FalloutJack

Titans of Gotham

Although Peacekeeper appeared to act as an ordinary well-trained human being, the possibility of his physique being enhanced in some way - such as by technology - was always in the cards. However, Zen wouldn't know until he encountered him personally or found some clue from data to support this. As it happened, though, this confrontation yielded proper results. He had cybernetic limbs, proven first by one of his attacks connecting with a metallic sound, and then Monolith using his unyielding force to pull off the arm. With the situation swiftly turning in their favor, they were now in a damage control state in this fight.

LOCATION: Gotham PD Blimp Station (Abandoned).

STATUS: Primary objective reached.

NEW OBJECTIVES:

-Secure Peacekeeper 01 for capture.
-Determine best method of dealing with battle injuries.
-Escape detection by authorities.

Landing, Zen approached Monolith without delay and - without making any move to interrupt his attacks as of yet - jabbed his fingers into the connector area for Peacekeeper's missing limb. There was a sudden electical jolt, which could stun the man and short-circuit his limbs' primary motivators, and then Zen interfered. Both the arm Monolith was swinging and the leg that Zen had previously hit were quickly caught in his scissor claws, and they pressed down to crumple both.

"That will not be necessary, Monolith. He isn't going anywhere."

This left Objectives Two and Three now, which Natalie and Jeremy began to address with understandable distress. Zen decided to be the answer to both, at least insofar as Bolt's situation was concerned.

"Yes, I can fly, and very fast."

He'd move towards Bolt with that swift mechanical pace of his, already planning his exit route.

"It would be best if I left immediately. You will have to transport Peacekeeper yourselves, and do so quickly. Someone will have noticed this action, however brief."

Provided Bolt didn't resist being picked up, he would do so and go, saying "Do not shock me.". Their destination? Well...there should be some sort of Crime Alley Memorial Hospital or something, right? Something that'd been supported for those who weren't made of money, but staffed with good doctors?

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Last Flag of Zeon (Martian & FalloutJack)

The frequency of attacks in the African region - or lack thereof - was a subject of debate among those in the Steel Sharks, a group named for their unbreakable deathgrip upon others, once the jaws clench shut. Those who had been here longer than Axton rightly told him that the beginning of the war saw plenty of action in this area, as one fifth of Zeon's opening forces landed here, and according to the plan, was to become the main support area of the offensive. Alot of the materials seized materials by Zeon moved through here to either reach some other part of the war, or get sent back up into space. Anyone who knew anything about war could tell you about supply lines. Well, this was that, a strong link in the chain that had been attacked plenty of times in the past, and repelled by their group, among others.

Nevertheless, this was to become a non-issue at the beginning of this day, in the Universal Century Year 0080. Today, they would announce the end of the war, and as the others began to shake themselves out of their New Years stupor and start addressing the issue that had been placed in their lap, a number of them would notice Lieutenant Thompson was not among them. They remembered her there last night, drinking and eating with 'em. She might've taken the war rather seriously, perhaps the very reason she was as skilled as she was, but she'd never turn down food and drink with good times among others...for the most part. There was a subtle divide there, something in her eyes. The terror of war didn't shock her. It hadn't made her a laughing maniac or a monster, but Crea Thompson was ideal as a soldier of Zeon. She fought for her country, but didn't go at great length about it. She had killed plenty, some in this very lake, but felt little over it. When asked about the killing others, Crew had said...

"This war is a mass-slaughter in both direction. If you want to win, people have to die. I will not whine about it, and I sure as hell won't cheapen it, either. I'm gonna kill 'em until they stop fighting me and mine. That's all that matters."

Zeon fought to keep Earth at bay, to keep them out of their way. It was a cause worth fighting for, and - beyond the politics of it all - it was a cause made practical. They could not operate in total autonomy while Earth looked upon them with greedy, controlling eyes. But in any case, Crea wasn't here among the others. Given the situation, there were only so many places she would be, and a perfectly rational reason why that place would be her Mobile Suit. Right now, the Gouf was stationed about waist-deep in water, crouched and ready to go, as it often did. She'd stationed it there because of the clear and obvious advantage in putting a blue humanoid mech in the middle of Africa in the only source of water around. Attempts by Feddies to act in or around the lake usually procked her arrival, a swift attack, and the removal of remnants and bodies afterwards. The Acguy was better-suited for that kind of ambush, but Crea was good at it.

Right now, inside the cockpit, she was asleep, having stepped in here to keep away from a load of drunken pilots and soldiers she didn't feel like entertaining some of the things that might show up on their minds. This wouldn't last long, as she generally started her day with a bit of scouting, once she'd received some intel from the night shift in their Dopps. As she did a stretch, she also switched on, and outside they would see the Gouf's eye shimmering to life. Next, she got on radio.

"Night crew, this is your relief call. Give me your telemetry. What's good out there?"

"We spotted some activity, directly south, but Lieutenant, listen... There's been an announcement by the Federation-"

"The Feddies are always up in arms about something. That's why we're here. Report to Major Sone, get some R&R. I'm doing my rounds."

That was a Gouf getting ready for some combat, quickly checking its armaments before it would go.

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Last Flag of Zeon (Martian & FalloutJack)

Crea Thompson

CREA THOMPSON>>>>>

Picture of Crea
Picture of Mobile Suit
(Both are large.)

AGE
25

GENDER
Hetero Female

RANK
"Acting First, Special, or Whatever Lieutenant I need it to be at the present moment."

MOBILE SUIT
MS-07B Gouf

PERSONALITY TRAITS
Focused, Stubborn, Even-Tempered, De-Sensitized, Experienced, Destructive

HISTORY

The backbone of Side 3 and every Zeon territory has always been the honest working class of those who set out into space to pave their own way of life. As much as Zeon would become demonized in the eyes of Earth, the fact is that neither side is very innocent, just having alot of good points about the other's conduct, and very little room to get out of each other's way, despite the vastness of space. Among those who headed on out, those that support the very structure of Zeon - who helped BUILD Side 3, among other things - were respected in their own right, and ultimately one of the reasons Zeon went to war. They are the people. When you say 'We do this for the people of Zeon', you mean these people, the hard-working men and women of Zeon.

The Federation had an iron grip on space, something that colonists like those of Zeon objected to and felt the sting of as it was difficult to get enough food or carry on the work in this state. The Thompson family was among those who grumbled and demanded that something be done. Zeon Zum Deikun was a fine leader, respected by many, but he couldn't fully-quell the anger felt towards Earth. When he died, the last floodgate towards violence was open, and when the Zabi family declared rule and called upon Zeon to prepare to strike at Earth itself, the Thompsons were in. They were the everyperson of Zeon, with plenty of different backgrounds that you would call upon in a civil manner, but for wartime, you either need them to support the cause at home, or join the army and become soldiers.

Crea joined the military. Not possessing the strong back of her other family members, she thought it better if she put her efforts towards killing people, and therefore trained to become a Mobile Suit pilot. There was a bit of test piloting to get through to stabilize these hulking giants, and so at the beginning of all things, she found herself staring out the main head camera of a Zaku-1, wondering why in all the hell there was an obstruction right in the middle of everything...before carefully ripping it out in order to see properly. If you want to know why the Zaku-2s were built differently, that's one of the reasons. Crea encouraged others to tear them out in favor of better visibility.

While this matter was a fair point about the design flaw, it was never her decision to make regarding the solution. As a disciplinary action, Crea was thrust into the regular enlisted training route to try to curb this sort of behavior. It was meant to remove any possibility of insubbordination, but it didn't exactly work. You could get her to follow orders, but only to a point. If she had a better idea, she was going to implement it, and sometimes it yielded results. Not to say that this was a shining moment to put her in command, as she would bad-mouth commanders she didn't agree with, but it showed that her skills were honed and it was time to get back into a Mobile Suit.

The first wave - the intense wave of colony-dropping, nuclear detonation, and chemical warfare - had passed. Zeon had pushed Earth and pushed it hard. But then, word had gotten out from a certain General that Zeon's coffers were looking kind of empty, that they were lacking in further support for their war effort. Not entirely true, as they were taking things right out of Earth to pay their way after the initial push, but it was enough to instigate the push-back with enemy Mobile Suits. They needed people on the ground to engage these machines - weapons that the Federation were still inexperienced with - and take 'em down. Crea was given one of the remaining Gouf units and sent to join the Midnight Fenrir Steel Shark MS attack unit. She would be there, in Africa, even as a certain engineer was later sent down there to join them.

News and rumors from the surrounding area didn't bother her. In fact, Crea ignored most things as potential propaganda until verified by someone a bit more trustworthy than some random individual saying stuff, focused more on the killing with her big blue mecha.

Titans of Gotham

They didn't have a proper plan to deal with Peacekeeper once the fight started because they didn't know all of his tactics. That was why Zen cautioned them to his merciless professional attitude in order for them to keep up the defense and watch each other as the fight progresses. Other than that, the only viable info to deliver besides that would be - since PK-01 was a guy with guns - to disarm him, bind him, and knock him out, which he didn't need to tell them how to do, since they had all done that to others by this point. OF course, everything was suddenly interrupted by the fact that Bolt was gone, leading Zen to facepalm with an audible Clunk!

"Normally, when the plan doesn't survive the engagement, it gets to be engaged first."

Why did he go? Yes, he was angry, but this was literally a plan of attack he'd been putting together so they could all fight their enemy. They were actively defying Oracle in favor of retribution for Gemini, so why couldn't Bolt wait? He would've enjoyed tearing into Peacekeeper's base while they pull the proverbial rug from beneath him. Instead, they were the ones on that rug, quickly needing to jump or be thrown askew. It was at this point that Tiara, sensing both that they had to act quick and that she had to help her friends now or bad things would happen, decided to bite the bullet and get them over to the site via the shadows. They were ALL transported - admittedly, not all of them prepared - and would now be in a position to help Bolt. As a result, though, the strain caused Tia to go through some unseen pain, and then fall limp into Zen's grasp.

"Tia, are you- Heartbeat regular, otherwise unresponsive. Passed out from the effort."

Immediately, he began assessing the situation. Zen was combat-capable, but he would not be doing much if he had to keep Tiara safe. His previous statement involving Peacekeeper meant that he could not leave her, lest a bullet or explosion find her. The darkness of the blimp station meant that the power was off, meaning Bolt's actions had led to the disablement of power and thus automated artillery, so there did have that. That made things a little better, although he still couldn't leave Tia alone out here. With this, Monolith charged in, stating that he would sset off the traps since they wouldn't likely hurt him, or not as much. Natalie couldn't wait for long, even though Oscar - He tended to just call himself Monolith even at their base, seriously. - asked them to do so in order to draw fire. Jeremy also went in. There wasn't much else that could be done, since PK was obviously still fighting Bolt and he would be taken off-guard NOW, not later. Then, after that, it was Travis who said to hand Tiara over to him, saying he wouldn't do much good in there.

"You would be surprised, but thank you."

Zen could think of several ways in which Travis could tactically master his abilities in a situation, even one as hairy as this. However, now was not the time. He handed over their Shade Walker and moved aside, so neither of them would be caught in the backwash of his engines firing.

His engines would allow him to catch up to the others in no time at all. He was only housed with default units, nothing ot the Trask special armaments or thicker armor. No matter. He was lighter as himself, and would take advantage of that. Of all the people in this building, the one best-suited to dodge bullets - via immediate vector pathing from the angle of the barrel at the instant he could see a trigger depression - was him. Really, any human could dodge bullets by moving before the gun was fired, knowing that it was going to fire. Zen could just do it AS it was being fired. In any case, the interior of the place was rather spaceous, and since three of his allies would be taking up the floor after the traps were set off, Zen would fly in, grab some ground with his hands, skid to a halt with feet and hands, then launch upwards to gain the aerial view of the situation while deploying his pulse gun undermounts.

He would open fire on Peacekeeper's legs with forceful impacts. If he cracked a joint or broke a leg, the man would be very incapacitated, both now and in future.

Titans of Gotham

There was, understandably, some pushback on the idea of taking on Peacekeeper. The funny thing was that Zen did not regard any of this as reckless. They knew him will enough that her operated under a calculable level of certainty, that this was his area of expertise, and if he could fathom a means to take down an opponent with the resources at hand, that he would execute it. It was the reason that he was here, and he would not shirk that duty. The only thing of it was that people weren't resources, and so their cooperation had to be convinced, their relative safety assured. Zen would not have it any other way. It is what his creator intended...

Still, there were two things of importance brought up, right now, apart from the general level of inexperience: First, that Monolith was mentioning the use of traps - which were a likelyhood - and second, that Tiara could transport more than herself. The second point was far more important because of how it was emotionally locking her up. Tia couldn't see a way around this, to catch Peacekeeper by surprise, unless they all teleported in. She expected it to be a suicidal shooting gallery, otherwise. They were just entering the planning stage now, and Zen would have addressed how likely it was that they'd need a stealthy approach himself, but it was pre-empted by the others. As Monolith said 'Start planning', Zen spoke up again.

"I intended to. A good plan will help with our confidence, and I would never leave home without one."

Planning and execution were pretty much his bread-and-butter. So, as the android began pointing at the building blueprints...

"It is true that Peacekeeper will have traps and armaments set in place if this is his base of operations. The doors into the building could be boobytrapped with gun turrets placed behind them, or they could be simply rigged to explode. The windows of the building could have weapons trained to cover the normal approaches, and the roof section where the blimps would normally dock may contain anti-aircraft weapons."

Yes. He thinks about thesr things all the time.

"The only safe places in situations such as these would be out of the field of fire, the arc by which normal weapon placements cannot extend and require his personal touch to repel attackers. Further, any approach from beneath his location - as there would be some form of access that way - will be laden with traps to make it completely impassable. That is why an assault is unlikely to succeed, as some of you are concerned about. That is why I suggest one of three attack plans, or a reasonable variation thereof."

He held up an index finger.

"One - a stealth maneuver. If Travis is covered in an insulating fabric, his powers will render him invisible to even thermal scanners, and thus be able to approach the building. The main concern would be heat build-up, since it is assumed that if he leaves a heat trace, he builds up heat. However, while in this state, he could operate with near-impunity to open a path or disable power. Since Peacemaker is likely not on a dedicated powergrid, he must be using his own source, so that is a potential weakness and an opening for the rest of us to come in. This puts alot of pressure on one person, but if you are not detected, you are not suspected, and once done you can get out of there to regroup with us. Even if it isn't possible to disable his base, you could still bring back useful information to us."

He held up his second finger.

"Two - disablement and sabotage. As stated, Peacekeeper's hideout is very likely well-defended. However, as this is Old Gotham, there is nothing prohibiting us from using our abilities to lean on these armaments until they break. We don't even need to risk ourselves, just determine the limitations of what he is using to defend himself and systematically break them down from a distance until the only useful defense he has is himself. That is something that Bolt and I will be effective in, in this case. Someone would also have to watch underground approaches - which again, sounds like a decent job for you, Travis - to make sure he is not making his escape. To make his base into his prison is a more protracted sort of action, though. It may gain attention, so while this has potential for success, It may not be wisse for the consequences that follow."

Zen looked around at the others, lowering his hand now.

"That just leaves the third, and I apologize Tiara, as this one is because you spoke up on your abilities. The third idea is a diversionary tactic. He expects an attack, so we launch one with several of acting to disable his defenses and keep him occupied. This will allow another team to get inside to open the path for the rest and to begin the attack in earnest."

He turn turned to Tiara directly now.

"You are concerned that you will lose one of us if you transport us all inside. What about one or two? Any number of us with even a few seconds unobserved on the inside could make life difficult or impossible for him if he does not see it coming, but if you are still worried about losing someone, I will be the one. I will not let go. Not ever."

Titans of Gotham

While the others were somewhere in the order or desiring to go or not being certain of their readiness, Zen was cycling through rampant amounts of data, which flashed several images on the screen at once for less than a fraction of a second each while a mental analysis determined the usefulness of the images, in regards to tracking down Peacekeeper 01. Once he had found what he was looking for, and the team had confirmed who was going to find the man, he would suit up in his Trask armor to maintain anonymity.

Sub-Query: If the Peacekeeper gives himself the '01' designation, does that imply that there are more, or that he is the rated number one Peacekeeper?

Information regarding possibility of another Peacekeeper is sparse, as true motivations are unknown. However, it would be possible for another person to take up the mantle, regardless of intentions.

He continued... Camera evidence of some of Peacekeeper's movements, claims of his passing began to correlate and confirm these movements, locking off others that - while confirmed, did not lead anywhere.

No. Negative. This is another false lead. Witness Account 33-A paints this as deception. Target has doubled back in order to lead pursuers down the wrong path. Eliminating branches 3, 6, and 8. Pursuing branch 11 now.

He had narrowed the field to Old Gotham, with an increased difficulty in establishing a location, until he had three branching paths where it was possible that taken a severe left turn towards the waterfront, ducked into old Gotham law offices, or...

Pathing indicates greater desire for stealth in alleys now. Negative on left field movement, secondary and tertiary targets still-

Target seen exiting roof to enter tertiary location at extreme range of surveillance.

Confirmed. Target location acquired.

Zen would disconnect, and even as Natalie cleared a space on the table, they would all hear him approach.

"I have located Peacekeeper 01 at a disused police blimp station located in Old Gotham. There is a greater than 90% probability that this is a base of operations, temporary or otherwise. In either case, it is likely occupied at this present moment, so we must plan quickly."

He put down several printed sheets of paper. One was the photo evidence of Peacekeeper's presense. One was an old photo of the Gotham PD blimp station when it was originally in use. The third was an old design of the location in question. All of this was obtainable on the net if you knew where to look. It wasn't even illegal to have them.

"All evidence points to Peackeeper operating in keeping with some of my original designs. That is, being a well-armed combatant who acts decisively in the heat of any conflict. Because he is human, he will be well-trained in combat, but limited to what he can carry and store on his person, which is less than my own capacity, but still lethally-capable, as we all know. If we assume his style of combat to be soldier-like, he will not leave things to chance while in battle. We must watch out for each other in this, as he will make certain to confirm the kill if we do not."

He looked at them all, his triplet of red eyes panning around.

"Peacekeeper is a combatant without mercy. He should be considered lucky that we are willing to do better."

Titans of Gotham

@Birdboy Yes. This question came before you edited, so it made sense at the time, but since the comment is gone, no worries.

Titans of Gotham

@Birdboy Can you explain thee Robocop Jr. comment? Need some context to respond.

Also, my computer was out while the discord link was active. Can I get a new one?

Titans of Gotham

@Omega Man If the cameo in the flashback portion of my post is not allowed, let me know and I'll change it to something else.

Titans of Gotham

Two Weeks Ago...

Metropolis wasn't his target city, but considering the distance he had covered in the night, and the fact that daylight was not far off, he had requirements that needed to be met before that time, and in order to prepare for proper insertion. This was a clandestine effort on his part, and so secrecy to some extent was required. His efforts had been quick, efficient, and within reasonable tolerances to remain unknown. The only problem was that he was unaware that he had been discovered and was being followed. But then, given the situation that unfolded, it was of no real surprise, given his location. Thus, after obtaining a disguise and locating a small hotel complex in the lower east side of town, the concealed form of Zen entered his newly-acquired room. That was when the figure in the dark turned on the lamp next to his chair and smiled.

"Now, I'm not angry, but would you mind explaining just what you're doing here?"

To the onlooker, he only looked minorly suspicious, nothing seriously worth being concerned about. This man, however, could see past that, at least through the clothing layer. Taking off the trenchcoat, the Hawaiian t-shirt, and the shorts that he had acquired from a display window, it seemed like it might be better to explain, in this situation.

"Nothing technically illegal, I assure you."

That got him an eyebrow raise from the man.

"Nothing illegal, huh? So, the broken window and the clothing you removed from the store aren't an issue?"

"Not if they are swiftly reimbursed via currency gathered from the net by picking up the small percent of credit flow rounded off during various transactions. It is the equivalent of picking old currency pennies from the ground, done many times."

"That's shaving it rather thin. I honestly considered taking you down, but I was curious when I saw you'd casually broken up a mugging from the building you initially landed on."

There had been one. He scared off the muggers with a hail of gunfire, and nobody was ever the wiser, only safer. It was his programming, his ultimate goal, after all.

"As I said, I'm not angry, but I would like to know what a military-grade robot is up to in MY city."

Zen looked him over, then took a seat nearby. If anybody would understand, it'd be him...

"Can you keep a secret for me?"

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Present Day...

The news about Gemini rattled the other human members of the team. For their robotic compatriot, the reaction was different. They had seen that he was 100% machine, an artificial being that only any material like food as an alternative energy form in emergencies, and that was generally through an openable slot under his armpit. Everything about him was going to be different, and yet his drive and goals were the same here. He wan't to do some good and make a difference. At this time, Zen had finished a tune-up of his parts to make sure they were at peak efficiency, and he was practicing his martial arts. Without hitting any of the gym equipment, mind you. That stuff could break under enough pressure.

When he saw the reactions of the others, with some defeated and depressed reactions, the android remained motionless and thinking. Oracle had informed them, and then ordered them not to move on Peace Keeper. This may have been to protect them, or it may have been to keep them from doing anything 'half-cocked', as it were. This was undestandable from a tactical standpoint, which he saw some of the merit in. However, it did not sit well for him - a combat machine with almost nothing to do if he remained here - to just lounge around, waiting for information. The death of his creator and the chance to realize his dream brought him here to Gotham, and he would not simply stand idle.

He would stand and do something else. So, as Oscar went to console Tiara, Zen would be heard walking up to the nearest computer console.

"Correct. We will begin by gathering our own intel, right from here."

The blue-black android would attach a cord from his belt to the system and begin interacting with it, as he'd done on a regular basis. He could move rather quickly online, and usually not ruffle a feather when finding necessary details. Tracking the movements of people - potential targets - was already a part of his programming. This was no different, as he sought to follow the traceable portions of the movements of Gemini from his last known position, as well as Peace Keeper. This was not even disobeying Oracle, really, so she shouldn't even object.