Ms. Liberty hit the ground, hard, as she felt what might be a broken rib from where the impact of that plasma blast had hit her. She rolled to her feet, delivering a savage kick to machine's head, only to see the impact merely cause a ripple in the translucent forcefield surrounding it. Then she was running, dodging a burst of flame from the thing's weapon arm as its fellows closed in around her, delivering high velocity laser bursts. Any normal person would've been pierced several times over by the coherent light beams, but as it was, Ms. Liberty was taking more and more punishment as time went on, and the bots themselves didn't seem to be even slowing down.
Which was when the gravimetric blast shot out from the sidelines, sending her flying to the ground. The robots, obviously waiting for this opening, pummeled her with their entire combined arsenal, leaving Liberty lying beaten and her head swimming as she saw the architect of this walk in front of her. Shaped like a man, but Longbow's files on the man known as Maximilian Largo had been woefully inadequate. Blue metallic skin gleamed around machine-reinforced artificial muscle, and glowing red eyes looked at her with considerable amusement. Reaching down, the cybernetic terror lifted her up by her collar, and the small relief of watching her mother fade away in a medicom transport didn't suppress the feeling of dread as Liberty looked at the amused face of the thing that called itself Largo.
"My, my, my, doesn't this seem....familiar almost," he smiled. "Unfortunately for you, there is no one coming for you like that long ago time and another heroine had coming for her. No one to save you from me."
The robots closed in about their master, and even though Liberty knew better, she could almost see the hunger to destroy her in their emotionless optics, especially the large one with the scanning eye mounted in its armored faceplate. Then, with little ceremony, Largo dropped her to the ground. Liberty used what little strength she had to look up at him, glaring defiance.
"Unfortunately, I am not yet in a position that I can kill you without repercussions. Thank your grandfather for making things so...complicated. But remember this loss, young lady Liberty. Remember it when you seek to thwart my plans, and remember that I can crush you myself without any assistance. Now...I have a dynasty to ensure," he smiled, as the golden light of an Ouroborus portal activated behind him. "Pleasant dreams." And with that, Liberty felt a sharp pain to the side of her head, and then nothing.
***
Priss jerked awake, breathing heavily as she tried to let the recurring nightmare fade from her awareness, staring out the window at the Statue in the middle of Blyde Square. That, more than anything else, helped calm her. She wasn't back in Tokyo. She was in Paragon City. And all those nightmares were left far behind.
Relaxing, Priss settled back into bed, a touch of amusement coming to mind over the fact her bedmate hadn't so much as rolled over when Priss woke up. Priss knew if there was one thing the two of them didn't have in common, it was their morning habits. Priss wasn't the lightest of sleepers either, but from the looks of it, she was going to have to make breakfast again. Pulling the covers up around both of them, Priss slid back into sleep, comforting herself with present rather than dwelling on the past.
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."
Which was when the gravimetric blast shot out from the sidelines, sending her flying to the ground. The robots, obviously waiting for this opening, pummeled her with their entire combined arsenal, leaving Liberty lying beaten and her head swimming as she saw the architect of this walk in front of her. Shaped like a man, but Longbow's files on the man known as Maximilian Largo had been woefully inadequate. Blue metallic skin gleamed around machine-reinforced artificial muscle, and glowing red eyes looked at her with considerable amusement. Reaching down, the cybernetic terror lifted her up by her collar, and the small relief of watching her mother fade away in a medicom transport didn't suppress the feeling of dread as Liberty looked at the amused face of the thing that called itself Largo.
"My, my, my, doesn't this seem....familiar almost," he smiled. "Unfortunately for you, there is no one coming for you like that long ago time and another heroine had coming for her. No one to save you from me."
The robots closed in about their master, and even though Liberty knew better, she could almost see the hunger to destroy her in their emotionless optics, especially the large one with the scanning eye mounted in its armored faceplate. Then, with little ceremony, Largo dropped her to the ground. Liberty used what little strength she had to look up at him, glaring defiance.
"Unfortunately, I am not yet in a position that I can kill you without repercussions. Thank your grandfather for making things so...complicated. But remember this loss, young lady Liberty. Remember it when you seek to thwart my plans, and remember that I can crush you myself without any assistance. Now...I have a dynasty to ensure," he smiled, as the golden light of an Ouroborus portal activated behind him. "Pleasant dreams." And with that, Liberty felt a sharp pain to the side of her head, and then nothing.
***
Priss jerked awake, breathing heavily as she tried to let the recurring nightmare fade from her awareness, staring out the window at the Statue in the middle of Blyde Square. That, more than anything else, helped calm her. She wasn't back in Tokyo. She was in Paragon City. And all those nightmares were left far behind.
Relaxing, Priss settled back into bed, a touch of amusement coming to mind over the fact her bedmate hadn't so much as rolled over when Priss woke up. Priss knew if there was one thing the two of them didn't have in common, it was their morning habits. Priss wasn't the lightest of sleepers either, but from the looks of it, she was going to have to make breakfast again. Pulling the covers up around both of them, Priss slid back into sleep, comforting herself with present rather than dwelling on the past.
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."