sound starts coming from the Superior Iron Man's arc reactor. His chest then displays a hologram...

"Hello? This thing on? Oh good. My programming's finally running. About freakin' time if you ask me. Sorry about that with bucket head over here giving everyone the silent treatment. While my own programming was getting up to speed with things, the suit went into "safe mode" for a lack of a better term, hence the overly boring default computer voice. Don't mind what you may have heard coming from this thing before. Personally MJ (can I call you MJ?), I thought the highly illogical way you received your ring was not convoluted at all.

Anyway, I'm just babbling on. Let me introduce myself. I'm the main A.I. interface within this Iron Man suit. I do have a name, but it is some overly complicated computer mumbo jumbo, so we'll just stick with the acronym. My name's Tony."

"Tony?" Mary Jane asked.

"Any relation to...?" she blurted out, before stopping herself. "Wait a minute, you know my real name. I didn't know I was THAT famous. I mean, I've had the occasional gigs here and there, but I was fired from my soap opera role and my roles on the stage ... not much to write home about."

"So, you're an artificial intelligence interface?" Mary Jane asked. "How did you come to power this Iron Man suit? Or whatever?"

She had the feeling that THIS would likely be a convoluted origin story.