***
Lora'lai flew well over the top of Strigas volcano, staying well clear of the many anti-air guns the Council had all over their major base, then flew down
towards where Just Another Archer had wanted them to meet. She blinked at the sight of a Council soldier not standing far from her, but given there were
already several other members of the Legendary present, along with Silicon Sabre from Riot Force, she assumed there'd be a good reason.
"So, what's the emergency?" she asked as she landed on the grass. "You don't usually call for a task force without a good reason,"
she added. Just Another Archer looked up, grinning slightly. Lora paused, taking a good look at the magical girl. Alice had visibly changed from the last time
she'd seen her, only a few days ago. A coat of soft white fur covered her face, not enough to obscure her features, but it certainly made the purple
framing her face stand out better.
The grin widened as she took in the look of surprise on the Peacebringers face. "This is Hess," she said. "A few days ago, Quicksilver Nano and
I trashed part of the Council headquarters with him in it, and he used the chance to sneak a note into my pocket. He's offering to help us with a threat
being built by an Archon named Burkholder, which will dwarf even Atlas himself."
Lora glanced at the masked soldier, who merely stood there, unmoving under the heroes scrutiny. She motioned for Alice to come with her. The girl nodded, and
they moved a short distance away. "The Council doesn't have many defectors," she said softly.
"I know," Alice replied. "But were were already investigating Burkholder before he slipped the note, and he's provided the location of the
Councils main robot factory. We may not be able to blow up the whole base, but we should be able to make a mess."
"You think it's worth the risk?" the Legendary leader asked, watching Alice. The girl nodded in reply, eyes certain. "Then we take the
shot," she said, getting a small smile in response. "By the way," she said as Alice started to turn back. "What's with the..." She
trailed off.
"The fur? Doctors think it's a delayed effect of my powers getting knocked around by Terra Volta," she sighed. "Full body coat. Hot, AND it
itches like a devil," she scowled, before glancing at the softly laughing cat on her shoulder. "Don't you start," she warned.
"You've been entirely too smug lately. Keep it up and you're sleeping in the laundry."
"You wouldn't dare," Neko said, smile vanishing.
"Try me, fuzzbutt," she replied. Lora'lai suppressed a laugh as the cat shut up.
***
Events moved faster then anyone had expected, as Task Force Puzzle (They'd started using a random word generator after the infamous Task Force Save my
Crotch) found themselves causing all sorts of havoc across the Council headquarters, never staying in one place long enough to be pinned down, but hitting
often enough in the right places to throw the Council into a panic.
All in all, it was going very smoothly, aside from a moment when a discussion on lethal force gave Alice a glimpse into a part of Terrence's life she'd
never imagined. Watching the eternally cheerful, friendly unstoppable force suddenly show a side of bitterness, of guilt, that wouldn't have seemed out of
place in someone from the streets, left her slightly stunned. As they paused in dismantling Council radar and communication towers, she watched him, locked
onto the expression on his face. Guilt, shame.. regret?
"I wanted to help people and give them a feeling of safety and protection," he said softly. "Not scare the hell out of them."
"But, 'ey, yer all cool and reliable now. Yer got the bugs worked out? That's good, right?" Payload asked, the massive robot trying to be
reassuring, as much as he could from his understanding of how humans worked.
From where he was standing on lookout, William Bishop turned to regard Terrence. "Unless you used that power to abuse those you swore to protect, you were
not a monster, son," he said in a surprisingly gentle voice for the older man. "They may not understand that," he admitted, "but you
should."
"Oh I never was an evil person," Terrence said. "I always helped people out as much as I could," he continued. "It's just, I was
too savage when push came to shove..." Watching nearby, Valles didn't say anything, merely hugging her girlfriend tightly. Braende managed a weak
smile, patting the Peacebringers arm.
"Hey, just 'cause the product's got some issues in beta don't mean it ain't a good piece of code," Payload said, patting him on the
the shoulder. Terrence looked up at him, taking in the robots expressionless face and smiled, getting his meaning.
"I think that change of heart and me realizing what I had become... is what prompted the being that initially sent me to that dimension to send me here
instead. To help me regain much of my lost humanity... so to speak," he said. His voice had shifted from regret to one of soft joy, as he thought about
just what life in Paragon had given him.
"Anything I could think of to say would sound vapid and cliche," said Valles softly, even though she was smiling again. Alice stood there for a
moment, before she listened to the little voice inside her head and darted forward, hugging him gently.
Terrence looked at her, slightly surprised, then smiled as Neko used the chance to transfer to his shoulder and reinforce the non-verbal statement.
"Coming here has done worlds of good for my tainted heart," he said, returning the hug gently. "Thanks."
Nearby, Silicon Sabre and Lora'lai glanced at each other. Silicon merely shrugged, face hidden behind her helmet, as Lora'lai smiled and went to see if
the coast was clear.
***
"I think we can confirm that this volcano is active, and not just pumping out smoke from all the Councils mad science," William Bishop mused half an
hour later as Task Force Puzzle finished clearing out a series of walkways that, for reasons Alice couldn't work out, were hanging over a pool of molten
lava.
Brande had banished her Legendary uniform, going for clothes that were a lot less frustrating in heat. Bishop was handling it through, Alice suspected, sheer
stubborn determination, Payload and Silicon had their cooling systems dialed up, the Peacebringers seemed unaffected, and Terrence was...well, Terrence. She
and Neko weren't doing nearly as well. The cat was slumped on her shoulder and she was drenched in sweat, costume pulling at her fur and itching like mad.
"You going to be alright?" Terrence asked gently, moving over to her. She wiped at her face and glanced at him, resisting the urge to claw at her
costume and try and stop that madness inducing itching. As she wiped at her face again, she made a decision.
"Hold her please," she said, passing him Neko and unclipping her cape. Terrence blinked in slight confusion, then went red as she pulled off her
jacket and undid the bodysuit underneath, revealing a modest set of underwear. She looked at his face and grinned. "Come on Terr, it's not like
you've never seen this sort of thing before," she teased.
"What's with the case removal?" Payload wondered.
"Impeding her cooling systems," Silicon said smoothly, translating to robot standards easily. He nodded, accepting that as Valles took the costume
and stored it... somewhere.
"You know the amusing thing?" Brande mused, looking at Archers coat. "She's still actually decently covered compared to some heroes."
Bishop coughed slightly, trying to keep a smile from his face. "It does cover and hide everything," he admitted. Alice took Neko back and picked up
her bow, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Well, lets keep moving before my brain catches up to me," she said with a grin, continuing on. The others looked at each other, then shrugged and
followed.
***
The end of Task Force Puzzles adventure on Striga Isle would later be ranked by Alice as one of the highlights of her career as the team battled their way up
the walkways and ramps surrounding a Mek Man that may well have been bigger then both Atlas and Talos, destroying autoguns and fighting a steady stream of
Council soldiers and conventional Mek Men, all to get at the one man that could operate the giant, it's creator, the twisted Archon Burkholder.
Archer sprinted up some stairs, ducked nimbly under a soldier and blasted him off the railing with a telekinetic shove, sending him falling to the ground far,
far below. "It's like the whole base is trying to get in here!" she snapped, summoning several arrows and launching them all at once, nailing a
duo of soldiers.
"Only Mek Men, standard soldiers, and some Galaxies," Neko said from her shoulder. "Odd that there would be none of their Vampires... Archer, to
your right!" Archer spun, realizing that the walkways had reached the giant robots shoulders. And standing on a platform next to its head was a Council
Archon with a bulky cybernetic left arm. Her eyes widened as he turned towards her, then leapt from the platform to the giant Mek Man, sprinting across the
shoulder pad towards her.
"Burkholder!" Payload roared, leaping off the walkway at the Archon. "We need to discuss how you treat your robots!" Burkholder growled,
lunging at him. There was a crash as their punches clashed, and Payload winced as the Archons claws ripped at his hand. As the warbot backed up, Archer and
Bishop opened fire, while Terrence smashed the Mek Men trying to get up the stairs.
"Fools!" Burkholder growled, driving Payload back before leaping onto the walkway and charging at Bishop and Archer. "Even if you defeat me
here, you'll never gain the power of my greatest creation!" Bishop dodged wrong and got backhanded away as Archer ducked, then lashed up with her
mental powers, trying to drive him to his knees. That did manage to hurt him, but little else before he kicked her away. "The Zenith Mek Man is my
masterpiece, my greatest-" he was shut up as Lora and Valles flew up past him and unleashed their energy powers.
Archer got to her knees, force pushed a Mek Man off the walkway, before her eyes widened as she realized just what she'd seen in the Archons mind.
"He's set a self destruct!" she yelled, drawing the task forces attention.
Burkholder laughed as weapons fire forced the Kheldians to take cover. "Little kitty, looking where you're not supposed to," he taunted.
"You need to be taught better-" he spun, catching Silicon Sabres blade in his claw, only to find that was a distraction as Bishop nailed him in the
leg.
"Lora'lai, I saw an exit by the giants feet!" Neko called out. The Peacebringer nodded, diving down towards the lower levels, shifting forms in a
blaze of light. The regrouping soldiers at the bottom didn't have time to react before the Kheldians White Dwarf form crashed into them.
"A self destruct?" Silicon said, parrying the Archons claw and counterattacking. "Honestly, how cliche can you be?"
"The Zenith is my finest work," Burkholder said, hissing as she carved a gash in his arm. "It will grant me a legacy of fear and respect beyond
any lifetime. A place in the Councils highest ranks." He pushed Silicon back. "You can understand why I can't let it fall into the wrong
hands."
"Say when!" Lora'lai called out, her voice ringing through the comm-links. Sabre ducked as Burkholder swung. Just beyond his reach, he could see
Valles floating, energy ripping around her. He tried to duck, but slammed right into the Paragon Sabre pushing him back up into the line of fire.
Payload winced as the blasts caught Burkholder right in the face, snapping his head back and flipping him over in midair. He slammed into the walkway, out like
a light. Not missing the chance, the robot leapt off the giant Council war machine, landing near the Archon and picking him up.
"WHEN!" Archer yelled. There was a hard shift of reality, and then they were all at the feet of the Zenith, Lora'lai still glowing slightly from
the group teleport as she threw the doors open. Task Force Puzzle didn't hesitate, breaking into a run even as sirens began to wail and the first
explosions began.
No one tried to stop them. After all, even though the explosions would most likely only devastate Burkholders robot factories and Zenith hanger, no one really
wanted to be there when that happened. Which meant that by the time a large smoke cloud was rising over the volcano, all of the heros were out on the
mountainside, exhausted.
"We should get moving," Alice managed, lying flat on her back. She lifted up a hand, looking at her fur almost stained black. Neko rested on her
stomach, unwilling to move.
"It's a long flight back to port," Lora said. "I don't think I can fly."
"Jump jets do sound so tiring," Silicon mused as Payload tagged the Archon and sent him off to the Zig.
"... what say we just abuse the space-time warping of a mysterious organization we don't know if we can trust?" Alice said after a moment. There
was a chorus of agreements as William Bishop fired up the Ouroboros portal.
It would not be until about eighteen hours later that Alice would realize that not only had she left her costume with Valles, she'd walked through Atlas
Park in only a fur coat.
***
Lora'lai flew well over the top of Strigas volcano, staying well clear of the many anti-air guns the Council had all over their major base, then flew down
towards where Just Another Archer had wanted them to meet. She blinked at the sight of a Council soldier not standing far from her, but given there were
already several other members of the Legendary present, along with Silicon Sabre from Riot Force, she assumed there'd be a good reason.
"So, what's the emergency?" she asked as she landed on the grass. "You don't usually call for a task force without a good reason,"
she added. Just Another Archer looked up, grinning slightly. Lora paused, taking a good look at the magical girl. Alice had visibly changed from the last time
she'd seen her, only a few days ago. A coat of soft white fur covered her face, not enough to obscure her features, but it certainly made the purple
framing her face stand out better.
The grin widened as she took in the look of surprise on the Peacebringers face. "This is Hess," she said. "A few days ago, Quicksilver Nano and
I trashed part of the Council headquarters with him in it, and he used the chance to sneak a note into my pocket. He's offering to help us with a threat
being built by an Archon named Burkholder, which will dwarf even Atlas himself."
Lora glanced at the masked soldier, who merely stood there, unmoving under the heroes scrutiny. She motioned for Alice to come with her. The girl nodded, and
they moved a short distance away. "The Council doesn't have many defectors," she said softly.
"I know," Alice replied. "But were were already investigating Burkholder before he slipped the note, and he's provided the location of the
Councils main robot factory. We may not be able to blow up the whole base, but we should be able to make a mess."
"You think it's worth the risk?" the Legendary leader asked, watching Alice. The girl nodded in reply, eyes certain. "Then we take the
shot," she said, getting a small smile in response. "By the way," she said as Alice started to turn back. "What's with the..." She
trailed off.
"The fur? Doctors think it's a delayed effect of my powers getting knocked around by Terra Volta," she sighed. "Full body coat. Hot, AND it
itches like a devil," she scowled, before glancing at the softly laughing cat on her shoulder. "Don't you start," she warned.
"You've been entirely too smug lately. Keep it up and you're sleeping in the laundry."
"You wouldn't dare," Neko said, smile vanishing.
"Try me, fuzzbutt," she replied. Lora'lai suppressed a laugh as the cat shut up.
***
Events moved faster then anyone had expected, as Task Force Puzzle (They'd started using a random word generator after the infamous Task Force Save my
Crotch) found themselves causing all sorts of havoc across the Council headquarters, never staying in one place long enough to be pinned down, but hitting
often enough in the right places to throw the Council into a panic.
All in all, it was going very smoothly, aside from a moment when a discussion on lethal force gave Alice a glimpse into a part of Terrence's life she'd
never imagined. Watching the eternally cheerful, friendly unstoppable force suddenly show a side of bitterness, of guilt, that wouldn't have seemed out of
place in someone from the streets, left her slightly stunned. As they paused in dismantling Council radar and communication towers, she watched him, locked
onto the expression on his face. Guilt, shame.. regret?
"I wanted to help people and give them a feeling of safety and protection," he said softly. "Not scare the hell out of them."
"But, 'ey, yer all cool and reliable now. Yer got the bugs worked out? That's good, right?" Payload asked, the massive robot trying to be
reassuring, as much as he could from his understanding of how humans worked.
From where he was standing on lookout, William Bishop turned to regard Terrence. "Unless you used that power to abuse those you swore to protect, you were
not a monster, son," he said in a surprisingly gentle voice for the older man. "They may not understand that," he admitted, "but you
should."
"Oh I never was an evil person," Terrence said. "I always helped people out as much as I could," he continued. "It's just, I was
too savage when push came to shove..." Watching nearby, Valles didn't say anything, merely hugging her girlfriend tightly. Braende managed a weak
smile, patting the Peacebringers arm.
"Hey, just 'cause the product's got some issues in beta don't mean it ain't a good piece of code," Payload said, patting him on the
the shoulder. Terrence looked up at him, taking in the robots expressionless face and smiled, getting his meaning.
"I think that change of heart and me realizing what I had become... is what prompted the being that initially sent me to that dimension to send me here
instead. To help me regain much of my lost humanity... so to speak," he said. His voice had shifted from regret to one of soft joy, as he thought about
just what life in Paragon had given him.
"Anything I could think of to say would sound vapid and cliche," said Valles softly, even though she was smiling again. Alice stood there for a
moment, before she listened to the little voice inside her head and darted forward, hugging him gently.
Terrence looked at her, slightly surprised, then smiled as Neko used the chance to transfer to his shoulder and reinforce the non-verbal statement.
"Coming here has done worlds of good for my tainted heart," he said, returning the hug gently. "Thanks."
Nearby, Silicon Sabre and Lora'lai glanced at each other. Silicon merely shrugged, face hidden behind her helmet, as Lora'lai smiled and went to see if
the coast was clear.
***
"I think we can confirm that this volcano is active, and not just pumping out smoke from all the Councils mad science," William Bishop mused half an
hour later as Task Force Puzzle finished clearing out a series of walkways that, for reasons Alice couldn't work out, were hanging over a pool of molten
lava.
Brande had banished her Legendary uniform, going for clothes that were a lot less frustrating in heat. Bishop was handling it through, Alice suspected, sheer
stubborn determination, Payload and Silicon had their cooling systems dialed up, the Peacebringers seemed unaffected, and Terrence was...well, Terrence. She
and Neko weren't doing nearly as well. The cat was slumped on her shoulder and she was drenched in sweat, costume pulling at her fur and itching like mad.
"You going to be alright?" Terrence asked gently, moving over to her. She wiped at her face and glanced at him, resisting the urge to claw at her
costume and try and stop that madness inducing itching. As she wiped at her face again, she made a decision.
"Hold her please," she said, passing him Neko and unclipping her cape. Terrence blinked in slight confusion, then went red as she pulled off her
jacket and undid the bodysuit underneath, revealing a modest set of underwear. She looked at his face and grinned. "Come on Terr, it's not like
you've never seen this sort of thing before," she teased.
"What's with the case removal?" Payload wondered.
"Impeding her cooling systems," Silicon said smoothly, translating to robot standards easily. He nodded, accepting that as Valles took the costume
and stored it... somewhere.
"You know the amusing thing?" Brande mused, looking at Archers coat. "She's still actually decently covered compared to some heroes."
Bishop coughed slightly, trying to keep a smile from his face. "It does cover and hide everything," he admitted. Alice took Neko back and picked up
her bow, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Well, lets keep moving before my brain catches up to me," she said with a grin, continuing on. The others looked at each other, then shrugged and
followed.
***
The end of Task Force Puzzles adventure on Striga Isle would later be ranked by Alice as one of the highlights of her career as the team battled their way up
the walkways and ramps surrounding a Mek Man that may well have been bigger then both Atlas and Talos, destroying autoguns and fighting a steady stream of
Council soldiers and conventional Mek Men, all to get at the one man that could operate the giant, it's creator, the twisted Archon Burkholder.
Archer sprinted up some stairs, ducked nimbly under a soldier and blasted him off the railing with a telekinetic shove, sending him falling to the ground far,
far below. "It's like the whole base is trying to get in here!" she snapped, summoning several arrows and launching them all at once, nailing a
duo of soldiers.
"Only Mek Men, standard soldiers, and some Galaxies," Neko said from her shoulder. "Odd that there would be none of their Vampires... Archer, to
your right!" Archer spun, realizing that the walkways had reached the giant robots shoulders. And standing on a platform next to its head was a Council
Archon with a bulky cybernetic left arm. Her eyes widened as he turned towards her, then leapt from the platform to the giant Mek Man, sprinting across the
shoulder pad towards her.
"Burkholder!" Payload roared, leaping off the walkway at the Archon. "We need to discuss how you treat your robots!" Burkholder growled,
lunging at him. There was a crash as their punches clashed, and Payload winced as the Archons claws ripped at his hand. As the warbot backed up, Archer and
Bishop opened fire, while Terrence smashed the Mek Men trying to get up the stairs.
"Fools!" Burkholder growled, driving Payload back before leaping onto the walkway and charging at Bishop and Archer. "Even if you defeat me
here, you'll never gain the power of my greatest creation!" Bishop dodged wrong and got backhanded away as Archer ducked, then lashed up with her
mental powers, trying to drive him to his knees. That did manage to hurt him, but little else before he kicked her away. "The Zenith Mek Man is my
masterpiece, my greatest-" he was shut up as Lora and Valles flew up past him and unleashed their energy powers.
Archer got to her knees, force pushed a Mek Man off the walkway, before her eyes widened as she realized just what she'd seen in the Archons mind.
"He's set a self destruct!" she yelled, drawing the task forces attention.
Burkholder laughed as weapons fire forced the Kheldians to take cover. "Little kitty, looking where you're not supposed to," he taunted.
"You need to be taught better-" he spun, catching Silicon Sabres blade in his claw, only to find that was a distraction as Bishop nailed him in the
leg.
"Lora'lai, I saw an exit by the giants feet!" Neko called out. The Peacebringer nodded, diving down towards the lower levels, shifting forms in a
blaze of light. The regrouping soldiers at the bottom didn't have time to react before the Kheldians White Dwarf form crashed into them.
"A self destruct?" Silicon said, parrying the Archons claw and counterattacking. "Honestly, how cliche can you be?"
"The Zenith is my finest work," Burkholder said, hissing as she carved a gash in his arm. "It will grant me a legacy of fear and respect beyond
any lifetime. A place in the Councils highest ranks." He pushed Silicon back. "You can understand why I can't let it fall into the wrong
hands."
"Say when!" Lora'lai called out, her voice ringing through the comm-links. Sabre ducked as Burkholder swung. Just beyond his reach, he could see
Valles floating, energy ripping around her. He tried to duck, but slammed right into the Paragon Sabre pushing him back up into the line of fire.
Payload winced as the blasts caught Burkholder right in the face, snapping his head back and flipping him over in midair. He slammed into the walkway, out like
a light. Not missing the chance, the robot leapt off the giant Council war machine, landing near the Archon and picking him up.
"WHEN!" Archer yelled. There was a hard shift of reality, and then they were all at the feet of the Zenith, Lora'lai still glowing slightly from
the group teleport as she threw the doors open. Task Force Puzzle didn't hesitate, breaking into a run even as sirens began to wail and the first
explosions began.
No one tried to stop them. After all, even though the explosions would most likely only devastate Burkholders robot factories and Zenith hanger, no one really
wanted to be there when that happened. Which meant that by the time a large smoke cloud was rising over the volcano, all of the heros were out on the
mountainside, exhausted.
"We should get moving," Alice managed, lying flat on her back. She lifted up a hand, looking at her fur almost stained black. Neko rested on her
stomach, unwilling to move.
"It's a long flight back to port," Lora said. "I don't think I can fly."
"Jump jets do sound so tiring," Silicon mused as Payload tagged the Archon and sent him off to the Zig.
"... what say we just abuse the space-time warping of a mysterious organization we don't know if we can trust?" Alice said after a moment. There
was a chorus of agreements as William Bishop fired up the Ouroboros portal.
It would not be until about eighteen hours later that Alice would realize that not only had she left her costume with Valles, she'd walked through Atlas
Park in only a fur coat.
***