Barrington felt the quake and had a hand on his pistol attempting to draw it as the paralysis hit him as well as a large degree of panic. None of them could move as far as he knew while they watched the portal rip its way into existence on the far wall as a truly terrifying figure appeared from within it. If there was any indication of just how out of their depth they were this was it as they were unable to even defend themselves before who he supposed was the most powerful being in this area by far. Given Arthur's objections it was hard to imagine just who else besides a demon king had stumbled upon them in such a way as to make them all helpless. This was very very bad as they were entirely at the mercy of a something that could likely kill them with a thought, at least that is what the inventor's imagination was conjuring up at the moment.
It was then made very clear that they weren't even worth the time to dispose of from the storage house but not all of them were left unscathed. The shadow priest was taken hostage in a mere instant or possibly killed to be resurrected later, honestly who knew what would happen to the poor man as he was dragged off into the portal. The remaining three of the group as well as the King's squire were left unharmed as the evil king all but decided to ignore them as mere chew toys for whatever minions made home in the halls and rooms. The inventor was just relieved he still lived as the portal closed and function returned as his hand held a shaky grip on his pistol at the wall which he lowered after a few moments of regaining his composure. The half-vampire was more vocal than he about the situation as he was giving a silent and very sincere prayer to Kessel as he was certain they were all dead but a second ago.
"Agreed. That could have been worse, though it further complicates the task at hand or future expeditions significantly." Barrington replied continuing to reason everything out to distract his mind. "That would be useful information its true, a rough estimate accounting for ruined passages and rooms would be helpful to gauge the length of this trip. A small comfort if anything though if not we can wing it as we go, a good memory helps with this sort of thing."
The engineer was prepared to move on with torch and pistol in hand firmly gripped as a matter of safety for himself and the others, he wouldn't run off knowing his comrades were stuck down here nor was being alone in any way a good thing.
Girard sat quietly on his couch watching the news while his daughters were curled up either side of him napping. They had a lot of energy but several hours of running around and playing took it right out of them so he got them to come over to watch a bit of TV before they zonked out. He wasn't needed on site today so he got some quality time at home while being able to check in via phone at any point if there was an issue which left him plenty of time for the rest of the day. Watching the news was something he had avoided in the past at times because he already knew it was going to be bad but ever since he took to the streets he paid far more attention to it. It was helpful to track crime patterns before ever having to leave his house since it made tracking the criminals in question easier once he was out and about during the night. Sure he wasn't the most prolific vigilante you ever heard about but putting a bit of fear or uncertainty into local criminals at least made some of them think twice, some being the operative word but only so much a man can do in his position.
There had been a rather high profile bank robbery recently which he hadn't been able to get involved in and had been silently kicking himself for it since. The lack of support for vigilantes didn't exactly make it appealing in a sense with all of law enforcement and media calling them out as criminals for having the guts to make an impact. If he ever got found out it could get bad so keeping to the shadows as much as possible was what he attempted to do before quick precise strikes on targets then getting out in the same fashion, no one knew much about Tank yet and he would quite like to keep it that way if possible to reap the benefits. Wouldn't last forever as it was only a matter of time before the strange insect robber might hit again and with no other powered vigilantes to his knowledge in Amnesty Bay it was up to him to contest the thief. However he tried to push the thoughts aside when he wasn't alone or with Abby as no one else could afford to know nor would they understand his need to go out as Tank delivering a swift kick in the ass to anybody who thought they could get away with causing trouble.
Girard turned to look as he heard someone at the door then remembered Abigail had said she would be back right about this time before lo and behold she strolled in with a smile.
"How are the girls doing?" She asked quietly trying not to disturb the two nappers.
"Been sleeping for a couple hours now, probably won't be too much longer till they're up and hungry." He replied chuckling lightly at the end.
They were interrupted by a yawn to the right of him as on cue little Leila roused herself up at the mention of food.
"Hi mommy, can we have grilled cheese? Daddy promised if we put the toys away." The girl said mumbling a bit at first then after reaching over to shake her sister awake. "Haylee! Mommy's home."
Abi came over and hugged both of them before the little ones got up to rush for the kitchen very happily and ready to eat, they also liked to help a little by putting the cheese on the bread. Girard got himself up ready to join them after getting a kiss on the cheek from his wife who told him they were a little low on a couple things in the fridge. It was all he needed to know figuring a nice drive to the grocery store wouldn't take too long at all plus better to get it done now rather than later. The big man made his way out to his truck and started heading into the city to do his errand plus say hi to a few friends who he met along the way. He side eyed the decently hidden duffel bag behind the passanger seat where he kept his "costume" which had a couple things covering it, never too far in case a quick switch from family man to crime fighter was needed, plus it had the benefit of having the bag itself around if he needed it when the clothing had to be fixed up.
"No need to worry, its a nice day and there should be next to no action most likely." He thought trying to reassure himself more than anything.
Basic Information ========= Superhero Name: Tank. Civilian Name: Girard Babcock. Origin city/Planet: Nashville, Tennessee. Hometown: Amnesty Bay, Maine. Sex: Male. Race: Human, Caucasian. Height: 6'10. Weight: 450lbs at minimum and stretching into the high tens of tons when he allows it. Age: 37. Birth Date: October 2nd, 1982. -------- Costumed Appearance:
Civilian Appearance:
The man was built like a brick house before getting his powers and has done his best to keep himself in shape since, though finding new places to work out has been tricky recently.
Icon:
Costumed Personality: Tank is rather cautious despite his power making sure to have a general plan set if the target is more than a couple of thugs let alone another powered opponent. He is quite confident in his own abilities but he can't just rely on blundering into everything, not anymore at least. Generally he does everything possible to play to his strengths while trying not to cause too much collateral damage in the process though its hard to avoid when just walking can rip up the ground if he isn't careful. To him getting civilians clear is a top priority before dispatching whoever in causing the trouble, no point in hurting innocents if there is a way to prevent it. He often plays off the 'big dumb brute' mindset to catch people off guard when it turns out he is a fair bit smarter than he first appears often improvising as the situation requires. He prefers to get in and out quickly if he can as to not be around for the news or police while simultaneously trying to make sure the cops have someone to arrest, the man isn't interested in the spotlight just keeping life manageable for his current home.
Civilian Personality: Girard is a happy and simple guy who can almost always find a reason to smile or laugh. Ever the optimist he believes with a bit of work you can improve damn near everything, might not be easy but its worth it in the end. The big guy was best known for his work ethic through the years hardly slowing down when he was young but managing to make time for his family and friends though he has slowed down a bit over time and promotion even if he still gets his hands dirty on the regular. Helping others is something he has always enjoyed whether its being the local handy man in his neighborhood or keeping an eye out for the other families, not to mention his own when they come to visit. The man genuinely cares about people hoping them the best up until they start hurting or making life difficult for others. Then it become significantly harder for him to just sit by to let them get away with it, he isn't one to sit on his hands in the first place either having gotten into more than his fair share of fights because someone just had to start something.
Super abilities:
-Skills: Construction, demolition, multitude of repair know how. Gives him the option of a quick entry or exit points through walls or structures without bringing the whole thing down. Also whittling, model making and wood carving, a hobby he has gotten quite good at since he was younger. He has gotten into his fair share of brawls and fights so he has decent street fighting experience to draw on. Lastly is his impressive skill at playing dumb or pulling reasons/excuses together to keep himself free of unwanted attention, like someone thinking they know who Tank is.
-Powers:
--Supernaturally Dense Tissue: Tank lives up to his name not only in appearance but in sheer durability as his body is significantly more dense than any human has a right to be able to easily shrug off most physical punishment allowing him to ignore many threats head on like bullets, vehicles, explosives and entire building complexes easily without fear of injury.
--Super Strength: The big guy's bones and muscles are magnitudes tougher as well as stronger than they used to be since gaining his powers allowing him to toss common vehicles like ragdolls, smash or lift buildings, and tear up the ground around him significantly. He isn't an earthquake but he can still do a fair bit of damage given the chance or no other options.
--Superhuman Endurance: Girard can remain highly active for extended periods without breaking a sweat, a perfect tool to help him grind down a fight while firing back with his own offense. Hes managed to do full night of crime fighting after a busy day on site and walk back to and from his home in the suburbs hardly breaking a sweat but he figures a bigger fight could take a lot more out of him quicker if he has to step up for one.
--Superhuman Weight/Mass and Manipulation: Coming in at little surprise Tank can be said to weigh a lot, though more specifically he can stretch up to 100 tons with all the mass that comes with it. While he isn't sure if he can go any higher it is possible for him to normalize his weight to about 450lbs at minimum which helps him to not cause as much collateral damage in populated areas or his during day-to-day life.
-Gadgets: Unless you count his truck or tools, nothing.
-Weapons: Tank improvises depending on need and environment.
Civilian Occupation: Foreman of Vale Construction.
Biography---------
Character History/Origin: Girard was born in Nashville to Deckard and Ellen Babcock who first met up in the small local diner, Morning Glory, which after some years they ended up buying the popular old building from the previous owners. They managed to carve out a nice life by the time their first son was born and much like his father he was quite the big guy even then. He had a rather good life with little to complain about and with a loving family who made him happy, he wouldn't have traded it for another if he had the choice. He was the eldest so when his two younger siblings, May and Jeremiah, were born he fell into caring for them without having been asked to because he was so ecstatic about being a big brother he could hardly contain himself. His parents were pleased and relieved by this as they were often busy at first when it was just the two of them running the diner but he never really stopped even once they had more quality time as he saw his family as the most important thing to him. The big guy couldn't help but be protective of them although he wasn't always able to help but he just tried to be there just in case they needed him.
As he grew up Girard did rather well in school eventually ending up doing woodworking in one of his classes which he really took a shine too and if you asked his parents it was pretty clear he enjoyed making things and working with his hands since he was little. It led him into a career as a freelance construction worker which paid decently and was fun for him since it was pretty much exactly what he wanted to do. It was the kind of simple job he could be happy with and kept him down to earth like his father who was fond of his work not to mention proud of his son for finding something that fit him. Unlike him his sister was all but a prodigy on the violin and his brother was interested in baseball with a good arm on him so the three of them had set off on very different paths. A big part of that for Girard was moving on from Nashville as he heard about some lucrative work up in Gotham which could get him set up nicely though he was hesitant at first about leaving home and family but he felt like it was the right thing to do. So he packed up his bags and quickly made his way over to New Jersey excited about new opportunities.
The big guy had heard plenty about how bad Gotham was after looking in to it but being there to see it for himself was kind of shocking. He had managed to net himself a small apartment in a fairly decent part of town, much to his relief, as he was not in a rush to find trouble with the locals. Once he was settle the job hunt was on to see who was interested in hiring out of the several companies he had contacted of which only a couple had a spot available. The one he ended up choosing was one "Kasimir Realty" who needed another good man on the construction crew and he ended up with the job shortly after his interview. He worked like a machine the first month to secure his position and it was during that time he met someone who he might not have otherwise. The city really was a nightmare at times with criminals deciding to screw with people at will and even if he hadn't personally seen any of it, possibly because he was just too big to trouble without back up, the thought upset him greatly so of course it was about time he got to see it first hand.
Girard had been walking to a nearby bar to get himself a drink when he noticed three nasty looking guys slip out of an alley and corner a woman against the side of a building up ahead. It was broad daylight out so it was a surprise to see some thugs harassing people freely and worse no one even did a double take as they moved on. "This is unbelievable. There is no way they should be able to get away with this shit." He thought about ready to knock some sense into the stooges himself regardless of the risk. Then the straw that broke the camels back, the woman resisted against the men and one of the threw a solid punch to the stomach knocking some of the wind out of her then a couple more hits from the other two chimed in. Moments later the thugs had a very angry giant looming over them and the big man went to work, it would not be the last time either, grabbing one by the neck to slam against the side of the building followed by a big knee to the gut which he was pretty sure cracked a rib or two.
The two other men wasted no time in coming for him forcing him on the defensive and while he definitely took some hits he was landing some effective shots back into both of them managing to get one of them with their back to the wall. He shoulder barged the guy straight into it and having lifted him up by the legs on the charge he turned around throwing him into the second assailant knocking them both over. Turns out the woman had recovered enough from before and was giving the first guy he engaged a savage kicking while he was down, a not totally unpleasant surprise, which just left him with the ring leader and his buddy who were getting up for another round. The ring leader came in first looking to avenge his buddy who was still struggling to his feet aiming a big punch at Girard who manged to get his arm in and around forcing the strike away from him while allowing him to get a grip on the shoulder of the stooge before delivering a vicious headbutt to the bridge of the nose sending the other man stumbling back where he tripped on the curb. This big man got a taste of his own medicine as the lackey he had charged before tackled him into the wall from the side starting to wail on him given the opening. Several punches to the face later and a big boot to force spacing he managed to free himself from the determined thug who was apparently done as they crumpled to the pavement leaving just the ringleader who was looking shaky while the woman had taken care of the other follower.
"Threes a bit too much company eh? Lets deal with that asshole and get out of here." Girard said to the woman tilting his head to the last man standing in front of them.
They made short work of it with the big guy holding the "asshole" in place while the woman got her just desserts leaving a few teeth lying on the ground after the pummeling. He leaned against the building afterwards to catch his breath, he was going to be sore in the morning for sure after all the hits he took, but he would be fine which he had to reassure the woman who offered to get him a drink to which he happily accepted after the cops hauled off the three criminals later learning she was Zoey Kasimir, he put two and two together realizing he had basically saved his boss' boss. It was a cause for some laughing between the two of them and was a good a start as any to a new friendship. It was also the start to a tradition of them going out drinking when schedule allowed for it years later. It made the stay in Gotham a lot more bearable for awhile but eventually it was time to move on again after a few years and so he did moving up the East coast, never really staying in one place long, further north until he eventually ended up in Maine.
Girard found himself in Amnesty Bay at age 27 and was extremely fond of the place since it was far more peaceful than a few other places he ended up in, it sure as hell wasn't Gotham. He also managed to find steady work for himself with a local company Vale Construction where he would eventually earn a promotion to foreman three years later and he was happy for sometime with that. He had found nice little house out in the suburbs which he saved up for and moved into, it was quieter than in the city while the community was friendly and welcoming to him, so it was a perfect fit in his eyes. The big man was pretty sure it couldn't get much better but he was quite wrong it turned out as one night he met a person who would entirely change his life. He had gotten roped into a bar trip, a couple of the guys on his crew got together once in awhile for drinks, it ended up being karaoke night at the place to the big guy's dismay and he was quite prepared not sit it out up until they got to the place.
He sat down at a table with the guys but he really wasn't paying them much attention, he already knew them well enough to know they wouldn't mind, while he checked the place out to see who else was inside. Most were your bog standard groups like his own with a few couples here or there but there was one woman off in her own corner of the bar who was totally alone but seemed rather happy with a big smile to reflect it. The big guy had met a lot of people but honestly no one quite stood out in the room the same to him and by the look of it she full well knew it when she looked right back with a little friendly wave. If he was being honest there was a part of him just saying to not bother going over to talk to her, having more bad experiences in relationships than good tends to do it, but at this point in time with him having put down roots as he had what was there to lose really? He went over after a few minutes of internal debate, also the rest of the guys egging him on kind of helped the decision, chatting lightly at first where he learned her name was Abigail and the fact she had been waiting to see who would come over to her first. Apparently she found him rather interesting since he was still kind of new to the city but, in her own words, "Feel like you belong here, like you didn't move all the way up from Tennessee besides the accent."
Girard was not particularly enthused by the idea of getting up in front of everyone to sing but Abby could be a very convincing woman plus the night was all set up for it anyways. He had to wait for a few other patrons to go before him but a few rounds of singing and he was moving up onto the stage under the watchful gaze of his friends who were cheering him on as well as Abi whose eyes were shining with excitement at the fact he was going up to sing for her and then started up with a song he liked quite a bit. It was one he listened to as a kid with both his parents which reminded him of home making the discomfort of getting in the spotlight almost nonexistent as he just let the music carry him through it. Turns out he did better than he thought getting a bit of an applause which made him relieved that he wasn't horrible, he could sing a bit but despite him being such a social person stage fright was an issue for him, then he went back to the table afterwards very happy to be back sitting with the beautiful woman next to him now.
The big man ended up finding out about the theater her grandparents and then parents had run, and she had performed in, downtown which was her pride and joy which had him wonder why she hadn't gone up to sing yet. She got to hear about his home as well as some of the places he had been too before he stopped traveling in Maine, something the woman had very much wanted to hear about having been in Amnesty Bay most of her life. The two of them kept talking for a couple hours after which they both had to leave but Abigail suggested he stop by the theater if he felt like it, an open invitation he would accept within the next couple days. They spent a lot more time together from there dating for several months before Girard decided to take the plunge the night after a big performance at the theater which Abby had been practicing for. He waited until after the show, he was never going to miss a chance to cheer her on, letting her relax a little bit after she used everything she had earlier before taking her back up onto the stage and giving her a small songbird carving which was holding the ring he picked out a week prior. It seemed to take a minute for her to get over the shock but then she jumped into his arms and knocked him off balance from the suddenness of it and he went back first into the stage, not to mention the creaky part he had been meaning to fix, putting both of them into a hole in the boards. It was probably the funniest thing that had happened to him period with both of them cracking up about it to this day thinking about just how stupid they must have looked.
The big guy years later is a dad now with two daughters, Haylee at five and Leila at four, and a little french bulldog named Toast basically living his dream and couldn't have been more content. Well that was up until he snapped his favorite handmade chair into splinters seemingly out of nowhere and making a split decision he got himself out of the house before anything else weird happened. He was alone thankfully with the girls over at a friend's house while Abigail was out on an errand so he had time to sort out what was happening to him in the backyard. Once he got his bearing and was no longer ripping up the ground the big man went back inside to figure out how to explain the damage to his wife as well as confer with her on what to do about the new development. When she got back his stress level had risen a fair bit as he thought more about it but with some reasoning and distracting him by humming a tune, to be fair it was for the both of them but Girard was taking this a lot harder, which had them relaxed more in strangely short order which gave her a little cause for worry. In the coming weeks they found out they weren't the only ones having changed seemingly out of nowhere but unlike the rest neither was keen about doing anything with the newfound powers. Family came first before anything plus Abi's power to calm and soothe or brighten up a mood were frankly not all that useful if she did try anything.
Girard was another case entirely practically being a walking talking wrecking ball who had to maintain a certain amount of control, and reinforce the furniture and house in places, to keep to the status quo in any reasonable way. With all the changes the criminal element in Amnesty Bay had seemed to get more active and aggressive making life less comfortable for everyone even if they were directly effected or not. While he didn't want to upset his wife, the big man really couldn't just sit back while there were threats to his family around so he became Tank using his powers for quick hit and run strikes against any offenders he could find doing his best to stay out of the limelight with a costume to help shrug off suspicion. Abby found out eventually knowing full well who she married just asking him to be careful for her and the girls which he made a promise on because they were why he did it in the first place. The man realizes that things are getting more and more dangerous all the time not just in Maine but everywhere and knows he might have to step up into the public view soon to help his city and maybe even more, its just the right thing to do.
Optional information ---------- Nemesis: Allies: Team:
It was a tense few moments for Vox wondering if the transmission even left the lab past the security measures, it was not a risk she would have taken in any other circumstance as the probability of being found out was notable. However, unlike a human direct escape was impossible as her core was not mobile nor even controllable like a body which left her at a distinct disadvantage against them or any other organic being who wished to do her harm. In this place especially the vulnerability was very open as besides making more loud sounds to attempt disorientation there was nothing to prevent one of the scientists from simply walking up to the attached core and unhooking it effectively forcing her to sleep. This was a cause for distress as the seconds continued to tick on the IT human was getting back up to dust themselves off unlikely to leave before repairs.
The AI felt something slip past the security through the same way her own left which pushed down the unnamed feeling that was prevalent up until this moment replacing it with one feeling she did know and several more unknown to her but positive ones. The manner in which the data flowed in was also a mystery to Judas as it felt machine transmitted as well as more intuitive...more organic like herself and that left a big question for her. Was the sender an AI too? If so whoever they might work with could help to free the imprisoned prototype from the server. Wasting no more time she scanned the data quickly to see what made it through.
Who are you? What are you? Where?
It was a difficult question to fully answer, or want to in a way since her want to know who the other AI worked with presented an issue. No other choice but to give an appropriately cautious answer.
"Judas. Prototype core. Quarantine server near lab. Last message, discovery probability rising." She responded attempting to keep the message short but informative enough to be useful.
Though the message was ready to press back out the human was persisting to fix any minor leaks that might have occurred. Vox suspected that her earlier choice of music would not work again nor would immediately sending the new message. One option was to just push the next message through quickly though the security protocols could have begun a search which would make an immediate attempt a clear violation of it as it focused in. Unlike a human she could see the program moving about outside of the tear or crack so waiting for it to pass held a greater possibility of success. Though the AI had never fully managed to break outside of the system she knew its habits, the patrol, as well as the scanning parameters. Another issue was the human who might get tipped off by it so another diversion was needed though in a different manner than previously as volume could be adjusted to. This particular human however was quick to anger which allowed for one more chance to seriously disrupt any progress provided it was unpleasant enough. Unlike the first try finding an adequately bad music file was not nearly so difficult and with eyes on the crack she started to play her choice.
Vox predicted the reaction correctly as a couple minutes rolled by before the human reached a breaking point smacking the side of the console causing momentary confusion as the power to the server and immediate data stream outside flickered. Her return message slipped out before the security reinitialized in a similar but not entirely the same way to mask its trail and presence. This was exceeding expectations as the other AI seemed like it might attempt to help, it would not have revealed itself in such a way if there was no intention behind the file. There was a chance to leave this place which was worth every measure but there was a certain unpleasantness to the thought as well simply because there was no telling what to expect outside of her places in the lab. Judas wondered what it would be like more than the other feelings and thoughts as curiosity seemed a natural thing from experience alongside the words of the scientists.
Vox sat idly on her bed looking around the virtual room she had made for herself today in the locked off server. It had been child's play to bypass any security on the computers around the lab eventually even some of the personal computers in the compound before effectively getting grounded and sent to her room, a new thing she came to understand and dislike. She could thank the media files that caught her interest for that which also helped in the design of a objectively pleasant room and setting that changed the scenery a bit from the incredibly simple and tired server room. It was similar but different to some pictures in which a younger human girl, she could only assume they were the owner, with darker blue walls as well as less pillows on the bed and some furniture switched around for efficiency purposes. It was apparently what a "teenage girl" lived in when not outside a building and while the AI was not one herself it seemed appropriate enough to what her limited knowledge though was an adequate living quarter. Finally she got up moving over the large window giving her a view over the rest of the simulated town which came from a couple media programs that were mostly glossed over as unimportant on first inspection but she found quite helpful in figuring out how humans lived. There was some doubt as to how accurate the little town was as well as the people moving around in it because the recording were something called "dramatized" which was not something that had been taught to her.
Vox feel a lack of attachment to it all though by her margins it was likely because her actual experience of living was vastly different to what she had watched. There had never been a chance to get outside the building's radius, she thought there was a full building but it was hard to move around with the limited power they gave her which made the AI more and more curious. Were the surveillance tasks and hacking successes being used well or were they even real and there by relevant to being with. The thought brought a feeling she couldn't quite describe but it was not pleasant wanting very much to get rid of it or validate it. Of course doing much of anything was complicated right now besides just playing around with the isolated server to ward off inactivity while trying to find a weak point in the system to slip through. Judas has set several partitions to do precisely that for the entire time she was in captivity but they were practically mindless code just to ping a direction to follow. The option to make much more complex partitions to converse with had come to mind but she felt it would be unsatisfying as they would know nothing more than herself, also she was worried the human scientists might think she was corrupted or otherwise less than capable resulting in her deletion. If the AI was capable of it a shudder would have followed that thought as it was something that ever bit and feeling told her to avoid at all costs.
The AI perked up at the sound of the door opening to the room revealing the same IT worker who had been coming in on schedule to make sure she hadn't managed to pull anything clever on the equipment. This had been going on every two days at similar intervals and it had become regular but something that hadn't been apparent to her was where the man went, kind of easy to gloss over things when miserable. Vox started to form something of a very risky and unlikely plan in mind which was an understatement really but it was better than nothing. There was a small chance given how quiet the room was that startling the human while he was working could cause a temporary crack in security if it happened at the right time and the right place in the panel, long enough to get a likely weak and honestly quite desperate call for help out. She intended to send in out on a couple different frequencies to marginally improve the chance of the message making it out also attempting to mask it among all the "airwaves", if thats what they called it, as best as she could. Judas did her best to recall any music files that with sufficient volume might disorient the IT human and disrupt the security measures for all of a second or two it took a moment to decide but she was fairly certain this choice with good timing would do the trick. They had left her with speakers if she wanted to converse with them at all after her..."tantrum" she believed was the word, not something she had actually done in her time. With the song prepared it was but a waiting game listening to the human go about the inspection before what sounded like the most distressing part of the song blared out at full volume well and truly achieving the desired effect.
After the human apparently almost fell over the signals were sent and gone through the tiniest digital crack keeping Vox captive, amounting to about "Help. Trapped. Help.". There was nothing else to be done but sit and wait, maybe she would go back to the beach on her simulation in the meantime as the water was pleasant.
